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030 - Book 10 Part 3 · Metamorphoses

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  Speaker 1: Book ten, Part three of Oviz Metamorphosis. This is a
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  Speaker 1: Metamorphosis by Publius Obedious Nazo, translated by brooks More, Book ten,
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  Speaker 1: Part three. Perhaps you may have heard of a swift
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  Speaker 1: maid who ran much faster than swift footed men contesting
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  Speaker 1: in the race. What they have told is not in
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  Speaker 1: idle tale. She did excel them all, and could not
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  Speaker 1: have said whether her swift speed or her beauty was
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  Speaker 1: more worthy of your praise. When this maid once consulted
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  Speaker 1: with an oracle of her fate after marriage, the god
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  Speaker 1: answered her, you, Attlanta, never will have need of husband
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  Speaker 1: who will only be your harm. For your best good,
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  Speaker 1: you should avoid the tie. But surely you will not
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  Speaker 1: avoid your harm, and while yet living, you will lose yourself.
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  Speaker 1: She was so frightened by the oracle she lived unwedded
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  Speaker 1: in far shaded woods and with harsh terms, repulsed insistent
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  Speaker 1: throngs of suitors. I will not be one, she said,
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  Speaker 1: till I am conquered first in speed contest the race
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  Speaker 1: with me A wife and couch shall both be given
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  Speaker 1: to reward the swift. But death must recompense the one
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  Speaker 1: who lacks behind. This must be the condition of a race.
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  Speaker 1: Indeed she was that pitiless, but such the power of
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  Speaker 1: beauty a rash multitude agreed to her harsh terms. Hippomines
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  Speaker 1: had come a stranger to the cruel race, with condemnation
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  Speaker 1: in his heart against the raising young men for their
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  Speaker 1: headstrong love, and said, why seek a wife at such
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  Speaker 1: a risk. But when he saw her face and perfect
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  Speaker 1: form disrobed for perfect running, such a form as mine, adonis,
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  Speaker 1: or as yours, if you were woman, he was so
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  Speaker 1: astonished he raised up his hands and said, oh, pardon me,
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  Speaker 1: brave men whom I was blaming. I could not then
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  Speaker 1: realize the value of the prize you strove for. And
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  Speaker 1: as he is praising her, his own heart leaping with
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  Speaker 1: love's fire, he hopes no young man may ouchtoop her
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  Speaker 1: in the race, and full of envy, fears for the result.
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  Speaker 1: But why he cries, is my chance in the race? Untried?
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  Speaker 1: Divinity helps those who dare. But while the hero weighed
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  Speaker 1: it in his mind, the virgin flew as if her
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  Speaker 1: feet had wings, Although she seemed to him in flight
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  Speaker 1: as swift as any Scythian arrow. He admired her beauty more,
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  Speaker 1: and her swift speed appeared in her most beautiful The
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  Speaker 1: breeze bore back the streamers on her flying ankles, while
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  Speaker 1: her hair was tossed back over her white shoulders. The
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  Speaker 1: bright trimmed ribbons at her knees were fluttering, and over
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  Speaker 1: her white, girlish body came a pink flush, just as
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  Speaker 1: when a purple awning across a marble hall gives it
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  Speaker 1: a wealth of borrowed hughes. And while hippomenes in wonder
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  Speaker 1: gazed at her, the goal was reached, and Atlantic crowned
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  Speaker 1: victorious with festal wreath, and all the vanquished youths paid
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  Speaker 1: the death penalty with sighs and groans, according to the
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  Speaker 1: stipulated bond. Not frightened by the fate of those young men,
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  Speaker 1: he stood up boldly in the midst of all, and,
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  Speaker 1: fixing his strong eyes upon the maiden, said, where is
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  Speaker 1: the glory in an easy victory over such weaklings? Try
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  Speaker 1: your fate with me. If fortune failed to favor you,
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  Speaker 1: how could it shame you to be conquered by a
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  Speaker 1: man Megarius of Ancestus is my father, his grandsire, Neptune,
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  Speaker 1: god of all diseas. I am descendant of the King
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  Speaker 1: of Waves, and add to this my name, for manly
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  Speaker 1: worth has not disgraced the fame of my descent. If
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  Speaker 1: you should prove victorious against this combination, you will have
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  Speaker 1: achieved a great enduring name, the only one who ever
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  Speaker 1: bested great Hippomines. While he was speaking, Atlanta's grace grew
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  Speaker 1: softer in her vacillating hopes to conquer and be conquered,
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  Speaker 1: till at last her heart unbalanced argued in this way,
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  Speaker 1: it must be some god envious of youth, wishing to
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  Speaker 1: spoil this one. Promise him to seek wedlock with me
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  Speaker 1: and risk his own dear life. I am not worth
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  Speaker 1: the price, if I may judge. His beauty does not
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  Speaker 1: touch me, but I could be moved by it. I
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  Speaker 1: must consider he is but a boy. It is not
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  Speaker 1: he himself who moves me, but his youth. Sufficient cause
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  Speaker 1: for thought are his great courage and his soul fearless
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  Speaker 1: of death. What of his high descent, great grandson of
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  Speaker 1: the King of all the seas, What of his love
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  Speaker 1: for me that has such great importance. He would perish
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  Speaker 1: if his fate denied my marriage to him. Oh strange boy,
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  Speaker 1: go from me while you can abou in hope of
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  Speaker 1: this alliance stained with blood. A match with me is fatal.
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  Speaker 1: Other maids will not refuse to wed you, and a
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  Speaker 1: wiser girl will gladly seek your love. But what concern
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  Speaker 1: is it of mine when I but think of those
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  Speaker 1: who have already perished. Let him look to it himself
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  Speaker 1: and let him die. Since he is not warned by
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  Speaker 1: his knowledge of the fate of many other suitors. He
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  Speaker 1: declares quite plainly, he is weary of his life. Shall
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  Speaker 1: he then die? Because it must be his one hope
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  Speaker 1: to live with me and suffer death, though undeserved for me,
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  Speaker 1: because he loves my victory will not ward off the
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  Speaker 1: hate the odium of the deed. But it is not
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  Speaker 1: a fault of mine. Oh fond font man, I would
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  Speaker 1: that you had never seen me, but you are so
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  Speaker 1: madly set upon it. I could wish you may prove
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  Speaker 1: much the swifter. Oh how dear, how lovable is his
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  Speaker 1: young girlish face, Ah, doomed hippomines, I only wish mischance
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  Speaker 1: had never let you see me, Your true me worthy
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  Speaker 1: of a life on earth. If I had been more
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  Speaker 1: fortunate and not denied a happy marriage day, I would
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  Speaker 1: not share my bed with any man but you. All this,
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  Speaker 1: the virgin Atalanta said, and knowing nothing of the power
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  Speaker 1: of love, she is so ignorant of what she does.
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  Speaker 1: She loves and does not know she is in love. Meanwhile,
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  Speaker 1: her father and the people all loudly demanded the accustomed
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  Speaker 1: race a suppliant. The young Hippomenes invoked me with his
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  Speaker 1: anxious voice, I pray to you, o Venus, Queen of love,
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  Speaker 1: be near and help my daring smile upon the love
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  Speaker 1: you have inspired. The breeze, not envious, wafted this prayer
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  Speaker 1: to me, and I confess it was so tender it
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  Speaker 1: did move my heart. I had but little time to
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  Speaker 1: give him aid. There is a field there, which the
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  Speaker 1: natives call the fields Tamasus, the most prized of all
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  Speaker 1: the fertile lands of Cyprus. This rich field, in ancient
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  Speaker 1: day was set apart for me by chosen elders, who
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  Speaker 1: decreed it should entriage my temples. Yerely. In this field
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  Speaker 1: there grows a tree with gleaming golden leaves, and all
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  Speaker 1: its branches crackled with bright gold. Since I was coming
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  Speaker 1: from there by some chance, I had three golden apples
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  Speaker 1: on my hand, which I had plucked. With them, I
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  Speaker 1: planned to aid Hippomenes. While quite invisible to all but him,
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  Speaker 1: I taught him how to use those golden apples for
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  Speaker 1: his benefit. The trumpet soon gave signal for the rays,
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  Speaker 1: and both of them, crouching, flashed quickly for it, and
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  Speaker 1: skinned the surface of the sandy course with flying feet.
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  Speaker 1: You might even think those two could graze the sea
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  Speaker 1: with unwet feet and pass over the ripened heads of
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  Speaker 1: standing grain. Shouts of applause gave courage to the youth.
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  Speaker 1: The cheering multitude cried out to him, Now is the
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  Speaker 1: time to use your strength. Go on, Hippomenes, bend to
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  Speaker 1: the work. You're sure to win. It must be dug
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  Speaker 1: who was most rejoiced by those brave words. Mergarius son
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  Speaker 1: or Sionius's daughter. Oh, how often when she could have
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  Speaker 1: passed him, she delayed her speed, and, after gazing long
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  Speaker 1: upon his face, reluctantly again would pass him. Now, dry
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  Speaker 1: panting breath came from his weary throat, the gold still
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  Speaker 1: far away. Then Neptune Seon threw one of three golden
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  Speaker 1: apples at Alanta with wonder saw it. Eager to possess
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  Speaker 1: his shining fruit, she turned out of her coats, picked
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  Speaker 1: up the rolling gold Hippomines passed by her while spectators
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  Speaker 1: roared aplause. Increasing speed, she overcame delayed, made up for
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  Speaker 1: time lost, and again she left the youth behind. She
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  Speaker 1: was delayed again because he tossed another golden apple. She
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  Speaker 1: followed him and passed him in the race. The last
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  Speaker 1: part of the course remained. He cried, be near me, Goddess,
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  Speaker 1: while I use your gift with youthful might. He threw
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  Speaker 1: the shining gold in an oblique direction to the side,
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  Speaker 1: so that pursuit would mean a slow return. The virgin
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  Speaker 1: seemed to hesitate in doubt whether to follow. After his
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  Speaker 1: third prize, I forced her to turn for it, take
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  Speaker 1: it up, and adding weight to the gold fruit she held,
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  Speaker 1: impeded her with weight and loss of time. For fear
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  Speaker 1: my narrative may stretch beyond the race itself. The maiden
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  Speaker 1: was outstripped. He Pomonies then led his prize away. Adonis,
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  Speaker 1: did I not deserve his tanks with tribute of sweet
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  Speaker 1: incense but he was ungrateful and forgetful of my help.
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  Speaker 1: He gave me neither frankincense nor thanks. Such conduct threw
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  Speaker 1: me into sudden wrath, and fretting at the slight, I
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  Speaker 1: felt I must not be despised at any future time.
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  Speaker 1: I told myself twas only right to make a just
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  Speaker 1: example of them. They were near a temple hidden in
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  Speaker 1: the forest, which glorious Echion in remembered time had built
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  Speaker 1: to rear Mother of God's in payment of a voe.
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  Speaker 1: So wearied from the distant traveled, they were glad to
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  Speaker 1: have a needed rest. Hippomines while there was seized with love.
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  Speaker 1: His heart could not control a passion caused by my divinity.
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  Speaker 1: Quite near the temple was a cave like place covered
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  Speaker 1: with pumis. It was hallowed by religious veneration of the past.
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  Speaker 1: Within the shadows of that place, a priest had stationed
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  Speaker 1: many wooden images of golden gods. The lovers entered there
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  Speaker 1: and desecrated it. The images were scandalized and turned their
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  Speaker 1: eyes away. The tower crowned Mother Sybilly at first prepared
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  Speaker 1: to plunge the guilty pair beneath the waves of sticks,
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  Speaker 1: But such a punishment seemed light, and so their necks,
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  Speaker 1: that had been smooth, were covered instantly with tawny manes.
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  Speaker 1: Their fingers bent to claws, their arms were changed to
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  Speaker 1: fore legs, and their bosoms held their weight. And with
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  Speaker 1: their tails they swept the sandy ground, their casual glances anger,
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  Speaker 1: and instead of words they uttered growls. They haunted the
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  Speaker 1: words a bridaled room to their ferocious taste, and now
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  Speaker 1: fierce lions, they are terrible to all of life, except
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  Speaker 1: to sybilly, whose harness has subdued their champing jaws. My
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  Speaker 1: dear Adonis, keep away from all such savage animals. Avoid
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  Speaker 1: all those who did not turn their fearful backs in flight,
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  Speaker 1: but offer their bold breast to your attack, lest courage
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  Speaker 1: should be fatal to us both. Indeed, she warned him.
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  Speaker 1: Harnessing her swans, she traveled swiftly through the yielding air,
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  Speaker 1: but his rash courage would not heed advice. By chance,
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  Speaker 1: his dogs, which followed a sure track, aroused a wild
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  Speaker 1: boar from his hiding place, and as he rushed out
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  Speaker 1: from his forest lair, Adonnis pierced him with a glancing stroke,
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  Speaker 1: infuriated the fierce bore's curved snout first struck the spear
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  Speaker 1: shaft from his bleeding side, And while the trembling youth
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  Speaker 1: was seeking where to find a safe retreat, the savage
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  Speaker 1: beast raised after him, while at last he sank his
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  Speaker 1: deadly tusk deep in Adonis's grind and stretched him dying
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  Speaker 1: on the yellow sand. And now sweet Aphrodite borne through
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  Speaker 1: air in her light. Chariot had not yet arrived at
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  Speaker 1: Cypress on the wings of her white swans afar. She
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  Speaker 1: recognized his dying groans and turned her white birds towards
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  Speaker 1: the sound, and when down, looking from the lofty sky,
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  Speaker 1: she saw him nearly dead, his body bathed in blood.
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  Speaker 1: She leaped down, tore her garment, tore her hair, and
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  Speaker 1: beat her bosom with distracted hands, and blaming Fate, said,
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  Speaker 1: but not everything is at the mercy of your cruel power.
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  Speaker 1: My sorrow for Adonnis will remain enduring as a lasting monument.
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  Speaker 1: Each passing year the memory of his death shall cause
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  Speaker 1: an imitation of my grief. Your blood, Adornis will become
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  Speaker 1: a flower perenneal. Was it not allowed to you Perseifhoni
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  Speaker 1: to transfermenty s limbs into sweet fragrant mint, and can
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  Speaker 1: this change of my beloved hero be denied to me.
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  Speaker 1: Her grief declared. She sprinkled his blood with sweet smelling nectar,
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  Speaker 1: and his blood, as soon as touched by it, began
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  Speaker 1: to effervis, just as transparant bubbles always rise in rainy weather.
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  Speaker 1: Nor was there a pause more than an hour when
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  Speaker 1: from Adonist's blood, exactly of its color, a loved flower
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  Speaker 1: sprang up, such as pomegranates gift to us small trees,
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  Speaker 1: which later hide their seeds beneath a tough rind. But
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  Speaker 1: the joy it gives to man is short lived, for
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  Speaker 1: the winds which give the flower its name anemone, shake
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  Speaker 1: it right down, because its slender hold, always so weak.
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  Speaker 1: Lets it fall to the ground from its frail stem
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  Speaker 1: end if Book ten, Part three,