HOMER: ILIAD : BOOK V : THE VALOROUS DEEDS OF DIOMEDES

Introduction:

The fighting with which Book IV ends continues throughout Book V. The fighting is dominated by the Greek hero Diomedes, who, with the assistance of Athene, achieves great things. He kills Pandarus, who has just wounded Menelaus, and seriously wounds Aeneas. When the latter is rescued by his mother, the goddess Aphrodite, Diomedes stabs her in the hand, and then goes on to attack Apollo, who has stepped in to save Aeneas when the wounded Aphrodite drops him. Later on. towards the end of the Book Diomedes, at the instigation of Athene, attacks and wounds Ares, the God of War, who has intervened on the Trojans' behalf.

Although Book V is the first book in the "Iliad" fully devoted to fighting, and is a long one with over nine hundred lines, it has none of the tedium which some may find in books XIII-XV, which are also full of fighting. The virtues of Book V are brilliantly summed up by Martin Hammond in the introduction to his translation of the "Iliad" (Penguin, 1985): "The narrative structure of this long book of fighting is handled with sustained vigour and brilliance - there is constant variety of pace, scene, and circumstance, and an astonishing richness of visual detail and of poetic invention in vignettes and similes."

The text for this translation is taken from "Homer: Iliad I-XII", edited by M.M. Willcock, Bristol Classical Press (1978).

Ll. 1-83.  Diomedes leads the assault.

Next, Pallas Athene gave Tydeus' son, Diomedes, the strength and courage to stand out among all the Argives, and to win glorious renown. She made untiring fire blaze from his helmet and shield, like the late-summer star (i.e. Sirius, the Dog-Star), who, when he has bathed in the ocean, shines especially brightly. Such fire did she make to burn from his head and shoulders, and she thrust him into the midst (of the battle), (in the place) where (men) swarmed most thickly. 

Now, there was among the Trojans a certain Dares, a rich and blameless (man), (and) a priest of Hephaestus; he had two sons, Phegeus and Idaeus, skilled in all (kinds of) warfare. They detached themselves (from the ranks), and rushed eagerly at their opponent (i.e. Diomedes); they made their attack from a chariot, and he from the ground on foot. When they were at close range, they went for one another: Phegeus first let fly a spear with a long shaft; but the point of the spear passed over the son of Tydeus's left shoulder, and did not strike him; then, after him, the son of Tydeus rose up with his bronze (spear); nor did the missile fly from his hand without effect, but it struck (him in) the chest between his breasts, and knocked (him) from his chariot. Then, Idaeus leapt out and left the very fine chariot, nor could he bear to stand over the (body of) his slain brother; for he would not have escaped black fate himself, but Hephaestus shielded (him by) enfolding (him) in darkness, so that his aged (priest) might not be wholly overcome with grief. Then, the great-hearted son of Tydeus led away the chariot team, and gave them to his companions to take down to the hollow ships. Then, when the great-hearted Trojans saw one of Dares' two sons fleeing and the other slain beside his chariot, the spirits of (them) all were dismayed; but bright-eyed Athene took the impetuous Ares by the hand, and addressed (him) with these words: "Ares, Ares, (you) bane of men, (you) blood-thirsty stormer of walls, may we not (now) allow the Trojans and the Achaeans to fight it out, (to see) to which of the two sides father Zeus shall award the glory (of victory)? Let us withdraw, and keep far way from the wrath of Zeus."

So speaking, she led the impetuous Ares out of the battle. Then, she sat him down on a high bank of the Scamander (i.e. the main river of the Trojan plain, which flowed from Mount Ida into the Hellespont south of Troy; also known as the River Xanthus), while the Greeks turned back the Trojans; each commander killed his man. First, Agamemnon, king of men, toppled big Odius, leader of the Halizones, from his chariot; for, in the first place, as he turned to flee, he stuck a spear in his back between his shoulder(-blades) and drove (it) through his chest. And he fell with a crash, and his armour clattered around him.

Then, Idomeneus (i.e. the king of Crete) slew Phaestus, the son of the Maeonian Borus, who had come from very fertile Tarne (i.e. a region of Central Asia Minor, inhabited by the Maeonians); Idomeneus, the famous spearman, stabbed (him in) his right shoulder; and he fell from his chariot, and hateful darkness took him. Then, Idomeneus' companions despoiled (him) of his armour

Menelaus, son of Atreus, killed Strophius' son, Scamander, (a man) skilled in the chase, with his sharp spear, (despite him being) a fine huntsman; for Artemis, herself, had taught (him how) to shoot all the wild (creatures) that the forest rears in the mountains. But Artemis, who delights in arrows, did not then assist him, nor (did) his archery (skills), in which he had previously excelled; but Atreus' son, the famous spearman Menelaus, struck (him in) the back between his shoulder(-blades) with his spear, as he was fleeing before him, and drove (it) through his chest. And he fell on his face, and his armour clattered around him.

Then, Meriones (i.e. second in command of the Cretan contingent) slew Phereclus, son of Tecton, Harmon's son, who had the skill in his hands to make all (sorts of) cunningly wrought works; for Pallas Athene loved him especially; and (he it was) who had built for Alexander (i.e. Paris) the well-balanced ships that were the start of those ills which brought disaster on all of the Trojans and on himself, since he knew nothing of the oracles of the gods. When, after pursuing (him) hard, Meriones caught up with him, he struck (him) in the right buttock, and the (spear-)point went right on through under the bone into his bladder. He screamed and fell to his knees, and death enveloped him.

And Meges (i.e. the leader of the contingent from Dulichium and the Echinades) slew Pedaeus, Antenor's son, who was a bastard, but was reared by Theano with the same care (that she gave) to her own children, in order to please her husband. Phyleus' son, the famous spearman (i.e. Meges), came close behind (him) and struck him with his sharp spear on the back of his head; the bronze (point went) straight up through his teeth and cut away his tongue. And he fell in the dust, and the cold bronze took away his teeth.

Then, Eurypylus, Euaemon's son, (i.e. the leader of the Thessalian contingent from Ormenion), slew daring Dolopion's son, noble Hypsenor, who was a priest of Scamander, and honoured by the people just like a god. Chasing after him as he was fleeing before him, Eurypylus, Euaemon's splendid son, slashed at his shoulder and lunged at him with his sword, and sheared off his massive arm. And his arm fell, all bloody, at his feet; then, the darkness of death (came) over his eyes, and mighty fate took hold of him.

Ll. 84-165.  Pandarus wounds Diomedes.

So they toiled in the fury of the fighting; but you could not tell on which side the son of Tydeus was on, whether he was associating with the Trojans or with the Achaeans. For he swept over the plain like a river in full spate, which burst its dykes by the speed of its currents; its strongly-built dykes cannot hold it back, nor do the walls of its flourishing vineyards check (it), as it comes in a sudden (flood), when Zeus' rain falls heavily; and it demolishes beneath it much fine work of vigorous (men). So the close-packed battalions of the Trojans are driven back in confusion by the son of Tydeus, and, although there are very many (of them), they could not withstand him.

So, when Lycaon's splendid son (i.e. Pandarus) saw him sweeping across the plain, and driving back the battalions in confusion before him, he swiftly extended his curved bow in the direction of the son of Tydeus, and shot (him) as he was charging forwards, hitting (him in) the hollow of his breast-plate under his right shoulder; the sharp arrow flew right through (him), and kept straight on, and spattered his breast-plate with blood. At this, Lycaon's splendid son let out a loud shout: "Rouse yourselves, (you) great-hearted Trojans, (you) goaders of horses; for the best of the Achaeans has been hit, nor do I think that he will endure my mighty shaft for long, if, in truth, (it was) the lord son of Zeus (i.e. Apollo) (who) encouraged me to set out from Lycia."

So he spoke in such a boastful manner; but the swift arrow did not bring him down, but he went back and took up his position in front of his horses and his chariot, and addressed Sthenelus, Capaneus' son, (as follows): "Come, son of Capaneus, my friend, get down from the chariot, so you can pull that sharp arrow out of my shoulder." Thus he spoke, and Sthenelus leapt to the ground from from the chariot, and, standing beside (him), he drew the swift arrow right through his shoulder; and blood spurted out through the thread of his tunic. Then, Diomedes, good at the war-cry, prayed (aloud): "(O) tireless daughter of aegis-bearing Zeus, if ever, being well-disposed to my father, you stood by (him) in the heat of battle, now, Athene, show your love for me in turn. Grant that I may kill this man and that he comes within range of my spear, (this man) who shot me before I (even) saw (him), and is (now) exulting, and is saying that I (do) not (have) long now to look upon the bright light of the sun."

So he spoke in prayer; and Pallas Athene heard him, and she made his limbs light, and his feet and his hands above (them); and she drew near (to him) and spoke these winged words: "Take courage, now, Diomedes, and fight against the Trojans; for I have put your father's strength in your breast, a fearless (spirit), such as that shield-bearing horse-driver Tydeus used to have; and again I have taken from your eyes that mist that covered (them) before, so that you can clearly recognise both god and man. So now, if a god should come here to try his strength, you must not fight in any way against any of the immortal gods; but, if Zeus's daughter, Aphrodite, should enter the battle, you should stab her with your sharp bronze."

Thus speaking, bright-eyed Athene departed, and the son of Tydeus went back again and joined the;  front ranks of the fighters; eager in his heart though he had been before to fight with the Trojans,  now three times that fury took hold of him, like a lion, whom a shepherd, tending his woolly sheep in the country, may slightly wound, as it jumps the (wall of) the sheep-fold, but he does not bring (it) down; but he rouses its strength, and then he cannot come to the (sheep's) aid, but (the lion) steals into their sheep-folds, and, left deserted, they run in panic; the close-packed (sheep) fall on one another in heaps, but the (lion), in its ardour, leaps back over the high (wall of) the sheep-fold; so did the strong Diomedes press eagerly forward as he met with the Trojans.

Then he killed Astynous and Hypeiron, shepherd of the host, hitting the one above the nipple with his bronze-tipped spear, and the other he struck on the collarbone beside the shoulder with his big sword, and he sheared his shoulder away from his neck and from his back. He let their (bodies) lie, and went after Abas and Polyïdus, the sons of Eurydamas, an elderly interpreter of dreams; the old man had not interpreted their dreams before they went away, but mighty Diomedes slew them (both). Then he went after Xanthus and Thoon, the sons of Phaenops, both late-born, but he was worn out by old age, and could beget no other son for the purpose of bequeathing his possessions. The he (i.e. Diomedes) kills them, and took away the dear life from both of them, and leaves lamentation and dismal sorrow to their father, since he could not welcome (them) back alive on their return from the battle, and relatives divided his possessions between (them).

Then, he seized two sons of Dardanian Priam, who were in one chariot, Echemmon and Chromius. As a lion springs among cows, and breaks the neck of a young heifer or a cow, as they graze in a thicket, so the son of Tydeus roughly forced them both from their chariot against their will, and then stripped (them) of their armour; and he gave his companions the chariot team to drive to the ships.

Ll. 166-238.  Aeneas joins Pandarus in attacking Diomedes. 

Then, Aeneas saw him (i.e. Diomedes) draining the ranks of warriors, and he went his way through the battle(-lines), and through a flurry of spears, in search of noble Pandarus, (to see) if he could find (him) somewhere; he found the peerless and valiant son of Lycaon, and stood before (him) and spoke these words to him face to face: "Where, Pandarus, (are) your bow and your feathered arrows, and your fame (as an archer)? In this (respect, there is) no man here (who) can rival you, nor (is there) any man in Lycia (who) can claim to be better than you. But come (now), lift up your hands to Zeus (in prayer), and let fly an arrow at this man, whoever (he is), who is on top (in the battle) and (who) has done (so) much damage to the Trojans, since he has loosed the knees of (so) many brave (men); unless, (of course,) he is some god, who bears a grudge against the Trojans, and is cherishing his wrath due to (the omission of) sacrifices; and the wrath of a god lies heavily (upon us mortals)."

Lycaon's splendid son spoke to him in reply: "(O) Aeneas, counsellor of the bronze-clad Trojans, I liken him in all (respects) to the valiant son of Tydeus, and I recognise him by his shield and by the tube on the crest of his helmet, and by looking at his team of horses; yet, I know not for sure that it is (not) a god. But, if he (is) the man that I think (he is), (namely) the valiant son of Tydeus, he does not rampage around in such a manner without (the aid of) a god, but one of the immortals stands beside (him), his shoulders wrapped in a cloud, and he turns aside my swift arrows just as they reach him. For I have already let fly an arrow at him, and I smote him on the right shoulder right through the hollow of his breast-plate; and I thought I should have sent him down to Hades, but still I did not knock (him) down; (surely) now, some god is angry. Now, horses and chariots, which I might mount, are not available (to me); but somewhere in Lycaon's halls (there are) eleven fine chariots, newly made and just fitted out: and cloths are spread all over them (i.e. to protect them from dust); and beside each (one) of them there are stationed a pair of yoked horses, feeding on white barley and wheat. In truth, as I was setting out, that old warrior Lycaon enjoined me constantly in our self-built house: he urged me to lead the Trojans into the thick of battle (while) mounted on horse and chariot. But I did not listen; in truth, it would have been far better (if I had). (But) I was cautious (about taking) the horses, lest, with my men crowded thickly together, they that were accustomed to eat their fill might lack fodder. So I left (them) behind, and I have come to Ilium on foot, relying on my bow; but it was not going to be of any use to me. For I have already shot (an arrow) at two chieftains, the son of Tydeus and the son of Atreus (i.e. Menelaus), (and), having hit (them), I certainly made their blood spout forth, but I (only) aroused (them) the more. So, (it was) under an ill fate (that) I took my curved bow from its peg on that day when I led my Trojans to lovely Ilium to undertake a service for godlike Hector. But, if I shall return and behold with my eyes my native land, and my wife, and our great high-roofed palace, then may some strange man cut my head straight from (my body), if I do not snap this bow with my own hands and cast (it) on the blazing fire: for it accompanies me (as something) worthless."

Then, Aeneas, the leader of the Trojans spoke to him firmly in reply: "Do not speak in such a manner; (things) will not be any different until such time as the two of us go face to face with this man with our horses and chariot, and put (him) to the test with our weapons. But come, climb up on to my chariot, so that you can see the stock of the horses of Troy that know (so) well how to rush hither and thither across the plain, (both) in pursuit and in flight. So, this pair will bring (us) safely to the city, if Zeus should extend the glory (of victory) to Diomedes, the son of Tydeus, once more. But come now, take up the whip and the shining reins, and I shall dismount from the chariot in order to fight; or else do you face him, while the horses will be managed by me."

Then, the splendid son of Lycaon addressed him in reply: "Aeneas, do you keep the reins and your pair of horses yourself; they will draw the curved chariot better under their accustomed driver, if indeed we should again have to flee the son of Tydeus; may they not take fright and dither, and be minded not to carry (us) from the battlefield through missing the sound of your (voice), and then the son of great-hearted Tydeus could rush at us both and slay us and (then) drive away our single-hooved horses. But do you, yourself, drive your own chariot and your own horses, and I shall approach him and face (him) with my sharp spear."

Ll. 239-296.  The death of Pandarus.

So speaking, they mounted their ornate chariot, and, pressing eagerly forward, they bore their swift horses against the son of Tydeus. Then, Sthenelus, Capaneus' splendid son, saw them, and quickly spoke these winged words to the son of Tydeus: "Diomedes, son of Tydeus, (you who are) dear to my heart, I see (two) mighty warriors coming at you, eager to fight, (men) possessing boundless strength; one (is) the skilled bowman Pandarus, and, furthermore, he professes to be the son of Lycaon, and the other, Aeneas, professes (to be) the son of great-hearted Anchises (i.e. a prince of the royal house of Troy, and a great-grandson of Tros), and his mother is Aphrodite. But come, let us withdraw in our chariot, and please do not rush in this way through the front ranks of the fighters, lest by some means you may put an end to your life."

Then, mighty Diomedes, looking askance, addressed him (thus): "Do not speak at all about flight, since I do not think that you will (ever) persuade (me); for (it is) not a characteristic of mine to avoid battle, or to keep my head down; I certainly still have courage; I am reluctant to mount the chariot, but I shall go to meet them just as I am; Pallas Athene will not let me run in fear. Their swift horses will not bear both of them back from us again, even if one or other (of them) should escape. But I shall tell you something else, and do you keep (it) in your mind! If Athene, in her wisdom, should give me the glory of slaying (them) both, you must keep your swift horses in check here by tying their reins to the chariot-rail, and remember to dash out (and catch) Aeneas' horses, and drive (them) away from the Trojans' (lines) to (those of) the well-greaved Achaeans. For they (are) of that stock, from which far-seeing Zeus offered a gift to Tros (i.e. a king of Phrygia, from whom the city of Troy got its name) (as) recompense for his son Ganymede (n.b. he had been carried off to Olympus, because of his beauty, to act as Zeus' cup-bearer), because (they were) the best of all the horses that exist under the light of day and the sun. From that stock, Anchises, the king of men, stole some stallions, without the knowledge of Laomedon (i.e. father of Priam, and a king of Troy and grandson of Tros, from whom he had inherited the breed of horses), and held his mares underneath (them): from these, six foals were born to him (i.e. Anchises) in (the stables of) his palace. Four of them he kept (for) himself, but the other two he gave to Aeneas as agents of panic (i.e. as warhorses). If we could take these two, we should win great renown."

So he spoke, and, after brandishing aloft his spear with its long shaft, he dispatches (it), and it struck the shield of Tydeus' son; and the bronze point sped right through it and reached his breast-plate, and about him Lycaon's splendid son cried out loudly: "You have been hit right through to your belly, and I do not think you will last for long; but to me you have granted great glory."

Then, mighty Diomedes addressed him without fear: "You have missed, and not hit me, but I do not think that the two of you will stop until one or other (of you) shall have fallen and glutted Ares, the warrior with the bull's-hide shield (i.e. stout in battle), with his blood."

So he spoke, and hurled (his spear); and Athene guided the missile (on to) his nose beside the eye, and it shattered his white teeth. The unyielding bronze shored away his tongue at its root, and the point came out at the base of his chin; then, he fell from the chariot, and his armour, (all) glinting and glistening, clanged on top of him, and the swift-footed horses swerved aside in fear; and his spirit and strength were loosed 

Ll. 297-351.  Diomedes wounds Aphrodite.

Then, Aeneas leapt down (from his chariot) with his shield and his long spear, fearing that by some means the Achaeans might drag the corpse away from him. He strode around it like a lion, confident in its own strength, and he held before him his spear and his wholly round shield, eager to slay any man who might come to collect the (corpse), and emitting fearful war-cries. But the son of Tydeus took a bolder in his hand, a great feat, (as it was of a weight) which no two men, of such a kind as mortals now are, could (possibly) carry; yet, lightly did he wield it, even alone. With it he smote Aeneas on the hip, (at the point) where the thigh turns in the hip(-joint), and (men) call it the cup; and he crushed his cup-bone, and shattered both tendons as well; and the jagged stone tore away his skin; then, the warrior remained there, having fallen to his knees, and he rested his stout hand on the ground; then, black night covered both his eyes.

And now would Aeneas, king of men, have perished, had his mother Aphrodite, daughter of Zeus, who had borne him to Anchises, as he tended his cattle, not been (so) quick to notice; she flung her white arms over her dear son, and spread a fold of her shining robe over him, to be a shelter against missiles, lest any of the Danaans, with their swift horses, might hurl a bronze (spear) into his breast, and take away his life.

She was carrying her dear son from the battle-field; but the son of Capaneus (i.e. Sthenelus) did not forget those instructions which Diomedes, good at the war-cry, had laid upon (him), but he kept his own solid-footed horses far away from the tumult (by) tying their reins to the chariot-rail, and, rushing upon Aeneas' horses with their beautiful manes, he drove (them) from (the lines of) the Trojans to (those of) the well-greaved Achaeans. Then, he gave (them) to his dear comrade Deïpylus, whom he esteemed beyond all (others) of his own age, because he had thoughts (that were) congenial to his own mind, and he bade him drive (them) to the hollow ships: then, mounting his own chariot, the warrior took the gleaming reins, and he swiftly set his strong-hooved horses in eager pursuit of the son of Tydeus. But he (i.e. Diomedes) was in pursuit of Cypris (i.e. Aphrodite in her capacity as goddess of Cyprus) with his pitiless bronze (spear), knowing that she was a weakling goddess, and not one of those goddesses who lord it in the battle of warriors, no Athene nor an Enyo, sacker of cities. But, when he reached (her), after pursuing (her) through that great throng (of men), then the son of Tydeus sprang (at her) and lunging (at her) with his sharp spear, he stabbed the surface of her delicate hand; and, at once, the spear (went) through the immortal robe, which the Graces themselves had made, and pierced the flesh below the bottom of her palm (i.e her wrist). And forth flowed the immortal blood of the goddess, the ichor such as flows in (the veins of) the blessed gods; for they eat no bread, nor do they drink sparkling wine, and therefore they are bloodless and are called immortals. She then let out a loud shriek and let her son fall from her, and Phoebus Apollo took him in his arms (and concealed him) in a murky cloud, lest some swift-footed Danaan should cast a bronze (spear) into his chest, and (so) take his life from (him). Then, Diomedes, good at the war-cry, called out loudly to her: "Keep away, daughter of Zeus, from warfare and fighting! Is it not enough that you should ensnare feeble women? If you should begin to frequent the battle-field, then, indeed, I think that you would shudder at warfare, even if you see (it) from a distance."

Ll. 352-430.  Aphrodite returns to Olympus. 

So he spoke, and she went away distraught, and suffering terribly. Then, Iris, with feet as swift as the wind, took (her) and led (her) out of the tumult, afflicted with pain, (as she was,) and with her lovely skin turning black. Then, she found the impetuous Ares sitting on the left of the battle-field, and resting his spear and his swift chariot in the air; then she fell on her knees, and with a long entreaty, she begged her brother for his horses with the golden fillets: "(Please) rescue me, my dear brother, and give me your horses, so I can reach Olympus, where is the abode of the immortals. I am suffering greatly from a wound which a mortal man inflicted on me, (namely) the son of Tydeus, who, even now, would fight with our father Zeus."

So she spoke, and Ares gave her his horses with the golden fillets. Then, she mounted the chariot with anguish in her heart, and Iris climbed up beside her, and took up the reins in her hands, and she whipped (them) to drive (them) onwards, and the pair (of horses) sped eagerly (on their way). Then, they swiftly reached steep Olympus, the abode of the gods; there swift Iris, with her feet as quick as the wind, checked the horses and loosed (them) from the chariot, and threw down immortal fodder beside (them); then, divine Aphrodite threw herself into the lap of her mother Dione, and she took her daughter in her arms, and stroked her with her hand, and spoke these words (to her) and uttered (them) aloud: "Now, which of the heavenly beings did such a reckless thing to you, dear child, is if you had openly done something bad?"

Then, laughter-loving Aphrodite answered her (thus): "(It was) high-spirited Diomedes, the son of Tydeus, (who) wounded me, because I was carrying my dear son Aeneas from the battlefield, (he) who is to me by far the dearest of all (men). For no longer (is) the dread battle between the Trojans and the Achaeans, but now the Danaans are even at war with the immortals."

Then, Dione, the most divine of goddesses, answered her (thus): "Have patience, my child, and bear with all your troubles; for many (of us) who have our dwellings on Olympus have suffered at the hands of men, (while) bringing grievous pains upon one another. So did Ares suffer, when Otus and mighty Ephialtes, the sons of Aloeus, shut (him) up in a strong prison; and he was locked in a bronze jar for thirteen months; and then would Ares, insatiate for war, have perished, if their stepmother. the lovely Eëriboea, had not told Hermes (about it); then, he stole Ares away, when he was already at his wits' end, and his grievous bonds were overcoming him. And so did Hera suffer, when the mighty son of Amphitryon (i.e. Heracles) smote her on the right breast with a triple-barbed arrow; then, too, unbearable pain seized hold of her. So did monstrous Hades, among others, suffer a sharp arrow, when the same man, the son of aegis-bearing Zeus (i.e. Heracles), smote him in Pylos among the dead (men), and delivered (him) over to pain; but he made his way to the house of Zeus and to high Olympus, sore at heart and shot through with pain; for the arrow had been driven into his sturdy shoulder, and he was troubled in spirit. But Paeon (i.e. Apollo in his capacity as god of healing) sprinkled pain-killing medicines on the (wound), and healed (him): for he was in no way made (like) a mortal. (He (i.e. Heracles) was) a harsh and a violent (man), who was not concerned that he was doing evil deeds, and who was troubling the gods who hold Olympus with his arrows. And upon you has the goddess, bright-eyed Athene, sent this (man): fool (that he is), for the son of Tydeus has no thought in his mind that (he) who fights the immortals is not (to be) at all long-lived, nor do his sons prattle away around his knees at all, calling (him) father, when he returns from war and the dread battle-field. Therefore, Tydeus' son, even if he is so mighty, must now beware, lest someone better than you fights with him, (and) lest Aegialeia, Adrastus' most thoughtful daughter, frequently arouses her intimate household companions from their sleep by her lamentations, as she, the comely wife of horse-taming Diomedes, the best of the Achaeans, yearns for her wedded husband."

So she spoke, and, with both her hands, she wiped the ichor from her arms; her hand was healed and the grievous pains were allayed. But Athene and Hera, as they looked upon (her), sought to provoke Zeus, the son of Cronos, with their mocking words. And, among them, the goddess, bright-eyed Athene, was the first to speak: "Father Zeus, will you be at all angry with me at what I may say? Now Cypris (i.e. Aphrodite) has most certainly been urging one of the Achaean girls (i.e. Helen) to go with the Trojans, whom  now she so greatly loves (i.e. after the Judgment of Paris), and, (while) caressing one of these fair-robed Achaean women, she scratched her slender hand on a golden brooch."

So she spoke, but the father of both men and gods smiled, and, having called golden Aphrodite (to him), he said (to her): "The works of war have not been given to you, my child, but you should attend to the lovely works of marriage, and all those kind of things shall be the business of swift Ares and Athene."

Ll. 431-518.  Apollo intervenes on the battlefield.

Thus they said these things to one another, but Diomedes, good at the war-cry, leapt upon Aeneas, although he knew that Apollo, himself, was holding his arms over (him) in protection, but yet he did not stand in awe of the great god, but remained eager to slay Aeneas and to strip his glorious armour from (him). Three times then did he leap upon him, earnestly desiring to slay (him), and three times did Apollo beat back his shining shield; but, when he rushed at (him) like a god for the fourth time, then Apollo, the far-shooter, addressed (him) with this terrible cry: "Have a care, son of Tydeus, and give way, and do not wish to think yourself equal to the gods, since the stock of the immortal gods and (that) of the men who walk the earth (can) never (be) of a like kind."

So he spoke, and the son of Tydeus was forced to go back a little way, (thus) avoiding the wrath of the far-shooting Apollo. Then did Apollo set Aeneas far apart from the throng in sacred Pergamus (i.e. the citadel of Troy), where his temple was built. Now, in truth, Leto and the archer Artemis healed him in this great sanctuary, and did him honour. But Apollo of the silver bow created a phantom, resembling Aeneas himself, and like him in its armour, and the Trojans and the goodly Achaeans slashed at one another around this phantom, (and) at the round ox-hide shields and the fluttering bucklers (which they held) around their chests. Then, Phoebus Apollo addressed impetuous Ares (thus): "Ares, Ares, (you) bane of men, (you) blood-thirsty stormer of cities, will you not now go after this man and withdraw (him) from the fighting, the son of Tydeus (that is, he) who would even now fight with father Zeus? Firstly, he closed with Cypris, and stabbed her hand in the wrist, and then he flung himself at me, like (he was) a god."

So speaking, he (i.e. Apollo) sat himself down on the heights of Pergamus, and baneful Ares went out among the ranks of the Trojans, and, seeming (to be) swift Acamas, the leader of the Thracians, he spurred (them) on. Then, he called to the sons of Priam, (who were) cherished by Zeus: "(O you) sons of King Priam, ordained by Zeus, how much longer will you let your people be killed by the Achaeans? Will it be until such time as they are fighting around our well-wrought gates? A man is fallen, who we hold in equal honour to godlike Hector, (namely) Aeneas, son of great-hearted Anchises; but come, let us rescue our brave companion from the din of battle!" Thus speaking, he stirred the ardour and resolve of each (of them). Then also, Sarpedon firmly upbraided godlike Hector: "Hector, where has that strength of yours gone that you had before? You used to say that you would somehow hold this city, without (the help) of your people or your allies, (but) alone with your brothers-in-law and your brothers; I cannot now behold or perceive any of them, but they are cowering back like dogs round a lion; but we are fighting, we, your allies, who are right here among you. For I, who am your ally, am come from a great distance; for Lycia is far away by the swirling (River) Xanthus; there I have left behind my dear wife and my baby son, and much property, which (a man) who (is) in need will covet; but even so I spur on my Lycians, and I, myself, long to meet my man in battle; but yet, I (do) not (have) here any of the sort of possessions that the Achaeans might loot or carry off. But you (just) stand (there), and you give no orders to the rest of your people to stand their ground and fight to defend their wives; take care, lest you and they are caught like (fish) in the meshes of an all-taking line, and you become the spoil and booty of enemy warriors; and they will soon be sacking your well-peopled city, All this should be your concern (every) day and night, with you begging the leaders of your far-famed allies to hold fast unceasingly, and you should give (them) no cause for a stern rebuke." 

So spoke Sarpedon, and his words sting Hector's heart. Forthwith, he leapt to the ground with all his armour, and, brandishing a sharp spear he went all through the army, spurring (them) to fight and arousing the dread din of battle. And they wheeled around and stood facing the Achaeans; but the Argives stood their ground in full strength and showed no fear. As the wind carries chaff across the sacred threshing-floor, when men are winnowing (the corn), and when golden(-haired) Demeter separates the wheat and the chaff driven on by the wind; then the heaps of chaff grow white; so, the Achaeans then turned white in the cloud of dust from above, which the horses' hooves drove through their ranks up to the brazen(-coloured)  sky, as they clashed once again; and the drivers wheeled (their chariots) around. And they directed the strength of their hands straight towards (the enemy). Then, impetuous Ares, ranging around in all directions, shrouded the battlefield with (a veil of) night to help the Trojans; and he fulfilled the behest of Phoebus Apollo of the golden sword, who bade him rouse the spirits of the Trojans, when he saw Pallas Athene departing: for she was a helper of the Danaans. And he, himself (i.e. Apollo), sent forth Aeneas from the very rich sanctuary, and instilled courage in the breast of the shepherd of the host. And Aeneas took his place among his comrades; and they were overjoyed, when they saw that he was there, alive and whole, and that he was possessed of his valiant courage; yet, they did not question (him) at all. For toil of another kind did not permit (it), (that is the kind) which he of the silver bow (i.e. Apollo), and Ares, the bane of mortals, and Strife, who strives without ceasing, stirred up.

Ll. 519-589.  The Greeks prevail.

On the other side. the two Aiantes, and Odysseus, and Diomedes were urging the Danaans to fight; but they, themselves, did not shrink from the assaults and sallies of the Trojans, but stood their ground, like the clouds which the son of Cronos (i.e. Zeus) settles in still (weather) motionless on the tops of mountains, while the mighty north wind sleeps, as do the other raging winds, which, when they blow, scatter the shadowy clouds with their shrill blasts; just so did the Danaans firmly stand their ground against the Trojans, nor did they turn to flight. The son of Atreus (i.e. Agamemnon) went backwards and forwards through the throng of battle with many words of command: "O (my) friends, be men, and take courage to your hearts, and have regard for one another in the thick of battle; of men of pride, more are saved than are struck down; but of those who flee, no glory nor any (kind of) safety arises."

He spoke, and swiftly hurled his spear, and it smote a leading man, Deïcoön, son of Pergasus, (a man) whom the Trojans honoured like the sons of Priam, since he was quick to fight in the front ranks. Lord Agamemnon smote him with his spear upon his shield; but it did not check the spear, but the bronze (point) went right on through (it), and drove through his belt into his lower belly; and he fell with a crash, and his armour clattered around him.

Then in turn, Aeneas slew (two) leading warriors of the Danaans, the sons of Diocles, Crethon and Orsilochus, whose father dwelt in well-built Phera (i.e. a city in the south-western Peloponnese, between Pylos and Sparta), (a man) rich in substance, and he was descended from (the god of) the River Alpheus, that flows in a broad (stream) through the land of the Pylians, who begot Ortilochus (to be) king over many men, and Ortilochus begot great-hearted Diocles, and of Diocles twin sons were born, Crethon and Orsilochus, (both) skilled in every (kind of) warfare. When these two reached their prime, they accompanied the Argives on their black ships to Ilium, that breeder of fine horses, seeking to win compensation for the sons of Atreus, Agamemnon and Menelaus: but there the doom of death enveloped the two of them. These two are like two lions raised by their mother on the peaks of a mountain in the thickets of a deep wood. They carry off cattle and fat sheep, and plunder men's farmsteads, until they are slain by a sharp bronze (spear) in the hands of men; these two were brought down by the hands of Aeneas, and were toppled like tall fir-trees. As they fell, Menelaus, dear to Ares, had pity on (them), and strode through the foremost fighters, furnished with a helmet of flaming bronze and brandishing his spear; and Ares instilled courage in him, planning it so that he should be slain at the hands of Aeneas. But Antilochus, son of great-hearted Nestor, saw him, and strode through the foremost fighters; for he was much afraid for the shepherd of the host (i.e. Menelaus), lest something should befall him, and greatly frustrate all their efforts. Now, the two of them (i.e. Aeneas and Menelaus) were grasping their sharp-pointed spears in their hands, as they faced each other in their eagerness to do battle; and Antilochus stood very close beside the shepherd of the host. Then, Aeneas did not stand his ground, ready fighter though he was, when he saw the two men standing beside each other. And so, when they had dragged the corpses (i.e. the bodies of Crethon and Orsilochus) back to the Achaean lines, they delivered the hapless pair into the hands of their comrades, and turned back themselves to fight among the foremost.

Then they killed Pylaemenes, peer of Ares, (and) the leader of the great-hearted Paphlagonians, armed with their shields. Menelaus, son of Atreus, famed for his spear, stabbed him with his spear as he was standing (there), hitting him on the collar-bone; And Antilochus smote his companion and his charioteer, Mydon, the fine son of Atymnius, as he was wheeling his solid-footed horses around; he hit (him) with a stone right on the elbow; and the reins, white with (pieces of) ivory, fell to the ground in the dust. Then Antilochus rushed (at him), and struck the side of his forehead with a sword; so, gasping, he fell head-foremost from his well-wrought chariot head and shoulders into the dust. He stood (there) for quite a long time - for he had landed in deep sand - until his horses, with their flailing (hooves), knocked (him) to the ground in the dust; (then) Antilochus whipped (them) up, and drove (them) towards the Achaeans' camp.

Ll. 590-702.  Sarpedon is wounded. 

But Hector espied them across the ranks, and rushed at them with a sharp cry; and the strong battalions of the Trojans followed (him); and Ares and queenly Enyo led them, she bringing with her the ruthless tumult of war, while Ares wielded a monstrous spear in his hands, and ranged around, now in front of Hector, and now behind (him).

At the sight of him, Diomedes, good at the war-cry, shuddered; as, when a man, crossing a great plain, halts at a loss opposite a swift-flowing stream, when he sees (it) flowing into the sea with seething foam, and he takes a step backwards, so now was the son of Tydeus forced back, and he spoke to the host (as follows): "O my friends, how we just used to marvel at godlike Hector as a spearman and a dauntless warrior; but one of the gods (is) ever at his side to ward off his destruction; and now that (is) Ares there beside him in the likeness of a mortal man. But, (while) always turning (your faces) towards the Trojans, keep going backwards, and do not seek to fight with gods in full force."

So he spoke, and the Trojans came very close to them. Then, Hector slew two men, well-skilled in the affairs of battle, Menesthes and Anchialus, both of them being in the one chariot. Then, after they had fallen, great Telamonian Ajax felt great pity for (them), and he came and stood very close (to their bodies), and let fly with his shining spear, and he smote Amphius, son of Selagus, who dwelt in Paesus (i.e. a town in the Troad), (a man) rich in property, who owned many cornfields; but fate led him to come to the aid of Priam and his sons. Telamonian Ajax struck him on his belt, and stuck his long-shafted spear into his lower belly, and he fell with a crash; then, glorious Ajax rushed forward to strip (him of) his armour. And the Trojans showered (him) with their spears, all sharp and shining. And his shield intercepted many (of them). Then, he planted his foot (on the body) and pulled put his bronze spear from the corpse; yet, he was not able to strip the rest of his fine armour from his shoulders: for he was (too) hard-pressed with missiles. And he feared the vigorous defence (of the body) by the valiant Trojans, of whom many brave (warriors) stood close by with their spears in their hands, and, though he was big, and strong, and illustrious, they thrust him from them; and, as he fell back, he trembled.

So they laboured in mighty combat; then, irresistible fate roused Tlepolemus, son of Heracles, (a man) both valiant and huge, against godlike Sarpedon. But when the son and grandson of cloud-gathering Zeus (i.e. Sarpedon and Tlepolemus), advancing against one another, were face to face, Tlepolemus (was) the first to address words to the other: "Sarpedon, counsellor of the Lycians, what is forcing you to cower here, since you are (a man) ignorant of warfare? They (who) say that you are the son of aegis-bearing Zeus are lying, since you fall far short of those warriors who were born of Zeus in the days of men of old; but they say that the mighty Heracles was of that other kind, (he who was) my father, bravely steadfast and lion-hearted. He once came here, on account of the mares of Laomedon, with only six ships and even fewer men, and he stormed the city of Ilium and laid waste her streets; but you have a cowardly heart and your people are perishing. And I do not think that, coming from Lycia, you will be any protection for the Trojans, nor (do I think,) be you ever so strong, but that you will be overcome by me and will pass through the gates of Hades."

Then, Sarpedon, the leader of the Lycians, said to him in reply: "That (father of yours), Tlepolemus, really did destroy sacred Ilium, through the folly of (one) man, the proud Laomedon, who upbraided with harsh words a man who had done him good service (i.e. Heracles for saving his daughter Hesione from a sea-monster), and refused to give him the mares, on account of which he had come from afar. But here I believe that in your case death and black fate will be achieved at my (hands), and that, vanquished beneath my spear, you will grant your pride to me, and your spirit to Hades, famous for horses." 

So spoke Sarpedon, and Tlepolemus lifted up his ashen spear; and the long spears sped from their hands at the same moment; Sarpedon smote (him) (i.e. Tlepolemus) right on the neck, and the grievous point went right through, and dark night enveloped his eyes. And Tlepolemus smote (him) (i.e. Sarpedon) on the left thigh with his long spear, and the quivering point sped through, almost reaching the bone, but his father (i.e. Zeus) still warded off his destruction.

Then, his noble companions bore godlike Sarpedon from the battlefield. The long spear oppressed him (sorely), as it dragged (at his side); in their haste, no man contrived to, or was minded to, pull the ashen spear out of his thigh, so that he could stand; for such toil did they have who were tending (him).

On the other side, the well-greaved Achaeans were carrying Tlepolemus out of the fighting line; and noble Odysseus, possessor of a steadfast spirit, noticed (it), and his heart within him quivered with eagerness; then he pondered in his heart and mind whether he should pursue the son of loud-thundering Zeus any further, or rather take the lives of more Lycians. But it was not ordained by fate for great-hearted Odysseus to slay with his sharp bronze the valiant son of Zeus; so, Athene turned his mind towards the host of the Lycians. Then, he slew Coeranus, and Alastor, and Chromius, and Alcandrus, and Halius, and Noëmon, and Prytanis. Yet now noble Odysseus would have slain even more Lycians, had great Hector of the flashing helmet not seen (it so) quickly, and strode through the foremost fighters, donned in his helmet of flaming bronze, bringing terror to the Danaans; then Sarpedon, son of Zeus, was glad at his coming, and spoke these piteous words (to him): "Son of Priam, do not let me lie (here as) prey for the Danaans, but come to my aid; then, let me depart from this life in your city, since it seems I am not destined to return home to my native land and (so) gladden (the hearts of) my dear wife and baby son." 

So he spoke, and (yet) Hector of the flashing helmet gave him no answer at all, but rushed past (him), striving eagerly to push back the Argives with all speed, and to take the life from many (of them). Then, his noble companions sat godlike Sarpedon under a lovely oak-tree, sacred to aegis-bearing Zeus; and valiant Pelagon, who was his dear comrade, pulled the ashen spear out of his thigh. Then, his spirit left him, and a mist spread over his eyes; but he breathed again, and the gusts of the north wind blowing around (him) restored the breath for which he had been gasping with such difficulty.

But the Argives, (beset) by Ares and bronze-armoured Hector, neither turned in flight to their black ships, nor did they set themselves against (anyone) in battle, but they fell back constantly, when they heard that Ares was with the Trojans.

Ll. 703-766.  Hera and Athene join the battle. 

Whom first, then, and whom last did Priam's son, Hector, and brazen Ares slay? Godlike Teuthras, and in addition horse-driving Orestes, and Trechus, the Aetolian spearman, and Oenomaus, and Helenus, son of Oenops, and Oresbius with his glittering belt, who dwelt in Hyle (i.e. a city in Boeotia), on the shore of the Cephisian lake; and beside him there lived other Boeotians, who possessed exceedingly fertile land.

But, when the white-armed goddess, Hera, saw the Argives being destroyed in the fierce conflict, she forthwith addressed these winged words to Athene: "O the shame of it, Atryone (i.e. the Unwearied One), child of aegis-bearing Zeus, empty talk indeed was the promise we made to Menelaus that he would return after sacking the well-fortified (city of) Ilium, if we allow baneful Ares to rage like this. But come, let us two also be mindful of our fighting strength!"

So she spoke, and the bright-eyed goddess, Athene, did not fail to comply. Hera, the august goddess, daughter of great Cronos, went around and bedecked the horses in their golden fillets; and Hebe (i.e. daughter of Zeus and cup-bearer of the gods) quickly fitted curved wheels on both sides of the chariot (frame), eight-spoked (wheels) of bronze, on each end of the axle made of iron. Of these (wheels) the rim (is) truly of imperishable gold, and over (them) bronze tyres are fitted, wonderful to behold. And the revolving hubs on either side are of silver; and the chariot-platform is hung upon straps of gold and silver, and there are two rails that run around (it). And from the (platform) there extends a silver pole; and on its end she fastened a fine golden yoke, and cast on it some fair golden collars; then, Hera led her swift-footed horses beneath the yoke, eager (as she was) for strife and the cry of battle. 

Meanwhile, Athene, daughter of aegis-bearing Zeus, let fall on her father's floor her fine embroidered robe, which she herself had made and worked with her hands; then, she donned the tunic of cloud-gathering Zeus, and arrayed herself in her armour for tearful war. And about her shoulders she flung the fearful tasselled aegis, all around which Panic is set in a circle, and therein (is) Strife, and therein (is) Valour, and therein (is) blood-chilling Rout, and therein too (is) the head of that dreadful monster, the Gorgon, terrible and awful, and a portent of aegis-bearing Zeus. And upon her head, she placed a golden two-horned helmet with four bosses (and) decorated with (figures representing) the men-at-arms of a hundred cities; then she stepped into her fiery chariot, and grasped her heavy spear, huge and strong, with which she vanquishes the ranks of men, warriors against whom she, the daughter of a mighty father, bears a grudge. Then, Hera quickly flicked her horses with the whip; and the gates of heaven, which the Hours (i.e. the goddesses of the Seasons) had in their keeping, groaned (open) of their own accord, and to them are entrusted great heaven and Olympus, both to push aside the thick cloud and to impose (it). So, in this way, they steered their spurred horses through (the gates). Then, they found the son of Cronos (i.e. Zeus) sitting apart from the other gods on the highest peak of many-ridged Olympus; there, the white-armed Hera stayed the horses, and addressed Zeus, the most high son of Cronos, asking (him): "Father Zeus, do you not feel anger at Ares for these violent deeds, in that he has, to my sorrow, destroyed so great and so goodly a host of the Achaeans recklessly and in an unseemly manner, while Cypris and Apollo of the silver bow make merry at their ease, having let loose this madman, who has no notion of any law? Father Zeus, will you be at all angry with me, if I should smite Ares sorely and chase (him) from the battlefield?"

Then cloud-gathering Zeus addressed her (thus) in reply: "Come then, set Athene, driver of the spoil, against him, (she) who is especially wont to causing him inglorious anguish."

Ll. 767-845.  Athene fights alongside Diomedes.

So he spoke, and the white-armed goddess Hera did not disobey, but whipped up the horses; and, nothing loath, the pair flew on between earth and the starry heaven. As far as a man sees with his eyes into the misty distance, as he sits on a vantage point gazing on the wine-dark sea, so far do the gods' high-sounding horses spring at a bound. But when they reached (the land of) Troy with its two flowing rivers, (at the point) where the Simoïs and the Scamander join their streams together, there the white-armed goddess Hera stayed her horses, and, having loosed (them) from the chariot, she shed a thick mist around (them); and Simoïs made (a crop of) ambrosia to spring up for them to feed on. Then, they (i.e. Hera and Athene) went their way like timorous wood-pigeons in their steps, eager to bring aid to the Argive warriors; but, when they came (to the place) where most (of them) and the best (of them) were stationed around mighty Diomedes, packed together like ravening lions or wild boars whose strength (is) not easily exhausted, there stood the white-armed goddess Hera, and she shouted aloud, in the form of great-hearted Stentor of the brazen voice, who spoke with as much power as fifty other (men): "Shame (on you, you) Argives, sad wretches (that you are), (though) wonderful to look at; so long as godlike Achilles was ready to go into battle, The Trojans would never (even) venture in front of the Dardanian gates; for they were in dread of his mighty spear; but now they are fighting far from their city right by our hollow ships."

So speaking, she (i.e. Hera) stirred the strength and spirit of each (of them). Then, the goddess, bright-eyed Athene, made quickly for the son of Tydeus; and she found the king beside his horses and chariot, airing the wound which Pandarus had dealt him with his arrow. For sweat was chafing him beneath the broad strap of his round shield; he was being irritated by this and his arm was tired, and he was lifting up the strap and wiping away the dark blood. Then, the goddess grasped the horses' yoke and spoke (thus): "To be sure, Tydeus begot a son who was little like him. Tydeus, let me tell you, was small in stature, but a fighter; even when I would not let him fight or rush madly into the fray, (for instance that time) when he went (as) a messenger to Thebes, a lone Achaean among a crowd of Cadmeians (i.e. Thebans); I had told him to feast quietly in their halls; yet, he, having a heart which (was) bold as of old, challenged the young men of the Cadmeians and won every (event); such a helper was I to him. But as for you, I am surely standing beside (you) and guarding (you), and I readily urge you to fight with the Trojans; but either weariness, caused by impetuous onsets, has entered into your limbs, or perhaps a spiritless terror is now holding you back; well then, you cannot be the offspring of Tydeus, son of warlike Oeneus."

Then, mighty Diomedes addressed her (thus) in reply: "I know you, goddess, daughter of aegis-bearing Zeus; so I will readily tell you my thoughts and not hide (them from you). No spiritless terror, nor any cowardice, is holding me back in any way, but I am still mindful of those behests of yours which you laid upon (me). You would not let me fight against the other blessed gods; except that if Aphrodite, the daughter of Zeus, should enter the battle, then (I was) to stab her with my sharp bronze. For this reason, I am now falling back myself, and I have ordered all the other Argives to gather here; for I can see that Ares is lording it around the battlefield."

Then, the bright-eyed goddess Athene answered him (thus): "Diomedes, son of Tydeus, most pleasing to my heart, on this account have no fear of Ares or any other of the immortals, (for) such a helper am I to you; but come, steer your uncloven-hooved horses at Ares first, and smite him at close quarters, and do not stand in awe of impetuous Ares, this madman, this manufactured evil, this two-faced (monster), who just now spoke both to me and to Hera and promised to fight the Trojans and to bring help to the Argives, but now he is siding with the Trojans and is going back on those (promises)."

Thus speaking, she (i.e. Athene) dragged Sthenelus back with her hand and pushed him from the chariot to the ground, and he leapt down hastily; and, eager (for battle), the goddess mounted the chariot beside godlike Diomedes; and the oaken axle creaked loudly due to its weight; for it held the dread goddess and the best of warriors. And Pallas Athene took hold of the whip and the reins; forthwith she steered the uncloven-hooved horses straight at Ares first of all. In fact, he was stripping the enormous Periphas (of his armour), (he who was) the splendid son of Ochesius and by far the best of the Aetolians; the blood-stained Ares was stripping him; but Athene had donned the helmet of Hades (i.e. the cap of darkness), so that mighty Ares should not see her.

Ll. 846-909.  Diomedes wounds Ares.

Now, when Ares, bane of mortals, saw godlike Diomedes, he actually let (the body of) the huge Periphas lie on the very spot where he had first slain (him) and taken away his life, and he went straight towards horse-taming Diomedes. Now, when they were at close range, as they advanced on each other, Ares lunged forward with his bronze spear over the yoke and reins of the horses, eager to take his life from (him); but the bright-eyed goddess Athene caught it in her hand, and pushed (it) away from the chariot to dart around to no avail. Then again, Diomedes, good at the war-cry, rushed (at him) with his bronze spear; and Pallas Athene drove (it) into the bottom of his belly where he had girded himself with an apron; hitting (him) there, he wounded him and rent his fine flesh asunder, and he drew the spear out again; then, brazen Ares screamed as loud as nine thousand or ten thousand men shout aloud on the battlefield, when they come together in the strife of war. Then, trembling came upon both the Achaeans and the Trojans in their terror, so loud did Ares, the war-glutton, scream.

Like a black (column of) air which appears out of the clouds, as a result of the heat, while a violent wind arises, so did brazen Ares appear to Diomedes, son of Tydeus, as he went up to the broad heaven wrapped in clouds. Speedily he came to steep Olympus, the abode of the gods, and sat down beside Zeus, the son of Cronos, sick at heart, and he showed (him) the immortal blood flowing from his wound, and spoke these winged words in a plaintive voice: "Father Zeus, do you not feel any anger at the sight of these violent deeds? We gods always have to suffer most horribly from one another's actions, when we bring favours to men. We all hold you to blame; for you begat this witless girl, accursed (as she is), whose mind is ever fixed on wicked deeds. For all the other gods who are on Olympus obey you, and we are subject (to you), each one (of us); but you pay no attention to her, either in word or deed, but you let (her) go free, since you, yourself, fathered that ruinous child. Now. she has set Diomedes, the overbearing son of Tydeus, to vent his rage against the immortal gods. First, he stabbed Cypris (i.e. Aphrodite) at close range on the hand at the wrist, and then he rushed upon myself like a god. But my quick feet bore me away; otherwise I should have suffered woes there for a long time among the grim heaps of the dead, or else I should have lived in a feeble state, through the blows of his bronze (spear)."

Then, looking askance, cloud-gathering Zeus addressed him (thus): "(You) two-faced (creature), do not sit beside me and whine in any way! You are the most hateful to me of (all) the gods who occupy Olympus; for strife and wars and fighting are ever dear to you. You have the stubborn unyielding spirit of your mother Hera; I can scarcely control her by my words; so, I think that you are suffering these things at her instigation. But still I can no longer bear that you should have any pains; for you are a son of mine, and your mother bore you to me; but, if you had been born thus ruinous of any other god, you would, long ago, have been (placed) lower than the sons of Uranus (i.e. the Titans whom Zeus had incarcerated in Tartarus)."

So he spoke, and bade Paeon heal (his wounds). Then Paeon sprinkled pain-killing medicines on the (wound) and healed (him); for he was in no way made (like) a mortal. As when the juice (of the fig), although it is liquid, rapidly congeals the white milk, and it is coagulates very quickly with (someone) stirring (it), so speedily was impetuous Ares healed. Then, Hebe bathed him, and clad (him) in beautiful raiment; and he sat down at the side of Zeus, son of Cronos, exulting in his glory. 

Then, back to the palace went Hera of Argos and Athene of Alalcomenae (i.e. a small town in Boeotia which had a sanctaury dedicated to her), after they had put a stop to the slaughterings of Ares, bane of mortals.

OVID: METAMORPHOSES: BOOK XV

Introduction:

For an introduction to the work as a whole, the reader is invited to turn to the introduction to the translation of "Metamorphoses" Book I, published on this blog on 1st February 2018. 

While this, the final book of Ovid's monumental work, the "Metamorphoses", is not perhaps the most readily accessible of its fifteen books, it is undoubtedly among the most interesting of them. Especially remarkable to this book is the long discourse, put into the mouth of the Greek philosopher Pythagoras (see ll. 60-478), which offers a structural alternative to Ovid's account of the Creation in Book I. The serious nature of this discourse marks a return to the didactic mode of epic poetry characteristic of  Lucretius' "On the Nature of Things" and Virgil's "Georgics". Pythagoras' discourse starts and ends with his strong advocacy for vegetarianism, based on his doctrine of Metempsychosis, or Reincarnation, which suggests that animal slaughter may involve the dispossession of the soul of a relative. Once these more scientific aspects of "transformation" have been explored, Ovid returns in the second half of Book XV to mythical themes related to early Roman history, which culminate in the apotheosis or deification of Julius Caesar, and extravagant praise of his adopted son, Augustus, whom he compares with Jupiter. No doubt, Ovid was anxious to demonstrate his loyalty to Augustus' regime, although one wonders just what the latter would have made of the exaggerated language in which Caesar's transformation to divine status and the anticipation of a similar process in relation to Augustus are couched, Their juxtaposition with the mythic tales of Cipus and Aesculapius, and the somewhat irreverent humour that continues to accompany his references to the gods indicate perhaps a tongue-in-cheek loyalty that Augustus may have found unconvincing. At all events, Ovid was banished to Tomis shortly after the publication of the Metamorphoses in 8 A.D.

By way of summary, Book XII covers the following themes and instances of metamorphosis: the inquisitive mind of Numa; Myscelus and the foundation of Crotone; the doctrines of Pythagoras; Egeria's grief at the death of Numa; the death of Hippolytus; Cipus' determination to avoid the kingship of Rome; Asclepius' decision to move from Epidauria to Rome in order to stop the plague; the deification of Julius Caesar and Ovid's celebration of Augustus. 

At the end of Book XV Ovid writes a nine-line envoi, or epilogue, in which he claims that the effect of his poetry will be to immortalise his name and reputation. In Roman poetry such epilogues are very rare, but despite Ovid's grandiloquent language his claim to immortality cannot in truth be contested. The "Metamorphoses" provide a magnificent entry point into the rich tapestry of Greek myths, and they have inspired poets in many languages, not least Dante and Shakespeare, and during the Renaissance they were perhaps the primary source of motifs for artistic works. For the Romans, themselves, both Ovid's contemporaries, and those who lived during the following four centuries or so, they were a wonderful source of entertainment. Romans did not read books silently to themselves; they listened to them being read, or declaimed, in public performances. While the irreverent and somewhat amoral tone of much of the "Metamorphoses" might not have made them an ideal focus for schoolteachers looking to find suitable texts for the teaching of the Latin language to children, either then or in succeeding centuries, it is precisely those qualities which would have made them such a great source of entertainment for Romans. The remarkable fluency, smoothness and balance of Ovid's hexameter poetry would have made the "Metamorphoses" a delight to listen to, as the lines slipped so easily off the lips of the reader.  The content too - mainly Greek mythology - would have been a delight to Roman audiences, and the better educated listeners would probably have enjoyed the challenge to their memories of the works of Homer and Virgil, which Ovid's constant references, often quite oblique ones, to mythological characters would have evoked.  For instance, how many people would know that "the son of Amphitryon" was Hercules, or that "the grandson of Aeacus" was Achilles? More importantly, perhaps, the humanistic quality of Ovid's verses, his evident interest in human life, his curiosity, his feelings for women and the dilemmas confronting them, and his sense of pathos, would have made his poetry compulsive material for his listeners. For Romans the "Metamorphoses" are perhaps the closest parallel one can find to the 'soap operas' of today. Their sheer entertainment value can scarcely be overstressed.

With the publication of the translation of Book XV, Sabidius has now completed his translation of the whole of this magnificent work. Translations of all the other books of the "Metamorphoses" are to be found on this blog, with publication dates between 1st February 2018 and today. The one exception to this is Book VIII, which Sabidius published on this blog as early 25th March 2010. This book, containing, as it does, the haunting tale of Daedalus and Icarus, and the charming story of Philemon and Baucis, amongst a catalogue of famous myths, remains perhaps the most commonly read of the fifteen books.
   

Ll. 1-59.  Myscelus: the founding of Crotona.

Meanwhile, there was a search for (a man) who could bear the burden of such great responsibility, and (who) could succeed so great a king (i.e. Romulus): fame, the harbinger of truth, destines the illustrious Numa (i.e. Numa Pompilius, the second of Rome's legendary seven kings) for the throne; he is not satisfied with knowing the religious rites of the Sabine people; in his capacious mind, he conceives of greater (things), and inquires into what is the nature of things (i.e. here Ovid recalls Lucretius' great poem, 'De Rerum Natura', On the Nature of the Universe). His passion for such concerns, causes (him) to leave his birthplace of Cures, and betake himself to the city (where) Hercules (had been) a guest (i.e. Crotona, a city and port of the Bruttians in the extreme south of Italy). When he asked what founder had built this Greek city on Italian shores, one of its elderly inhabitants, not unaware of its past history, replied thus: "They say that the son of Jupiter (i.e. Hercules), rich in Iberian oxen (i.e. the oxen of Geryon) had kept on his favourable course from the Ocean (i.e. Gibraltar or the 'Pillars of Hercules') to the coast of Lacinium (i.e. a promontory on the toe of Italy near Crotona), and that, while his herd was roaming through the tender grass, he entered the house of the great Croton, a not inhospitable shelter, and relieved his long labour (i.e. the capture of the oxen of Geryon was the Tenth Labour of Hercules) with rest, and that, on his departure, he said as follows, "In time to come, there will be here the site of a city for your descendants;" and his promises had come true. 

For there was a certain Myscelus, the son Alemon of Argos, (and he was) the most acceptable to the gods of (all) of his generation. Leaning over him, (while he is) overcome by a deep sleep, the Club Bearer (i.e. Hercules) addresses (him thus): "Come, forsake your native abode! Go, and make for the pebble-filled waters of the distant Aesar (i.e. a river in the south of Italy, adjacent to Crotona)!" And he threatens (him with) many fearful (things) if he does not obey; after this, both sleep and the god vanish together. The son of Alemon arises and silently recalls the dream (that is) fresh in his mind, and he struggles with himself over his decision for a long time: the god bids (him) go, (but) the laws forbid (him) to depart, and death is the penalty laid down for (any man) who wishes to change his nationality. The radiant Sun had hidden his shining head in the Ocean, and darkest Night had (then) raised up her starry face: the same god seemed to be present and to be admonishing (him) in the same way, and to be threatening (him) with more and graver (punishments) unless he obeyed. He was afraid, and at once made ready to transfer his ancestors' sanctuary to a new abode: there is talk in the city, and he is brought to trial for breaking the law; and, when the case is first made against (him), and the charge (was) proved without (the need for) any witness, the wretched defendant, lifting his face and hands to the skies, cries, "O (you,) whose twelve labours gave (you) the right to (a place in) heaven, bring (me) your help, I beg (you)! For you are the cause of my offence." 

The ancient custom was (to make use) of white and black pebbles, the latter to condemn (those) accused, (and) the former to absolve them from blame. Then also, a guilty verdict was determined, and every pebble deposited in the pitiless urn (was) black. (Yet,) as soon as the (urn) is turned over and discharges its pebbles to be counted, in all (cases) the colour changes from black to white, and the verdict of acquittal, achieved through the divine power of Hercules, frees the son of Alemon. He gives thanks to his patron, the son of Amphitryon (i.e. Hercules), and, with favourable winds, sets sail on the Ionian Sea, and goes past Tarentum, (the colony) of the Lacedaemonians (i.e. the Spartans), and Sybaris, and Neretum, (the city) of the Sallentines (i.e. a people of Calabria), and the bay of Siris (i.e. a town and river in Lucania), and Crimese (i.e. a town in Lucania), and the fields of Iapyx (i.e. in Apulia); and scarcely has he skirted past the lands that overlook that coastline, than he comes, by destiny, to the mouth of the river Aesar, and not far from it (is) the mound, beneath which the earth was covering the sacred bones of Croton, and there, on the land required, he founded the city, and to that city he transferred the name of (the man who was) buried (there).

According to a reliable tradition, it is well-known that such were the beginnings of that place (i.e. Crotona) and (that such were the reasons) for that city being sited within the boundaries of Italy.

(Ll. 60-478.  Pythagoras teachings:)

Ll. 60-142.  Vegetarianism.

Here there lived a man, a Samian by birth, but he had fled both Samos (i.e. an island off the coast of Asia Minor, opposite Ephesus) and its rulers together, and he was an exile by choice through his hatred of tyranny, and, though they were far away in their region of the sky, he visited the gods in his mind, and the things that nature denied to human sight he took in with the eyes of his soul, and, when he had examined all things in his mind and with his watchful attention, he disclosed what he had learned to the public, and he taught the crowd, silent and wondering at his words, about the beginnings of the universe, and of the causes of things, and what nature (is), what a god (is), where the snow (comes from), what is the origin of lightning, whether (it is) Jupiter or the winds (that) are thundering in the colliding storm-clouds, what shakes the earth, by what laws the stars move, and whatever (else) is hidden, and he (was) the first (to) denounce animal (flesh) being served at table, (and he was) also the first to loosen his lips, learned indeed but not believed in this respect, with such words as these: "Human beings, stop desecrating your bodies with impious foodstuffs! There are crops, there are apples lowering the branches with their weight, and grapes swelling on the vines, there are sweet herbs, (and) there are (those) which can be rendered mild and softened by flame; no flowing milk is taken from you, nor honey redolent with thyme blossom: the lavish earth supplies richness and mellow sustenance, and offers (you) feasts without (the need for) slaughter and bloodshed. Wild beasts allay their hunger with flesh; yet not all (of them): in fact, horses, and sheep and cattle live on grass. But (those animals) whose nature is wild and savage - Armenian tigers, and angry lions, and bears together with wolves  -  they delight in meals (reeking) in blood.

"Oh, how great a crime it is that flesh should be made into flesh, and that a greedy body should grow fat by swallowing a body, and that any living (creature) should live through the death of another living (creature)! So, among such riches that earth, the best of mothers, yields, nothing can please you, unless you inflict pitiful wounds with your savage teeth, and (thus) repeat the practices of the Cyclopes, nor can you assuage the hunger of your voracious and evil-natured stomach, unless you destroy another (life)!

"But that former age, to which we have given the name 'golden', was blessed with the fruit of the trees and with the herbs that the earth produces, and it did not pollute its lips with blood. At that time, too, birds moved their wings through the air in safety and hares roamed in the middle of the fields unafraid, and their own credulity had not suspended fishes from the hook: everything was free from treachery, and unafraid of deceit, and full of peace. (But) when some unhelpful originator, whoever he was, begrudged the lions their prey, and sunk some fleshly food into his greedy belly, he paved the way for crime, and it could be that at first weapons were warm and stained with blood from the killing of wild beasts - and that would have been tolerable - , for I confess that creatures seeking our destruction can be put to death without violating the sacred law, but, while it is necessary that they be put to death, yet they must not be eaten.

"From there the wickedness went further, and the sow (was) the first (to) be considered as deserving to die as a sacrificial victim, because she uprooted seeds with her broad snout and destroyed any hope of the annual (harvest). The goat, having nibbled at a vine, is led to the altar of the avenging Bacchus to be slaughtered; their own fault caused harm to these two! But why do you sheep deserve (a similar fate), (you) placid flock and born to serve mankind, you who bring sweet milk in your full udders, you who bestow your soft wool (to make) our clothing, and (who) help (us) more by living than by dying? Why do oxen deserve (this fate), animals without deceit or trickery, harmless, straightforward (and) born to endure labour? He is thoughtless indeed, and unworthy of the gift of produce, who could just remove the weight of the curved plough and kill his own farm-worker, (and) who could transfix with an axe that toil-worn neck, which had revived the hard earth as often as it had yielded a harvest.   

"Nor is it enough that such a crime is committed: they have involved the gods themselves in their crime, and believe that a celestial divinity delights in the slaughter of the hard-working bullock. A victim, lacking any blemish, and of outstanding beauty - for it is harmful to give pleasure - , (and) distinguished by gold ribbons, is set before the altar, and listens unwittingly to (a man) praying, and sees the corn, which he has cultivated, being sprinkled between the horns on his forehead, and, when he is struck down, he stains with his blood the knives which he has perhaps already seen (reflected) in the clear water. At once, they inspect the entrails (which they have) snatched from his throbbing breast, and discover within them the purposes of the gods: (and) then, O (you) human race  - so great is the hunger of men for forbidden food - do you dare to feed! Do not do that, I beg (you), and pay attention to my admonitions! And, when you put the pieces of slaughtered oxen in your mouths, know and feel that you are devouring the tillers of your soil.                                                                                   
Ll. 143-175.  Metempsychosis (i.e. reincarnation, or transmigration of souls).

"And (now), since a god moves my lips, I shall duly follow the god who is moving my lips, and I shall disclose my (beloved) Delphi and the heavens themselves, and I shall reveal the mind of that august god. I shall tell of great (mysteries), not investigated by the intellects of our ancestors, and which have long lain hidden; it pleases (me) to go among the lofty stars; it pleases (me) to leave the earth and its dull abode, and to be borne on a cloud, and to stand on the shoulders of the mighty Atlas, and to look down from afar on men wandering about in all directions and devoid of (all) reason, and (who are) anxious and afraid of death, so as to encourage (them) and unravel the sequence of fate.

"O (human) race paralysed by the terror of icy death, why do you fear the Styx (i.e. the principal river of the Underworld), why (do you fear) the shades and empty names, the stuff of poets, and the perils of a phantom world? Whether the funeral pyre consumes your bodies by flame or old age (consumes them) by decay, do not imagine that you can suffer any evil! Your souls are free from death, and always, when they have left their former abode, they live in new homes and, once they have been admitted, (there) they dwell. At the time of the Trojan War, I myself - for I do remember - was Euphorbus, the son of Panthoüs, in whose opposing breast the heavy spear(-point) of the younger son of Atreus (i.e. Menelaus) was once fixed: recently I recognised the shield, (once) the burden of my left(-arm), in the temple of Juno in Argos, (the city) of Abas.

"All (things) change, but nothing perishes; the spirit wanders, and comes to this spot from that one, and from that spot to this one, and occupies whatever body it wishes, and it passes into a human body from (the body of) a wild beast, and our (spirit passes) into (the body of) a wild beast, but at no time does it ever die; in the same way, pliable wax is stamped with fresh designs and does not stay as it was, nor does it keep the same shapes, but it is still the same (substance); so I say that the soul is always the same, but that it migrates into different forms. Therefore, lest piety should be overcome by the stomach's greed, stop, I warn (you) as a seer, the expulsion of spirits by such impious slaughter, and let not blood be nourished by blood!

Ll. 176-198.  The Eternal Flux.

"Now, since I am launched on the boundless ocean, I have given my full sails to the wind: there is nothing in all the world which remains unchanged. Everything is in flux, and every shape is formed on a fleeting basis; time itself also glides by in continual motion, just like a river, for neither the river nor the fleeting hour can stop, but, as wave drives on wave, and each one is pursued by the coming (one) and chases the previous (one), so time flies in the same way and follows in the same way, and is always new; for what was before is left behind, and what was not (now) comes to be, and every moment is a fresh one.

"You see both (how) the passing night stretches towards the dawn, and (how) its shining light follows the darkness of night. The sky does not have the same colour, when all (things) lie wearily at rest at mid(-night), and when bright Lucifer (i.e. the Morning Star) comes forth on his white steed, and (it is) different again when the daughter of Pallas (i.e. Aurora, the Dawn), the precursor of daylight, tints the world, (which she has) delivered to Phoebus (i.e. the Sun). The very shield of the god is red at dawn, when it rises from beneath the earth, and is red when it is hidden beneath the earth, (but) it is white at his zenith (i.e. at midday) because the quality of the air is purer, and he has escaped far from the contagion of the earth. Nor can Diana's (i.e. the Moon's) shape ever be similar or the same at night, and today's disc is always smaller than tomorrow's, if it is waxing, (and) larger, if it is waning.

Ll. 199-236.  The Four Ages of Man. 

"What? Don't you see that the year proceeds in four stages, imitating the progression of our lives? For in early spring it is tender and full of sap, very like the time of our childhood: at that time the grass (is) shining, yet it swells without any strength, but it is soft and in its promise it fills the farmers with delight. Then everything blossoms and the fruitful countryside frolics in the colours of its flowers, but there is still no strength in its leaves. After the spring, the year, (now) more robust, turns into summer, and its youth becomes strong; for there is no season more sturdy or more fruitful, or that shines more brightly than this one. Autumn comes next, after the fervour of youth has been set aside, (and it is a time that is) ripe and mellow, between youth and old age, (and it is) moderate in temperature, and also streaked with grey (hair) on its temples. The comes aged winter, shivering with a faltering step, and despoiled of its hair, or what it does have (is turned) white.

"Our bodies are themselves also always changing, nor shall we be tomorrow what we were, or what we are (now); there was a time when we dwelt within the womb of our first mother, (as) just the seed and the hope of a human being. (Then) nature applied her skilful hands, and was unwilling for our bodies, hidden (as they were) within our mother's swollen (belly), to be choked by its entrails, and (so) it thrust us forth from our home into the empty air. Discharged into the light, the infant lay (there) helpless; (but) soon he conveyed his limbs on all fours in the manner of wild animals, and little by little, he stood up, tottering and weak-kneed, his sinews assisted by some (convenient) prop. From then on, he grew strong and swift, and traverses the span of youth, and, when the years of middle age have also been completed, he slides along the downward path of declining old age. This undermines and destroys the strength of former years, and the elderly Milon (i.e. a renowned wrestler) weeps when he sees his arms, which were (once) a mass of solid muscles like those of Hercules, (now) hanging down (by his sides) weak and flabby. The daughter of Tyndareus (i.e. Helen) weeps also, when she sees an old woman's wrinkles in the looking-glass, and asks herself why she has twice been ravished (i.e. she had been carried off by Theseus before she eloped with Paris). Time, the devourer of things, and you, jealous Old Age, you destroy everything, and gnawing at all things with your aged teeth, you gradually consume (them) in a lingering death.

Ll. 237-258.  The Elements.

"Even those (things) which we call elements do not persist: pay attention! and I shall explain the changes which they go through. The eternal universe contains four generative bodies; of these, two, earth and water, are heavy and are borne downwards by their own weight; and the other two lack weight, and, if nothing holds (them) down, they seek height, (these being) air and fire, which is purer than air. Although they are distinct in space, yet they are all derived from one another, and subside into one another, and the earth, when it has broken up, is changed into air and moisture, and, when it has lost even further weight, the air, (now) at its thinnest, shines forth (as) fire in the heavenly regions. Then they go back again, and the same order is revealed; for fire, having thickened, turns into dense air, and this into water, and the water, having contracted, is condensed into earth.

"Nothing remains in its original shape, and nature, the renewer of things, keeps making one set of shapes from another: believe me, nothing in this whole world has (ever) totally died, but it changes and renews its appearance, and (what) is called birth (is) to begin to be something other than what was (there) before, and likewise death is to end that former (state). Though perhaps some (things) are transferred hither, and other (things are transferred) thither, the sum of all (things) is constant.

Ll. 259-306.  Geological changes.

"For my part, I would have thought that nothing lasts for long with the same appearance: so you ages have come to iron from gold, (and) so often has the fortune of places changed. I have seen what was once solid ground become sea, (and) I have seen land formed from the sea, and sea-shells lying far from the ocean; and an ancient anchor has been found on the summit of a mountain. A flood of waters has made what was (once) a plain (into) a valley, and a mountain has been washed into the sea by a deluge, and (a piece of) land is (now) drained from a marshy (state) into parched sand, and (lands) that had endured drought are (now) wet and inundated with marshy pools. In one place nature has discharged fresh springs, and in another it has sealed (them) off, and rivers either burst forth, having been released by deep tremors in the earth, or they are blocked up and subside.

"So, when the Lycus (i.e. a river in Phrygia and a tributary of the Maeander) is drained by a chasm, it emerges far away from its course, and is reborn from a different source: so, at one moment, the mighty Erasinus (i.e. it allegedly begins in Arcadia) is engulfed, but, now, flowing through a hidden water-course, it re-emerges in the fields of Argos, and they say that the Mysus was so ashamed of its source and its former banks that it now flows elsewhere (as) the Caïcus (i.e. a river in Mysia near Pergamum); moreover, the Amenanus (i.e. a river in Sicily) is now flowing, while churning the Sicanian sands, (but) occasionally, if its fountains are blocked, it dries up. The Anigrus (i.e. a river in Elis) was once drinkable, (but) now it flows (with) water which you would not wish to touch, since - unless all credence should be taken away from the bards - the two-shaped (creatures) (i.e. the Centaurs) washed the wounds, which the club-bearing Hercules had caused, in it. Why, is the Hypanis (i.e. a river in Sarmatia and a tributary of the Dnieper), arisen in the Scythian mountains, which once was sweet, not (now) ruined ruined by bitter salt-water? Antissa (i.e. a town on the north coast of Lesbos), and Pharos (i.e. the site of the famous light-house near Alexandria), and Phoenician Tyre (i.e. it ceased to be an island when Alexander the Great constructed a causeway to it from the mainland during its siege in 332 B.C.), of which not one is now an island, were once surrounded by waves. The former settlers of Leucas (i.e. an island off the coast of Acarnania, north of Ithaca in the Ionian Sea) held a peninsula: now waves encircle (it). Zancle (i.e. Messana in north-east Sicily) is also said to have been joined to Italy, till the sea removed the common borderland and pushed back the land into the midst of the waves. If you look for the Achaean cities of Helice and Buris (i.e. both on the Corinthian Gulf), you will find (them) under water, and sailors are still accustomed to point out the sunken towns together with their submerged walls. There is a bulge (of ground) near the Troezen of Pittheus (i.e. king of Troezen and grandfather of Theseus), steep and without any trees, (that was) once the flattest area of the plain, but is now a mound; for - (and) this is a fearful thing to relate! - the wild force of the winds, shut up (as they were) in dark caves, longing for somewhere to breathe and struggling in vain to enjoy a freer (expanse of) sky, since there was no crack at all in their prison(-wall), nor was there any outlet for their breath, extended and swelled the ground, like the breath of the mouth is accustomed to inflate a ball or the hides torn from a two-horned goat; that bulge has remained in place and has the look of a high hill, and has become hardened in (the course of) a long (period of) time.

Ll. 307-360.  Physical changes.

"Although very many (instances) that I have heard of and know about come to mind, I shall (only) mention a few of them. Why, does not water bring about and take new forms? Your waters, horned Ammon, (i.e. the African name for Jupiter, and his waters are the lake at the oasis of Siwwa) are cold at mid-day, and are warm at sunrise and sunset. It is said that the Athamanians (i.e. the inhabitants of a district in Epirus near Mount Pindus) set fire to wood by pouring water over (it), when the moon has waned to her smallest disc. The Cicones (i.e.  a tribe living in Thrace) have a river, which, (when) drunk, turns one's entrails to stone, and turns anything that it touches into marble. The Crathis (i.e. a river in Arcadia) and the Sybaris (i.e. a river near the coastal town of Sybaris in southern Italy), adjoining our shores in these (parts), cause one's hair (to become) like amber or gold.

"And what is even more amazing, there are waters which have the power to change not only the body but the mind as well. Who has not heard of the disgusting waters of Salmacis (i.e. a pool in Caria which rendered soft and effeminate anyone who swam in it) and of the Ethiopian lakes (i.e. the waters of these lakes caused insanity)? Whoever drinks of these, either goes raving mad or falls into a wonderfully deep sleep. Whosoever slakes his thirst at the spring of Clitor avoids any wine and enjoys, in an abstemious fashion, (only) pure water: (this occurs) either (because) there is a power in the water that counteracts hot wine or, as the natives claim, (because) the son of Amythaon (i.e. Melampus), after he had saved the demented daughters of Proetus (i.e. king of Tiryns, whose daughters were punished for their pride by Juno and believed they were cows) from their madness by a spell and by herbs, threw what had purged their minds into those waters, and an antipathy to wine survived in their waves. The river of Lyncestis (i.e. a district in Macedonia) flows differently to this in its effect; whosoever drinks of its (waters), however moderately, staggers around just as if he had imbibed unmixed wine. There is a place in Arcadia - our ancestors called (it) Pheneus - , mistrusted for its dual-natured waters; beware of them at night! If drunk at night they are harmful; (but) in the day they can be drunk without harm.

"So, lakes and rivers can harbour some power or other; there was a time when Ortygia (i.e. Delos) floated on the waves, (but) now she is fixed. The Argo (once) dreaded the Symplegades (i.e. two rocky islands near the entrance to the Black Sea whose clashing rocks endangered any passing ships), moved around by the collisions of their crashing waves, but now they stand (there) motionless and withstand (the force of) the winds. Nor will Aetna (i.e. the volcano in Sicily), which burns with its sulphurous furnaces, always be on fire, for it was not always on fire. For, if the earth is a creature and is alive, and has vents that breathe out flames in many places, she can alter the passages used for her breathing, and, whenever she is moved, (she can) close some caverns (and) open up others; or, if the fleet winds are confined in deep caves and drive rocks and stones against a substance that contains the seeds of flame, this (substance) creates fire from the friction, (but) the caves will be left cold, when the winds drop; or, if bituminous properties ignite fires, or yellow sulphur burns with little smoke, (then) surely, when the earth no longer gives food and rich nourishment for the fire, as its strength has been exhausted by so long a (period of) time, and  devouring nature will lack its own means of support, she will not withstand that famine, and, having been forsaken, the fire will fail. The story goes that there are men in Hyperborean Pallene (a mythical place in the extreme north), who are used to their bodies being covered with light feathers, when they have plunged nine times into Tritonia's (i.e. Minerva's) pool. For my part, I do not believe (it): the women of Scythia (i.e. a region to the north of the Black Sea) are also said to practise the same arts, (by) sprinkling their limbs with magic potions.

Ll. 361-390.  Autogenesis.

"If, however, trust is only given to things (that are) proven, do you not see that, whenever carcasses have rotted, due to the passage of time or to melting heat, they are turned into tiny animals? Bury sacrificed bulls in the ditch (in which they have been) thrown - this experiment is well-known in practice; flower-sipping bees will (then) be born in various places from the putrid entrails, and they will inhabit the fields like their parents, and they will favour work, and labour in the hope (of a reward). A war-horse, sunk in the ground, is the source of hornets; if you should cut the bent claws off a crab found on the sea-shore, and put the rest (of it) under the soil, a scorpion will emerge from the buried parts, and will threaten (you) with its curved tail; and silk-worms, which are accustomed to embroider the leaves with their white cocoons - a practice observed by farmers - will exchange their form for (that) of a butterfly on a tombstone (i.e. the symbol of a soul). Mud contains the seeds that generate green frogs, and generates (frogs) lacking feet, (but) soon it gives (them) legs, and, at the same time, hind-legs that exceed their fore-legs in length, so that they are fit (to take) long leaps. A cub that a she-bear has just delivered in birth is not (a cub) but a scarcely living (lump of) flesh; the mother forms (it) into a body by licking (it), and makes (it) into a shape such as she herself possesses. Do you not see that the larvae of the honey-bearing bees, which the hexagonal wax (cells) protect, are born (as) bodies without limbs, and later assume feet, and wings later (still)? Who would suppose, if he did not know it was the case, that Juno's bird which carries stars on its tail (i.e. the peacock), and Jupiter's (bird) that bears the lightning-bolt (i.e. the eagle), and Cytherea's (i.e. Venus') doves, and every kind of bird, could be born from the middle parts (i.e. the yolk) of an egg. There are (those) who believe that when the spine has decomposed within the closed tomb, the human marrow is turned into a snake.

Ll. 391-417.  The Phoenix.

"Yet, these (creatures) receive their beginnings from other species: there is one bird, which (by) itself renews and reproduces itself. The Assyrians call (it) the phoenix; it does not live on fruit or grass, but on drops of incense and the juice of the cardamom (plant). When it has completed the five centuries of its life, it, at once, builds a nest for itself in the branches at the top of a swaying palm-tree with its talons and its unsoiled beak. As soon as it has lined (it) with (strips of) casia bark and spikes of smooth nard, and with (the fragments of) grated cinnamon and yellow myrrh, it settles itself on the top (of the tree), and ends its life among these perfumes. Then, they say that a young phoenix is reborn from its father's body. When age has given it strength, and it is able to carry burdens, it lowers the branches of a tall tree by the weight of its nest, and it dutifully conveys (what is) both its own cradle and its father's tomb (before it), and, when it reaches the city of Hyperion (i.e. the Sun God) through the light breezes, it lays (it) down before the sacred doors within Hyperion's temple. 

"But, if there is any wonderful novelty in any of those (things), we might marvel at (how) a hyena changes its functions, and (how) a female (hyena), which has just suffered (being serviced by) a male, is now a male (herself); that animal which is fed by the wind and the air (i.e. a chameleon) also adopts forthwith the colour of whatever it touches. Vanquished India gave lynxes to Bacchus of the clustered (vines): from these, as they say, whatever the bladder has released turns into stone and solidifies as soon as it is contact with the air. So also, coral hardens at the moment when it is first exposed to the air: it was a soft plant under the waves.

Ll. 418-452.  Transfers of Power.

"The day will end and Phoebus will bathe his panting steeds in the deep (waters of the) sea, before I can do justice in my discourse to all (the things) that have changed into new forms: so times change, and we see some nations grow in strength, (and) others collapse. So Troy (that) was (once so) great in wealth and men (that) for ten years she could offer so much blood, (is) now humbled, and shows (us) only ancient ruins, and ancestral tombs instead of riches. Sparta was (once) famous, great Mycenae flourished, and so did the cities of Cecrops (i.e. Athens) and Amphion (i.e. Thebes) as well:  (now) Sparta is worthless land, lofty Mycenae has fallen, and what is the Thebes of Oedipus but a name? What remains of Pandion's Athens except its name?

"Now there is also a report that Dardanian (i.e. Trojan) Rome is rising, and it is laying the foundations of (great) things beneath a huge mass (of rock) near to the waters of Thybris (i.e. the Tiber), the source of which is in the Appennines: so she changes as she grows, and one day she will be the capital of a boundless world. So they say the seers and the prophetic oracles predicted, and, as far as I can recollect (it), Helenus, the son of Priam, said (this) to a weeping Aeneas, (who was) in doubt about his safety, when the Trojan state was sinking: 'Son of the goddess (i.e. Venus), if you become sufficiently acquainted with my mind's predictions, Troy will not wholly fall, while you are alive and well! Fire and sword will give way to you: you will go and you will take up and carry off Pergama (i.e. the citadel of Troy) with you, until a foreign land, more friendly than your native (one), shall be the lot of Troy and yourself. I also see a city destined for Phrygian descendants, and no (greater city than this) exists or will exist, nor (has it been) seen in former years. Other leaders will make her powerful through during the long centuries, but (one) born of the blood of Iülus (i.e. Julius Caesar) (will make her) the mistress of the world; when the earth has made use of him, the celestial abodes will enjoy (his presence), and heaven will be his destination.'

"Recalling (them) in my mind, I repeat once more these (things) that Helenus prophesied to Aeneas, that bearer of his household gods, and I am glad that the walls of his kinsmen are rising, and that the victory of the Pelasgians (i.e. the Greeks) (has been) of benefit to the Phrygians (i.e. the Trojans).

Ll. 453-478.  The Sanctity of Life.

"But, lest I stray (too) far from my course, with my steeds forgetting (how) to reach their goal, the sky and whatever is beneath it change their forms, and (so does) the earth and all that is within it. (Let) us, (who are) also a part of the universe, since we are not only flesh, but also winged souls, and are able to enter the abodes of wild animals and be imprisoned within the bodies of cattle, bodies which can contain the souls of our parents, or of our brothers, or of those connected to us by some (kind of) compact, or of men at least, let us allow (these bodies) to be secure and honoured, and let us not pile up their entrails (as if we were) at some Thyestean meal (n.b. Atreus served up the bodies of his brother Thyestes' sons to him at a feast, as an act of revenge). How evil is the habit that a man acquires, (and) how impiously does he prepare himself (to shed) human blood, who rips a calf's throat with a knife and proffers unmoved ears to its bleatings, or who can slaughter a kid that is giving forth cries like (those of) a child, or eat a bird to which he himself has given food! In relation to such acts as these, how far does he fall short of complete outrage (i.e. murder)? To where is his path laid down from there? Let the ox plough, or attribute his death to old age; let the sheep serve as our defence against the north wind; (and) let the well-fed nanny-goats give their udders to be squeezed by our hands! Do away with nets and their traps, and snares, and crafty devices, and do not deceive the birds with limed twigs, or shut in the deer by frightening feathered (ropes), or conceal barbed hooks in treacherous bait! If any (animals) harm (you), kill (them), but do only kill them: keep your mouth free of their flesh, and may it enjoy a milder (type of) food."     

Ll. 479-551.  The transformation of Hippolytus.

They say that Numa, with his mind well versed in these and other precepts, returned to his native land, and voluntarily took up the reins of Latium at the request of its people. Blessed with a nymph (i.e. Egeria) as his wife, and with the Camenae (i.e. the Muses) as his guides, he taught the rites of sacrifice, and introduced a race accustomed to savage warfare to the arts of peace.

When, (as) an old man, he ended his reign and his life, the women of Latium, and its people and its senators, wept for the dead Numa; for his wife leaves the city and lives in retirement, concealed by the dense woods of the valley of Aricia (i.e. a city in Latium near Nemi), and she hinders the worship of Orestean Diana by her groans and lamentation: ah! how often did the nymphs of that grove and lake advise her not to act (in such a manner), and they spoke consoling words (to her). How often did the heroic (son) of Theseus (i.e. Hippolytus) say to the weeping (nymph), "Cease this behaviour (of yours)! For your sad lot is not yours alone; consider the similar misfortunes of others: then you can bear those of your own more calmly, and how I wish that the circumstances of my own case could not relieve you! But even mine can, (I believe, do so).

"I know it has come to your ears in conversation that a certain Hippolytus met his death, through his father's incredulity and through the deceit of his wicked step-mother (i.e. Phaedra). You will be amazed (to hear it), and I shall prove (it, albeit) with difficulty, but nevertheless I am he. The daughter of Pasiphaë (i.e. Phaedra) once tried, in vain, to tempt me to dishonour my father's bed, (and then) claimed that I wanted (to do) what she wanted, and, the charge having been reversed, she procured my conviction, and although I did not deserve (it) in any way, my father banished me from the city (i.e. Athens) and called down hostile curses om my head (as I) was going off (into exile). In my flight, I headed in my chariot for Pittheus' Troezen, and I was traversing the shores of the gulf of Corinth, when the sea rose up, and a huge mass of water seemed to be arched and to swell into some kind of mountain, and to give out bellowing (noises), and to be split open at the highest point of its crest. Then a horned bull is ejected from the bursting waves, and, standing right up to his chest in the gentle breezes, he spews out a quantity of seawater from his nostrils and his gaping mouth. The hearts of my companions quaked with fear. (But) my mind, preoccupied with thoughts of our exile, remained unshaken, when my fierce horses turned their necks towards the sea, and trembled with their ears pricked up, and they were thrown into confusion by fear of the monster and dragged the chariot headlong over the steep crags; I struggle with unavailing hands to control the bridles, (now) smeared with white foam, and, leaning right back, I strain at the sluggish reins. Yet, my horses' madness would not have overcome my strength, if a wheel had not been broken and the axle-hub around which it revolves shattered by collision with a tree. I am thrown from the chariot, and, with the reins entangling my body, you would have seen my living entrails being dragged along, and my sinews stuck on a tree-stump, my limbs partly torn away, (and) partly held back and left behind, my snapped bones let out a loud crack and my weary spirit expire, and no parts of my body which you could recognise; all was (but) one wound. Can you (really) compare, or dare (to compare) your own to my disaster? I also saw the kingdom without light (i.e. Hades), and warmed my lacerated body in the waters of Phlegethon (i.e. the river of fire, one of the six rivers of the Underworld), nor would my life have been restored, but for the powerful remedies of Apollo's son (i.e. Aesculapius, the God of Healing); after I had regained it by (the power of) strong herbs), and with the help of Paean (i.e. Apollo), (and) despite the anger of Dis (i.e. Pluto, King of Hades), then, lest I might be seen in person and increase the (sense of) envy at this gift, Cynthia (i.e. Diana) cast a dense cloud around me, and, so that I might be safe and could be seen with impunity, she added (a look of) age, and left my face unrecognisable, and she wondered for a long time (whether) she should give (me) Crete or Delos as a place of habitation: Delos and Crete having been abandoned, she brought (me) here (i.e. to Diana's sanctuary at Nemi), and, at the same time, she bids (me) set aside my name, which could remind (me) of horses, and said, "You who were Hippolytus, may you now be Virbius too!" From then on, I inhabit this grove, and, (as) one of the lesser gods, I lie concealed under the divine will of my mistress and am assigned to her (train)."

But the grief of others could not alleviate Egeria's (sense of) loss, and, lying at the lowest feet of a mountain, she dissolves into tears, until Phoebus' sister (i.e. Diana), moved by the piety of her sorrowing, made a cool fountain from her body, and reduced her limbs to a continual (stream of) water. 

Ll. 552-621.  Cipus acquires horns.

Now, this strange occurrence astonished the nymphs, and the son of the Amazon (i.e. Hippolytus, son of Hippolyte, an Amazonian princess) was no less astounded than (was) the Tyrrhenian (i.e. Tuscan) ploughman, when he caught sight of a fateful clod of earth in the middle of his fields first move of its own accord and with no one stirring (it), then assume the form of a man and lose its earthy (nature), and open its new-found mouth to prophesy (things) to come - the natives called (him) Tages, and he (was) the first (man to) teach the Tuscan race (how) to reveal future events - ; so too (was) Romulus (astonished) when he saw his spear-shaft, which had once held fast to the Palatine hill, suddenly burst into leaf, and it stood (there) with fresh roots, not with its iron(-point) driven (into the ground), and, now not a weapon but a pliant osier tree, it gave unexpected shade to (those) wondering (at it); or (no less astounded was) Cipus (i.e. the praetor), when he saw his horns (reflected) in the river-water - for he did see (them there) - and, thinking it to be a false belief in relation to his likeness, he repeatedly lifted his fingers to his forehead and touched what he saw, and no longer able to deny (it by) finding fault with his eyesight, he raised his hands and eyes to the sky at the same time, as if he was returning victorious from the conquest of his foes, and declared, "(O you) gods above, whatever is presaged by such a portent as this, if it be joy, let that joy belong to the native-land and people of Quirinus (i.e. Rome and the Romans), or, if (it be something) threatening, let it (fall) upon me!" Then, making a grassy altar from the green turf, he appeases (the gods) with a fragrant fire (i.e. he burns incense) and offers (them) wine in bowls, and he consults the quivering internal organs of the slaughtered sheep (to see) what they might signify to him. As soon as a diviner from the Tuscan race examined them, he perceived in them events of great importance, but (they were) not (yet) manifest. But, when he raised his keen eyes from the entrails of the sheep to Cipus' horns, he cried, "Hail, O King! For this place and the citadels of Latium will obey you, Cipus, you and your horns. Only, do you put an end to delay, and hurry to enter these open gates! So fate enjoins; for, once you have been received in the city, you will take possession of the sceptre in safety forever."

He reversed his footsteps, and, turning his grim face away from the city walls, he said, "The gods should drive such omens far, oh! far away (from me). (It would be) much better, (if) I were to spend my life in exile, than for the Capitol to see me (as) a king!"

(So) he spoke, and forthwith he convokes both the people and the dignified Senate; but first he veils his horns with the laurel of peace; then, he stands on a platform constructed by the valiant troops, and praying to the ancient gods in accordance with custom, he says, "There is one (man) here, who will be your king unless you drive (him) from the city. I will tell (you) who he is, not by name, (but) by a sign: he wears horns on his forehead. The augur declares that, if he enters Rome, he will (only) grant you the rights of slaves. Indeed, he could have forced his way through your open gates, but I have hindered (him), although no one is nearer to him than I (am). Quirites (i.e. Roman citizens), you must prevent this (man) from (entering) the city, or, if he deserves (it), bind (him) with heavy chains, or end (all) fear by the death of the fated tyrant!"

Like the murmurs that are made by the bushy-topped pine-groves, when the harsh east wind whistles among (them), or like those that the waves of the sea make, if someone hears them from afar, such sounds the people make; but yet, among the confused cries of the noisy crowd, one voice rings out: "Who is he?" and they look at their foreheads and search for the aforementioned horns. 

Cipus speaks to them again: "You have (here the man) whom you are looking for," and removing, the wreath from his head, with the people trying to stop (him), he showed (them) his temples conspicuous for their two horns. They all dropped their eyes and gave out groans, and looked reluctantly at that head, renowned (as it was) for its merits  - (for) who could believe (it)? - ; nor did they allow (him) to be deprived of honour for long, and they placed a festive garland on (his head). And since you are forbidden to enter the walls, the elders have given you, Cipus, as a mark of honour, as much farmland as you could enclose with (a team of) oxen, harnessed to a sunken plough-share, from dawn to sunset, and they engrave your horns on the (city's) bronze gate-posts, recalling their wondrous shape, to remain (there) throughout the long centuries (to come). 

Ll. 622-679.  Ravaged by plague, Rome seeks the assistance of Aesculapius.

Reveal now, (O) Muses, (you) guardian deities of bards - for you know, and a lengthy old age does not deceive you - , for what reason an island surrounded by the deep (waters) of the Tiber, has added the son of Coronis (i.e. Aesculapius) to the sacred (figures) of Romulus' city.

At one time, a dreadful plague had infested the air of Latium, and (people's) pallid bodies were ravaged by a bloodless disease. When, wearied by funeral rites, they see that human efforts were achieving nothing, and nor (were) the skills of doctors, they seek help from the heavens, and they travel to Delphi, set in the centre of the world's earth, to the oracle of Phoebus, and they pray that he would help (them) in their wretched situation by a health-giving prophecy, and bring their great city's evil to an end; then, the ground, and the laurel-tree, and the quiver, which he himself holds, (all) shake together, and from the innermost sanctuary his tripod responded with these words: "What you are seeking here, you should have sought in a nearer place, (O) Roman, and (even) now you should seek (it) in that nearer place! It is not Apollo you need to lessen your grief, but Apollo's son (i.e. Aesculapius). Go with good omens, and fetch my son."

When the Senate, in its wisdom, had received the god's command, it makes enquiries as to which city the young son of Phoebus might inhabit, and sends (an embassy) to sail to the coast of Epidaurus (i.e. a city in Argolis where a sanctuary to Aesculapius had been constructed). As soon as the ambassadors had touched (shore) in their curved ship, they went to a council of Greek elders, and begged (them) to give up the god, who, by his presence, might prevent the death of the Ausonian (i.e. Italian) race: (for) so (they said) the unerring oracle had spoken. Their opinions differ and are various, and (while) some do not think that help can be denied, the majority urge that they should retain their wealth and not release (it), and that they should not give up their god: while they waver, dusk dispelled the lingering daylight and shadows had covered the circle of the earth in darkness, when, in your dreams, the god of healing seemed to stand before your bed, (O) Roman, but, just as he is accustomed to appear in his temple, and, holding a rustic staff in his left(-hand), (he seemed) to stroke the hair of his long beard with his right(-hand) and to utter these words from his gentle breast: 

"Set aside your fear! I shall come, and I shall leave behind a statue of myself. Now, take a look at this serpent that winds in knots around my staff, and keep it continually in your sight, so that you can recognise (it)! I shall be changed into this, but I shall be greater (in size), and I shall seem (to be) as great as a celestial body should be whenever it is transformed."

At once, the god vanishes with the voice, (and) sleep with the voice and the god, and kindly light followed sleep's flight.

The next day's dawn had put the starry fires to flight: the leaders, uncertain what they should do, come to the elaborate temple of the god (who is) being sought, and they beg (him) to show (them) by some heavenly signs at which abode he wishes to reside. Well, scarcely had they finished (speaking), when the golden god in (the form of) a serpent with a tall crest, gave out hissing (sounds) that announced his presence, and, by his coming, he rocked the statue, and the altars, and the doors, and the marble floor and the gilded pediments, and he stood upright right up to his chest in the centre of the temple, and looked around (him) with flashing eyes. The crowd trembles with fear. (But) the priest, his holy locks, bound with a white fillet, recognised the divine being: "Behold, it is the god, it is the god! Keep your minds and tongues auspicious, all who are here!" he cried. "O (you) most beautiful (one), may you be seen (to be) useful (to us), and may you help the people who cherish your sacred rites."

 Ll. 680-744.  Aesculapius, intent on helping the Romans, makes the long journey to Rome to save them from the plague. 

All who are present worship the god as they have been commanded, and they all recite the priest's words in repetition, and the descendants of Aeneas (i.e. the Romans) give their dutiful support in both mind and voice. The god nodded in apparent agreement by shaking that crest of his, and gave repeated hissing (noises) with his darting tongue. Then he slides down the shining steps and turns his head back and gazes at the altar he was about to leave, and salutes his accustomed home and the temple (in which he has) lived. From there, the huge (creature) slithers over ground covered with planted flowers and revolves his coils, and makes his way through the centre of the city to the harbour, fortified by its curved embankment. There he stops, and, appearing to dismiss his train and the following throng with a kindly expression, he settled his body in the Ausonian ship: it sensed its divine burden, and its keel sank under the weight of the god; the descendants of Aeneas are joyful, and, having sacrificed a bull on the shore, they loosen the twisted cables of their garlanded ship.

A gentle breeze drove the ship: the god stretches skywards, and, pressing down upon the curved stern with the neck (that he had) placed (there), he gazes down on the blue waves, and, (wafted) by moderate west winds across the Ionian Sea, he reached Italy after Pallantis (i.e. Aurora, the Goddess of Dawn) had risen six times (i.e. after six days), and he is borne past the shores of Lacinium, ennobled by the temple of the goddess (i.e. Juno), and of Scylaceum; he leaves Iapygia behind (him), and avoids the Amphrisian rocks on his port side and the Cocinthian crags to starboard, and he coasts past Romethium, and Caulon, and Narycia, and passes the straits and the narrows of Sicilian Pelorus, and the home of King Hippotades (i.e. Aeolus, guardian of the winds) and the (copper) mines of Temese, and makes for Leucosia and the rose-gardens of gentle Paestum. From there he skirts Capreae and the promontory of Minerva, and the hills well-stocked with Surrentine vines, and the city of Hercules (i.e. Herculaneum), and Stabiae, and Parthenope (i.e. Naples), born for idleness, and from there the temple of the Cumaean Sibyl. From here the hot springs (i.e. Baiae), and Liternum, where mastic trees grow, are reached, and (so are) the Volturnus, dragging thick sand beneath its flood waters, and Sinuessa, frequented by snow-white doves, and swamp-infested Minturnae, and (the place (i.e. Caieta) named after the woman) whom her foster-son (i.e. Aeneas) entombed, and the home of Antiphates (i.e. Formiae), and Trachas, surrounded by a marsh, and the land of Circe (i.e. Circeii), and Antium with its compact beach. 

When the sailors steered the ship in full sail to this place (i.e. Antium) - for the sea was now rough - , the god unfolds his coils, and, gliding along by means of his numerous folds and his great rolls, he enters his father's temple adjoining the yellow strand. When the sea was calm, the Epidaurian (i.e. Aesculapius) leaves his father's altar, and, having enjoyed the hospitality of the divine being related to him, he furrows the sand of the shore with the course of his rustling scales, and, supporting himself on the ship's helm, he placed his head on its lofty stern, until he came to Castrum, and to the sacred abode of Lavinium. and to the mouth of the Tiber.

Here, all the people rush from all directions to meet (him), a throng of both men and women, and those who tend your fires, (O) Trojan Vesta, and they greet the god with a cry of joy. As the swift ship is conducted upstream, (burning) incense crackles on altars constructed on the banks of both sides (of the river) and it perfumes the air with its fumes, and (the blood of) the slaughtered victims warms (the blades of) the sacrificial knives.

And now he had entered the city of Rome: the serpent stands erect and moves his neck as it rests on the top of the mast, and he looks around for a suitable home for himself. The river is split into branches, flowing around (what) has the name of an island, and, in respect of its two sides, it stretches its arms out equally, with the land in the middle. Here, the serpent child of Phoebus removed himself from the Latin pine (ship), and, having resumed his divine shape, he came to the city (as) a health giver, and brought an end to its grief.

Ll. 745- 846.  The deification of Julius Caesar.

He (i.e. Aesculapius), however, came to our temples (as) a stranger; (but) Caesar is a god in his own city; outstanding (both) in war and peace, his wars that ended in triumphs, and the deeds he performed at home, and the speedily(-won) glory of his achievements, did no more to turn him into a new (figure) among the stars, and a comet, than (did) his descendant (i.e. Augustus); for among Caesar's actions there is no greater deed than that he stood as father to that (emperor) of ours. Is it really a greater (thing) to have subdued the sea-going Britons (i.e. Caesar made two expeditions to Briton in 55 and 54 B.C.), to have led his victorious ships down the seven-mouthed stream of the papyrus-bearing Nile (i.e. he sailed down the Nile in a flotilla of boats with Queen Cleopatra, after he ad installed her on the throne of Egypt in 47 B.C.), to have subjected the rebellious Numidians and Juba of the (River) Cinyps (i.e. Juba I, King of Numidia, an ally of the Pompeian forces defeated by Caesar at the Battle of Thapsus in North Africa in 46 B.C.), and Pontus, puffed up (with pride) in the name of Mithridates (i.e. Caesar defeated Mithridates's son Pharnaces, King of Pontus, at the battle of Zela in 47 B.C.) to (the sway of) the people of Quirinus (i.e. the Romans), and to have earned (so) many triumphs but only to have celebrated some, than to have brought forth so great a man (i.e. Augustus)? With him (as) ruler of all, (O) gods, you have abundantly favoured the human race!   

So, lest the latter (i.e. Augustus) should be created of mortal seed, the former (i.e. Julius Caesar) needed to made a god. When the golden mother of Aeneas (i.e. Venus) saw this, (and) also saw that a grim death was being prepared for her high priest and that an armed conspiracy was under way, she grew pale and said to every god that she encountered, "See with what a great effort is the treachery being prepared against me, and what great trickery is that life being sought which is the only (thing) that is left to me of Dardanian (i.e. Trojan) Iülus. Will I alone always be troubled by such well-founded anxieties, (I) whom now the son of Tydeus (i.e. Diomedes) has wounded with his Calydonian spear, (and whom) next the poorly-defended walls of Troy confound, and who shall see my son (i.e. Aeneas) driven by endless wanderings, and being tossed by the sea, and entering the abodes of the silent (shades) (i.e. Hades), and waging war with Turnus, or, if I should speak the truth, with Juno rather? This fear does not allow any memory of the past: look, can you see those accursed swords being sharpened? Stop them, I beg (you), and repel this attempt, and do not extinguish the flames of Vesta through the slaughter of her priest."

In her anxiety, Venus casts such words as these in vain throughout all of the heavens, and she troubles the gods, who, although they cannot break the iron decrees of the ancient sisters (i.e. the Fates), nevertheless give no uncertain portents of approaching woe. (Men) say that weapons clattering among the black clouds and the terrifying trumpets and horns (that were) heard in the sky foretold the crime; the sad face of the sun also bestowed a lurid light over the anxious earth. Firebrands (i.e. shooting stars) were frequently seen burning in the midst of the stars (and) drops of blood often fell between the rain-clouds. Lucifer's (i.e. the Morning Star's) visage was stained dark-blue with (spots of) black rust, and the Moon's chariot (was) spattered with blood. The Stygian owl was sounding its sad (omens) in a thousand places, ivory (statues) wept in a thousand places, and dirges and threatening words are said to have been heard in the sacred groves. No sacrifice obtains a favourable omen, and a liver warns that great civil conflicts are imminent, and a chopped lobe is found amongst the organs. In the forum, and around (men's) houses and the temples of the gods, dogs howled at night, and they say that the shades of the silent (dead) were wandering about, and that the city (was) shaken by earthquakes.

Yet, the gods' warnings could not prevent the conspiracy and approaching fate, and drawn swords are carried into a temple (i.e. the chapel in Pompey's Theatre where the Senate was meeting); for no (other) place in the city would satisfy (them, as the scene) for their crime and dreadful murder but the senate-house. Then, indeed, Cytherea (i.e. Venus) struck her breast with both hands, and tries to hide the descendant of Aeneas (i.e. Caesar) in a cloud, just as Paris was snatched away from the aggressive son of Atreus (i.e. Menelaus), and Aeneas had escaped the sword of Diomedes.

(Then) her father (i.e. Jupiter) (spoke to) her in these words: "Daughter, are you intending to fight invincible fate alone? You, yourself, may enter the house of the three sisters (i.e. the Fates): there you will see, (wrought) in bronze and solid iron by enormous labour, the Records of Fortune (i.e. Rome's public record office), which secure and enduring, (as they are), fear neither the clashing of the skies, nor the thunderbolt's wrath, nor any (other) destructive forces.  There you will find the destiny of your descendants inscribed in permanent adamant: I have read (this) myself, and have made a note (of it) in my mind, and I shall (now) tell (you), so that you are no longer unaware of the future. That (man), on whose behalf you are labouring (i.e. Caesar), Cytherea, has come to the end of his time, and he has fulfilled the years which he has owed to the earth. You, and his son (i.e. Octavianus Augustus) will ensure that he ascends to heaven (as) a god, and that he is worshipped in the temples (here), (and he) who is heir to his name will bear alone the burden placed upon (him), and that most valiant avenger of his murdered father will have us in his battles (as) his (allies). Under his auspices, the conquered walls of Mutina (i.e. Decimus Brutus was besieged there in 43 B.C. by Mark Antony, but the siege was lifted after Antony's forces were defeated by Octavian) will sue for peace; the region of Pharsalus (i.e. the site of Caesar's great victory over Pompey in 48 B.C.) will feel his (might), and Erymathian (i.e. Macedonian) Philippi will be drenched in blood a second time (n.b. there were two battles, three weeks apart, at Philippi in 43 B.C. when Antony and Octavian defeated Caesar's assassins Brutus and Cassius), and a 'great' name will be defeated in Sicilian waters (i.e. Sextus Pompeius 'Magnus' was defeated in a naval battle off Naulochus in 36 B.C, by Octavian's admiral Agrippa), and the Egyptian consort (i.e. Cleopatra) of a Roman general (i.e. Mark Antony), (while) trusting too much in their marriage, will fall (n.b. Cleopatra committed suicide in 30 B.C. after Antony's forces were defeated at Actium in 31 B.C.), and she threatened in vain that our Capitol would bow the knee to her Canopus (i.e. a city in the Nile delta). Why should I enumerate for you the foreign countries and nations living on either (shore) of the ocean? Whatever habitable (land) the earth sustains, it will be his: even the sea will serve him!

"When he has given peace to the world, he will turn his mind to civil justice, and he will make laws (as) the most just of legislators, and by his own example he will direct the behaviour (of his people), and, with a view to the age of the time to come and of his future descendants, he will order the offspring  born of his virtuous wife (i.e. Tiberius, son of Livia) to assume simultaneously both his name and his responsibilities, and he will not attain his heavenly abode and his kindred stars until the time when he has equalled the age of the (king of) Pylos (i.e. Nestor). Meanwhile, take his (father's) spirit from his mutilated body, and make (it) into a constellation, so that the deified Julius may always look down upon our Capitol and forum from his elevated shrine (i.e. the image of a comet was placed on the head of Caesar's statue in his temple in the Forum)."

He (i.e. Jupiter) had scarcely finished saying these (things), when kindly Venus stood in the centre of the senate-house, (though) seen by no one, and she rescued the newly (freed) spirit of her Caesar from his body, and, not allowing (it) to be dissolved into the air, she bore (it) to the heavenly stars.

Ll. 847-870.  Ovid's celebration of Augustus.

While she carried (it), she felt (it) start to glow and catch fire, and she freed (it) from her bosom: he soars higher than the moon, and, drawing a fiery tail (behind him) on his extensive pathway (through the sky), he shines (as) a star, and, seeing his son's achievements, he acknowledges that they are greater than his own, and he delights to be surpassed by him.

Although he (i.e. Augustus) forbids that his own actions should be esteemed before (those) of his father, yet fame, free and obedient to no one's orders, prefers (him), reluctant (though he is), and in this one respect only resists (him): thus great Atreus yields to the fame of Agamemnon, thus Theseus excelled Aegeus, and Achilles Peleus: and, lastly, to quote an example that matches the two of them (i.e. Caesar and Augustus), so also is Saturn less than Jupiter: Jupiter rules the citadels of the heavens, and the realms of the three-part universe (i.e. the sky, the sea and the underworld), (while) the earth comes under Augustus; each is a father and a ruler.  I beg, (O you) gods, the companions of Aeneas, to whom sword and fire gave way, and (you) native deities (of Italy), and Quirinus (i.e. Romulus), the founder of our city and  Gradivus (i.e. Mars), the father of unconquered Quirinus, and Vesta, revered among Caesar's household gods, and you, Phoebus, a household (god) together with Caesar's Vesta, and (you), lofty Jupiter, who holds the Tarpeian citadel (i.e. the Capitol with its temple of Jupiter), and (all) you other (gods) whom it is right and fitting for a bard to invoke: (yes, I beg) that that day may be slow (to arrive), and that (it may come) later than my lifetime, when the person of Augustus leaves the world which he (now) rules, and that he rises to heaven, and (there,) in his absence (from this earth) may he lend a favouring ear to our prayers!

Ll. 871-879.  Ovid's Envoi.

And now I have finished this work, which neither Jupiter's anger, nor fire, nor sword, nor devouring old age will (ever) be able to erase. Let that day, which has no power, except over my body, end, when it wishes, the uncertain span of my life: yet, the best part of me will be borne, immortal, high above the stars, and my name will be imperishable, and, wherever the influence of Rome extends over the lands it has subdued, I shall be read by the lips of men, and, (with) my fame (extending) throughout all ages, if the prophecies of bards have any truth (in them), I shall live.