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Metamorphoses 11.217-228
Metamorphoses 11.217-228
nam coniuge Pēleus
clārus erat dīvā: nec avī magis ille superbus
nōmine, quam socerī. siquidem Iovis esse nepōtī
contigit haud ūnī, coniunx dea contigit ūnī. 220
namque senex Thetidī Prōteus “dea” dīxerat “undae,
concipe: māter eris iuvenis, quī fortibus annīs
acta patris vincet māiorque vocābitur illō.”
ergō, nē quicquam mundus Iove māius habēret,
quamvis haud tepidōs sub pectore senserat ignēs, 225
Iuppiter aequoreae Thetidis cōnūbia fūgit
in suaque Aeacidēn succedere vōta nepōtem
iussit et amplexūs in virginis īre marīnae.
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NotesMeter: dactylic hexameters
217 The ablative phrase coniuge dīvā modifies clārus: “distinguished with…” coniuge from coniux, a variant form of coniunx, “wife”218 dīvus, -a, -um = “divine”; dīva is here used as a noun, = dea nec magis superbus = “and he (was) no less proud”; quam = “than” avī: The grandfather of Peleus was Aeacus, son of Zeus (Jupiter) and Aegina219 nōmine: the ablative expresses cause: “because of …”; the genitives avī and socerī go with nōmine siquidem = “if indeed” esse = “to be”; nepōtī is predicate (agreeing with ūnī) Iovis, genitive of Iūppiter220 contigit (from contingo) = “it happened”, + dative haud ūnī (dative) = “to hardly one man” > “to quite a few”: significant understatement (‘litotes’)221 dixerat: “had said”222 concipe is imperative: “Get married” iuvenis is genitive with māter quī = “who” fortibus annīs literally “in his strong years”, i.e., when he has reached maturity223 acta = “deeds, accomplishments” vocābitur (passive voice) = “he will be called” māior = “greater” illō: ablative expressing comparison = “than he”224 nē mundus haberet = “lest the world have / produce” quicquam māius = “anything greater” Iove: ablative expressing comparison = “than Jupiter”225 haud tepidōs (with ignēs) = “hardly mild” (litotes) 226 aequoreus, -a, -um = “of the sea” cōnūbia, from cōnūbium, “wedlock” – the plural being used for the singular227 Aeacidēn = “descendant of Aeacus”, i.e., Peleus; since Aeacus was a son of Jupiter, Peleus was his grandson, hence nepōtem228 iussit < iubeō = “ordered” in sua vōta succēdere: literally “to succeed to his wishes”, i..e., to take his place in his intention (to wed Thetis) amplexūs in … īre for amplexūs inīre: literally “to enter into the embraces …” marīnus, -a, -um = “of the sea”
Hans Rottenhammer,Wedding of Peleus & Thetis
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