Ovid – Io

Metamorphoses 1.624-646

centum lūminibus cinctum caput Argus habēbat:

inde suīs vicibus capiēbant bina quietem, 625

cētera servābant atque in statiōne manēbant.

constiterat quōcumque modō, spectabat ad Īō:

ante oculōs Īō, quamvīs āversus, habēbat.

lūce sinit pascī; cum sōl tellūre sub altā est,

claudit et indignō circumdat vincula collō. 630

frondibus arboreīs et amārā pascitur herbā,

prōque torō terrae nōn semper grāmen habentī

incubat infēlix līmōsaque flūmina pōtat.

illa etiam supplex Argō cum bracchia vellet

tendere, non habuit, quae bracchia tenderet Argō, 635

et cōnāta querī mūgītūs ēdidit ōre

pertimuitque sonōs propriāque exterrita vōce est.

vēnit et ad rīpās, ubi lūdere saepe solēbat,

Īnachidās rīpās; novaque ut cōnspexit in undā

cornua, pertimuit sēque exsternāta refūgit. 640

Nāides ignōrant, ignorat et Īnachus ipse,

quae sit; at illa patrem sequitur sequiturque sorōrēs

et patitur tangī sēque admirantibus offert.

dēcerptās senior porrexerat Īnachus herbās:

illa manūs lambit patriīsque dat oscula palmīs 645

nec retinet lacrimās.…

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Notes
Meter: dactylic hexameters
624 lūminibus = oculīs625 inde bina = duo dē hīs, i.e. two of these (the eyes) suīs vicibus = “by their turns”626 servābant understand statiōnem, a military metaphor, as statiō here = “vigil, guard”627 quōcum modō constiterat = “however he had positioned himself” Īō is a Greek accusative (also nominative)629 pascī = “to graze” lūce (from lux) = “by daylight” cum here is the conjunction, = “when”631 arboreus, -a, -um = “of trees” pascitur takes an ablative complement: “she grazes on …”632 terrae is the dative complement of incubat: “… on ground …” habentī is dative with terrae; its object is grāmen: “not always having …”633 līmōsus, -a, -um = “muddy, slimy” pōtō, pōtāre = “to drink”634 cum … vellet = “when she wants …”635 Word order = nōn habuit bracchia quae tenderet: “she did not have arms that she might …”, i.e., did not have arms to ….636 cōnāta querī = “trying to complain” mūgītūs is accusative plural (fifth declension): “bellows, moos”637 pertimescō, pertimescere, pertimuī: “to become thoroughly afraid of, fear utterly” exterrita est (perfect passive) = “was terrified”638 et here = etiam, “even”639 Īnachidus, -a, -um: “of (the river) Inachus” nova with cornua, “horns”640 sē exsternāta = “having frightened herself off”; note that refūgit is perfect641 Nāides, variant for Naiades; the case form is a Greek nominative; the Naiads are water nymphs642 quae sit = “who she is” illa sequitur = “she follows”643 patitur tangī = “she allows herself to be touched” admīrantibus is dative: “to admirers”644 dēcerptus, -a, -um: “plucked” senior = “elderly” porrigō, porrigere, porrēxī, porrectum: “to hold forth, extend; offer”645 patrius, -a, -um = “of one’s father”

Filipe Sojo, Mercury & Argus

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