Ovid – Phaëthon

Metamorphoses 2.153-170

intereā volucrēs Pyroīs et Eōus et Aethōn,

Sōlis equī, quartusque Phlēgōn, hinnītibus aurās

flammiferīs implent pedibusque repāgula pulsant, 155

quae postquam Tēthys, fātōrum ignōra nepōtis

reppulit, et facta est inmensī copia caelī,

corripuēre viam pedibusque per āera mōtīs

obstantēs scindunt nebulās pennīsque levātī

praetereunt ortōs īsdem dē partibus Eurōs. 160

sed leve pondus erat, nec quod cognōscere possent

Sōlis equi, solitāque iugum gravitāte carēbat;

utque labant curvae iustō sine pondere nāvēs

perque mare instabilēs nimiā levitāte feruntur,

sīc onere adsuētō vacuus dat in āera saltūs 165

succutiturque altē similisque est currus inānī.

quod simulac sēnsēre, ruunt trītumque relinquunt

quadriiugī spatium, nec quō prius ordine currunt.

ipse pavet nec quā commissās flectat habēnās,

nec scit, quā sit iter; nec, sī sciat, imperet illīs. 170

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Notes Meter: dactylic hexameters
153 volucer, volucris, -e = “winged, flying”154 quartus, -a, -um = “fourth”157 et i.e. postquam copia caelī literally = “the abundance of the sky”, i.e. the expanse of sky facta est literally = “came to be”, i.e., lay open for them158 corripuēre = corripuērunt, from corripio, corripere, corripuī, “to take hold of”; viam corripere = “to hurry, hasten”159 scindō, scindere, scidī, scissum = “to cut, slice” obstantēs = “standing in the way, obstructing” levātus, -a, -um = “lightened, lifted”160 praetereunt = “they go pass, pass” Eurus, -ī, m. = “the East wind”; ortōs de … = “rising from …”161 nec quod cognōscere possent: “and it (the weight) was not that which the Sōlis equī would recognize”162 iugum, -ī. n: “yoke”, referring here to the chariot gravitās, -tātis, f.: “heaviness, weight” solitus, -a, -um = “accustomed”163 utque introduces a simile: “just as …”, correlative with sīc in 162 labō, labāre, labāvī, labātum = “to totter, lurch”164 instabilis, -e: unstable, unsteady feruntur = “are carried” nimius, -a, -um = “excessive, too much” levitās, -tātis, f.: “lightness”165 Word order: currus, vacuus onere adsuētō, dat saltūs in aēra vacuus, -a, -um = “empty”, with the ablative = “empty of …” adsuētus, -a, -um = “accustomed” saltūs (acc. plur.) = “leaps, somersaults” succutiturque = “and is tossed up”166 inānī is dative with similis, here used as a noun (ināne): “a trifle, a nothing”167 simulac = “as soon as” sēnsēre = sensērunt quod is the object of sensēre = “it”168 trītus, -a, -um: well-worn nec … currunt = et nōn currunt quō prius ordine, a compression of in ordine quō prius currēbant, “in the order in which … ”169 paveō, pavēre, pāvī: “to tremble, quaver (with fear), cower” flecto, flectere, flexī, flectum: “to bend; direct, steer” commissus, -a, -um: entrusted. habēnae, -ārum, f.: reins.170 Word order: nec scit nec quā …flectat … nec quā sit iter: “he did not know either where … nor where …” quā … flectat = “where to steer …” quā sit iter = “where the way might be” sī sciat = “if he knew …” nec … imperet illīs = “he would not command them”

Peter Paul Ruben, Phaëthon

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