Ovid – Europa

Metamorphoses 2.848-875

ille pater rectorque deûm, cuī dextra trisulcīs

ignibus armāta est, quī nūtū concutit orbem,

induitur faciem taurī mixtusque iuvencīs 850

mūgit et in tenerīs formōsus obambulat herbīs.

quippe color nivis est, quam nec vestigia dūrī

calcāvēre pedis nec solvit aquāticus auster.

colla torīs exstant, armīs paleāria pendent,

cornua parva quidem, sed quae contendere possis 855

facta manū, purāque magis perlūcida gemmā.

nūllae in fronte minae, nec formīdābile lūmen;

pācem vultus habet. mīrātur Agēnore nāta,

quod tam formōsus, quod proelia nulla minētur.

sed quamvis mitem metuit contingere prīmō: 860

mox adit et flores ad candida porrigit ōra.

gaudet amāns et, dum veniat spērāta voluptās,

oscula dat manibus; vix iam, vix cetera differt.

et nunc adlūdit viridīque exsultat in herbā,

nunc latus in fulvīs niveum dēpōnit harēnīs; 865

paulātimque metū dēmptō modo pectora praebet

virgineā plaudenda manū, modo cornua sertīs

impedienda novīs. ausa est quoque rēgia virgō

nescia quem premeret, tergō considere taurī,

cum deus ā terrā siccōque ā lītore sēnsim 870

falsa pedum prīmīs vestigia pōnit in undīs:

inde abit ulterius mediīque per aequora pontī

fert praedam. pavet haec lītusque ablāta relictum

respicit, et dextrā cornum tenet, altera dorso

imposita est; tremulae sinuantur flāmine vestes. 875

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Notes
Meter: dactylic hexameters
848 deûm = deōrum rector, -ōris, m.: ruler. trisulcus, -a, -um = “triple-cleft, three-pronged”849 nūtus, -ūs, m.: = “nod” concutio, concutere, concussī, concussum: to shake; agitate; stir up850 induitur (passive for reflexive) : = “puts on” mixtus has the force of a present participle: “mingling …”; iuvencīs is dative851 obambulō, obambulāre: = “to walk in front; to wander past”852 nivis – genitive of nix quippe = “indeed” quam, adjective with nivis as antecedent853 calcō, calcāre = “to tread upon, trample”; calcāvēre = calcāvērunt aquāticus, -a, -um: watery, rainy854 torīs, ablative of torus, “with muscles” armīs from armus, “shoulder”; paleāria are dewlaps855 quae contendere possis = “such as you could swear …”856 facta manū = “(were) made by hand” perlūcidus, -a, -um: resplendent, brilliant; purā … gemmā is an ablative expressing term of comparison: “than …”857 formīdābilis, -e: “terrifying, frightening, formidable”858 mīrātur: “marvels, is amazed” Agēnore nāta, literally ‘the girl born of Agenor’, i.e., the daughter of …859 minētur = “he threatens”860 contingō, contingere, contigī, contactum: to touch861 adit = “approaches” porrigo, porrigere, porrexī, porrectum: to extend862 The bull is the subject of gaudet etc. dum veniat means until it comes spērātus, -a, -um: hoped for, anticipated863 differt: “puts off, delays”864 adludit, used absolutely: “romps, plays”866 metū dēmptō = “with her fear having been removed”867 plaudenda = “to be patted”868 impedienda = “to be entangled” sertīs … novīs = “freshly woven garlands”; serta, -ōrum, n.: wreaths of flowers virgineus, -a, -um: virginal ausa est = “dared”869 nescia quem premeret, “not knowing whom she was pressing” considere = “ to sit on” (+ dative)871 pedum is genitive plural of pēs with vestigia873 fert = “carries” paveō, pavēre, pāvī: to cower, quake with fear ablātus, -a, -um: carried off relictus, -a, -um: “that was left behind”, modifying lītus874 imposita est is perfect passive of imponō flāmen, -minis, n.: breeze sinuō, sinuāre: to billow, swell

Rembrandt van Rijn, The Abduction of Europa

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