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Notes Display Latin text | translated by Theodore C. Williams Book VI Chapter 2: The door of the temple | Next chapter Return to index Previous chapter |
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Here Daedalus, the ancient story tells, Escaping Minos' power, and having made Hazard of heaven on far-mounting wings, Floated to northward, a cold, trackless way, And lightly poised, at last, o'er Cumae's towers. Here first to earth come down, he gave to thee His gear of wings, Apollo! and ordained Vast temples to thy name and altars fair. On huge bronze doors Androgeos' death was done; And Cecrops' children paid their debt of woe, Where, seven and seven, -- O pitiable sight! -- The youths and maidens wait the annual doom, Drawn out by lot from yonder marble urn. Beyond, above a sea, lay carven Crete: -- The bull was there; the passion, the strange guile; And Queen Pasiphae's brute-human son, The Minotaur -- of monstrous loves the sign. Here was the toilsome, labyrinthine maze, Where, pitying love-lorn Ariadne's tears, The crafty Daedalus himself betrayed The secret of his work; and gave the clue To guide the path of Theseus through the gloom. O Icarus, in such well-graven scene How proud thy place should be! but grief forbade: Twice in pure gold a father's fingers strove To shape thy fall, and twice they strove in vain. Aeneas long the various work would scan; But now Achates comes, and by his side Deiphobe, the Sibyl, Glaucus' child. Thus to the prince she spoke : Is this thine hour To stand and wonder? Rather go obtain From young unbroken herd the bullocks seven, And seven yearling ewes, our wonted way. Thus to Aeneas his attendants haste To work her will; the priestess, calling loud, Gathers the Trojans to her mountain-shrine. Events: Daedalus and Icarus, Theseus and the Minotaur, Pasiphae and the bull, Aeneas visits the Underworld |
14-42 Daedalus, ut fama est, fugiens Minoia regna praepetibus pennis ausus se credere caelo insuetum per iter gelidas enauit ad Arctos, Chalcidicaque leuis tandem super astitit arce. redditus his primum terris tibi, Phoebe, sacrauit remigium alarum posuitque immania templa. in foribus letum Androgeo; tum pendere poenas Cecropidae iussi (miserum!) septena quotannis corpora natorum; stat ductis sortibus urna. contra elata mari respondet Cnosia tellus: hic crudelis amor tauri suppostaque furto Pasiphae mixtumque genus prolesque biformis Minotaurus inest, Veneris monimenta nefandae, hic labor ille domus et inextricabilis error; magnum reginae sed enim miseratus amorem Daedalus ipse dolos tecti ambagesque resoluit, caeca regens filo uestigia. tu quoque magnam partem opere in tanto, sineret dolor, Icare, haberes. bis conatus erat casus effingere in auro, bis patriae cecidere manus. quin protinus omnia perlegerent oculis, ni iam praemissus Achates adforet atque una Phoebi Triuiaeque sacerdos, Deiphobe Glauci, fatur quae talia regi: 'non hoc ista sibi tempus spectacula poscit; nunc grege de intacto septem mactare iuuencos praestiterit, totidem lectas ex more bidentis.' talibus adfata Aenean (nec sacra morantur iussa uiri) Teucros uocat alta in templa sacerdos. |