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Notes Do not display Latin text | translated by Theodore C. Williams Book IV Chapter 8: The rumor spreads | Next chapter Return to index Previous chapter |
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Swift through the Libyan cities Rumor sped. Rumor! What evil can surpass her speed? In movement she grows mighty, and achieves strength and dominion as she swifter flies. small first, because afraid, she soon exalts her stature skyward, stalking through the lands and mantling in the clouds her baleful brow. The womb of Earth [Note 1], in anger at high Heaven [Note 2], bore her, they say, last of the Titan spawn, sister to Coeus and Enceladus. Feet swift to run and pinions like the wind the dreadful monster wears; her carcase huge is feathered, and at root of every plume a peering eye abides; and, strange to tell, an equal number of vociferous tongues, foul, whispering lips, and ears, that catch at all. At night she spreads midway 'twixt earth and heaven her pinions in the darkness, hissing loud, nor e'er to happy slumber gives her eyes: but with the morn she takes her watchful throne high on the housetops or on lofty towers, to terrify the nations. She can cling to vile invention and malignant wrong, or mingle with her word some tidings true. She now with changeful story filled men's ears, exultant, whether false or true she sung: how, Trojan-born Aeneas having come, Dido, the lovely widow, looked his way, deigning to wed; how all the winter long they passed in revel and voluptuous ease, to dalliance given o'er; naught heeding now of crown or kingdom -- shameless! lust-enslaved! Such tidings broadcast on the lips of men the filthy goddess spread; and soon she fled to King Iarbas, where her hateful song to newly-swollen wrath his heart inflamed. Note 1: Earth = Gaia Event: Love and Death of Dido |
197 Extemplo Libyae magnas it Fama per urbes, Fama, malum qua non aliud uelocius ullum: mobilitate uiget uirisque adquirit eundo, parua metu primo, mox sese attollit in auras ingrediturque solo et caput inter nubila condit. illam Terra parens ira inritata deorum extremam, ut perhibent, Coeo Enceladoque sororem progenuit pedibus celerem et pernicibus alis, monstrum horrendum, ingens, cui quot sunt corpore plumae, tot uigiles oculi subter (mirabile dictu), tot linguae, totidem ora sonant, tot subrigit auris. nocte uolat caeli medio terraeque per umbram stridens, nec dulci declinat lumina somno; luce sedet custos aut summi culmine tecti turribus aut altis, et magnas territat urbes, tam ficti prauique tenax quam nuntia ueri. haec tum multiplici populos sermone replebat gaudens, et pariter facta atque infecta canebat: uenisse Aenean Troiano sanguine cretum, cui se pulchra uiro dignetur iungere Dido; nunc hiemem inter se luxu, quam longa, fouere regnorum immemores turpique cupidine captos. haec passim dea foeda uirum diffundit in ora. protinus ad regem cursus detorquet Iarban incenditque animum dictis atque aggerat iras. |