Oh that you had then visited our coasts in a nimble bark, when a thousand rivals solicited my virgin love! Had you appeared, you would have triumphed over the thousand; nor could my husband have justly blamed my choice. Now, alas! you come too late, to joys that are the right of another; and your slow hope invades a plighted love. But although it would have been
Et saepe extimui ne vir meus illa videret,Non satis occultis erubuique notis!Saepe vel exiguo vel nullo murmure dixi:'Nil pudet hunc.' nec vox haec mea falsa fuit.Orbe quoque in mensae legi sub nomine nostro,Quod deducta mero littera fecit, amo.
more to my wish, to live with you, yet does not Menelaus possess me against my will. Cease then, for heaven's sake, to urge a too sensible heart; nor strive to injure one whom you profess to love. Suffer me to live contented with the lot which fortune has given me, nor aim at the ruin of my unspotted fame. But Venus, you say, promised this reward; and three goddesses offered themselves naked to your judgment in the vales of towering Ida. One offered you a kingdom, another the glory of successful war; and the third promised to make you husband to a daughter of Tyndareus: but I can scarcely believe that heavenly Nymphs would have submitted to your decision in the case of beauty. And were this even true, yet the other part is undoubtedly feigned, where you pretend that I was offered to bribe your judgment. I am not yet so vain of my own charms, as to fancy myself the greatest reward, even in the opinion of the Goddess. I am fully contented with my share of human praise; the applause of Venus can only produce envy. But I deny nothing; these flatteries are also grateful; for why should I reject what I so fondly wish? Nor be you too much displeased, that I am rather incredulous; for things of moment are not credited with ease. My chief joy is to have the applause of Venus; and my next, that I was esteemed the greatest reward by you; that neither the honors offered by Pallas, nor those of Juno, were preferred to the famed beauty of Helen. You therefore chose me in place of valor, in place of a noble kingdom; it would be inhuman, not to receive a heart so wholly mine. But trust me, I am far from being inhuman; and only struggle against loving a man, whom I scarcely can hope ever to possess.
Credere me tamen hoc oculo renuente negavi —Ei mihi, iam didici sic ego posse loqui!His ego blanditiis, si peccatura fuissem,Flecterer; his poterant pectora nostra capi.Est quoque, confiteor, facies tibi rara, potestqueVelle sub amplexus ire puella tuos;Altera vel potius felix sine crimine fiat,Quam cadat externo noster amore pudor.Disce modo exemplo formosis posse carere;Est virtus placitis abstinuisse bonis.Quam multos credis iuvenes optare quod optas,Qui sapiant? oculos an Paris unus habes?Non tu plus cernis, sed plus temerarius audes:Nec tibi plus cordis, sed nimis oris, adest.Tunc ego te vellem celeri venisse carina,Cum mea virginitas mille petita procis;Si te vidissem, primus de mille fuisses.Iudicio veniam vir dabit ipse meo.Ad possessa venis praeceptaque gaudia, serus;Spes tua lenta fuit; quod petis, alter habet.Ut tamen optarim fieri tua Troica coniunx,Invitam sic me nec Menelaus habet.Desine molle, precor, verbis convellere pectus,Neve mihi, quam te dicis amare, noce;Sed sine quam tribuit sortem fortuna tueri,Nec spolium nostri turpe pudoris ave!
Why do I vainly strive to tear up the thirsty sand with a bending plough, and cherish a hope which every thing conspires to deteat? I am a stranger to the artifices of love; witness beaven, that I never yet by any decent abused my faithful husband. And now that I privately commit my thoughts to writing, my hand engages in a new and unusual task. Happy are they whom practice hath rendered expert; I, un-killed in intrigue, imagine the way to vice hedged round with thorns. This fear perpetually haunts me; even now I am covered with blushes, and imagine the eyes of all fixed upon me. Nor is this apprehension wholly groundless; for already the rumor spreads among the crowd: and Æthra accidentally overheard some whispers. It is fit you dissemble
At Venus hoc pacta est, et in altae vallibus IdaeTres tibi se nudas exhibuere deae,Unaque cum regnum, belli daret altera laudem,'Tyndaridis coniunx,' tertia dixit, 'eris!'Credere vix equidem caelestia corpora possumArbitrio formam supposuisse tuo,Utque sit hoc verum, certe pars altera ficta est,Iudicii pretium qua data dicor ego.Non est tanta mihi fiducia corporis, ut meMaxima teste dea dona fuisse putem.Contenta est oculis hominum mea forma probari;Laudatrix Venus est invidiosa mihi.Sed nihil infirmo; faveo quoque laudibus istis —Nam, mens, vox quare, quod cupit esse, neget?
all, unless you think it better to desist; but why desist? you who can to well dissemble. Love still, but secretly: the absence of Menelaus gives more freedom, but does not allow of all. He is gone upon a long journey, called by urgent affairs; a great and weighty concern occasioned his sudden departure: at least so it appeared to me. I, seeing him unresolved what to do, said, Go and return with all possible dispatch.
Nec tu succense, nimium mihi creditus aegre;Tarda solet magnis rebus inesse fides.Prima mea est igitur Veneri placuisse voluptas;Proxima, me visam praemia summa tibi,Nec te Palladios nec te Iunonis honoresAuditis Helenae praeposuisse bonis.Ergo ego sum virtus, ego sum tibi nobile regnum!
He, pleased with the omen, fondly kissed me: To your care, says he, I recommend my palace, my kingdom, and the Trojan guest. Scarcely could I refrain from laughter; and, while I strove to stifle it, I would only answer, It shall be so. He, it is true, spread his sails for Crete with a favorable wind; yet do not, from this, fancy yourself wholly secure. My husband, though absent, has still watchful eyes over me. Are you unacquainted with the proverb, that princes have long hands? My fame too is a great obstacle; for the more lavish you are in my praise, the more reasonable ground has he for suspicion. That glory, once so grateful, is now my bane; far better it had been to be less known to fame. Nor wonder at his absence, or that I am here left with you: he trusted to my virtue and unspotted life. My beauty and shape implied danger; but my probity and fame made him secure. You desire me not to lose so fair a season, or neglect the opportunity given by the simple good-natured man. I am willing, but afraid; my resolution is still unfixed, and my breast glows with all the anguish of
Ferrea sim, si non hoc ego pectus amem.Ferrea, crede mihi, non sum; sed amare repugnoIllum, quem fieri vix puto posse meum.Quid bibulum curvo proscindere litus aratro,Spemque sequi coner quam locus ipse negat?Sum rudis ad Veneris furtum, nullaque fidelem —Di mihi sunt testes — lusimus arte virum.Nunc quoque, quod tacito mando mea verba libello,Fungitur officio littera nostra novo.Felices, quibus usus adest! ego nescia rerumDifficilem culpae suspicor esse viam.Ipse malo metus est; iam nunc confundor, et omnesIn nostris oculos vultibus esse reor.Nec reor hoc falso; sensi mala murmura vulgi,Et quasdam voces rettulit Aethra mihi.At tu dissimula, nisi si desistere mavis!Sed cur desistas? dissimulare potes.Lude, sed occulte!
suspense. My husband is absent; you pine in a solitary bed, and we are each blest with a form that mutually pleases. The nights are long; we often converse; one house contains us; and you are kind and pressing. Let me die, if all things do not conspire to crown our loves; and yet I do not know what fear still holds me back. It would be better to employ force, than court with words; my bashfulness might have been overcome by a gentle violence. Wrongs are sometimes grateful even to those who suffer them; it is thus I would be made happy by a seeming force: but let us strive rather to suppress in its birth the growing flame; a little water easily extinguishes the kindling spark. Strangers are incapable of a lasting love; their passion wanders like themselves; and while we fondly believe it to be sure and unchanged, all is over. Hypsipyle and the Minoian maid are examples of this, who both were left to
maior, non maxima, nobisEst data libertas, quod Menelaus abest.Ille quidem procul est, ita re cogente, profectus;Magna fuit subitae iustaque causa viae —Aut mihi sic visum est. ego, cum dubitaret an iret,'Quam primum,' dixi, 'fac rediturus eas!'Omine laetatus dedit oscula, 'res' que 'domusqueEt tibi sit curae Troicus hospes,' ait.Vix tenui risum, quem dum conpescere luctor,Nil illi potui dicere praeter 'erit.'Vela quidem Creten ventis dedit ille secundis;Sed tu non ideo cuncta licere puta!Sic meus hinc vir abest ut me custodiat absens —An nescis longas regibus esse manus?Forma quoque est oneri;
mourn their deserted beds. You too, faithless man, are said to have abandoned Œnone, who had been dear to you for so many years. You must not attempt to deny it; for know, that it has been my care to search narrowly into all. Add, that, were you inclined to a constant faithful love, it is not in your power; already the impatient Trojans prepare your sails. While you are yet in discourse with me, while the wished-for night is assigned, a propitious gale calls you away to your own country. You must abandon the unfinished pursuit, and break asunder our new-felt joys; the relentless winds will bear away my love. Shall I then follow, as you advise, and visit the famed towers of Troy? Shall I become a wife to the grandson of mighty Laomedon? I am not yet so indifferent to the reports of spreading fame, as to suffer it thus to fill the earth with the sound of my reproach. What may Sparta say of me, and all Greece? What the nations of Asia, and even your own Troy? What will Priam, Hecuba, and your brothers think? and what will all the modest Phrygian matrons? And even you, what confidence can you have in my fidelity, or how avoid an anxiety from my compliance in your own case?
nam quo constantius oreLaudamur vestro, iustius ille timet.Quae iuvat, ut nunc est, eadem mihi gloria damno est,Et melius famae verba dedisse fuit.Nec, quod abest hic me tecum, mirare, relicta;Moribus et vitae credidit ille meae.De facie metuit, vitae confidit, et illumSecurum probitas, forma timere facit.Tempora ne pereant ultro data praecipis, utqueSimplicis utamur commoditate viri.Et libet et timeo, nec adhuc exacta voluntasEst satis; in dubio pectora nostra labant.Et vir abest nobis, et tu sine coniuge dormis,Inque vicem tua me, te mea forma capit;Et longae noctes, et iam sermone coimus,Et tu, me miseram! blandus, et una domus.Et peream, si non invitant omnia culpam;Nescio quo tardor sed tamen ipsa metu!Quod male persuades, utinam bene cogere posses!Vi mea rusticitas excutienda fuit.Utilis interdum est ipsis iniuria passis.
Every stranger who may arrive upon the Phrygian coast will be a fresh cause of fear on my account. In your rage you will not fail to upbraid me with my crime, forgetting the part you bear in it yourself. You, who are the author of my guilt, will be the first to reproach me. O may the earth rather overwhelm me for ever! But I shall shine in Troj in riches, and all the ornaments of a happy dress. You tell me, that I shall meet with a reception far beyond even your promises; that purple and embroidered garments shall be given me; and that I shall be enriched by a mass of gold. But forgive the trank confession; these gifts have no charms for me: the ties that bind me to my own country, are far more powerful. Who among the Phrygians will resent the injuries which may be offered? What aid from brothers or a father could I there implore? Deceitful Jason won Medea by his unbounded promises; but was he less ready to banish her from the house of his father Æson? She had then no Aeetes to whom she could fly for relief, no mother Ipsea, or sister Chalciope to hear her complaints. I indeed fear none of this; but neither did Medea fear: love often contributes to its own deceit. What ship now tossed by stormy waves did not sail first from the port with a favorable wind? I am terrified too by the flaming torch, which, in your mother's dream, seemed to spring from her womb before your birth. Add to this the prophecies which fortell that Ilium shall be consumed with Grecian fire. It is true that Venus favors us, because she carried off the prize, and by your judgement triumphed over two. But then I fear again the resentment of the two, who in this contest, so much to your honor, lost their cause by your sentence. Nor can it be doubetd, if I follow you, that troops will be raised to recover me. Our love (alas!) must make
Sic certe felix esse coacta forem.Dum novus est, potius coepto pugnemus amori!Flamma recens parva sparsa residit aqua.Certus in hospitibus non est amor; errat, ut ipsi,Cumque nihil speres firmius esse, fugit.Hypsipyle testis, testis Minoia virgo est,In non exhibitis utraque lusa toris.Tu quoque dilectam multos, infide, per annosDiceris Oenonen destituisse tuam.Nec tamen ipse negas; et nobis omnia de teQuaerere, si nescis, maxima cura fuit.Adde, quod, ut cupias constans in amore manere,Non potes. expediunt iam tua vela Phryges;Dum loqueris mecum, dum nox sperata paratur,Qui ferat in patriam, iam tibi ventus erit.Cursibus in mediis novitatis plena relinquesGaudia; cum ventis noster abibit amor.An sequar, ut suades, laudataque Pergama visamPronurus et magni Laumedontis ero?Non ita contemno volucris praeconia famae,Ut probris terras inpleat illa meis.Quid de me poterit Sparte, quid Achaia tota,Quid gentes Asiae, quid tua Troia loqui?Quid Priamus de me, Priami quid sentiet uxor,Totque tui fratres Dardanidesque nurus?Tu quoque, qui poteris fore me sperare fidelem,Et non exemplis anxius esse tuis?Quicumque Iliacos intraverit advena portus,Is tibi solliciti causa timoris erit.Ipse mihi quotiens iratus 'adultera!'
its way through sword and slaughter. Did Hippodamia of Atrace instigate the Thessalian heroes to that cruel slaughter of the Centaurs? And can you fancy that Menclaus will be slow to revenge in so just a cause, or that my brothers and father will not contribute their aid? You boast highly of your valor, and recount your noble acts: but your face gains no great credit to your words. Those limbs are better formed for the delights of Venus, than the rude encounters of Mars: let heroes distinguish themselves in war; Paris will shine in the softer pursuits of love. Hector, whom you so much commend, may bravely defend you against the foe: a different warfare suits those graceful motions. Were I bold and daring as many of my sex, I would throw myself into your soft embraces; but time and you may at last bring me to yield, when, laying aside this foolish shame, I will gladly extend my consenting hand. You demand a private meeting, that you may acquaint me fully with all: I know your meaning, and what you aim at by this conference. But you are too forward; now is your harvest yet come to ripeness. This short delay may perhaps
dices,Oblitus nostro crimen inesse tuum!Delicti fies idem reprehensor et auctor.Terra, precor, vultus obruat ante meos!At fruar Iliacis opibus cultuque beato,Donaque promissis uberiora feram;Purpura nempe mihi pretiosaque texta dabuntur,Congestoque auri pondere dives ero!Da veniam fassae — non sunt tua munera tanti;Nescio quo tellus me tenet ista modo.Quis mihi, si laedar, Phrygiis succurret in oris?Unde petam fratres, unde parentis opem?Omnia Medeae fallax promisit Iason —Pulsa est Aesonia num minus illa domo?Non erat Aeetes, ad quem despecta rediret,Non Idyia parens Chalciopeve soror.Tale nihil timeo — sed nec Medea timebat!Fallitur augurio spes bona saepe suo.Omnibus invenies, quae nunc iactantur in alto,Navibus a portu lene fuisse fretum.
promote the object of your hopes. Thus far my epistle bears the secret message of my heart; but the betraying pen has tired my tender hand. The rest you will learn of Æthra and Clymene, my faithful companions and counsellors.
Fax quoque me terret, quam se peperisse cruentamAnte diem partus est tua visa parens;Et vatum timeo monitus, quos igne PelasgoIlion arsurum praemonuisse ferunt.
LEANDER of Abydos sends, to his girl of Sestos, those wishes for her health, which he would rather bring himself, if the rage of the sea should abate. If the Gods are favorable, and wish well to my love, you will run over this with discontented eyes. But they, alas! are far from being favorable. Why else are my hopes deferred? why am I forbidden to swim over the known seas? You
Utque favet Cytherea tibi, quia vicit habetqueParta per arbitrium bina tropaea tuum,Sic illas vereor, quae, si tua gloria vera est,Iudice te causam non tenuere duae;Nec dubito, quin, te si prosequar, arma parentur.Ibit per gladios, ei mihi! noster amor.
see that the heavens are dark as pitch; the billows swell with the wind, too fierce to be stemmed by the hollow ships. One mariner, more daring than the rest, who brings you this epistle, ventured to leave the harbour. Here I intended to embark, if, when he weighed anchor, all Abydos had not viewed us from the eminences. I could not, as before, have dissembled with my parents, and that love, which prudence requires us to conceal, would no longer have been unknown. Writing being now my only relief, I wrote: Go, said I, happy epistle! Soon, with a graceful smile, will she extend to thee her fair hand. Perhaps too thou mayest be pressed to her ruby lips, as with her ivory teeth she eagerly breaks the seals. After muttering this in gentle whispers, my ready right-hand quickly marked down the rest. How much would I rather it should dash through the swelling flood, than thus in languishing accents write my complaints! How much rather it should bear me sedulous though the well-known waves! Far better does it indeed serve to lash the foamming deep; yet it is no unfit minister of my warmest thoughts and wishes. It is now the seventh night (a space to me more tedious than a year) that the raging sea has tossed her
An fera Centauris indicere bella coegitAtracis Haemonios Hippodamia viros —Tu fore tam iusta lentum Menelaon in iraEt geminos fratres Tyndareumque putas?Quod bene te iactes et fortia facta loquaris,A verbis facies dissidet ista tuis.Apta magis Veneri, quam sunt tua corpora Marti.Bella gerant fortes, tu, Pari, semper ama!Hectora, quem laudas, pro te pugnare iubeto;Militia est operis altera digna tuis.His ego, si saperem pauloque audacior essem,Uterer; utetur, siqua puella sapit —Aut ego deposito sapiam fortasse pudoreEt dabo cunctatas tempore victa manus.Quod petis, ut furtim praesentes ista loquamur,Scimus, quid captes conloquiumque voces;Sed nimium properas, et adhuc tua messis in herba est.Et mora sit voto forsan amica tuo.Hactenus; arcanum furtivae conscia mentisLittera iam lasso pollice sistat opus.
sounding billows. May the angry sea prolong her rage with ten-fold heat, if in all these lingering nights my distracted breast has tasted the sweets of soothing rest! Mounted on some rocky cliff, I pensive view the beloved shore, and am carried in thought whither I cannot convey myself in person. My eyes too behold, or seem to behold, upon the tower's top, the watchful light that is to guide my course. Thrice I stripped, and laid my clothes upon the dry sand; thrice I attempted, naked, the threatening watery way. But the swelling sea opposed my bold youthful attempts, and, as I swam, overwhelmed me with adverse waves. But you, North, the most inexorable of all the raging winds, why do you obstinately raise up against me a malicious opposition? If you are not already aware, know, that It is against me, and not the seas, that you thus terribly rage. What would you do, were you wholly a stranger to love? Cold as you are, perverse Boreas, you cannot deny that you were once warmed by Actæan fires. When keen to snatch the joys of love, had any one shut up the aërial way, how would you have taken it? Pity me then for heaven's sake, and blow more mildly the gentle gales: so may Æolus lay no harsh commands
Cetera per socias Clymenen Aethramque loquamur,Quae mihi sunt comites consiliumque duae.Mittit Abydenus, quam mallet ferre, salutem,Si cadat unda maris, Sesti puella, tibi.Si mihi di faciles, si sunt in amore secundi,Invitis oculis haec mea verba leges.Sed non sunt faciles; nam cur mea vota moranturCurrere me nota nec patiuntur aqua?Ipsa vides caelum pice nigrius et freta ventisTurbida perque cavas vix adeunda rates.Unus, et hic audax, a quo tibi littera nostraRedditur, e portu navita movit iter;Adscensurus eram, nisi quod, cum vincula proraeSolveret, in speculis omnis Abydos erat.Non poteram celare meos, velut ante, parentes,Quemque tegi volumus, non latuisset amor.Protinus haec scribens, 'felix, i, littera!' dixi,'Iam tibi formosam porriget illa manum.Forsitan admotis etiam tangere labellis,Rumpere dum niveo vincula dente volet.'
upon you. In vain I beg: he murmurs and rages at my petitions, nor offers to smoothe the billows which he has so violently agitated. Oh that Dædalus would gift me with daring wings! the Icarian shore so near, causes no terror in me.
Talibus exiguo dictis mihi murmure verbis,Cetera cum charta dextra locuta mea est.At quanto mallem, quam scriberet, illa nataret,Meque per adsuetas sedula ferret aquas!
I will boldly venture, whatever be the issue; let me only mount my body aloft in air, as it has often hovered upon uncertain waves. Meantime, while the winds and waves thus cross all my hopes, I revolve in my mind the first moments of our stolen delights.
Aptior illa quidem placido dare verbera ponto;Est tamen et sensus apta ministra mei.Septima nox agitur, spatium mihi longius anno,Sollicitum raucis ut mare fervet aquis.
Night was coming on, (for there is a pleasure in calling to remembrance past enjoyments,) when, full of love, I left the gates of my father's house. Then without delay pulling off my clothes, and casting away at the same time all fear, I with pliant arms cut the yielding tide. The Moon, like a faithful attendant to direct my way, furnished a trembling light as I traversed the flood. Regarding her with a wishful look, "Bright Goddess," I said, "favor my design, and call to mind the happy Latmian cliffs. Endymion cannot allow that you should
His ego si vidi mulcentem pectora somnumNoctibus, insani sit mora longa freti!Rupe sedens aliqua specto tua litora tristisEt, quo non possum corpore, mente feror.Lumina quin etiam summa vigilantia turreAut videt aut acies nostra videre putat.Ter mihi deposita est in sicca vestis harena;Ter grave temptavi carpere nudus iter —Obstitit inceptis tumidum iuvenalibus aequor,Mersit et adversis ora natantis aquis.
be of an unrelenting mind; favor therefore with a friendly look these my stolen delights. You, though a Goddess, left heaven in quest of a mortal: Why should I not speak the truth? she whom I pursue is a very Goddess. For, not to mention her manners, the truest tokens of a heavenly mind, a beauty so exquisite can only fall to the share of a Goddess. No face, Venus and you excepted, can equal hers: nor trust entirely to my words, but view her yourself. As all the stars of heaven disappear before your superior brightness, when you shine out in the full splendor of your silver rays; in like manner when she approaches, all other beauties are overlooked. To doubt of this, Cynthia, would be owning yourself destitute of sight." Having addressed her thus, or in words to the like purport, I in the silent night bore through the yielding waves. The surface of the deep shone with the reflection of the moon's rays, and in the dead of night was a light clear as that at mid-day. No voice, no sound reached my ears, but the deep murmurs of the broken waves. The king-fishers alone, mind-
At tu, de rapidis inmansuetissime ventis,Quid mecum certa proelia mente geris?In me, si nescis, Borea, non aequora, saevis!Quid faceres, esset ni tibi notus amor?Tam gelidus quod sis, num te tamen, inprobe, quondamIgnibus Actaeis incaluisse negas?Gaudia rapturo siquis tibi claudere velletAerios aditus, quo paterere modo?Parce, precor, facilemque move moderatius auram —Imperet Hippotades sic tibi triste nihil!Vana peto; precibusque meis obmurmurat ipseQuasque quatit, nulla parte coercet aquas.Nunc daret audaces utinam mihi Daedalus alas —Icarium quamvis hinc prope litus abest!Quidquid erit, patiar, liceat modo corpus in aurasTollere, quod dubia saepe pependit aqua.Interea, dum cuncta negant ventique fretumque,Mente agito furti tempora prima mei.
ful of the once dearly-loved Ceyx, uttered, in the softest strains, I know not what moving complaints. And now my arms from each shoulder being spent with toil, I raise myself high upon the surface of the waves; and discerning at some distance a light, "My flame (cried I) is there; these shores point out the darling light." Swift as though, my wearied arms feel the returning vigor; and the billows seem to bear me up more gently than before. The love that warms my panting breast, prevents me from feeling the coldness of the briny sea. The more I advance, the nearer I come to the wished-for shore: in fine, as the distance lessens, I feel my strength greater to proceed. But no sooner had I come within sight, than, observing you a spectator from the top of your tower, I felt a new accession of spirits, and a fresh tide of vigor, flowing in upon me. I study to please my mistress, by shewing a dexterity in swimming, and toss my arms graceful in her sight. Scarcely was your tender nurse able to restrain you from rushing into the sea. I saw this also; nor was it an artifice to deceive me. Even all her endeavours could not wholly keep you back: you pressed forward to meet me, till your ancles were covered by the dashing waves. You received
Nox erat incipiens — namque est meminisse voluptas —Cum foribus patriis egrediebar amans.Nec mora, deposito pariter cum veste timoreIactabam liquido bracchia lenta mari.Luna fere tremulum praebebat lumen euntiUt comes in nostras officiosa vias.Hanc ego suspiciens, 'faveas, dea candida,' dixi,'Et subeant animo Latmia saxa tuo!Non sinit Endymion te pectoris esse severi.Flecte, precor, vultus ad mea furta tuos!Tu dea mortalem caelo delapsa petebas;Vera loqui liceat! — quam sequor ipsa dea est.Neu referam mores caelesti pectore dignos,Forma nisi in veras non cadit illa deas.A Veneris facie non est prior ulla tuaque;Neve meis credas vocibus, ipsa vide!Quantum, cum fulges radiis argentea puris,Concedunt flammis sidera cuncta tuis,Tanto formosis formosior omnibus illa est.Si dubitas, caecum, Cynthia, lumen habes.'
me into your embraces, and almost smothered me with fragrant kisses; kisses, (great Gods!) more than a full reward for the dangers of crossing the sea. You gave me the robes which you had taken from your own shoulders, and smoothed my locks wet with briny dew. Ourselves, the night, the tower, and that shining light which guided my way through the uncertain deep, were conscious of the rest. The joys of that happy night are no more to be numbered, than the sea-weed cast upon the shore by the raging waves of the Hellespont. The less the time allowed us for these stolen pleasures, the greater was our care that not a moment should be lost.
Haec ego, vel certe non his diversa, locutusPer mihi cedentes sponte ferebar aquas.Unda repercussae radiabat imagine lunae,Et nitor in tacita nocte diurnus erat;Nullaque vox usquam, nullum veniebat ad auresPraeter dimotae corpore murmur aquae.Alcyones solae, memores Ceycis amati,Nescio quid visae sunt mihi dulce queri.Iamque fatigatis umero sub utroque lacertisFortiter in summas erigor altus aquas.
And now, the wife of Tithonus preparing to drive away the night, Lucifer, the fore-runner of Aurora, rose above the earth. We rushed into each other's arms, and mutually snatched the ardent kisses; we complained of the night, that her stay was so short. At length, after many admonitions from your rigid nurse, and as many delays, I left the tower, and
Ut procul aspexi lumen, 'meus ignis in illo est:Illa meum,' dixi, 'litora lumen habent!'Et subito lassis vires rediere lacertis,Visaque, quam fuerat, mollior unda mihi.Frigora ne possim gelidi sentire profundi,Qui calet in cupido pectore, praestat amor.
took my way to the cold beach. We parted in sadness: I entered the virginsea, often looking back, while my mistress remained in view. If any credit is due to truth, when making for your coast I swim with cease, but, as I return, am threatened to be overwhelmed. Believe me farther when I tell you, that the way to my Hero is by a gently declining path; but in leaving you I seem to climb an immoveable mountain of waves. Who can believe it? I return to my native country with reluctance: it is now against my will that I remain in my own city. Alas! why, when thus conjoined in inclination, are we separated by the waves? Why, as we have the same mind, do we not inhabit the same soil? Let me either dwell in your Sestos, or you in my Abydos; for the earth which you tread is as dear to me, as that which I tread is to you. Why am I thus troubled as often as the sea is disturbed by storms? Why are the winds an unstable cause of anxiety to me/ The bending dolphins are now conscious of out tender loves; nor are the fishes of the sea strangers to my flame. The course of the well-known waves is now distinctly marked, like a high-way paved by the frequent attrition of the chariot-wheel. I have often complained that there was no way given but this: but now I complain that this also is shut up by the cruel winds. The streights of the Hellespont foam by the breaking of
Quo magis accedo propioraque litora fiunt,Quoque minus restat, plus libet ire mihi.Cum vero possum cerni quoque, protinus addisSpectatrix animos, ut valeamque facis.Nunc etiam nando dominae placuisse laboro,Atque oculis iacto bracchia nostra tuis.Te tua vix prohibet nutrix descendere in altum —Hoc quoque enim vidi, nec mihi verba dabam.Nec tamen effecit, quamvis retinebat euntem,Ne fieret prima pes tuus udus aqua.Excipis amplexu feliciaque oscula iungis —Oscula, di magni, trans mare digna peti! —Eque tuis demptos umeris mihi tradis amictus,Et madidam siccas aequoris imbre comam.Cetera nox et nos et turris conscia novit,Quodque mihi lumen per vada monstrat iter.Non magis illius numerari gaudia noctisHellespontiaci quam maris alga potest;Quo brevius spatium nobis ad furta dabatur,Hoc magis est cautum, ne foret illud iners.Iamque fugatura Tithoni coniuge noctemPraevius Aurorae Lucifer ortus erat;
the enormous waves; nor are the ships secure even within their harbours. Such, I imagine, was this raging sea, when it first bore the name of the unhappy virgin. This spot is already too infamous by the fate of Helle; and, though I am spared, the name will be a monument of its crime. I envy Phryxus, who safely crossed those stormy seas upon the ram that yielded the golden fleece. Nor do I yet require the aid of ram or bark; let me have only a smooth sea, that with nimble joints I may plough the yielding deep I depend upon no art; let me only have leave to swim; I will at once be ship, mariner, and pilot. I mind not Helice and Arctos, the constellations that guide the Tyrian mariner. A love like mine asks no aid of vulgar stars. Let others
Oscula congerimus properata sine ordine raptimEt querimur parvas noctibus esse moras.Atque ita cunctatus monitu nutricis amaroFrigida deserta litora turre peto.Digredimur flentes, repetoque ego virginis aequorRespiciens dominam, dum licet, usque meam.Siqua fides vero est, veniens hinc esse natator,Cum redeo, videor naufragus esse mihi.Hoc quoque, si credes: ad te via prona videtur;A te cum redeo, clivus inertis aquae.Invitus repeto patriam — quis credere possit?Invitus certe nunc moror urbe mea.Ei mihi! cur animis iuncti secernimur undis,Unaque mens, tellus non habet una duos?
observe Andromeda, or the bright diadem of Ariadne, and the Arcadian Bear that sines from the frozen pole. Nymphs loved by Perseus, Jupiter, and Becchus, are by no means wanted to guide my uncertain paths. I trust to another light, whose directions are much safer: while this points out the way, my love can never wander in darkness. By observing this, I may sail to the Colchian realm, the remotest regions of Pontus, and all the coasts visited by the famed Thessalian ship. In swimming, I would bear away the prize from young Palæmon, and from Glaucus, who was suddenly transformed by powerful herbs
Vel tua me Sestos, vel te mea sumat Abydos;Tam tua terra mihi, quam tibi nostra placet.Cur ego confundor, quotiens confunditur aequor?Cur mihi, causa levis, ventus obesse potest?Iam nostros curvi norunt delphines amores,Ignotum nec me piscibus esse reor.Iam patet attritus solitarum limes aquarum,Non aliter multa quam via pressa rota.Quod mihi non esset nisi sic iter, ante querebar;
into a sea-God. My arms often languish through the continued agitation; and, nearly exhausted with toil, are scarcely able to bear me over the wide sea. But when I tell them, You shall soon receive the glorious reward of your labor, and encircle the snowy neck of your amiable mistress, instantly they gather strength, and eagerly strive to obtain their reward, as when a fleet horse starts from the Elean lists.
At nunc per ventos hoc quoque deesse queror.Fluctibus inmodicis Athamantidos aequora canent,Vixque manet portu tuta carina suo;Hoc mare, cum primum de virgine nomina mersa,Quae tenet, est nanctum, tale fuisse puto.Est satis amissa locus hic infamis ab Helle,Utque mihi parcat, nomine crimen habet.
It is mine, therefore, to observe the flames that glow within my breast, and follow you, my charming fair, who better deserve a place among the stars. You merit indeed to be translated into heaven: yet leave not these earthly abodes; or teach me in what manner I also may be exalted among the Gods. You are still here, and yet how seldom in the embraces of your wretched lover! The seas and my mind are in equal disorder. What avails it that I am not separated from you by a vast ocean? Does this narrow streight less oppose our coming together? I doubt whether it would not be better, that, divided from you by earth's whole extent, I might be equally removed from hope and
Invideo Phrixo, quem per freta tristia tutumAurea lanigero vellere vexit ovis;Nec tamen officium pecoris navisve requiro,Dummodo, quas findam corpore, dentur aquae.Parte egeo nulla; fiat modo copia nandi,Idem navigium, navita, vector ero!Nec sequor aut Helicen, aut, qua Tyros utitur, Arcton;Publica non curat sidera noster amor.Andromedan alius spectet claramque Coronam,Quaeque micat gelido Parrhasis Ursa polo;
my mistress. The nearer you are, the more violent is the flame that rages within me; and though the object of my hope is often absent, yet hope itself never ceases to haunt me. I almost touch with my hand (so near our abodes) the darling of my soul. But alas! this almost often fills my eyes with sorrowing tears. Wherein loes this differ from catching at the flying apples, or following after the deceitful flood? Shall I then never hold you in my arms, but when the unstable waves permit? Must storms ever be a bar to my happiness? and while nothing is more uncertain than the winds and waves, must my happiness ever depend upon the winds and waves? It is now too the warm season: what am I to expect when the Pleiades, Arctophylax, and the Goat, deform
At mihi, quod Perseus et cum Iove Liber amarunt,Indicium dubiae non placet esse viae.Est aliud lumen, multo mihi certius istis,Non errat tenebris quo duce noster amor;Hoc ego dum spectem, Colchos et in ultima Ponti,Quaque viam fecit Thessala pinus, eam,Et iuvenem possim superare Palaemona nandoMorsaque quem subito reddidit herba deum.Saepe per adsiduos languent mea bracchia motus,Vixque per inmensas fessa trahuntur aquas.His ego cum dixi: 'pretium non vile laboris,Iam dominae vobis colla tenenda dabo,'Protinus illa valent, atque ad sua praemia tendunt,Ut celer Eleo carcere missus equus.
the sea? Either I mistake in judging of the rash attempts of Love, or even then, thoughtless, he will urge me to plunge into the waves. Nor imagine that I promise this because the time is distant; you shall soon have a proof of the reality of my design. Let the sea continue to rage for a few nights longer: I will again attempt to force my way through the opposing billows. Either, happily daring, I shall safely reach your beloved shore, or a speedy death will put an end to all my anxieties. Yet I could wish to be cast where my Hero lives, and that my shipwrecked limbs might be borne into your ports. You will mourn my fate, and honor my breathless body with a last embrace; then sighing, say, "Alas! I have been the cause of his death." Perhaps you will be offended with this threatening omen of a sudden fate, or alarmed by the suspicions which my letter betrays. But I desist: dispel therefore your fears, and join your prayers with mine, that the rage of the sea may abate. It is requisite that it should be
Ipse meos igitur servo, quibus uror, amoresTeque, magis caelo digna puella, sequor.Digna quidem caelo es — sed adhuc tellure morare,Aut dic, ad superos et mihi qua sit iter!Hic es, et exigue misero contingis amanti,Cumque mea fiunt turbida mente freta.Quid mihi, quod lato non separor aequore, prodest?Num minus haec nobis tam brevis obstat aqua?An malim, dubito, toto procul orbe remotusCum domina longe spem quoque habere meam.Quo propius nunc es, flamma propiore calesco,Et res non semper, spes mihi semper adest.Paene manu quod amo, tanta est vicinia, tango;Saepe sed, heu, lacrimas hoc mihi 'paene' movet!
calm for a time, till I convey myself to yonder shore: when once I have reached the coast of my Hero, let the storm return in all its violence. There, is the fittest asylum for my shattered bark; there, my ship may with the greatest security ride at anchor. Let the North-wind shut me up there, where delay is sweet. Then, if ever, I shall be averse to swimming, and cautiously avoid danger. No reproaches will be thrown out against the unrelenting waves; no complaints made, that the sea forbids a return to my native shore. Let me be alike detained by the winds and your folding arms: let both these causes conspire to prolong the sweet delay. When the storm abates, my arms shall cut the liquid way: only remember always to place in view the guiding torch. Till then, let this epistle supply my place; and heaven grant that I may follow it without delay.
Velle quid est aliud fugientia prendere pomaSpemque suo refugi fluminis ore sequi?Ergo ego te numquam, nisi cum volet unda, tenebo,Et me felicem nulla videbit hiemps,Cumque minus firmum nil sit quam ventus et unda,In ventis et aqua spes mea semper erit?Aestus adhuc tamen est. quid, cum mihi laeserit aequorPlias et Arctophylax Oleniumque pecus?Aut ego non novi, quam sim temerarius, aut meIn freta non cautus tum quoque mittet amor;Neve putes id me, quod abest, promittere, tempus,Pignora polliciti non tibi tarda dabo.Sit tumidum paucis etiamnunc noctibus aequor,Ire per invitas experiemur aquas;
COME, my Leander, that I may really enjoy that welfare which you so kindly wish me in your letter. Every delay that stands in the way of our happiness seems doubly tedious. Pardon the confession; but I love not according to the common measure. We glow with an equal flame; but my strength is unequal to yours; for I imagine that men are endued with more steady and resolute souls. In women the mind is weak, as well as the body. Delay a little longer, and I sink under the weight of your absence. You can elude the tedious hours, by differently dividing your time; sometimes intent upon hunting, sometimes employed in cultivating the prolific earth. The forum perhaps may interpose,
Aut mihi continget felix audacia salvo,Aut mors solliciti finis amoris erit!Optabo tamen ut partis expellar in illas,Et teneant portus naufraga membra tuos;Flebis enim tactuque meum dignabere corpusEt 'mortis,' dices, 'huic ego causa fui!'Scilicet interitus offenderis omine nostri,Litteraque invisa est hac mea parte tibi.Desino — parce queri! sed uti mare finiat iram,Accedant, quaeso, fac tua vota meis.Pace brevi nobis opus est, dum transferor isto;
or the inviting honors of the palæstra: perhaps you are busy in forming the generous steed, and teaching him to obey the rein. Now snares are laid for the feathered tribe; now hooks are baited for the finny prey; and the lingering hours of night are lost in copious goblets of wine. As for me, to whom all these reliefs are denied, what remains, were I even less the slave of a headstrong passion, but to love and endure? It is so: I indulge this sole relief, and love you, O my only happiness, above expression or return. Either I engage with my faithful nurse in silent discourse about you, and wonder what cause can so long delay your coming; or, casting a look upon the sea, I chide, almost in your own words, the waves tossed by spiteful winds: or, when the angry sea remits a little of its rage, I complain that you might, but have no desire to come. Amidst these complaints, the tears flow in streams from my love-sick eyes, and are wiped away by the trembling hand of my aged nurse. I often search if I can find the prints of your feet upon the shore, as if sand could retain the deepening mark. Eager to hear of you, or write to
Cum tua contigero litora, perstet hiemps!Istic est aptum nostrae navale carinae,Et melius nulla stat mea puppis aqua.Illic me claudat Boreas, ubi dulce morari est!Tunc piger ad nandum, tunc ego cautus ero,Nec faciam surdis convicia fluctibus ulla,Triste nataturo nec querar esse fretum.Me pariter venti teneant tenerique lacerti,Per causas istic inpediarque duas!Cum patietur hiemps, remis ego corporis utar;Lumen in adspectu tu modo semper habe!Interea pro me pernoctet epistula tecum,Quam precor ut minima prosequar ipse mora!Quam mihi misisti verbis, Leandre, salutemUt possim missam rebus habere, veni!Longa mora est nobis omnis, quae gaudia differt.Da veniam fassae; non patienter amo!Urimur igne pari, sed sum tibi viribus inpar:Fortius ingenium suspicor esse viris.
you, I am always enquiring whether any one has arrived from Abydos, or who thinks of going thither. Why should I mention the many kisses I lavish upon the clothes you put off, when about to plunge into the waters of the Hellespont? But when light vanishes, and the more friendly hour of night, in chasing away the day, exhibits the sparkling stars; forthwith we plant the watchful light upon the tower's top, the known guide and mark of your watery way; and, lengthening by the swiftly-turning spindle the twisted threads, elude the tedious hours in feminine employment. Perhaps you may enquire what I am talking all this while. No name but that of Leander is in your Hero's mouth. "What do you say, my nurse; do you think that my only hope has yet left his father's house? or are all awake, and is he afraid of being observed by his parents? Do you think that he is now pulling the clothes from his shoulders, and anointing his limbs with oil?" She gives a nod of assent; not that she is moved by my embraces, but sleep, gently stealing upon her, shakes her aged head.
Ut corpus, teneris ita mens infirma puellis —Deficiam, parvi temporis adde moram!Vos modo venando, modo rus geniale colendoPonitis in varia tempora longa mora.Aut fora vos retinent aut unctae dona palaestrae,Flectitis aut freno colla sequacis equi;Nunc volucrem laqueo, nunc piscem ducitis hamo;Diluitur posito serior hora mero.His mihi summotae, vel si minus acriter urar,Quod faciam, superest praeter amare nihil.Quod superest facio, teque, o mea sola voluptas,Plus quoque, quam reddi quod mihi possit, amo!Aut ego cum cana de te nutrice susurro,Quaeque tuum, miror, causa moretur iter;Aut mare prospiciens odioso concita ventoCorripio verbis aequora paene tuis;Aut, ubi saevitiae paulum gravis unda remisit,Posse quidem, sed te nolle venire, queror;
Then, after a short delay, I say, "It is certain now that he swims, and tosses his pliant arms amidst the yielding waves." Then, after finishing a few treads, in letting the winding spindle touch the ground, I ask whether you may have yet reached the middle of the streight. Sometimes I look wishfully forward; sometimes I pray with a faltering voice, that propitious gales may give you an easy run. I greedily catch at every sound, and fondly imagine I hear the noise of your approach. When thus the greater part of the eluded night is past, sleep insensibly steals upon my wearied eyes.
Dumque queror lacrimae per amantia lumina manant,Pollice quas tremulo conscia siccat anus.Saepe tui specto si sint in litore passus,Inpositas tamquam servet harena notas;Utque rogem de te et scribam tibi, siquis AbydoVenerit, aut, quaero, siquis Abydon eat.Quid referam, quotiens dem vestibus oscula, quas tuHellespontiaca ponis iturus aqua?
Then in dreams I find you by my side, and perhaps much against your will, you are induced to come. For sometimes I seem to behold you swimming near the shore, sometimes you recline your humid arms upon my shoulders: now I reach you the robe to
Sic ubi lux acta est et noctis amicior horaExhibuit pulso sidera clara die,Protinus in summo vigilantia lumina tectoPonimus, adsuetae signa notamque viae,Tortaque versato ducentes stamina fusoFeminea tardas fallimus arte moras.
throw round your yet moist limbs; anon I clasp you shivering to my panting breast; with much more besides, not fit to be mentioned by a modest pen; what in doing may give great pleasure, but which when done delicacy forbids me to name. Unhappy wretch! it is but a short and fleeting pleasure; for you always vanish with my dream. Grant, Heaven, that such ardent lovers may at length be joined together by surer bonds, nor let our enjoyments be destitute of a firm basis. Why have I passed cold and comfortless so many solitary nights? Why, my dear swimmer, are you so slow; why so often absent from me? The sea, I own, is rough and intractable; but last night it blew a gentler gale. Why was that opportunity lost? why did you not dread that following storms might hinder you? why was so fair an offer suffered to escape, and no attempt made? Should a like opportunity of crossing with case invite you, yet the other, as first in time, was far the best. Soon, it is true, was the face of the
Quid loquar interea tam longo tempore, quaeris?Nil nisi Leandri nomen in ore meo est.'Iamne putas exisse domo mea gaudia, nutrix,An vigilant omnes, et timet ille suos?Iamne suas umeris illum deponere vestes,Pallade iam pingui tinguere membra putas?'Adnuit illa fere; non nostra quod oscula curet,Sed movet obrepens somnus anile caput.Postque morae minimum 'iam certe navigat,' inquam,'Lentaque dimotis bracchia iactat aquis.'Paucaque cum tacta perfeci stamina terra,An medio possis, quaerimus, esse freto.Et modo prospicimus, timida modo voce precamur,Ut tibi det faciles utilis aura vias;Auribus incertas voces captamus, et omnemAdventus strepitum credimus esse tui.
troubled deep changed: but, when eager, you have hastened across it in a shorter time. If you are detained here by storms, ought this to make you complain? No tempestuous sea can hurt you when locked in my embraces. I could then calmly listen to the loud threatening winds, nor fatigue Heaven with prayers to smooth the swelling deep. But what has lately happended to cause this unusual dread of the sea? why do you tremble at those waves you formerly despised? For I remember your coming when the sea was no less obstinate and threatening, or at least not much less so. Then I conjured you to be wisely daring, that I might not have cause to lament the fatal effects of your boldness. Whence arises this new fear? Whither has your former courage fled? where is that illustrious swimmer, who nobly despised the threatening waves? Yet rather continue thus, than again expose yourself to former hazards, and
Sic ubi deceptae pars est mihi maxima noctisActa, subit furtim lumina fessa sopor.Forsitan invitus mecum tamen, inprobe, dormis,Et, quamquam non vis ipse venire, venis.Nam modo te videor prope iam spectare natantem,Bracchia nunc umeris umida ferre meis,Nunc dare, quae soleo, madidis velamina membris,Pectora nunc nostro iuncta fovere sinuMultaque praeterea linguae reticenda modestae,Quae fecisse iuvat, facta referre pudet.Me miseram! brevis est haec et non vera voluptas;Nam tu cum somno semper abire soles.Firmius, o, cupidi tandem coeamus amantes,Nec careant vera gaudia nostra fide!Cur ego tot viduas exegi frigida noctes?
plunge secure into a calm inviting sea; provided only you are unalterably the same, provided you love with the same ardor with which you write, and this noble flame never changes into cold lifeless ashes. I am not so much afraid of the winds that disappoint my earnest wishes, as of your love, that it may prove, like the wind, changeable and inconstant. I fear the not being held in the same esteem; that the dangers may be thought greater than the reward, or that I am accounted too mean a recompence of your toil. Sometimes I am uneasy, from an idea that my country may detract from me, and that a Thracian girl may seem an unequal match for a citizen of Abydos. Yet I can patiently bear any affliction whatever, sooner than the apprehension of your being detained by another flame. Ah! let me rather perish, than suffer under so cruel a distress; may fate end my days before I hear of the dreadful crime!
Cur totiens a me, lente morator, abes?Est mare, confiteor, non nunc tractabile nanti;Nocte sed hesterna lenior aura fuit.Cur ea praeterita est? cur non ventura timebas?Tam bona cur periit, nec tibi rapta via est?Protinus ut similis detur tibi copia cursus,Hoc melior certe, quo prior, illa fuit.At cito mutata est pacati forma profundi.Tempore, cum properas, saepe minore venis.Hic, puto, deprensus nil, quod querereris, haberes,Meque tibi amplexo nulla noceret hiemps.Certe ego tum ventos audirem laeta sonantis,Et numquam placidas esse precarer aquas.Quid tamen evenit, cur sis metuentior undaeContemptumque prius nunc vereare fretum?
Nor do I mention this from any reason you give me to suspect approaching grief, or because I am alarmed by some new spreading rumor. But I am subject to every fear; (for when did love yet settle in a quiet mind?) distance and absence feed my anxious thoughts. Happy they, who, always together, know at once what they have to fear, nor feel the piercing grief of false alarms. We are as much disturbed by unjust fears, as ignorant of real injuries; and each error begets equal anxiety.
Nam memini, cum te saevum veniente minaxqueNon minus, aut multo non minus, aequor erat;Cum tibi clamabam: 'sic tu temerarius esto,Ne miserae virtus sit tua flenda mihi!'Unde novus timor hic, quoque illa audacia fugit?Magnus ubi est spretis ille natator aquis?
Oh how I wish that you were here, that either the winds or your parents, and no rival fair, may be the cause of your long stay! For, believe me, to hear of a rival would kill me with grief; and it is now long that you have been in fault, if you thus aim at my destruction. But you are not in fault: these my terrors I know are groundless; the envious winds alone oppose your desired approach. Dreadful! how the shores are lashed by the vast billows! How the day is hidden by gathering clouds! Perhaps
Sis tamen hoc potius, quam quod prius esse solebas,Et facias placidum per mare tutus iter —Dummodo sis idem, dum sic, ut scribis, amemur,Flammaque non fiat frigidus illa cinis.Non ego tam ventos timeo mea vota morantes,Quam similis vento ne tuus erret amor,Ne non sim tanti, superentque pericula causam,Et videar merces esse labore minor.
the disconsolate mother of Helle hovers over the deep, and her unhappy daughter is lamented in distilling drops. Or does her step-mother, changed into a sea-goddess, deform the channel that bears the hated name of her daughter-in-law? This sea, such as it is now, is far from being propitious to tender maids. Here Helle perished: I also am crossed by these obstinate waves. But you surely, Neptune, if you call to mind your many flames, can never be an enemy to gentle love; if neither Amymone, nor Tyro of exquisite form, are vain rumours of your guilt; if fair Alcyone, Circe, and the daughter of Alymone;
Interdum metuo, patria ne laedar et inparDicar Abydeno Thressa puella toro.Ferre tamen possum patientius omnia, quam siOtia nescio qua paelice captus agis,In tua si veniunt alieni colla lacerti,Fitque novus nostri finis amoris amor.A, potius peream, quam crimine vulnerer isto,Fataque sint culpa nostra priora tua!Nec, quia venturi dederis mihi signa doloris,Haec loquor aut fama sollicitata nova.Omnia sed vereor — quis enim securus amavit?
Medusa (her hair not yet wreathed with serpents), blooming Laodice, and Celæno ranked among the stars, with many other names I remember to have read, were ever dear to you. These, Neptune, with many more, are sung by the poets to have lain in your embraces. Why then, having yourself so often felt the power of love, do you shut up the accustomed way by rough whirlwinds? Be mild, stern father, and reserve your tumults for the wide ocean. This is merely an arm of the sea, that disjoins two neighbouring tracts. It is yours, triumphant, to toss the vast bulk of ships, or sternly boisterous disperse whole fleets. It is below the God of the ocean to terrify an adventurous youth; a praise unworthy the boast of the meanest lake. He indeed is the noble offspring of an illustrious line, but derives not his pedigree from Ulysses of hated memory. Permit him then to come, and save the life of two. He only, it is true, swims;
Cogit et absentes plura timere locus.Felices illas, sua quas praesentia nosseCrimina vera iubet, falsa timere vetat!Nos tam vana movet, quam facta iniuria fallit,Incitat et morsus error uterque pares.O utinam venias, aut ut ventusve paterveCausaque sit certe femina nulla morae!Quodsi quam sciero, moriar, mihi crede, dolendo;Iamdudum pecca, si mea fata petis!Sed neque peccabis, frustraque ego terreor istis,Quoque minus venias, invida pugnat hiemps.Me miseram! quanto planguntur litora fluctu,Et latet obscura condita nube dies!Forsitan ad pontum mater pia venerit Helles,Mersaque roratis nata fleatur aquis —An mare ab inviso privignae nomine dictumVexat in aequoream versa noverca deam?
but my hope hangs upon the same waves with Leander. Hark! the taper crackles; for it burns beside me as I write: it crackles, and gives propitious signs. See, my nurse pours wine upon flames that yield a favorable omen: she cries, To-morrow we shall be more, and bears the goblet to her mouth. O Leander, whose image only fills my heart, strive to surmount the dividing waves, and add in yourself another to our number. Return to your own camp, thou deserter of social love. Why are my limbs single in the midst of the bed? Nor is there any ground of fear: Venus herself will favour the attempt; and, sprung from the sea, will smooth the sea-green way. I have oft myself resolved to plunge amidst the waves; but this stormy streight is more favorable to the other sex. For why, when attempted by Phryxus and his sister, did she only give name to this vast bulk of water? Perhaps you fear there will be no opportunity of returning, or you cannot bear a weight of double toil.
Non favet, ut nunc est, teneris locus iste puellis;Hac Helle periit, hac ego laedor aqua.At tibi flammarum memori, Neptune, tuarumNullus erat ventis inpediendus amor —Si neque Amymone nec, laudatissima forma,Criminis est Tyro fabula vana tui,Lucidaque Alcyone Calyceque Hecataeone nata,Et nondum nexis angue Medusa comis,Flavaque Laudice caeloque recepta Celaeno,Et quarum memini nomina lecta mihi.Has certe pluresque canunt, Neptune, poetaeMolle latus lateri conposuisse tuo.Cur igitur, totiens vires expertus amoris,Adsuetum nobis turbine claudis iter?Parce, ferox, latoque mari tua proelia misce!