Metamorphoses
Ovid
Ovid. The XV bookes of P. Ouidius Naso, entytuled Metamorphosis. Golding, Arthur, translator. London: W. Seres (printer), 1567.
- As Phoebus would have spoken more, away Penaeis stale
- With fearefull steppes, and left him in the midst of all his tale.
- And as she ran the meeting windes hir garments backewarde blue,
- So that hir naked skinne apearde behinde hir as she flue,
- Hir goodly yellowe golden haire that hanged loose and slacke,
- With every puffe of ayre did wave and tosse behinde hir backe.
- Hir running made hir seeme more fayre, the youthfull God therefore
- Coulde not abyde to waste his wordes in dalyance any more.
- But as his love advysed him he gan to mende his pace,
- And with the better foote before, the fleeing Nymph to chace.
- And even as when the greedie Grewnde doth course the sielie Hare,
- Amiddes the plaine and champion fielde without all covert bare,
- Both twaine of them doe straine themselves and lay on footemanship,
- Who may best runne with all his force the tother to outstrip,
- The t'one for safetie of his lyfe, the tother for his pray,
- The Grewnde aye prest with open mouth to beare the Hare away,
- Thrusts forth his snoute and gyrdeth out and at hir loynes doth snatch,
- As though he would at everie stride betweene his teeth hir latch:
- Againe in doubt of being caught the Hare aye shrinking slips
- Upon the sodaine from his Jawes, and from betweene his lips:
- So farde Apollo and the Mayde: hope made Apollo swift,
- And feare did make the Mayden fleete devising how to shift.
- Howebeit he that did pursue of both the swifter went,
- As furthred by the feathred wings that Cupid had him lent,
- So that he would not let hir rest, but preased at hir heele
- So neere that through hir scattred haire she might his breathing feele.
- But when she sawe hir breath was gone and strength began to fayle
- The colour faded in hir cheekes, and ginning for to quayle,
- Shee looked to Penaeus streame and sayde: Nowe Father dere,
- And if yon streames have powre of Gods then help your daughter here.
- O let the earth devour me quicke, on which I seeme too fayre,
- Or else this shape which is my harme by chaunging straight appayre.
- This piteous prayer scarsly sed: hir sinewes waxed starke,
- And therewithall about hir breast did grow a tender barke.
- Hir haire was turned into leaves, hir armes in boughes did growe,
- Hir feete that were ere while so swift, now rooted were as slowe.
- Hir crowne became the toppe, and thus of that she earst had beene,
- Remayned nothing in the worlde, but beautie fresh and greene.
- Which when that Phoebus did beholde (affection did so move)
- The tree to which his love was turnde he coulde no lesse but love,
- And as he softly layde his hande upon the tender plant,
- Within the barke newe overgrowne he felt hir heart yet pant.
- And in his armes embracing fast hir boughes and braunches lythe,
- He proferde kisses to the tree, the tree did from him writhe.
- Well (quoth Apollo) though my Feere and spouse thou can not bee,
- Assuredly from this tyme forth yet shalt thou be my tree.
- Thou shalt adorne my golden lockes, and eke my pleasant Harpe,
- Thou shalt adorne my Quyver full of shaftes and arrowes sharpe.
- Thou shalt adorne the valiant knyghts and royall Emperours:
- When for their noble feates of armes like mightie conquerours,
- Triumphantly with stately pompe up to the Capitoll,
- They shall ascende with solemne traine that doe their deedes extoll.
- Before Augustus Pallace doore full duely shalt thou warde,
- The Oke amid the Pallace yarde aye faythfully to garde,
- And as my heade is never poulde nor never more without
- A seemely bushe of youthfull haire that spreadeth rounde about,
- Even so this honour give I thee continually to have
- Thy braunches clad from time to tyme with leaves both fresh and brave.
- Now when that Pean of this talke had fully made an ende,
- The Lawrell to his just request did seeme to condescende,
- By bowing of hir newe made boughs and tender braunches downe,
- And wagging of hir seemely toppe, as if it were hir crowne.
- There is a lande in Thessalie enclosd on every syde
- With wooddie hilles, that Timpe hight, through mid whereof doth glide
- Penaeus gushing full of froth from foote of Pindus hye,
- Which with his headlong falling downe doth cast up violently
- A mistie streame lyke flakes of smoke, besprinckling all about
- The toppes of trees on eyther side, and makes a roaring out
- That may be heard a great way off. This is the fixed seate,
- This is the house and dwelling place and chamber of the greate
- And mightie Ryver: Here he sittes in Court of Peeble stone,
- And ministers justice to the waves and to the Nymphes eche one,
- That in the Brookes and waters dwell. Now hither did resorte
- (Not knowing if they might rejoyce and unto mirth exhort
- Or comfort him) his Countrie Brookes, Sperchius well beseene
- With sedgie heade and shadie bankes of Poplars fresh and greene,
- Enipeus restlesse, swift and quicke, olde father Apidane,
- Amphrisus with his gentle streame, and Aeas clad with cane:
- With dyvers other Ryvers moe, which having runne their race,
- Into the Sea their wearie waves doe lead with restlesse pace.
- From hence the carefull Inachus absentes him selfe alone,
- Who in a corner of his cave with doolefull teares and mone,
- Augments the waters of his streame, bewayling piteously
- His daughter Io lately lost. He knewe not certainly
- And if she were alive or deade. But for he had hir sought
- And coulde not finde hir any where, assuredly he thought
- She did not live above the molde, ne drewe the vitall breath:
- Misgiving worser in his minde, if ought be worse than death.
- It fortunde on a certaine day that Jove espide this Mayde
- Come running from hir fathers streame alone: to whome he sayde:
- O Damsell worthie Jove himselfe, like one day for to make
- Some happie person whome thou list unto thy bed to take,
- I pray thee let us shroude our selves in shadowe here togither,
- Of this or that (he poynted both) it makes no matter whither,
- Untill the hotest of the day and Noone be overpast.
- And if for feare of savage beastes perchaunce thou be agast
- To wander in the Woods alone, thou shalt not neede to feare,
- A God shall bee thy guide to save thee harmelesse every where.
- And not a God of meaner sort, but even the same that hath
- The heavenly scepter in his hande, who in my dreadfull wrath,
- Do dart downe thunder wandringly: and therefore make no hast
- To runne away. She ranne apace, and had alreadie past
- The Fen of Lerna and the field of Lincey set with trees:
- When Jove intending now in vaine no lenger tyme to leese,
- Upon the Countrie all about did bring a foggie mist,
- And caught the Mayden whome poore foole he used as he list.
- Queene Juno looking downe that while upon the open field,
- When in so fayre a day such mistes and darkenesse she behelde,
- Dyd marvell much, for well she knewe those mistes ascended not
- From any Ryver, moorishe ground, or other dankishe plot.
- She lookt about hir for hir Jove as one that was acquainted
- With such escapes and with the deede had often him attainted.
- Whome when she founde not in the heaven: Onlesse I gesse amisse,
- Some wrong agaynst me (quoth she) now my husbande working is.
- And with that worde she left the Heaven, and downe to earth shee came,
- Commaunding all the mistes away. But Jove foresees the same,
- And to a Cow as white as milke his Leman he convayes.
- She was a goodly Heifer sure: and Juno did hir prayse,
- Although (God wot) she thought it not, and curiously she sought,
- Where she was bred, whose Cow she was, who had hir thither broughte
- As though she had not knowne the truth. Hir husband by and by
- (Bycause she should not search too neare) devisde a cleanly lie,
- And tolde hir that the Cow was bred even nowe out of the grounde.
- Then Juno who hir husbands shift at fingers endes had founde,
- Desirde to have the Cow of gift. What should he doe as tho?
- Great cruelnesse it were to yeelde his Lover to hir so.
- And not to give would breede mistrust. As fast as shame provoked,
- So fast agayne a tother side his Love his minde revoked.
- So much that Love was at the poynt to put all shame to flight.
- But that he feared if he should denie a gift so light
- As was a Cowe to hir that was his sister and his wyfe,
- Might make hir thinke it was no Cow, and breede perchaunce some strife.
- Now when that Juno had by gift hir husbands Leman got,
- Yet altogether out of feare and carelesse was she not.
- She had him in a jelousie and thoughtfull was she still
- For doubt he should invent some meanes to steale hir from hir: till
- To Argus, olde Aristors sonne, she put hir for to keepe.
- This Argus had an hundreth eyes: of which by turne did sleepe
- Alwayes a couple, and the rest did duely watch and warde,
- And of the charge they tooke in hande had ever good regarde,
- What way so ever Argus stood with face, with backe, or side,
- To Io warde, before his eyes did lo still abide.
- All day he let hir graze abroade, the Sunne once under ground
- He shut hir up and by the necke with wrythen Withe hir bound.
- With croppes of trees and bitter weedes now was she dayly fed,
- And in the stead of costly couch and good soft featherbed,
- She sate a nightes upon the ground, and on such ground whereas
- Was not sometime so much as grasse: and oftentymes she was
- Compeld to drinke of muddie pittes: and when she did devise
- To Argus for to lift hir handes in meeke and humble wise,
- She sawe she had no handes at all: and when she did assay
- To make complaint, she lowed out, which did hir so affray,
- That oft she started at the noyse, and would have runne away.
- Unto hir father Inachs banckes she also did resorte,
- Where many a tyme and oft before she had beene wont to sporte.
- Now when she looked in the streame, and sawe hir horned hed,
- She was agast and from hir selfe would all in hast have fled.
- The Nymphes hir sisters knewe hir not nor yet hir owne deare father,
- Yet followed she both him and them, and suffred them the rather
- To touch and stroke hir where they list, as one that preaced still
- To set hir selfe to wonder at and gaze upon their fill.
- The good old Inach puls up grasse and to hir straight it beares.
- She as she kyst and lickt his handes did shed forth dreerie teares.
- And had she had hir speach at will to utter forth hir thought,
- She would have tolde hir name and chaunce and him of helpe besought.
- But for bicause she could not speake, she printed in the sande,
- Two letters with hir foote, whereby was given to understande
- The sorrowfull chaunging of hir shape.