Metamorphoses by Ovid

476 Pages·2016·1.85 MB·English

by  Ovid

Ovid

METAMORPHOSES
A New Verse Translation
Translated by David Raeburn
with an Introduction by Denis Feeney

Contents
Preface
Introduction
Metamorphoses
BOOK 1
PROLOGUE – THE CREATION – THE FOUR AGES – THE GIANTS – LYCAÖN – THE
FLOOD – DEUCALION AND PYRRHA – PYTHON – DAPHNE – 10 (I) – INTERLUDE: PAN
AND SYRINX – 10 (2) – PHAETHON (I)
BOOK 2
PHAËTHON (2) – CALLISTO – THE RAVEN AND THE CROW – OCYRHOË – BATTUS –
AGLAUROS – EUROPA
BOOK 3
CADMUS – ACTAEON – SEMELE – TEIRESIAS – NARCISSUS AND ECHO – PENTHEUS
AND BACCHUS (I) – ACOETES AND THE LYDIAN SAILORS – PENTHEUS AND
BACCHUS (2)
BOOK 4
THE DAUGHTERS OF MINYAS (I) – PYRAMUS AND THISBE – MARS AND VENUS –
LEUCOTHOË AND CLYTIË – SALMACIS AND HERMAPHRODITUS – THE DAUGHTERS
OF MINYAS (2) – INO AND ATHAMAS – CADMUS AND HARMONIA – PERSEUS (I)
BOOK 5
PERSEUS (2) – MINERVA AND THE MUSES – CALLIOPE’S SONG: THE RAPE OF
PROSERPINA; ARETHUSA; TRIPTOLEMUS AND LYNCUS – THE DAUGHTERS OF
PIERUS
BOOK 6
ARACHNE – NIOBE – THE LYCIAN PEASANTS – MARSYAS – PELOPS – TEREUS,
PROCNE AND PHILOMELA – BOREAS AND ORITHYIA
BOOK 7
MEDEA AND JASON – THE REJUVENATION OF AESON – THE PUNISHMENT OF PELIAS
– MEDEA’S FLIGHT – THESEUS AND AEGEUS – MINOS AND AEACUS – THE PLAGUE
AT AEGINA – THE BIRTH OF THE MYRMIDONS – CEPHALUS AND PROCRIS
BOOK 8
SCYLLA AND MINOS – THE MINOTAUR AND ARIADNE – DAEDALUS AND ICARUS –
DAEDALUS AND PERDIX – MELEÄGER AND THE CALYDONIAN BOAR – ACHELOÜS,
THE NAIADS AND PERIMELE – PHILEMON AND BAUCIS – ERYSICHTHON
BOOK 9
ACHELOÜS AND HERCULES – HERCULES AND NESSUS – THE DEATH OF HERCULES –
ALCMENA AND GALANTHIS – DRYOPE – IOLAÜS AND CALLIRHOË’S SONS –
MILETUS – BYBLIS – IPHIS
BOOK 10
ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE – CYPARISSUS – ORPHEUS’ SONG: INTRODUCTION;
GANYMEDE; HYACINTHUS; THE CERASTAE AND PROPOETIDES; PYGMALION;
MYRRHA; VENUS AND ADONIS (I) – VENUS’ STORY: ATALANTA AND HIPPOMENES –
ORPHEUS’ SONG: VENUS AND ADONIS (2)
BOOK 11
THE DEATH OF ORPHEUS – THE PUNISHMENT OF THE MAENADS – MIDAS –
LAÖMEDON’S TREACHERY – PELEUS AND THETIS – PELEUS AT THE COURT OF CEŸX
(I) – CEŸX’S STORY: DAEDALION – PELEUS AT THE COURT OF CEŸX (2) – CEŸX AND
ALCYONE – AESACUS
BOOK 12
THE GREEKS AT AULIS – RUMOUR – CYCNUS – ACHILLES’ VICTORY CELEBRATION –
CAENIS – THE BATTLE OF THE LAPITHS AND CENTAURS – PERICLYMENUS – THE
DEATH OF ACHILLES
BOOK 13
THE JUDGMENT OF ARMS – AJAX’S SUICIDE – THE FALL OF TROY – THE SUFFERINGS
OF HECUBA – MEMNON – THE WANDERINGS OF AENEAS (I) – THE DAUGHTERS OF
ANIUS – THE DAUGHTERS OF ORION – THE WANDERINGS OF AENEAS (2) – ACIS,
GALATEA AND POLYPHEMUS – GLAUCUS AND SCYLLA (I)
BOOK 14
GLAUCUS AND SCYLLA (2) – THE WANDERINGS OF AENEAS (3) – THE SIBYL OF
CUMAE – ACHAEMENIDES’ STORY: ULYSSES’ MEN IN POLYPHEMUS’ CAVE –
MACAREUS’ STORY: ULYSSES AND CIRCE; PICUS, CANENS AND CIRCE – THE
WANDERINGS OF AENEAS (4) – THE MUTINOUS COMPANIONS OF DIOMEDES – THE
APULIAN SHEPHERD – THE SHIPS OF AENEAS – ARDEA – THE APOTHEOSIS OF
AENEAS – AENEAS’ DESCENDANTS – POMONA AND VERTUMNUS – IPHIS AND
ANAXARETE – ROMULUS – THE APOTHEOSIS OF ROMULUS
BOOK 15
MYSCELUS – PYTHAGORAS – EGERIA AND HIPPOLYTUS – TAGES, ROMULUS’ SPEAR,
CIPUS – AESCULAPIUS – THE APOTHEOSIS OF JULIUS CAESAR – EPILOGUE
Notes
Translator’s Note
Map of Ovid’s Mediterranean World
Chronology
Further Reading
Follow Penguin
METAMORPHOSES
Publius Ovidius Naso was born in 43 BC at Sulmo (Sulmona) in central Italy.
Coming from a wealthy Roman family and seemingly destined for a career in
politics, he held some minor official posts before leaving public service to write,
becoming the most distinguished poet of his time. His published works include
Amores, a collection of short love poems; Heroides, verse-letters written by
mythological heroines to their lovers; Ars Amatoria, a satirical handbook on
love; Remedia Amoris, a sequel to the Ars; and Metamorphoses, his epic work
on change. He was working on Fasti, a poem on the Roman calendar, when, in
AD 8, the emperor Augustus exiled him to Tomis on the Black Sea, far from
Rome and the literary life he loved. The reason for this is unclear; the pretext
was the immorality of Ars Amatoria, but there was probably a political aspect to
the affair. He continued to write, notably Tristia and Epistulae ex Ponto, and
revised Fasti. He never returned to Rome and died, in exile, in AD 17 or 18.
David Raeburn was educated at Charterhouse and Christ Church, Oxford. He
followed a career as a Classics Teacher and as the headmaster of two schools.
On retiring from the headship of Whitgift School in 1991, he returned to Oxford
where he taught Greek and Latin to undergraduates for the Classics faculty and
later for individual colleges. He is particularly interested in the performance
aspects of classical poetry and is known for his productions of Greek tragedy
with school and university students, mostly in the original, but also in his own
translations. Another special love is Roman poetry of the Augustan period.
Denis Feeney was born and received his first education in New Zealand, and
went to Oxford for his D.Phil. He is now the Giger Professor of Latin at
Princeton University, having held posts in Wisconsin, Bristol and Oxford. He is
the author of The Gods in Epic: Poets and Critics of the Classical Tradition
(Oxford, 1991) and Literature and Religion at Rome: Cultures, Contexts and
Beliefs (Cambridge, 1998).
Richard Ashdowne was born in 1977 and educated at the Judd School,
Tonbridge, and New College, Oxford, from where he graduated in Classics in
2000. He has since continued his studies at Oxford and gone on to do further
research in the field of linguistics, where he has specialized in the history of
Latin and the Romance languages. As well as being a linguist and classicist, he
is also a keen musician and composer, whose published works include his Missa
S. Michaelis (Oriana, 2002).
Preface
This translation would have been impossible without the help of a number of
commentaries, in particular those of William S. Anderson (Books 1–10: 2 vols.,
1972, 1997), A. A. R. Henderson (Book 3: 1979), A. S. Hollis (Book 8: 1970),
Neil Hopkinson (Book 13: 2000), A. G. Lee (Book 1: 1953) and G. M. H.
Murphy (Book 11: 1972). D. E. Hill’s four-volume edition of Metamorphoses
(Aris and Phillips: 1985–2000) is invaluable on Ovid’s sources and on many
points of mythological and historical background. When in difficulty, I have
often consulted the formidable commentary on the whole work in German by
Franz Bömer (7 vols., 1969–86). In addition, Professor Philip Hardie most
kindly allowed me to read Books 14 and 15 with the aid of his own material,
which will form part of the full commentary on the Metamorphoses eventually to
be published by the Fondazione Lorenzo Valla.
I have much appreciated the interest shown in the venture by colleagues and
undergraduates at New College, Oxford, where much of the work was done. My
very special thanks are due to Pat Dawson-Taylor and Andrew Johnson who
between them typed out my manuscripts and subsequently processed a long
series of revisions. Also to Denis Feeney for writing the Introduction and
checking my summaries and notes in draft; to Richard Ashdowne for his
painstaking work in compiling the Glossary Index and the map; and to my
editor, Peter Carson, for his steady encouragement and detailed comments on the
work in progress. Finally, to my wife, Mary Faith, who carefully read my early
drafts as I produced them and made notes which resulted in countless
improvements. This project owes more than I can say to her moral and practical
support; so the translation is dedicated to her.
DAR