Metamorphoses

Ovid

Ovid. Metamorphoses. More, Brookes, translator. Boston: Cornhill Publishing Co., 1922.

  1. Once more
  2. the earth appeared to heaven and the skies
  3. appeared to earth. The fury of the main
  4. abated, for the Ocean ruler laid
  5. his trident down and pacified the waves,
  6. and called on azure Triton.—Triton arose
  7. above the waving seas, his shoulders mailed
  8. in purple shells.—He bade the Triton blow,
  9. blow in his sounding shell, the wandering streams
  10. and rivers to recall with signal known:
  11. a hollow wreathed trumpet, tapering wide
  12. and slender stemmed, the Triton took amain
  13. and wound the pearly shell at midmost sea.
  14. Betwixt the rising and the setting suns
  15. the wildered notes resounded shore to shore,
  16. and as it touched his lips, wet with the brine
  17. beneath his dripping beard, sounded retreat:
  18. and all the waters of the land and sea
  19. obeyed. Their fountains heard and ceased to flow;
  20. their waves subsided; hidden hills uprose;
  21. emerged the shores of ocean; channels filled
  22. with flowing streams; the soil appeared; the land
  23. increased its surface as the waves decreased:
  24. and after length of days the trees put forth,
  25. with ooze on bending boughs, their naked tops.
  26. And all the wasted globe was now restored,
  27. but as he viewed the vast and silent world
  28. Deucalion wept and thus to Pyrrha spoke;
  29. “O sister! wife! alone of woman left!
  30. My kindred in descent and origin!
  31. Dearest companion of my marriage bed,
  32. doubly endeared by deepening dangers borne,—
  33. of all the dawn and eve behold of earth,
  34. but you and I are left—for the deep sea
  35. has kept the rest! And what prevents the tide
  36. from overwhelming us? Remaining clouds
  37. affright us. How could you endure your fears
  38. if you alone were rescued by this fate,
  39. and who would then console your bitter grief?
  40. Oh be assured, if you were buried in the waves,
  41. that I would follow you and be with you!
  42. Oh would that by my father's art I might
  43. restore the people, and inspire this clay
  44. to take the form of man. Alas, the Gods
  45. decreed and only we are living!”, Thus
  46. Deucalion's plaint to Pyrrha;—and they wept.
  47. And after he had spoken, they resolved
  48. to ask the aid of sacred oracles,—
  49. and so they hastened to Cephissian waves
  50. which rolled a turbid flood in channels known.
  51. Thence when their robes and brows were sprinkled well,
  52. they turned their footsteps to the goddess' fane:
  53. its gables were befouled with reeking moss
  54. and on its altars every fire was cold.
  55. But when the twain had reached the temple steps
  56. they fell upon the earth, inspired with awe,
  57. and kissed the cold stone with their trembling lips,
  58. and said; “If righteous prayers appease the Gods,
  59. and if the wrath of high celestial powers
  60. may thus be turned, declare, O Themis! whence
  61. and what the art may raise humanity?
  62. O gentle goddess help the dying world!”
  63. Moved by their supplications, she replied;
  64. “Depart from me and veil your brows; ungird
  65. your robes, and cast behind you as you go,
  66. the bones of your great mother.” Long they stood
  67. in dumb amazement: Pyrrha, first of voice,
  68. refused the mandate and with trembling lips
  69. implored the goddess to forgive—she feared
  70. to violate her mother's bones and vex
  71. her sacred spirit. Often pondered they
  72. the words involved in such obscurity,
  73. repeating oft: and thus Deucalion
  74. to Epimetheus' daughter uttered speech
  75. of soothing import; “ Oracles are just
  76. and urge not evil deeds, or naught avails
  77. the skill of thought. Our mother is the Earth,
  78. and I may judge the stones of earth are bones
  79. that we should cast behind us as we go.”
  80. And although Pyrrha by his words was moved
  81. she hesitated to comply; and both amazed
  82. doubted the purpose of the oracle,
  83. but deemed no harm to come of trial. They,
  84. descending from the temple, veiled their heads
  85. and loosed their robes and threw some stones
  86. behind them. It is much beyond belief,
  87. were not receding ages witness, hard
  88. and rigid stones assumed a softer form,
  89. enlarging as their brittle nature changed
  90. to milder substance,—till the shape of man
  91. appeared, imperfect, faintly outlined first,
  92. as marble statue chiseled in the rough.
  93. The soft moist parts were changed to softer flesh,
  94. the hard and brittle substance into bones,
  95. the veins retained their ancient name. And now
  96. the Gods supreme ordained that every stone
  97. Deucalion threw should take the form of man,
  98. and those by Pyrrha cast should woman's form
  99. assume: so are we hardy to endure
  100. and prove by toil and deeds from what we sprung.