Metamorphoses

Ovid

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

  1. And after this the Earth spontaneous
  2. produced the world of animals, when all
  3. remaining moistures of the mirey fens
  4. fermented in the sun, and fruitful seeds
  5. in soils nutritious grew to shapes ordained.
  6. So when the seven streamed Nile from oozy fields
  7. returneth duly to her ancient bed,
  8. the sun's ethereal rays impregn the slime,
  9. that haply as the peasants turn the soil
  10. they find strange animals unknown before:
  11. some in the moment of their birth, and some
  12. deprived of limbs, imperfect; often part
  13. alive and part of slime inanimate
  14. are fashioned in one body. Heat combined
  15. with moisture so conceives and life results
  16. from these two things. For though the flames may be
  17. the foes of water, everything that lives
  18. begins in humid vapour, and it seems
  19. discordant concord is the means of life.
  20. When Earth, spread over with diluvian ooze,
  21. felt heat ethereal from the glowing sun,
  22. unnumbered species to the light she gave,
  23. and gave to being many an ancient form,
  24. or monster new created. Unwilling she
  25. created thus enormous Python.—Thou
  26. unheard of serpent spread so far athwart
  27. the side of a vast mountain, didst fill with fear
  28. the race of new created man. The God
  29. that bears the bow (a weapon used till then
  30. only to hunt the deer and agile goat)
  31. destroyed the monster with a myriad darts,
  32. and almost emptied all his quiver, till
  33. envenomed gore oozed forth from livid wounds.
  34. Lest in a dark oblivion time should hide
  35. the fame of this achievement, sacred sports
  36. he instituted, from the Python called
  37. “The Pythian Games.” In these the happy youth
  38. who proved victorious in the chariot race,
  39. running and boxing, with an honoured crown
  40. of oak leaves was enwreathed. The laurel then
  41. was not created, wherefore Phoebus, bright
  42. and godlike, beauteous with his flowing hair,
  43. was wont to wreathe his brows with various leaves.