Metamorphoses

Ovid

Ovid. The XV bookes of P. Ouidius Naso, entytuled Metamorphosis. Golding, Arthur, translator. London: W. Seres (printer), 1567.

  1. This likes her best. Uppon this poynt now restes her doubtful mynd.
  2. So raysing up herself uppon her leftsyde shee enclynd,
  3. And leaning on her elbow sayd: Let him advyse him what
  4. To doo, for I my franticke love will utter playne and flat.
  5. Alas to what ungraciousnesse intend I for to fall?
  6. What furie raging in my hart my senses dooth appall?
  7. In thinking so, with trembling hand shee framed her to wryght
  8. The matter that her troubled mynd in musing did indyght.
  9. Her ryght hand holdes the pen, her left dooth hold the empty wax.
  10. She ginnes. Shee doutes, shee wryghtes: shee in the tables findeth lacks.
  11. She notes, she blurres, dislikes, and likes: and chaungeth this for that.
  12. Shee layes away the booke, and takes it up. Shee wotes not what
  13. She would herself. What ever thing shee myndeth for to doo
  14. Misliketh her. A shamefastnesse with boldenesse mixt thereto
  15. Was in her countnance. Shee had once writ Suster: Out agen
  16. The name of Suster for to raze shee thought it best. And then
  17. She snatcht the tables up, and did theis following woords ingrave:
  18. The health which if thou give her not shee is not like to have
  19. Thy lover wisheth unto thee. I dare not ah for shame
  20. I dare not tell thee who I am, nor let thee heare my name.
  21. And if thou doo demaund of mee what thing I doo desyre,
  22. Would God that namelesse I myght pleade the matter I requyre,
  23. And that I were unknowen to thee by name of Byblis, till
  24. Assurance of my sute were wrought according to my will.
  25. As tokens of my wounded hart myght theis to thee appeere:
  26. My colour pale, my body leane, my heavy mirthlesse cheere,
  27. My watry eyes, my sighes without apparent causes why,
  28. My oft embracing of thee: and such kisses (if perdye
  29. Thou marked them) as very well thou might have felt and found
  30. Not for to have beene Susterlike. But though with greevous wound
  31. I then were striken to the hart, although the raging flame
  32. Did burne within: yit take I God to witnesse of the same,
  33. I did as much as lay in mee this outrage for to tame.
  34. And long I stryved (wretched wench) to scape the violent Dart
  35. Of Cupid. More I have endurde of hardnesse and of smart,
  36. Than any wench (a man would think) were able to abyde.
  37. Force forceth mee to shew my case which faine I still would hyde,
  38. And mercy at thy gentle hand in fearfull wyse to crave.
  39. Thou only mayst the lyfe of mee thy lover spill or save.
  40. Choose which thou wilt. No enmy craves this thing: but such a one
  41. As though shee bee alyde so sure as surer can bee none,
  42. Yit covets shee more surely yit alyed for to bee,
  43. And with a neerer kynd of band to link her selfe to thee.
  44. Let aged folkes have skill in law: to age it dooth belong
  45. To keepe the rigor of the lawes and search out ryght from wrong.
  46. Such youthfull yeeres as ours are yit rash folly dooth beseeme.
  47. Wee know not what is lawfull yit. And therefore wee may deeme
  48. That all is lawfull that wee list: ensewing in the same
  49. The dooings of the myghtye Goddes. Not dread of worldly shame
  50. Nor yit our fathers roughnesse, no nor fearfulnesse should let
  51. Our purpose. Only let all feare asyde be wholy set.
  52. ~Wee underneath the name of kin our pleasant scapes may hyde.
  53. Thou knowest I have libertie to talke with thee asyde,
  54. And openly wee kysse and cull. And what is all the rest
  55. That wants? Have mercy on mee now, who playnly have exprest
  56. My case: which thing I had not done, but that the utter rage
  57. Of love constreynes mee thereunto the which I cannot swage.
  58. Deserve not on my tumb thy name subscribed for to have,
  59. That thou art he whose cruelnesse did bring mee to my grave.
  60. Thus much shee wrate in vayne, and wax did want her to indyght,
  61. And in the margent she was fayne the latter verse to wryght.
  62. Immediatly to seale her shame shee takes a precious stone,
  63. The which shee moystes with teares: from tung the moysture quight was gone.
  64. She calld a servant shamefastly, and after certaine fayre
  65. And gentle woords: My trusty man, I pray thee beare this payre
  66. Of tables (quoth shee) to my (and a great whyle afterward
  67. Shee added) brother. Now through chaunce or want of good regard
  68. The table slipped downe to ground in reaching to him ward.
  69. The handsell troubled sore her mynd. But yit shee sent them. And
  70. Her servant spying tyme did put them into Caunyes hand.
  71. Maeanders nephew sodeinly in anger floong away
  72. The tables ere he half had red, (scarce able for to stay
  73. His fistocke from the servants face who quaakt) and thus did say:
  74. Avaunt, thou baudye ribawd, whyle thou mayst. For were it not
  75. For shame I should have killed thee. Away afrayd he got,
  76. And told his mistresse of the feerce and cruell answer made
  77. By Caunye. By and by the hew of Byblis gan to fade,
  78. And all her body was benumd with Icie colde for feare
  79. To heere of this repulse. Assoone as that her senses were
  80. Returnd ageine, her furious flames returned with her witts.
  81. And thus shee sayd so soft that scarce hir toong the ayer hitts:
  82. And woorthely. For why was I so rash as to discover
  83. By hasty wryghting this my wound which most I ought to cover?
  84. I should with dowtfull glauncing woords have felt his humor furst,
  85. And made a trayne to trye him if pursue or no he durst.
  86. I should have vewed first the coast, to see the weather cleere,
  87. And then I myght have launched sauf and boldly from the peere.
  88. But now I hoyst up all my sayles before I tryde the wynd:
  89. And therfore am I driven uppon the rockes against my mynd,
  90. And all the sea dooth overwhelme mee. Neyther may I fynd
  91. The meanes to get to harbrough, or from daunger to retyre.
  92. Why did not open tokens warne to bridle my desyre,
  93. Then when the tables falling in delivering them declaard
  94. My hope was vaine? And ought not I then eyther to have spaard
  95. From sending them as that day? or have chaunged whole my mynd?
  96. Nay rather shifted of the day? For had I not beene blynd
  97. Even God himself by soothfast signes the sequele seemd to hit.
  98. Yea rather than to wryghting thus my secrets to commit,
  99. I should have gone and spoke myself, and presently have showde
  100. My fervent love. He should have seene how teares had from mee flowde.
  101. Hee should have seene my piteous looke ryght loverlike. I could
  102. Have spoken more than into those my tables enter would.
  103. About his necke against his will, myne armes I myght have wound
  104. And had he shaakt me off, I myght have seemed for to swound.
  105. I humbly myght have kist his feete, and kneeling on the ground
  106. Besought him for to save my lyfe. All theis I myght have proved,
  107. Wherof although no one alone his stomacke could have moved,
  108. Yit all togither myght have made his hardened hart relent.
  109. Perchaunce there was some fault in him that was of message sent.
  110. He stept unto him bluntly (I beleeve) and did not watch
  111. Convenient tyme, in merrie kew at leysure him to catch.
  112. Theis are the things that hindred mee. For certeinly I knowe
  113. No sturdy stone nor massy steele dooth in his stomacke grow.
  114. He is not made of Adamant. He is no Tygers whelp.
  115. He never sucked Lyonesse. He myght with little help
  116. Bee vanquisht. Let us give fresh charge uppon him. Whyle I live
  117. Without obteyning victorie I will not over give.
  118. For firstly (if it lay in mee my dooings to revoke)
  119. I should not have begonne at all. But seeing that the stroke
  120. Is given, the second poynt is now to give the push to win.
  121. For neyther he (although that I myne enterpryse should blin)
  122. Can ever whyle he lives forget my deede. And sith I shrink,
  123. My love was lyght, or else I meant to trap him, he shall think.
  124. Or at the least he may suppose that this my rage of love
  125. Which broyleth so within my brest, proceedes not from above
  126. By Cupids stroke, but of some foule and filthy lust. In fyne
  127. I cannot but to wickednesse now more and more inclyne.
  128. By wryghting is my sute commenst: my meening dooth appeere:
  129. And though I cease: yit can I not accounted bee for cleere.
  130. Now that that dooth remayne behynd is much as in respect
  131. My fond desyre to satisfy: and little in effect
  132. To aggravate my fault withall.
  1. Thus much shee sayd. And so
  2. Unconstant was her wavering mynd still floting to and fro,
  3. That though it irkt her for to have attempted, yit proceedes
  4. Shee in the selfsame purpose of attempting, and exceedes
  5. All measure, and, unhappy wench, shee takes from day to day
  6. Repulse upon repulse, and yit shee hath not grace to stay.
  7. Soone after when her brother saw there was with her no end,
  8. He fled his countrie forbycause he would not so offend,
  9. And in a forreine land did buyld a Citie. Then men say
  10. That Byblis through despayre and thought all wholy did dismay.
  11. Shee tare her garments from her brest, and furiously shee wroong
  12. Her hands, and beete her armes, and like a bedlem with her toong
  13. Confessed her unlawfull love. But beeing of the same
  14. Dispoynted, shee forsooke her land and hatefull house for shame,
  15. And followed after flying Caune. And as the Froes of Thrace
  16. In dooing of the three yeere rites of Bacchus: in lyke cace
  17. The maryed wyves of Bubasie saw Byblis howling out
  18. Through all theyr champion feeldes, the which shee leaving, ran about
  19. In Caria to the Lelegs who are men in battell stout,
  20. And so to Lycia. Shee had past Crag, Limyre, and the brooke
  21. Of Xanthus, and the countrie where Chymaera that same pooke
  22. Hath Goatish body, Lions head and brist, and Dragons tayle,
  23. When woods did want: and Byblis now beginning for to quayle
  24. Through weerynesse in following Caune, sank down and layd her hed
  25. Ageinst the ground, and kist the leaves that wynd from trees had shed.
  26. The Nymphes of Caria went about in tender armes to take
  27. Her often up. They oftentymes perswaded her to slake
  28. Her love. And woords of comfort to her deafe eard mynd they spake.
  29. Shee still lay dumbe: and with her nayles the greenish herbes shee hild,
  30. And moysted with a streame of teares the grasse upon the feeld.
  31. The waternymphes (so folk report) put under her a spring,
  32. Whych never myght be dryde: and could they give a greater thing?
  33. Immediatly even like as when yee wound a pitchtree rynd,
  34. The gum dooth issue out in droppes: or as the westerne wynd
  35. With gentle blast toogither with the warmth of Sunne, unbynd
  36. The yee: or as the clammy kynd of cement which they call
  37. Bitumen issueth from the ground full fraughted therewithall:
  38. So Phoebus neece, Dame Byblis, then consuming with her teares,
  39. Was turned to a fountaine, which in those same vallyes beares
  40. The tytle of the founder still, and gusheth freshly out
  41. From underneath a Sugarchest as if it were a spowt.