Midas Never Learns
Lines 157-193
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Monte suō senior iūdex cōnsēdit et aurēs
līberat arboribus: quercū coma caerula tantum
cingitur, et pendent circum cava tempora glandēs.
isque deum pecoris spectāns 'in iūdice' dīxit 160
'nūlla mora est.' calamīs agrestibus īnsonat ille
barbaricōque Midān (aderat nam forte canentī)
carmine dēlēnit; post hunc sacer ōra retorsit
Tmōlus ad ōs Phoebī: vultum sua silva secūta est.
ille caput flāvum laurō Parnāside vīnctus 165
verrit humum Tyriō saturātā mūrice pallā
īnstrūctamque fidem gemmīs et dentibus Indis
sustinet ā laevā, tenuit manus altera plēctrum;
artificis status ipse fuit. tum stāmina doctō
pollice sollicitat, quōrum dulcēdine captus 170
Pāna iubet Tmōlus citharae submittere cannās.
Iūdicium sānctīque placet sententia montis
omnibus, arguitur tamen atque iniūsta vocātur
ūnīus sermōne Midae; nec Dēlius aurēs
hūmānam stolidās patitur retinēre figūram, 175
sed trahit in spatium villīsque albentibus inplet
īnstabilēsque īmās facit et dat posse movērī:
cētera sunt hominis, partem damnātur in ūnam
induiturque aurēs lentē gradientis asellī.
ille quidem cēlāre cupit turpīque pudōre 180
tempora purpureīs temptat vēlāre tiārīs;
sed solitus longōs ferrō resecāre capillōs
vīderat hōc famulus, quī cum nec prōdere vīsum
dēdecus audēret, cupiēns effērre sub aurās,
nec posset reticēre tamen, sēcēdit humumque 185
effodit et, dominī quālēs adspexerit aurēs,
vōce refert parvā terraeque inmurmurat haustae
indiciumque suae vōcis tellure regestā
obruit et scrobibus tacitus discēdit opertīs.
crēber harundinibus tremulīs ibi surgere lūcus 190
coepit et, ut prīmum plēnō mātūruit annō,
prōdidit agricolam: lēnī nam mōtus ab austrō
obruta verba refert dominīque coarguit aurēs.
līberat arboribus: quercū coma caerula tantum
cingitur, et pendent circum cava tempora glandēs.
isque deum pecoris spectāns 'in iūdice' dīxit 160
'nūlla mora est.' calamīs agrestibus īnsonat ille
barbaricōque Midān (aderat nam forte canentī)
carmine dēlēnit; post hunc sacer ōra retorsit
Tmōlus ad ōs Phoebī: vultum sua silva secūta est.
ille caput flāvum laurō Parnāside vīnctus 165
verrit humum Tyriō saturātā mūrice pallā
īnstrūctamque fidem gemmīs et dentibus Indis
sustinet ā laevā, tenuit manus altera plēctrum;
artificis status ipse fuit. tum stāmina doctō
pollice sollicitat, quōrum dulcēdine captus 170
Pāna iubet Tmōlus citharae submittere cannās.
Iūdicium sānctīque placet sententia montis
omnibus, arguitur tamen atque iniūsta vocātur
ūnīus sermōne Midae; nec Dēlius aurēs
hūmānam stolidās patitur retinēre figūram, 175
sed trahit in spatium villīsque albentibus inplet
īnstabilēsque īmās facit et dat posse movērī:
cētera sunt hominis, partem damnātur in ūnam
induiturque aurēs lentē gradientis asellī.
ille quidem cēlāre cupit turpīque pudōre 180
tempora purpureīs temptat vēlāre tiārīs;
sed solitus longōs ferrō resecāre capillōs
vīderat hōc famulus, quī cum nec prōdere vīsum
dēdecus audēret, cupiēns effērre sub aurās,
nec posset reticēre tamen, sēcēdit humumque 185
effodit et, dominī quālēs adspexerit aurēs,
vōce refert parvā terraeque inmurmurat haustae
indiciumque suae vōcis tellure regestā
obruit et scrobibus tacitus discēdit opertīs.
crēber harundinibus tremulīs ibi surgere lūcus 190
coepit et, ut prīmum plēnō mātūruit annō,
prōdidit agricolam: lēnī nam mōtus ab austrō
obruta verba refert dominīque coarguit aurēs.
Helpful Vocabulary/Commentary:
158 quercus, quercūs, f., oak tree
coma, comae, f., foliage
159 tempus, temporis, n., temple (of the head)
glāns, glandis, f., acorn, nut
160 pecus, pecoris, n., herd, group of large domestic animals, flock
deum pecoris: “god of the herds” here refers to Pan. Although, funnily
enough, Pan’s opponent Apollo was also known as the god of herds
161 calamus, calamī, m., reed
agrestis, agreste, n., wild, rustic, pertaining to land
īnsonō, īnsonāre, īnsonuī, to make a sound in, resound
164 Tmolus, Tmolī, m., Tmolus, the mountain god and wise judge
165 Parnaside: “The Parnassian one”: a secondary name for Apollo as Mt.
Parnassus (Greece) was considered a sacred mountain to him because the
Oracle of Delphi (one of Apollo’s oracles) lived there
Other names used for Apollo in this story include Phoebus and Delius
166 mūrex, mūricis, m., purple dye, a shellfish that produces the dye to make Tyrian
purple
Tyriō mūrice: “Tyrian purple” was a highly valuable purple dye extracted
from snails and worn by the Roman upper class in special garments
167 fidēs, fidis, f., lyre, chord
168 plēctrum, plēctrī, n., plectrum, a tool for playing stringed instruments
171 cithara, citharae, f., lyre, cithara
173 arguō, arguere, arguī, argūtus, to prove, show, assert
175 stolidus, stolida, stolidum, stupid, foolish
176 villus, villī, m., shaggy hair
inpleō, inplēre, inplēvī, inplētus, to fill up, satisfy, cover
179 assellus, assellī, m., young ass, young donkey
181 tiāra, tiārae, f., turban
vēlāre: differs from R.J. Tarrant's version where he supplied revelāre instead of vēlāre.
I changed this to vēlāre after I saw it had been done in other editions because it made
more sense to cover your head with a turban in shame than to raise the turban to your
head in shame
183 Notice the subjunctive cum clause starting at cum and ending at audēret (184)
184 audēret: an imperfect subjuctive verb translated as “was daring”
185 sēcēdō, sēcēdere, sēcessī, sēcessus, to withdraw, secede
186 effodiō, effodere, effōdī, effossus, to dig out
187 haustus, hausta, haustum, dug up, hollowed out
189 scrobis, scrobis, m., ditch
192 auster, austrī, m., the south wind
193 obrutus, obruta, obrutum, buried, concealed
coma, comae, f., foliage
159 tempus, temporis, n., temple (of the head)
glāns, glandis, f., acorn, nut
160 pecus, pecoris, n., herd, group of large domestic animals, flock
deum pecoris: “god of the herds” here refers to Pan. Although, funnily
enough, Pan’s opponent Apollo was also known as the god of herds
161 calamus, calamī, m., reed
agrestis, agreste, n., wild, rustic, pertaining to land
īnsonō, īnsonāre, īnsonuī, to make a sound in, resound
164 Tmolus, Tmolī, m., Tmolus, the mountain god and wise judge
165 Parnaside: “The Parnassian one”: a secondary name for Apollo as Mt.
Parnassus (Greece) was considered a sacred mountain to him because the
Oracle of Delphi (one of Apollo’s oracles) lived there
Other names used for Apollo in this story include Phoebus and Delius
166 mūrex, mūricis, m., purple dye, a shellfish that produces the dye to make Tyrian
purple
Tyriō mūrice: “Tyrian purple” was a highly valuable purple dye extracted
from snails and worn by the Roman upper class in special garments
167 fidēs, fidis, f., lyre, chord
168 plēctrum, plēctrī, n., plectrum, a tool for playing stringed instruments
171 cithara, citharae, f., lyre, cithara
173 arguō, arguere, arguī, argūtus, to prove, show, assert
175 stolidus, stolida, stolidum, stupid, foolish
176 villus, villī, m., shaggy hair
inpleō, inplēre, inplēvī, inplētus, to fill up, satisfy, cover
179 assellus, assellī, m., young ass, young donkey
181 tiāra, tiārae, f., turban
vēlāre: differs from R.J. Tarrant's version where he supplied revelāre instead of vēlāre.
I changed this to vēlāre after I saw it had been done in other editions because it made
more sense to cover your head with a turban in shame than to raise the turban to your
head in shame
183 Notice the subjunctive cum clause starting at cum and ending at audēret (184)
184 audēret: an imperfect subjuctive verb translated as “was daring”
185 sēcēdō, sēcēdere, sēcessī, sēcessus, to withdraw, secede
186 effodiō, effodere, effōdī, effossus, to dig out
187 haustus, hausta, haustum, dug up, hollowed out
189 scrobis, scrobis, m., ditch
192 auster, austrī, m., the south wind
193 obrutus, obruta, obrutum, buried, concealed