§1Sator deorum, cuius excussum manu §2utraeque Phoebi sentiunt fulmen domus, §3secure regna— protuli pacem tibi, §4quacumque Nereus porrigi terras vetat, §5non est tonandum: perfidi reges iacent, §6saevi tyranni, fregimus quicquid fuit §7tibi fulminandum.
Father of the gods, from whose hand both homes of Phoebus feel the cast thunderbolt, rule without anxiety—I have brought peace to you, wherever Nereus forbids the lands to extend, there is no need for thundering: treacherous kings lie low, savage tyrants, I have broken whatever was there for you to strike with lightning.
sed mihi caelum, parens,
But is heaven, father, still denied to me?
§8adhuc negatur? parui certe Iove §9ubique dignus teque testata est meum §10patrem noverca, quid tamen nectis moras?
Surely I have obeyed, everywhere worthy of Jove, and my stepmother has witnessed that you are my father; why then do you weave delays?
Are we feared? Or will Atlas not be able to bear Hercules along with heaven imposed upon him?
§13quid astra, genitor, quid negas? mors me tibi §14certe remisit, omne concessit malum §15quod terra genuit, pontus aer inferi: §16nullus per urbes errat Arcadias leo, §17Stymphalis icta est, Maenali nulla est fera; §18sparsit peremptus aureum serpens nemus §19et hydra vires posuit et notos Hebro §20cruore pingues hospitum fregi greges §21hostisque traxi spolia Thermodontiae.
Why do you deny the stars, father, why? Death surely sent me back to you, and every evil has yielded which earth, sea, air, and the underworld produced: no lion wanders through Arcadian cities, the Stymphalian bird is struck, no beast of Maenalus remains; the slain serpent has scattered the golden grove, and the hydra has laid down its strength, and I have broken the herds, well-known to Hebrus, fat with the blood of guests, and I have dragged away the spoils of the Thermodontian enemy.
§22vidi silentum fata nec tantum redi, §23sed trepidus atrum Cerberum vidit dies §24et ille solem, nullus Antaeus Libys §25animam resumit, cecidit ante aras suas §26Busiris, una est Geryon sparsus manu §27taurusque populis horridus centum pavor.
I saw the fates of the silent ones, and not only did I return, but trembling day saw black Cerberus and he saw the sun; no Libyan Antaeus resumes his breath; Busiris fell before his own altars; Geryon was scattered by a single hand, and the bull, a dreadful terror to a hundred peoples.
§28quodcumque tellus genuit infesta occidit §29meaque fusum est dextera: iratis deis §30non licuit esse.
Whatever hostile thing the earth produced has fallen, laid low by my right hand: to the angry gods it was not permitted to exist.
si negat mundus feras, §31animum noverca, redde nunc nato patrem, §32vel astra forti, nec peto ut monstres iter; §33permitte tantum, genitor: inveniam viam.
If the world denies beasts, and my stepmother her wrath, return now the father to his son, or the stars to the brave man; nor do I ask that you show the way; only permit it, father: I will find the way.
§34vel si times ne terra concipiat feras, §35properet malum quodcumque, dum terra Herculem §36habet videtque: nam quis invadet mala §37aut quis per urbes rursus Argolicas erit
Or if you fear lest the earth conceive beasts, let whatever evil hasten, while the earth possesses and sees Hercules: for who will attack evils, or who will be again through the Argolic cities worthy of Juno's hatred?
§38Iunonis odio dignus? in tutum meas §39laudes redegi, nulla me tellus silet: §40me sensit ursae frigidum Scythicae genus §41Indusque Phoebo subditus, cancro Libys; §42te, clare Titan, testor: occurri tibi §43quacumque fulges, nec meos lux prosequi §44potuit -triumphos, solis excessi vices §45intraque nostras substitit metas dies.
I have brought my praises into safety; no land is silent about me: the cold race of the Scythian bear felt me, and the Hindu subject to Phoebus, and the Libyan under Cancer; I call you to witness, bright Titan: I met you wherever you shine, nor could light follow my triumphs; I went beyond the course of the sun, and day stopped within our boundaries.
Nature yielded, earth failed her step: she was tired first.
Night and deepest chaos rushed upon me: thence I returned to this world, whence no one has returned.
tulimus Oceani minas, §50nec ulla valuit quatere tempestas ratem 50 §51quamcumque pressi— pars quota est Perseus mei?
We bore the threats of Ocean, nor could any storm shake the ship, whichever I pressed—what fraction of me is Perseus?
§52iam vacuus aether non potest odio tuae §53sufficere nuptae quasque devincam feras §54tellus timet concipere nec monstra invenit.
Already the empty air cannot suffice for the hatred of your bride, and the earth fears to conceive whatever beasts I might conquer, nor does she find monsters.
Beasts are denied: Hercules has already begun to be in the place of a monster; for how many evils have I broken!
§57quot scelera nudus! quicquid immane obstitit, §58solae manus stravere; nec iuvenis feras §59timui nec infans, quicquid est iussum, leve est, §60nec ulla nobis segnis illuxit dies.
How many crimes unarmed! Whatever immense thing stood in my way, my hands alone laid low; neither as a youth did I fear beasts, nor as an infant; whatever is commanded is light, nor has any sluggish day shone upon us.
§61o quanta rudi monstra quae nullus mihi §62rex imperavit! institit virtus mihi §63Iunone peior, sed quid inpavidum genus §64fecisse prodest? non habent pacem dei: §65purgata tellus omnis in caelo videt §66quodcumque timuit: transtulit Iuno feras.
Oh, how many monsters to an untutored youth, which no king commanded me! My courage pressed upon me, worse than Juno; but what does it profit to have made a fearless race? The gods have no peace: the cleansed earth sees in heaven everything it once feared: Juno has transferred the beasts.
§67ambit peremptus cancer ardentem plagam §68Libyaeque sidus fertur et messes alit; §69annum fugacem tradit Astraeae leo, §70at ille, iactans fervidam collo iubam, §71austrum madentem siccat et nimbos rapit.
The slain Cancer encircles the burning zone and is called the constellation of Libya and feeds the harvests; the Lion hands over the fleeting year to Astraea, but he, tossing his burning mane on his neck, dries up the wet south wind and snatches away the rain-clouds.
§72invasit omnis ecce iam caelum fera §73meque antecessit: victor e terris meos §74specto labores, astra portentis prius §75ferisque Iuno tribuit, ut caelum mihi §76faceret timendum, sparserit mundum licet §77caelumque terris peius ac peius Styge §78irata faciat, dabitur Alcidae locus.
Behold, every beast has now invaded heaven and preceded me: as victor from the earth I look upon my labors; Juno has granted stars to portents and beasts beforehand, so that she might make heaven to be feared by me. Although she, in her anger, may scatter the world and make heaven worse than earth and worse than Styx, a place will be given to Alcides.
§79si post feras, post bella, post Stygium canem §80haud dum astra merui, Siculus Hesperium latus §81tangat Pelorus, una iam tellus erit; §82illinc fugabo maria: si iungi iubes, §83committat undas Isthmos, et iuncto salo §84nova ferantur Atticae puppes via.
If after beasts, after wars, after the Stygian dog, I have not yet deserved the stars, let Sicilian Pelorus touch the Hesperian side; there will now be one land; from there I will banish the seas: if you order them to be joined, let the Isthmus commit its waters, and with the joined sea, let Athenian ships be carried by a new way.