Submissive and humble, and she builds monuments by which she testifies to her confessed fear.
§198et hanc levis fallaxque destituet deus §199volucer Cupido: «it licet forma eminens. §200opibus superba, gaudium capiet breve.
And her too the light and deceitful god will abandon, winged Cupid: though she walk outstanding in beauty, proud of her wealth, she will receive a brief joy.
§201Passa est similes ipsa dolores §202regina deum, §203cum se formas vertit in omnes §204dominus caeli divumque pater- §205et modo pennas sumpsit oloris §206modo Sidonii cornua tauri, §207aureus idem fluxit in imbri; §208fulgent caelo sidera Ledae, §209patrio residet Bacchus Olympo, §210deus Alcides possidet Heben §211nec Iunonis iam timet iras, §212cuius gener est qui fuit hostis, §213vicit sapiens tamen obsequium §214coniugis altae pressusque dolor: §215sola Tonantem tenet aetherio' §216secura toro maxima Iuno, §217nec mortali captus forma §218deserit altam Iuppiter aulam, §219tu quoque, terris altera Iuno, §220soror Augusti coniunxque, graves §221vince dolores.
Suffered similar griefs herself the queen of the gods, when into all shapes turned himself the lord of heaven and father of gods— and now took the feathers of a swan, now the horns of a Sidonian bull, the same flowed as gold in a shower; the stars of Leda shine in heaven, Bacchus resides on his father's Olympus, the god Alcides possesses Hebe and no longer fears the angers of Juno, whose son-in-law he is, who once was her enemy, yet wise obedience conquered, of the noble wife, and her suppressed grief: alone she holds the Thunderer on the ethereal bed secure, the greatest Juno, and not captured by mortal beauty does Jupiter desert his high court, you too, another Juno on earth, sister and wife of Augustus, conquer heavy griefs.
§222Iungentur ante saeva sideribus freta §223et ignis undae, Tartaro tristi polus, §224lux alma tenebris, roscidae nocti dies, §225quam cum scelesti coniugis mente impia §226mens nostra, semper fratris extincti memor.
Sooner will savage seas be joined to the stars and fire to waves, heaven to gloomy Tartarus, nourishing light to darkness, day to dewy night, than with the impious mind of a wicked husband our mind, always mindful of the dead brother, [be joined].
§227utinam nefandi principis dirum caput §228obruere flammis caelitum rector paret, §229qui saepe terras fulmine infesto quatit §230mentesque nostras ignibus terret sacris §231novisque monstris; vidimus caelo iubar §232ardens cometam pandere infestam facem, §233qua plaustra tardus noctis aeterna vice §234regit Bootes, frigore Arctoo rigens: §235en ipse diro spiritu saevi ducis §236polluitur aether, gentibus clades novas §237minantur astra, quas regit dux impius.
Would that the ruler of the gods would prepare to overwhelm with flames the dread head of the unspeakable prince, who often shakes the earth with hostile thunderbolt and terrifies our minds with sacred fires and new portents; we saw in heaven a burning beam, a comet spread its hostile torch, where slow Bootes, stiff with Arctic cold, rules his wains by the eternal alternation of night: lo, the very ether is polluted by the dire breath of the cruel leader, the stars threaten new destructions to nations, which the impious leader rules.
§238non tam ferum Typhona neglecto Iove §239irata Tellus edidit quondam parens: §240hic gravior illo pestis, hic hostis deum §241hominumque templis expulit superos suis §242civesque patria, spiritum fratri abstulit, §243hausit cruorem matris— et lucem videt §244fruiturque vita noxiam atque animam trahit!
Not so wild a Typhon, with Jupiter ignored, did angry Mother Earth once bring forth: this is a heavier pest than that, this enemy of gods and men has expelled the gods from their temples and citizens from their country, took life from his brother, drank the blood of his mother—and he sees the light and enjoys life, and draws his guilty breath!
Oh highest father, why do you hurl weapons in vain, invincible so many times, blindly with your royal hand?
§247in tam nocentem dextra cur cessat tua?
against one so guilty why does your right hand hesitate?
§248utinam suorum facinorum poenas luat §250orbis tyrannus, quem premit turpi iugo §251morumque vitiis nomen Augustum inquinat!
Would that he paid the penalties of his crimes, the tyrant of the world, whom he presses with a base yoke and by the vices of his character defiles the Augustan name!
§252Indignus ille, fateor, est thalamis tuis, §249Nero insitivus, Domitio genitus patre, §253sed cede fatis atque fortunae tuae, §254alumna, quaeso neve violentam move §255iram mariti, forsitan vindex deus §256existet aliquis, Iactus et veniet dies.
He is unworthy, I confess, of your bedchamber, the grafted Nero, begotten of father Domitius, but yield to the fates and to your fortune, foster-child, I pray, and do not arouse the violent anger of your husband; perhaps an avenging god will arise, and a happy day will come.
§257Gravi deorum nostra iam pridem domus §258urgetur ira, prima quam pressit Tenus §259furore miserae dura genetricis meae, §260quae nupta demens nupsit incesta face, §261oblita nostri, coniugis, legum immemor.
By the heavy anger of the gods our house long since is oppressed, which first Venus pressed with the madness of my miserable, harsh mother, who, a mad bride, married with incestuous torch, forgetful of us, of her husband, unmindful of laws.
§262illi soluta crine, succincta anguibus §263ultrix Erinys venit ad Stygios toros §264raptasque thalamis sanguine extinxit faces: §265incendit ira principis pectus truci §266caedem in nefandam: cecidit infelix parens, §267heu, nostra ferro meque perpetuo obruit §268extincta luctu; coniugem traxit suum §269natumque ad umbras, prodidit lapsam domum.
To her, with hair disheveled, girt with snakes, the avenging Fury came to her Stygian marriage-bed and extinguished the torches snatched from the bedchamber with blood: she inflamed the breast of the prince with grim anger unto unspeakable slaughter: the unhappy parent fell, alas, our parent, by the sword, and overwhelmed me with perpetual grief, being dead; she dragged her own husband and son to the shades, and betrayed our fallen house.
§270Renovare luctus parce cum fletu pios, §271manes parentis neve sollicita tuae, §272graves furoris quae sui poenas dedit.
Forbear to renew pious griefs with weeping, nor disturb the shades of your parent, who paid heavy penalties for her madness.
§273Quae fama modo venit ad aures?
What rumor has just come to our ears?
§274utinam falso credita perdat §275frustra totiens iactata fidem, §276nec nova coniunx nostri thalamos §277principis intret teneatque suos §278nupta penates Claudia proles; §279edat partu pignora pacis §280qua tranquillus gaudeat orbis §281servetque decus Roma aeternum, §282fratris thalamos sortita tenet §283maxima Iuno; §284soror Augusti sociata toris §285cur a patria pellitur aula?
Would that, believed falsely, it might lose its credit, tossed about in vain so many times, and may a new wife not enter the bedchamber of our prince, nor may she hold as her own household gods, she who is married, the offspring of Claudius; may she bring forth by birth pledges of peace, in which the tranquil world may rejoice, and Rome preserve her eternal glory, her brother's bedchamber she holds, having obtained it by lot, the greatest Juno; why is the sister of Augustus, allied in marriage, why is she driven from her ancestral palace?
What does holy piety profit her, and her deified father, what virginity and chaste modesty?
§288nos quoque nostri sumus immemores §289post fata ducis, cuius stirpem §290prodimus aegro suadente metu.
We too are forgetful of ourselves after the fate of the leader, whose offspring we betray under the persuasion of sick fear.
§291vera priorum virtus quondam §292Romana fuit verumque genus §293Martis in illis sanguisque viris, §294illi reges hac expulerunt §295urbe superbos §296ultique tuos sunt bene manes,
The true virtue of our ancestors once was Roman, and a true race of Mars and blood was in those men; they expelled proud kings from this city, and well avenged your shades.