Ovid's Metamorphoses: Book One

Ovid's Metamorphoses: Book One

A new text reader

by Sin R. Guanci

About the Text

The Latin text used in this book comes from the Oxford Classical Text Series, but the author has made changes where necessary regarding punctuation, capitalization, and MSS differences. Also, this text uses the letter 'v' where the OCT text prefers 'u,' such as, for example, in line 11, this text reads nova, instead

of noua.

Punctuation was changed in the following lines: 5, 7, 10-13, 40-42, 78, 80, 99, 115, 169, 192, 212, 259, 328, 330, 344-345, 352, 392, 400, 404, 411, 418-420, 436, 440, 508, 540, 548, 575, 622, 630, 638, 653-

654, 701, 703, & 712.

The following changes were made regarding capitalization: line 521: Opiferque, 540: Amoris, 586: manes, & 622: Paelice.

Regarding manuscript differences, the following lines differ from the OCT text: Line 92: legebantur was used instead of ligabantur

Lines 544 and 545 of the OCT text were omitted and line 544a in the OCT text is labeled 544 in this text. Line 712: tenuisse was used instead of posuisse.

Other changes include the use of pluviaque instead of pluvioque in line 66, Peneus for Peneos in line 569, Sperchius for Sperchios in line 579, and Apidanusque...Amphrysusque instead of Apidanosque...Amphryisosque in line 580.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements...................................................................... 1 Introduction................................................................................. 2 List of Abbreviations................................................................... 8 Section I: The Beginnings of the World...................................10 Section II: The Four Ages......................................................... 25 Section III: The Giants and the Gods...................................... 35 Section IV: Lycaon.................................................................... 43 Section V: The Flood................................................................. 53 Section VI: Deucalion and Pyrrha........................................... 61 Section VII: Humans and Other Species are Created........... 72 Section VIII: Apollo, the Python, and Daphne....................... 78 Section IX: Io............................................................................. 95 Section X: Argus and Io.......................................................... 102 Section XI: Mercury, the Syrinx, and Argus........................ 110 Section XII: Io and Phaethon................................................. 117 Translation of Book One......................................................... 123 Bibliography.............................................................................161

Acknowledgements

This text has been written in part as a teaching project in fulfillment of an MA in Latin from the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. Aside from my thesis committee, the intended audience for this text is advanced level secondary school students and intermediate level undergraduate students of Latin. The translation at the back is intended for use at the discretion of the instructor of aforementioned students.

I wrote the explanatory notes after much consultation of previously published commentaries, in particular those published by the following authors: William S. Anderson, Franz B?mer, Nathan Covington Brooks, D.E. Hill, and A.G. Lee. I have tried to add to and improve upon their ideas, as well as to present those ideas in such a way as to be interesting to and easily understood by my target audience.

This text would not have been possible without the assistance, revisions, support and seemingly limitless patience of my fabulous committee members: Dr. Erika Hermanowicz, Dr. Christine Albright, and Dr. Nicholas Rynearson. In addition, the completion of my degree would not have been possible without everyone in the Classics Department at UGA. A HUGE thank you goes to Dr. James Anderson, Ludi Chow, Dr. Keith Dix, Kelly Dugan, Anna Duvall, Dr. Mario Erasmo, Marilyn Evans, Nat 'Culex' Fort, Rebecca Holcombe, Kyle Khellaf, Dr. Richard A. LaFleur, Kyle McGimsey, Nate Moore, Dr. John Nicholson, Dr. Naomi Norman, Lizzie Parker, Andy Paczkowski, JoAnn Pulliam, Charlie RussellSchlesinger, Clayton Schroer, Dr. Sarah Spence, Kay Stanton, Dr. Benjamin Wolkow, Tony Yates ? colleagues, professors, supervisors, coworkers, peers, and, most importantly, friends.

I would be incredibly remiss if I did not give due thanks to the people outside of the Classics Department ? friends, family, loved ones ? those who have loved and supported me and been there for me in every way possible throughout the last two years (and much much longer): Mom, A.J., Ed Goll (you can have our brain back now), Corey McEleney, Renee Bourgeois (rest her soul), Susan Yund (and everyone at the GCB), Kath Whelan, Stevie King, Greg 'Rain' Rebis, Angela Romito, Jake Jackson & Rhys May (my first GA friends), Karen Schlanger, Chucky Hanson (our friendship can now drink), Mark Frens, Mike 'Soda Pop' Cevoli, Lodore Brown, Pete 'Fuzzy' Bianconi, Pete 'the other white pete' Rodgers, and Brian 'Moe' Monahan. Thank you all, from the bottom of my soul.

Sin R. Guanci University of Georgia Athens, GA

About the Poet

Introduction

Publius Ovidius Naso, commonly known as Ovid, was born on March 20, 43 BCE. His hometown was Sulmona, which is now called Abruzzo. Coming from a wealthy equestrian family, he attended the best schools in Rome. Setting out on the path leading to a career in law and politics, he traveled to Greece for the completion of his schooling. Upon returning to Rome, he held a few minor political offices and then abandoned his political aspirations altogether. It was not long before he was heavily involved in the most elite literary circles of Rome and was building relationships with the most famous poets. He married his third wife when he was forty years old. By the year 8 CE, his career as a poet was at the height of its success. At that time, and rather abruptly, Ovid was relegated by the emperor Augustus from Rome to Tomi, a city on the Black Sea now known as Costanza. Relegation meant that, unlike straightforward exile, he could keep his citizenship and his possessions, but he could never return to the city of Rome. Ovid died in Tomi in either 17 or 18 CE.

The Works of Ovid

Ovid's work spanned several different genres. He published his first work, the Amores, a few years after 20 BCE. In its first publication, the Amores was five books; the edition that has survived was published around 1 CE and is three books, comprising forty-nine elegies, totaling nearly 2500 lines of verse. The poems in the Amores all address the subject of love and are

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