The balls are wounded with the piercing ray, 800 Your swimming eyes are drunk with sudden light, Strange phantoms dance around, and skim before your sight: "Then, sir, be cautious, nor too rashly deem; Heaven knows how seldom things are what they seem! 810 Consult your reason, and you soon shall find Thus ends our tale, whose moral next to make, And pray, to crown the pleasure of their lives, 820 THE FIRST BOOK OF STATIUS HIS THEBAIS. TRANSLATED IN THE YEAR 1703 The First Book of the Thebais of Statius was published in 1712, in Lintot's Miscellany. Pope had tried his hand at translating part of Statius before he was twelve years of age; and his efforts were revised by his early friend Henry Cromwell, so mysteriously described by Gay in Alexander Pope his safe return from Troy as "honest hatless Cromwell, with red breeches." Papinius Statius, born at Naples about 50 A.D. was the most popular poet of the Flavian epoch, and besides his epics, the Thebais (in 12 books) and the Achilleis (in 2), wrote the Sylva (5 books of occasional pieces). Of his Thebais, said to have been founded on the Greek poem by Antimachus, a criticism will be found in Merivale's Romans under the Empire, chap. Ixiv., where it is designated as perhaps the most perfect in form and arrangement of ancient epics, but confused in its general effect from want of breadth and largeness of treatment. ARGUMENT. Edipus King of Thebes having by mistake slain his father Laius, and married his mother Jocasta, put out his own eyes, and resigned the realm to his sons Eteocles and Polynices. Being neglected by them, he makes his prayer to the fury Tisiphone, to sow debate betwixt the brothers. They agree at last to reign singly, each a year by turns, and the first lot is obtained by Eteocles. Jupiter, in a council of the gods, declares his resolution of punishing the Thebans, and Argives also, by means of a marriage betwixt Polynices and one of the daughters of Adrastus, King of Argus. Juno opposes, but to no effect; and Mercury is sent on a message to the shades, to the ghost of Laius, who is to appear to Eteocles, and provoke him to break the agreement. Polynices, in the meantime, departs from Thebes by night, is overtaken by a storm, and arrives at Argos; where he meets with Tydeus, who had fled from Calydon, having killed his brother. Adrastus entertains them, having received an oracle from Apollo that his daughter should be married to a boar and a lion, which he understands to be meant of these strangers by whom the hides of those beasts were worn, and who arrived at the time when he kept an annual feast in honour of that god. The rise of this solemnity he relates to his guests, the loves of Phoebus and Psamathe, and the story of Chorobus. He inquires, and is made acquainted with that descent and quality: The sacrifice is renewed, and the book concludes with a Hymn to Apollo. The translator hopes he needs not apologise for his choice of this piece, which was made almost in his childhood. But finding the version better than he expected, he gave it some correction a few years afterwards. FRATERNAL rage the guilty Thebes alarms, My ravished breast, and all the muse inspires. Europa's rape, Agenor's stern decree, And Cadmus searching round the spacious sea? And fix, O muse! the barrier of thy song At Edipus-from his disasters trace ΤΟ 20 Nor yet attempt to stretch thy bolder wing, And mighty Cæsar's conquering eagles sing; How twice he tamed proud Ister's rapid flood, While Dacian mountains streamed with barbarous blood; In youthful arms to assert the cause of Jove. 30 260 Scarce seemed her stature of a cubit's height; (Her virgin handmaids) still attend the shrine: For fame they raise the voice, and tune the string ; 270 Of various tongues the mingled sounds were heard; 280 Thick as the bees, that with the spring renew Or settling, seize the sweets the blossoms yield, 290 Their pleas were different, their request the same: Some she disgraced, and some with honours crowned; Unlike successes equal merits found. Thus her blind sister, fickle fortune, reigns, And, undiscerning, scatters crowns and chains. First at the shrine the learned world appear, And to the goddess thus prefer their prayer. "Long have we sought to instruct and please mankind, With studies pale, with midnight vigils blind; But thanked by few, rewarded yet by none, We here appeal, to thy superior throne: The goddess heard, and bade the muses raise Next these the good and just, an awful train, And give each deed the exact intrinsic worth." 301 310 320 |