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Daedalus interea Creten longumque perosus
exilium tactusque loci natalis amore
clausus erat pelago. “terras licet” inquit “et undas
186obstruat: et caelum certe patet; ibimus illac:
omnia possideat, non possidet aera Minos.”
dixit et ignotas animum dimittit in artes
naturamque novat. nam ponit in ordine pennas
190a minima coeptas, longam breviore sequenti,
ut clivo crevisse putes: sic rustica quondam
fistula disparibus paulatim surgit avenis;
tum lino medias et ceris alligat imas
atque ita conpositas parvo curvamine flectit,
195ut veras imitetur aves. puer Icarus una
stabat et, ignarus sua se tractare pericla,
ore renidenti modo, quas vaga moverat aura,
captabat plumas, flavam modo pollice ceram
mollibat lusuque suo mirabile patris
200impediebat opus. postquam manus ultima coepto
inposita est, geminas opifex libravit in alas
ipse suum corpus motaque pependit in aura;
instruit et natum “medio” que “ut limite curras,
Icare,” ait “moneo, ne, si demissior ibis,
205unda gravet pennas, si celsior, ignis adurat:
inter utrumque vola. nec te spectare Booten
aut Helicen iubeo strictumque Orionis ensem:
me duce carpe viam!” pariter praecepta volandi
tradit et ignotas umeris accommodat alas.
210inter opus monitusque genae maduere seniles,
et patriae tremuere manus; dedit oscula nato
non iterum repetenda suo pennisque levatus
ante volat comitique timet, velut ales, ab alto
quae teneram prolem produxit in aera nido,
215hortaturque sequi damnosasque erudit artes
et movet ipse suas et nati respicit alas.
hos aliquis tremula dum captat harundine pisces,
aut pastor baculo stivave innixus arator
vidit et obstipuit, quique aethera carpere possent,
220credidit esse deos. et iam Iunonia laeva
parte Samos (fuerant Delosque Parosque relictae)
dextra Lebinthos erat fecundaque melle Calymne,
cum puer audaci coepit gaudere volatu
deseruitque ducem caelique cupidine tractus
225altius egit iter. rapidi vicinia solis
mollit odoratas, pennarum vincula, ceras;
tabuerant cerae: nudos quatit ille lacertos,
remigioque carens non ullas percipit auras,
oraque caerulea patrium clamantia nomen
230excipiuntur aqua, quae nomen traxit ab illo.
at pater infelix, nec iam pater, “Icare,” dixit,
“Icare,” dixit “ubi es? qua te regione requiram?”
“Icare” dicebat: pennas aspexit in undis
devovitque suas artes corpusque sepulcro
235condidit, et tellus a nomine dicta sepulti.
exilium tactusque loci natalis amore
clausus erat pelago. “terras licet” inquit “et undas
186obstruat: et caelum certe patet; ibimus illac:
omnia possideat, non possidet aera Minos.”
dixit et ignotas animum dimittit in artes
naturamque novat. nam ponit in ordine pennas
190a minima coeptas, longam breviore sequenti,
ut clivo crevisse putes: sic rustica quondam
fistula disparibus paulatim surgit avenis;
tum lino medias et ceris alligat imas
atque ita conpositas parvo curvamine flectit,
195ut veras imitetur aves. puer Icarus una
stabat et, ignarus sua se tractare pericla,
ore renidenti modo, quas vaga moverat aura,
captabat plumas, flavam modo pollice ceram
mollibat lusuque suo mirabile patris
200impediebat opus. postquam manus ultima coepto
inposita est, geminas opifex libravit in alas
ipse suum corpus motaque pependit in aura;
instruit et natum “medio” que “ut limite curras,
Icare,” ait “moneo, ne, si demissior ibis,
205unda gravet pennas, si celsior, ignis adurat:
inter utrumque vola. nec te spectare Booten
aut Helicen iubeo strictumque Orionis ensem:
me duce carpe viam!” pariter praecepta volandi
tradit et ignotas umeris accommodat alas.
210inter opus monitusque genae maduere seniles,
et patriae tremuere manus; dedit oscula nato
non iterum repetenda suo pennisque levatus
ante volat comitique timet, velut ales, ab alto
quae teneram prolem produxit in aera nido,
215hortaturque sequi damnosasque erudit artes
et movet ipse suas et nati respicit alas.
hos aliquis tremula dum captat harundine pisces,
aut pastor baculo stivave innixus arator
vidit et obstipuit, quique aethera carpere possent,
220credidit esse deos. et iam Iunonia laeva
parte Samos (fuerant Delosque Parosque relictae)
dextra Lebinthos erat fecundaque melle Calymne,
cum puer audaci coepit gaudere volatu
deseruitque ducem caelique cupidine tractus
225altius egit iter. rapidi vicinia solis
mollit odoratas, pennarum vincula, ceras;
tabuerant cerae: nudos quatit ille lacertos,
remigioque carens non ullas percipit auras,
oraque caerulea patrium clamantia nomen
230excipiuntur aqua, quae nomen traxit ab illo.
at pater infelix, nec iam pater, “Icare,” dixit,
“Icare,” dixit “ubi es? qua te regione requiram?”
“Icare” dicebat: pennas aspexit in undis
devovitque suas artes corpusque sepulcro
235condidit, et tellus a nomine dicta sepulti.
Meanwhile Daedalus, hating Crete and his long exile, and longing to see his native land, was shut in by the sea. “Though he may block escape by land and water,” he said, “yet the sky is open, and by that way will I go. Though Minos rules over all, he does not rule the air.” So saying, he sets his mind at work upon unknown arts, and changes the laws of nature. For he lays feathers in order, beginning at the smallest, short next to long, so that you would think they had grown upon a slope. Just so the old-fashioned rustic pan-pipes with their unequal reeds rise one above another. Then he fastened the feathers together with twine and wax at the middle and bottom; and, thus arranged, he bent them with a gentle curve, so that they looked like real birds’ wings. His son, Icarus, was standing by and, little knowing that he was handling his own peril, with gleeful face would now catch at the feathers which some passing breeze had blown about, now mould the yellow wax with his thumb, and by his sport would hinder his father’s wondrous task. When now the finishing touches had been put upon the work, the master workman himself balanced his body on two wings and hung poised on the beaten air. He taught his son also and said: “I warn you, Icarus, to fly in a middle course, lest, if you go too low, the water may weight your wings; if you go too high, the fire may burn them. Fly between the two. And I bid you not to shape your course by Boötes or Helice or the drawn sword of Orion, but fly where I shall lead.” At the same time he tells him the rules of flight and fits the strange wings on his boy’s shoulders. While he works and talks the old man’s cheeks are wet with tears, and his fatherly hands tremble. He kissed his son, which he was destined never again to do, and rising on his wings, he flew on ahead, fearing for his companion, just like a bird which has led forth her fledglings from the high nest into the unsubstantial air. He encourages the boy to follow, instructs him in the fatal art of flight, himself flapping his wings and looking back on his son. Now some fisherman spies them, angling for fish with his flexible rod, or a shepherd, leaning upon his crook, or a plowman, on his plow-handles—spies them and stands stupefied, and believes them to be gods that they could fly through the air. And now Juno’s sacred Samos had been passed on the left, and Delos and Paros; Lebinthos was on the right and Calymne, rich in honey, when the boy began to rejoice in his bold flight and, deserting his leader,led by a desire for the open sky, directed his course to a greater height. The scorching rays of the nearer sun softened the fragrant wax which held his wings. The wax melted; his arms were bare as he beat them up and down, but, lacking wings, they took no hold on the air. His lips, calling to the last upon his father’s name, were drowned in the dark blue sea, which took its name from him. But the unhappy father, now no longer father, called: “Icarus, Icarus, where are you? In what place shall I seek you? Icarus,” he called again; and then he spied the wings floating on the deep, and cursed his skill. He buried the body in a tomb, and the land was called from the name of the buried boy.
- Crētē, Crētēs, acc. Crētēn (Greek) f. = Crete perōsus, -a, -um = hating
- pelagus, ī, n. = sea
- obstruat – Minos is the subject. pateō, patēre, patuī = lie open illāc, adv. = by that route
- possideō, possidēre, possēdī, possessus = control
possideat subjunctive with licet (line 186)
āēr, āeris, acc. āera, m. = air
- ignōtus, -a, -um = unknown, unfamiliar dimitto + in = devote (something) to
- novō, novāre, novāvī, novātus = make new; change ōrdō, ōrdinis, m. = row
- coepī, coepisse, coeptus (defective verb) = begin
pennās coeptās ā minimā [pennā], breviōre [pennā] sequenti [each] longam [pennam]
- ut + subjunctive = so that clīvus, -ī = slope
supply “them” (feathers) with crēvisse = to have grown (perfect active infinitive) quondam, adv. = once, formerly, sometimes
- fistula, -ae = reed shepherd’s pipe (also known as a Panpipe or syrinx) dispār, disparis = unequal
- līnum, - ī = flax; twine
tum līno [alligat] mediās [pennās] et cērīs alligat īmās [pennās] alligō = ad + ligo
cēra, -ae = wax (note poetic plural here)
īmus, -a, -um = lowest; bottom of
The feathers were fastened at the middles with twine, at the bottoms (the quills) with wax.
- compono = cum + pono
- ignārus, -a, -um = ignorant, unaware tractō, -āre, -āvi, -ātus = handle
sē tractāre – acc. and infinitive in an indirect statement with ignārus, lit. unaware himself to handle
perīcla = perīcula (contracted)
- renīdeō, renīdēre = shine; glow with joy modo … modo = at one time … at another vagus, -a, -um = wandering
aura, -ae = breeze
- plūma, -ae = soft feather, down flāvus, -a, -um = yellow, golden pollex, pollicis, m. = thumb
- molliō, -īre, -ī(v)ī, -ītus = soften
- opus, operis, n. = work, artistry ultimus, -a, -um = last, final
- inpōnō = in + pōnō geminus, -a, -um = twin
opifex, opificis, m. = craftsman, artisan lībrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus = balance
āla, -ae = wing
- pendeō, pendere, pependi = hang
- īnstruō, īnstruere, īnstrūxī, īnstrūctus = instruct et = etiam
- dēmissus, -a, -um = low
- gravō, -āre, -āvi, -ātus = make heavy, weigh down celsus, -a, -um = high
adūro, adūrere, adūssī, adūstus = burn up
- volō, -āre, -āvi, -ātus = fly
- Helicē, Helicēs, acc. Helicēn, f. = the constellation Ursa Major, the “Great Bear”
- dux, ducis, m. = leader
mē duce – This is called an “ablative absolute”. Here, supply “with” and “as”. carpō, carpere, carpsī, carptus = (of a journey) hasten on, pursue
- pariter = equally, at the same time praeceptum, -tī = an instruction, rule volandī – gerund from volo, -āre
- ignōtus, -a, -um = unknown, unfamiliar umerus, -ī = shoulder
- monitus, ūs, m. = advice, warning gena, -ae = cheek
senīlis, -e = aged
- patrius, -a, -um = fatherly
- repetō = re + petō; repetenda – gerundive levō, -āre, -āvi, -ātus = raise
- velut = just as
- tener, tenera, tenerum = tender, young prōlēs, prōlis, f. = offspring
- damnōsus, -a, -um = ruinous
- respiciō, respicere, respexī, respectus = look back at
- tremulus, -a, -um = trembling
piscis, piscis, m. = fish
- pāstor, pāstōris, m. = shepherd stīva, -ae = plow handle
- obstipēscō, obstipēscere, obsipuī = be astonished quī - supply eos as antecedent
- Īūnōnius, -a, -um = of Juno, sacred to Juno laevus, -a, -um = left, on the left
- Samos, Samī, f. = Samos – an island northeast of Crete
Dēlos, Dēlī, f. = Delos – an island north of Crete
Paros, Parī, f. = Paros – an island north of Crete
- Lebinthos, Lebinthī, f. = Lebinthos – an island off the coast of Asia Minor fēcundus, -a, -um = abundant, rich (in)
Calymnē, Calymnēs, f. = Calymne – another island off the coast of Asia Minor
- volātus, ūs, m. = flight
- dēserō, dēserere, dēseruī, dēsertus = desert cupīdō, cupīdinis, f. = desire, passion
- rapidus, -a, -um = swift, fierce, scorching vīcīnia, -ae = proximity, nearness
- odōrātus, -a, -um = fragrant vinculum, -ī = chain; binding material
- tābēscō, tābēscere, tābuī = waste away, melt nūdus, -a, -um = bare, naked
- rēmigium, -ī = set of “oars”
- percipiō, percipere, percēpī, perceptus = catch hold of
caeruleus, -a, -um = deep blue sea colored
- īnfēlix, īnfēlīcis = unlucky, accursed
- regiō, -ōnis, f. = region
- aspiciō, aspicere, aspexī, aspectus = look at, observe, consider
- dēvoveō, dēvovēre, dēvōvī, dēvōtus = curse
- condō, -ere, condidī, conditus – here = bury tellūs, tellūris, f. = earth, land