82
CATULLUS.
He left; but all his promises were dashed
Into the wandering wind.
Far off she strains her melancholy eyes;
And like a Mœnad sculptured there in stone
Stands as in act to shout, for she espies
Him she once called her own.
Dark waves of care swayed o'er her tender soul;
The fine-wove turban from her golden hair
Had fallen; the light robe no longer stole
Over her bosom bare.
Loose dropped the well-wrought girdle from her breast,
That wildly struggled to be free: they lay
About her feet, and many a briny crest
Kissed them in careless play.
But nought she recked of turban then, and nought
Of silken garments flowing gracefully.
Theseus! far away in heart and thought
And soul, she hung on thee!
Ay me! that hour did cruel love prepare
A never-ending thread of wildering woe;
And twining round that heart rude briars of care,
Bade them take root and grow;
What time, from old Piræus' curvèd strand
A ship put forth towards the south, to bring
Chivalrous-hearted Theseus to the land
Of the unrighteous king."
Into the wandering wind.
Far off she strains her melancholy eyes;
And like a Mœnad sculptured there in stone
Stands as in act to shout, for she espies
Him she once called her own.
Dark waves of care swayed o'er her tender soul;
The fine-wove turban from her golden hair
Had fallen; the light robe no longer stole
Over her bosom bare.
Loose dropped the well-wrought girdle from her breast,
That wildly struggled to be free: they lay
About her feet, and many a briny crest
Kissed them in careless play.
But nought she recked of turban then, and nought
Of silken garments flowing gracefully.
Theseus! far away in heart and thought
And soul, she hung on thee!
Ay me! that hour did cruel love prepare
A never-ending thread of wildering woe;
And twining round that heart rude briars of care,
Bade them take root and grow;
What time, from old Piræus' curvèd strand
A ship put forth towards the south, to bring
Chivalrous-hearted Theseus to the land
Of the unrighteous king."
A comparison of the above with the Latin text will show that, as in the italicised passages, the translator has been careful to preserve, as much as might be, the expressions, metaphors, and similes of the author. That author proceeds from this point to explain the causes of Theseus's visit to the home of Minos, and to unfold the legend of the monster, the labyrinth, the clue to it supplied by Ariadne, and the treachery of
