Germanicus: CLAUDIUS CAESAR GERMANICUS: ARATEA

Ab Iove principium magno deduxit Aratus,
carminis at nobis, genitor, tu maximus auctor,
te veneror, tibi sacra fero doctique laboris
primitias. probat ipse deum rectorque satorque.
quantum etenim possent anni certissima signa, 5
qua sol ardentem cancrum rapidissimus ambit
diversasque secat metas gelidi capricorni
quave aries et libra aequant divortia lucis,
si non tanta quies, te praeside, puppibus aequor
cultorique daret terras, procul arma silerent? 10
nunc vacat audacis in caelum tollere vultus
sideraque et mundi varios cognoscere motus,
navita quid caveat, quid scitus vitet arator,
quando ratem ventis aut credat semina terris.

From Jove Aratus drew the beginning of his great song,
but of the poem — to us, O father, you are the greatest author,
I worship you, I bring sacred first-fruits of learned toil to you.
He himself approves, the god both rector and sower.
for if the most certain signs of the years could, 5
by which the sun most swift surrounds the burning Cancer
and severs the differing bounds of icy Capricorn,
or where Aries and Libra make equal the divisions of light,
if not so great a calm, with you presiding, would give the sea to sterns
and the lands to the tiller, would arms be silent far away? 10
now there is leisure to lift bold eyes to the sky
and to learn the stars and the various motions of the world,
what the sailor should beware of, what the knowing ploughman should avoid,
when he should commit his ship to the winds or trust seeds to the earth.

haec ego dum Latiis conor praedicere Musis, 15

these things while I endeavour to proclaim to the Latian Muses, 15

pax tua tuque adsis nato numenque secundes!
Cetera, quae toto fulgent vaga sidera mundo,
indefessa trahit proprio cum pondere caelum.
axis at immotus semper vestigia servat
libratasque tenet terras et cardine firmo 20
orbem agit.

May your peace and you be present to your son and favor the divinity!
The rest, the wandering stars which shine throughout the whole world,
with their own weight unweariedly draw the sky.
But the axis, immobile, always keeps its tracks
and holds the balanced lands and with a steadfast pivot 20
turns the orb.

extremum geminus determinat axem,
quem Grai dixere polon; pars mersa sub undas
oceani, pars celsa sub horrifero aquilone.
Axem Cretaeae dextra laevaque tuentur
sive arctoe seu Romani cognominis ursae 25
plaustrave, quae facies stellarum proxima vero:
tres temone rotisque micant sublime quaternae.
si melius dixisse feras, obversa refulgent
ora feris; caput alterius super horrida terga
alterius lucet; pronas rapit orbis in ipsos 30

a twin determines the outermost axis,
which the Greeks called Polus; part plunged beneath the waves
of the ocean, part lofty under the horrific north wind.
The right and left watch the Cretan axis
whether of the Arctic or of the bear of Roman name 25
or of the wagons, whose aspect is nearest the stars indeed:
three on the pole and wheels glitter fourfold on high.
If you would prefer to say it better, their faces shine reversed
toward the beasts; the head of one gleams above the horrid back
of another; the orbs sweep the foreparts into themselves 30

declivis umeros. veteri si gratia famae,
Cresia vos tellus aluit, moderator Olympi
donavit caelo; meritum custodia fecit,
quod fidae comites prima incunabula magni
foverunt Iovis, attonitae cum furta parentis 35
aerea pulsantes mendaci cymbala dextra,
vagitus pueri patrias ne tangeret auris,
Dictaei texere adytis famuli Corybantes.
hinc Iovis altrices Helice Cynosuraque fulgent.

declining shoulders. if by ancient grace of fame the Cresian land nourished you, the governor of Olympus bestowed you upon heaven; guardianship made it a merit, which the faithful companions cherished—the first swaddlings of great Jove—when, amazed at the theft of their parent, they struck aerial cymbals with deceitful right hands,
the wailing of the child lest it touch the father's ears,
the Corybant servants wove in the sanctuaries of Dicte. hence Jove’s nurses Helice and Cynosura shine.35

dat Grais Helice cursus maioribus astris, 40
Phoenicas Cynosura regit. sed candida tota
et liquido splendore Helice nitet; haut prius ulla,
cum sol oceano fulgentia condidit ora,
stella micat caelo, septem quam Cresia flammis.
certior est Cynosura tamen sulcantibus aequor, 45

Helice gives to the Greeks a course among the greater stars, 40
Cynosura rules the Phoenicians. But Helice, all bright, gleams with liquid splendour; no star first sparkles in the sky, when the sun has hidden his shining face in the ocean, than the star which is seven with Cresian flames. Yet Cynosura is surer for the ploughed sea, 45

quippe brevis totam fido se cardine vertit
Sidoniamque ratem numquam spectata fefellit.
Has inter medias abrupti fluminis instar
immanis serpens sinuosa volumina torquet
hinc atque hinc superaque illas mirabile monstrum. 50
cauda Helicen supra tendit, redit ad Cynosuran
squamigero lapsu; qua desinit ultima cauda,
hac caput est Helices; flexu comprenditur alto
serpentis Cynosura; ille explicat amplius orbes
sublatusque retro maiorem respicit arcton. 55
ardent ingentes oculi, cava tempora claris
ornantur flammis, mento sedet unicus ignis.
tempus dexterius qua signat stella draconis
quaque sedet mentum, lucetque novissima cauda
extremumque Helices sidus micat.

for indeed the short one turns itself about the whole on a faithful hinge
and never deceived the Sidonian bark though not beheld.
Among these, like the likeness of a broken river’s midstream,
a monstrous serpent twists sinuous coils
on this side and that and above them, a marvelous monster. 50
its tail stretches above Helice, returns to Cynosura
with a scaly slide; where the last tail ends,
there is Helice’s head; in a deep bend
the Cynosura of the serpent is clasped; that one unfolds further circles
and lifted back looks toward the greater Arcton. 55
huge eyes burn, hollow temples are adorned with bright
flames, on the chin a single fire sits.
where the star of the dragon more rightly marks the time
and where the chin rests, the newest tail shines
and the farthest star of Helice twinkles.

hac radiatur 60

by this it is radiated 60

serpentis declive caput, qua proxima signa
occasus ortusque uno tanguntur ab orbe,
oceani tumidis ignotae fluctibus arctoe,
semper inocciduis servantes ignibus axem.
Haud procul effigies inde est defecta labore. 65
non illi nomen, non magni causa laboris,
dextro namque genu nixus diversaque tendens
bracchia, suppliciter passis ad numina palmis.
serpentis capiti figit vestigia laeva.

the serpent’s sloping head, where the nearest signs of setting and rising are touched by one orb,
by the swollen waves of the unknown arctic ocean,
always keeping the axle with unsetting fires.
Haud procul effigies inde est defecta labore. 65
not for him a name, not the cause of great labor; for having leaned on his right knee and stretching forth diverse arms,
with palms spread supplicating to the numina,
the left foot fixes its footprints upon the serpent’s head.

Tum fessi subter costas atque ardua terga 70
clara Ariadnaeo sacratast igne corona,
hunc illi Bacchus thalami memor addit honorem.
terga nitent stellis, at qua se vertice tollit
succiduis genibus lassum et miserabile sidus,
hac ophiuchus erit longe caput ante notabis 75

Then, weary beneath the ribs and the high backs 70
a bright crown is consecrated to Ariadne with fire,
this honor Bacchus, mindful of the bridal bed, adds to her. The backs gleam with stars, but where he lifts himself by his summit,
on bending knees, weary, a pitiable constellation,
by this you will mark Ophiuchus far before at the head 75

et vastos umeros, tum cetera membra sequuntur.
illis languet honos, umeris manet integer ardor,
luna etiam mensem cum pleno dividit orbe.
lux tenuis manibus, per quas elabitur anguis,
pressus utraque manu, medium cingens ophiuchum. 80
scorpios ima pedum tangit, sed planta sinistra
in tergo residet, vestigia dextera pendent.

and vast shoulders, then the remaining limbs follow.
to them honor is faint, upon the shoulders a whole ardor remains,
the moon also marks the month with her full orb.
a thin light on the hands, through which the serpent slips,
pressed by each hand, girdling the middle of the ophiuchus. 80
the scorpion the lowest parts of the feet touches, but the left sole
rests upon the back, the right footprints hang.

impar est manibus pondus, nam dextera parvam
partem anguis retinet, per laevam attollitur omnis,
quantumque ab laeva distantia serta notantur, 85
erigitur tantum serpens atque ultima mento
ste]la sub aetheria lucet crinita corona.
at qua se dorso sinuabit lubricus anguis
insigni caelum perfundent lumine chelae.
Ipsam Helicen sequitur senior baculoque minatur, 90

the weight is unequal for the hands, for the right hand holds a small part, the whole is raised by the left, and however many garlands are marked by their distance from the left, 85
the serpent is raised only that much and the last star on the chin shines beneath the aether with a hair-wreathed crown. But where the slippery snake will coil itself on its back, its notable claws will bathe the sky with light. The old man pursues Helice herself and threatens with his staff, 90

sive ille arctophylax seu Bacchi ob munera caesus
Icarus ereptam pensavit sidere vitam.
non illi obscurum caput est, non tristia membra,
sed proprio tamen una micat sub nomine flamma,
arcturum dixere, sinus qua vincula nodant. 95
Virginis inde subest facies, cui plena sinistra
fulget spica manu maturisque ardet aristis.
quam te, diva, vocem?

sive ille Arctophylax seu Bacchi ob munera caesus
Icarus ereptam pensavit sidere vitam.
non illi obscurum caput est, non tristia membra,
sed proprio tamen una micat sub nomine flamma,
arcturum dixere, sinus qua vincula nodant. 95
Virginis inde subest facies, cui plena sinistra
fulget spica manu maturisque ardet aristis.
quam te, diva, vocem?

tangunt mortalia si te
carmina nec surdam praebes venerantibus aurem,
exosa heu mortale genus, medio mihi cursu               100
stabunt quadrupedes et flexis laetus habenis
teque tuumque canam terris venerabile numen.
Aurea pacati regeres cum saecula mundi,
Iustitia inviolata malis, placidissima virgo,
sive illa Astraei genus es, quem fama parentem                105
tradidit astrorum, seu vera intercidit aevo
ortus fama tui, mediis te laeta ferebas
sublimis populis nec dedignata subire
tecta hominum et puros sine crimine, diva, penatis
iura dabas cultuque novo rude vulgus in omnem               110

If songs of mortals touch you, and you do not offer a deaf ear to those venerating you,
hated, alas, mortal race, at my mid-course               100
the four-footed beasts will stand and, joyful with bent reins,
I will sing of you and of your venerable numen to the lands.
You would rule the golden ages of a pacified world,
Justice inviolate toward evils, most placid maiden,
whether you are that offspring of Astraeus, whose sire fame               105
the rumor of the stars handed down, or whether the true rise of your fame perished with time,
you, borne aloft joyfully among the peoples, were carried in the middle,
not disdainful to descend to the roofs of men and to give pure household gods without blame, O goddess,
laws and to spread a rude populace to all by a new cult               110

formabas vitae sinceris artibus usum.
nondum vesanos rabies nudaverat ensis
nec consanguineis fuerat discordia nota,
ignotique maris cursus privataque tellus
grata satis, neque per dubios avidissima ventos               115
spes procul amotas fabricata nave petebat
divitias, fructusque dabat placata colono
sponte sua tellus nec parvi terminus agri
praestabat dominis, sine eo tutissima, rura.
At postquam argenti crevit deformior aetas               120
rarius invisit maculatas fraudibus urbis
seraque ab excelsis descendens montibus ore
velato tristique genas abscondita rica,
nulliusque larem, nullos adit illa penatis.
tantum cum trepidum vulgus coetusque notavit               125

you were shaping the practice of life with sincere arts.
not yet had the sword of maddened rage been bared
nor had discord been known among kin,
and unfamiliar courses of the sea and the private land
were pleasing enough, nor did a ship, most eager through uncertain winds,               115
seek hopes far removed; the land, appeased, gave riches and fruits to the farmer of its own accord,
nor did the small boundary of the field supply masters; the countryside was safest without it.
But after a more deformed age of silver increased,               120
it visited the city more rarely, stained with frauds;
and late, descending from the high mountains, with mouth veiled and sad cheeks hidden,
she had no household hearth, she approached no penates.
so that only the trembling crowd and the assembled throng marked               125

increpat "o patrum suboles oblita priorum,
degeneres semper semperque habitura minores,
quid me, cuius abit usus, per vota vocatis?
quaerenda est sedes nobis nova, saecula vestra
artibus indomitis tradam scelerique cruento";               130
haec effata super montis abit alite cursu,
attonitos linquens populos graviora paventis.
Aerea sed postquam proles terris data nec iam
semina virtutis vitiis demersa resistunt
ferrique invento mens est laetata metallo               135
polluit et taurus mensas assuetus aratro,
deservit propere terras iustissima virgo
et caelist sortita locum, qua proximus illi
tardus in occasum sequitur sua plaustra Bootes.
Virginis at placidae praestanti lumine signat               140

he reproves: "O offspring of fathers forgetful of your forebears,
always degenerate and ever destined to be the lesser generations,
why do you call me by vows, whose use is passing away?
a new seat must be sought for us; your ages I will hand over
to untamed arts and to bloody crime";               130
these words spoken, he goes away over the mountain with winged course,
leaving astonished peoples, fearing worse things.
But after a brazen progeny was given to the lands and no longer
do the seeds of virtue, sunk by vices, endure,
and the mind, glad at the discovery of iron metal,               135
also befouls the tables, and the bull, trained to the plough,
serves the fields hastily: the most righteous virgin deserts them
and, having been allotted a heavenly place, to which near her
slow Bootes follows his wagons into the west.
But she marks with her surpassing placid light               140

stella umeros. Helicen ignis non clarior ambit,
quique micat cauda quique armum fulget ad ipsum
quique priora tenet vestigia quique secunda
clunibus hirsutis et qui sua sidera reddit,
namque alii, quibus expletur cervixque caputque, 145
vatibus ignoti priscis sine honore feruntur.
Qua media est Helice, subiectum respice cancrum;
at capiti suberunt gemini.

the star on the shoulders. Fire not brighter encloses Helice,
and who flashes with a tail and who the weapon gleams to the very point,
and who holds the former footprints and who the latter with hairy haunches,
and who gives back his own stars; for others, whose neck and head are filled, 145
are borne to unknown ancient seers without honor.
Which Helice is in the middle, behold the crab set beneath;
but to the head twin stars are placed.

qua posterior pes,
horrentisque iubas et fulvum cerne leonem.
hunc ubi contigerit Phoebi violentior axis, 150
accensa in cancro iam tum geminabitur aestas.
tunc lymphae tenues, tunc est tristissima tellus
et densas laetus segetes bene condit arator.

where the hind foot is, and behold the bristling mane and the tawny lion.
when the more violent axis of Phoebus shall have touched this, 150
then, the summer, already kindled in Cancer, will be doubled.
then the waters are thin, then the earth is most sorrowful
and the happy ploughman sows rich, dense crops.

ne mihi tunc remis pulset vada caerula puppis;
dem potius ventis excusso vela rudente 155

let not then the blue ship beat the blue shallows for me with oars;
rather grant me, with the sail shaken free from the winds, the sheet (rudent). 155

excipiamque sinu zephyris spirantibus auras.
Est etiam aurigae facies, sine Atthide terra
natus Erichthonius, qui primus sub iuga duxit
quadrupedes, seu Myrtoas demersus in undas
Myrtilos. hunc potius species in sidere reddit, 160
sic nulli currus, sic ruptis maestus habenis
perfidia Pelopis raptam gemit Hippodamiam.

and I will receive the airs in my bosom with the zephyrs breathing.
There is also the face of the charioteer, Erichthonius born of the land without Atthis, who first put quadrupeds under the yoke,
or Myrtilos plunged into the Myrtoan waves. This form rather sets him in the constellation, 160
so that no chariot, so, with the reins broken, sorrowful, because of Pelops' perfidy he laments Hippodamia carried off.

ipse ingens transversus abit laeva geminorum
maiorisque ursae contra delabitur ora.
numina praeterea secum trahit, una putatur 165
nutrix esse Iovis, si vere Iuppiter infans
ubera Cretaeae mulsit fidissima caprae,
sidere quae claro gratum testatur alumnum.
hanc Auriga umero totam gerit, at manus haedos
ostendit, nautis inimicum sidus, ubi illos 170

He himself, large and turned athwart, passes to the left of the Twins
and glides toward the face of the greater Bear. Moreover he draws divinities with him; he is thought to be together the nurse of Jove, 165
if truly Jupiter as an infant sucked the teats of the most faithful Cretan goat,
which by a clear star testifies to a welcome foster-child. The Auriga bears her whole upon his shoulder, but his hands display kids,
a star unfriendly to sailors, where those 170

orbis ab oceano celsos rapit; haut semel haedi
iactatam videre ratem nautasque paventis
sparsaque per saevos morientum corpora fluctus.
Aurigae pedibus trux adiacet ignea taurus,
cornua fronte gerens et lucidus ore minaci. 175
quamlibet ignarum caeli sua forma docebit,
et caput et patulae naris et cornua tauri.
fronte micant hyades.

the orb from the ocean sweeps up the lofty ones; not once did the kids behold the tossed craft and the sailors in terror, and the waves scattered the bodies of the dying through the savage floods.
Beside the feet of the Charioteer the fierce, fiery bull lies close, bearing horns upon his brow and bright in a threatening mouth. 175
his very shape will teach even one ignorant of the sky, both the head and the broad nostrils and the horns of the bull.
on his brow the Hyades shine.

qua cornus flamma sinistri
summa tenet, subit haec eadem vestigia dextra
aurigae mediaque ligat compagine divos. 180
Myrtilos exoritur summo cum fluctibus ore,
totus cum tauro lucet; ruit oceano bos
ante, super terras cum fulget Myrtilos ore.
Iasides etiam caelum cum coniuge Cepheus
ascendit totaque domo, quia Iuppiter auctor 185

where the horn of the leftmost flame holds the summit,
the same footsteps approach beneath on the right of the charioteer
and bind the gods with a middle fastening of the yoke. 180
Myrtilos rises with its summit like a mouth of waves,
altogether it shines with the Bull; the ox rushes forth from the ocean before,
while Myrtilos flashes above the lands with its face.
The Iasides too, Cepheus with his consort,
ascend the sky and the whole house, because Jupiter the author 185

est generis: prodest maiestas saepe parentis.
ipse brevem patulis manibus stat post Cynosuram
diducto passu. quantum latus a pede dextro
Cepheos extremam tangit Cynosurida caudam,
tantundem ab laevo distat; minor utraque iungit 190
regula Cepheos vestigia.

it is of the same kind: the majesty of the parent often avails. He himself stands a short way behind Cynosura, stride spread and hands outstretched. As far as the flank from the right foot touches Cepheus’s utmost Cynusuran tail, so far it is distant from the left; a smaller rule joins the two and traces Cepheus’s footsteps 190
the rule marks Cepheus’ tracks.

balteus ambit
qua latus, ad flexum sinuosi respicit anguis.
Cassiepia virum residet sublimis ad ipsum,
clara, etiam pernox caelo cum luna refulsit,
sed brevis et paucis decorata in sidere flammis. 195
qualis ferratos subicit clavicula dentes,
succutit et foribus praeducti vincula claustri,
talis disposita est stellis. ipsa horrida vultu
sic tendit palmas, ceu sit planctura relictam
Andromedam, meritae non iusta piacula matris. 200

a belt surrounds where the side, toward the bend the sinuous snake looks back.
Cassiopeia sits aloft beside that man himself, bright, even through the night she shone with the moon,
but short and adorned with few stars in a blaze 195
such as a little key thrusts beneath iron teeth, and shakes the bolts and the links of the fastened doorway,
thus she is set among the stars. She herself, grim of visage,
thus stretches forth her palms, as if lamenting the forsaken Andromeda,
an expiation not just for a mother deserving. 200

Nec procul Andromede, totam quam cernere posse
obscura sub nocte licet, sic emicat ore,
sic magnis umeris candet nitor. hanc media abit
ignea substricta lucet qua zonula palla.
sed poenae facies remanet districtaque pandit 205
bracchia, ceu duri teneantur robore saxi.

And not far from Andromeda, whom to see whole is permitted under the dark night, so she gleams with her face, so the whiteness shines on her mighty shoulders. A fiery girdle goes about her midriff, beneath which the little band of her robe glows. But the face of punishment remains, and she spreads open her outstretched arms, 205
as if they were held by the hard strength of a rock.

Andromedae capiti sonipes supereminet ales,
vertice et Andromedae radiat quae stella, sub ipsa
alvo fulget equi, tres armos et latera aequis
distinguunt spatiis, capiti tristissima forma 210
et cervix sine honore obscuro lumine sordet.
spumanti mandit sed qua ferus ore lupata,
et capite et longa cervice insignior exit
stella nitens armis laterique simillima magno.
nec totam ille tamen formam per singula reddit. 215

A winged horse towers above Andromeda's head,
and on the summit the star of Andromeda also shines; beneath it
in the belly of the steed gleams, three flanks and sides by equal
intervals distinguish, the head in most sorrowful form 210
and the neck, without honor, is sullied by a gloomy light.
It bites with a foaming, wolf‑mouthed jaw,
and more notable in head and long neck there issues forth
a shining star, like in its arms and very like the great flank.
nor yet does that one render the whole form in every particular. 215

primo praestat equum, medio rupta ordine membra
destituunt visus, rudis inde adsurgit imago.
Gorgonis hic proles. in Pierio Helicone,
vertice cum summo nondum decurreret unda,
Museos fontis dextri pedis ictibus hausit. 220
inde liquor genitus nomen tenet Hippocrenes;
fontes nomen habent.

at first it presents a horse, in the middle, with the order broken the limbs
the sight abandons, a rough image then rises.
this is the Gorgon’s offspring. on Pierian Helicon,
when from the utmost summit the wave had not yet run down,
it drank the Muse’s fountain with strokes of the right foot. 220
thence the born stream bears the name Hippocrene;
the springs have a name.

sed Pegasus aethere summo
velocis agitat pennas et sidere gaudet.
Inde subest aries, qui longe maxima currens
orbe suo spatia ad finem non tardius ursa 225
pervenit et quanto graviore Lycaonis arctos
axem actu torquet, tanto pernicior ille
distantis cornu properat contingere metas.
clara nec est illi facies nec sidera possunt,
officiat si luna, sua virtute nitere. 230

but Pegasus on the highest ether beats his swift wings and rejoices in a star.
From there is the ram, which, running far the greatest, with its orbit reaches the spaces to the limit no less swiftly than the bear 225
comes, and by how much Lycaon’s axis with a heavier motion turns the bears, by so much the more nimble he hastens to touch the distant bounds with his horn.
His visage is not bright, nor can the stars, if the moon obstructs, shine by their own power. 230

sed quaerendus erit zonae e regione micantis
Andromedae; terit hic medii divortia mundi,
ut chelae, candens ut balteus Orionis.
Est etiam propiore deum cognoscere signo,
deltoton si quis donum hoc spectabile Nili 235
divitibus generatum undis in sede notabit.
tris illi laterum ductus, aequata duorum
sunt spatia, unius brevior, sed clarior igne.

but the zone must be sought from the region of shining Andromeda; here it wears away the divisions of the middle world, like chelae, white-hot like the belt of Orion. It is also possible to know the nearer god by its sign, deltoton — if anyone will mark this conspicuous gift of the Nile, born in its wealthy waves in its bed. 235
three are the courses of its sides: the spaces of two are equal, the one shorter, but more brilliant with fire.

hunc aries iuxta. medium deltoton habebit
inter lanigeri tergum et Cepheida maestam. 240
Huc ultra gemini pisces, quorum alter in austrum
tendit, Threicium boream petit alter et audit
stridentis auras, niveus quas procreat Haemus.
non illis liber cursus, sed vincula cauda
singula utrumque tenent uno coeuntia nodo. 245

next to this is the ram. it will have a middle deltoton between the back of the wool-bearing animal and the sorrowful Cepheid. 240
Beyond this lie the twin fishes, one of whom stretches to the south, the other seeks the Thracian north and hears the shrilling airs which snowy Haemus begets. Their course is not free, but the bonds of their tails hold each one, coming together in a single knot. 245

nodum stella premit. piscis, qui respicit auras
Threicias, dextram Andromedae cernetur ad ulnam.
Subter utrumque pedem devotae virginis ales
Perseos effigies, servatae grata puellae.

a star presses the knot. The fish, which looks back toward the Thracian airs,
will be seen at Andromeda’s right forearm. Beneath each foot of the devoted maiden the bird—an effigy of Perseus—
pleasing to the rescued girl.

moles ipsa Çiri satis est testata parentem, 250
tantus ubique micat, tantum occupat ab Iove caeli.
dextra sublata solium prope Cassiepiae
sublimis fulget pedibus properare videtur
et velle aligeris purum aethera findere plantis.
Poplite sub laevo, tauri certissima signa, 255
Pleiades suberunt brevis et locus occupat omnes,
nec faciles cerni, nisi quod coeuntia plura
sidera communem ostendunt ex omnibus ignem.

the mass itself of Çiri is sufficient, having testified to her parent, 250
so great it flashes everywhere, so much of the sky it occupies from Jove.
with the right raised the throne near Cassiopeia,
lofty it shines; it seems to hasten on its feet
and to will with winged soles to cleave the pure ether.
Under the left poplite, the most certain signs of the bull, 255
the Pleiades rise briefly and a small space occupies them all,
and they are not easy to be discerned, unless because the clustering many stars
show a common fire from all.

septem traduntur numero, sed carpitur una,
deficiente oculo distinguere corpora parva. 260

They are reported seven in number, but one is taken away,
with the failing eye unable to distinguish the small bodies. 260

nomina sed cunctis servavit fida vetustas:
Electra Alcyoneque Celaenoque Meropeque
Asteropeque et Taygete et Maia parente
caelifero genitae, si vere sustinet Atlas
regna Iovis superosque atque ipso pondere gaudet. 265
lumine non multis Plias certaverit astris,
praecipuo sed honore ostendit tempora bina,
cum primum agricolam ventus *super immovet atri
et cum surgit hiems, portu fugienda peritis.
Quin etiam lyra Mercurio dilecta, deorum 270
*plurimulum accepte prohs caelo nitet ante labore
devictam effigiem planta erecta *quoque dextra
tempora laeva premit torti subiecta draconis.
summa genu subvorsa tenet, qua se lyra volvit.

but faithful antiquity preserved the names for all:
Electra and Alcyone and Celaeno and Merope
Asterope and Taygete and Maia, born of a sky-bearing parent,
if Atlas truly sustains the realms of Jove and rejoices in the very burden. 265
the Pleiades vie in light with not many stars,
but she marks two seasons with especial honor,
when first the wind of the dark sky moves the farmer *above
and when winter rises, to be fled to harbor by the skilled.
Moreover the lyre, beloved of Mercury, of the gods 270
*shines very much, received into the clear sky before toil
with sole planted upright the vanquished image *also by the right hand
presses the temples with the left, the subdued twisted dragon beneath.
she holds the upper knee turned under, by which she winds herself with the lyre.

Contra spectat avem vel Phoebi quae fuit olim 275

Opposite looks the bird, or she who once was Phoebus 275

cygnus vel Ledae thalamis qui illapsus adulter
furta Iovis falsa volucer sub imagine texit.
inter defectum sidus cygnumque nitentem
Mercurialis habet sedem Lyra. multa videbis
stellarum vacua in cygno, multa ignea rursus 280
aut medii fulgoris erunt.

the swan, or he who, having fallen into Leda's bedchamber, the adulterer, the flying one, hid the false thefts of Jove under a borrowed guise.
between the missing star and the shining swan the Mercurial Lyre has its seat. you will see many starless tracts in the swan, many fiery ones again will be in the midst of the brightness. 280

penna utraque laeta,
dexterior iuxta regalem Cepheos ulnam,
at laeva fugit instantem sibi Pegason ala.
piscibus interlucet equi latus, ad caput eius,
dextra manus latices qua fundit, aquarius exit. 285
quo prior aegoceros semper properare videtur
oceano mersus sopitas condere flammas.
tum brevis occasus ortusque intercipit hora,
cum sol ambierit metas gelidi capricorni.

with both wings joyful,
the right beside the regal Cepheus’ forearm,
but the left wing of Pegasus flees pressing upon him. Between the fishes the flank of the horse gleams, at his head
on the right the hand of Aquarius by which he pours out streams issues forth. 285
whereat the former aegoceros (Capricorn) always seems to hasten,
immersed in the ocean to quench the slumbering flames.
Then a brief hour of setting and rising intervenes,
when the sun has passed the bounds of chilly Capricorn.

nam neque perficiet cursus et vota brevis lux, 290

for neither will the brief light complete its course and vows, 290

et cum terrores auget nox atra marinos,
multum clamatos frustra exspectaveris ortus.
tunc rigor aut rapidus ponto tunc incubat auster;
pigra ministeria, et nautis tremor alligat artus.
sed rationem animi temeraria pectora solvunt, 295
nulla dies oritur, quae iam vacua aequora cernat
puppibus, et semper tumidis ratis innatat undis.

and when the black night increases the terrors of the sea,
you will have long in vain awaited many a shouted dawn.
then either stiffness or a swift south wind lies upon the deep;
slothful services, and fear binds the sailors’ limbs.
but rash breasts unloose the reason of the mind, 295
no day arises that now may see the seas empty of sterns,
and always the craft rides on swelling waves.

in terra temptare undas iuvat, aspera sed cum
adsultat lateri deprensae spuma carinae,
tunc alii curvos prospectant litore portus 300
inventasque alii terras pro munere narrant,
interea exanimat pavidos instantis aquae mons.
ast alii procul a terra iactantur in altum,
munit eos breve lignum et fata instantia pellit,
nam tantum a leto, quantum rate fluctibus, absunt. 305

On land it is pleasing to test the waves, but when the spray of the keel, having been seized, leaps upon the side,
then others look out for curved harbors from the shore 300
and others tell of lands found as a gift; meanwhile the mountain of pressing water unnerves the fearful.
But others are thrown far from land into the deep,
a short plank shelters them and the urgency of fate drives them on,
for they are as far from death as the raft is from the waves. 305

Belligeri Titan magnum cum contigit arcum
ducentemque ferum sinuato spicula nervo,
iam clausum ratione mare est, iam navita portu
infestam noctem fugitat longasque tenebras.
signum erit exoriens nobis tum nocte suprema 310
scorpios, ille micat super freta caerula cauda.
insequitur gravis arcus et in lucem magis exit.

When the warlike Titan fitted his great bow and drew the iron shaft on the sinuous string,
already the sea is closed by reason, already the sailor flees to harbour,
putting to flight the threatening night and the long darkness.
a sign will arise to us then on that supreme night 310
the scorpion, it gleams over the blue seas with its tail.
a heavy bow follows and comes forth more into the light.

tunc alto Cynosura redit, tunc totus in undas
mergitur Orion, umeris et vertice Cepheus.
Est etiam, incertum quo cornu missa sagitta, 315
quam servat Iovis ales. habet miracula nulla,
si caelum ascendit Iovis armiger.

hic tamen arvo
unguibus innocuis Phrygio rapuit Ganymeden
et telo appositus custos, cum Iuppiter arsit
in puero, luit excidio quem Troia furorem. 320

this one, however, from the field with harmless claws seized Phrygian Ganymede,
and a guardian set against the spear, when Jupiter burned for the boy, Troy paid to ruin that fury. 320

Delphin inde brevis lucet iuxta capricornum
paucis sideribus, tulit hic Atlantida Nymphen
in thalamos, Neptune, tuos, miseratus amantem.
Sidera, quae mundi pars celsior aethere volvit
quaeque vident boream ventis adsueta serenis, 325
diximus. hinc alius declivis ducitur ordo,
sentit et insanos obscuris flatibus austros.

Then the short Dolphin shines nearby the Capricorn with a few stars,
here the Atlantid bore the Nymph into your chambers, Neptune, pitying the lover.
The stars, which the loftier part of the world turns in the ether
and which behold the north wind, accustomed to serene breezes, 325
we have said. From here another sloping order is led,
and it feels the mad south winds with obscure blasts.

Primus in obliquum rapitur sub pectore tauri
Orion. non ulla magis vicina notabit
stella virum, sparsae quam toto corpore flammae; 330
tale caput, magnisque umeris sic balteus ardet,
sic vagina ensis, pernici sic pede lucet.
talis ei custos aderit canis ore timendo.

First Orion is swept obliquely beneath the bull’s breast
No star will mark a man more near, whose whole body is strewn with flames; 330
such a head, and so the belt burns on his broad shoulders,
so the sheath holds the sword, so he gleams by his fleet foot.
such a dog will be present to him as guardian, with a jaw that fears.

ore vomit flammam, membris contemptior ignis.
Sirion hunc Grai proprio sub nomine dicunt. 335

from its mouth it vomits flame, a fire more contemptuous of limbs.
The Greeks call this Sirion by its proper name. 335

cum tetigit solis radios, accenditur aestas,
discernitque ortu longe sata, vivida firmat,
at quibus adfectae frondes aut languida radix,
exanimat. nullo gaudet maiusve minusve
agricola et sidus primo speculatur ab ortu. 340
Auritum leporem sequitur canis et fugit ille,
sic utrumque oritur, sic occidit in freta sidus.
tu parvum leporem rimare sub Orione.

when the sun’s rays have been touched, summer is kindled,
and by its rising it discerns far-sown crops, it strengthens the living growth,
but it breathes the life out of those whose leaves are diseased or whose root is languid.
The farmer rejoices in nothing greater or less, and watches the star from its first rising; 340
the dog follows the long-eared hare and that one flees,
thus each rises, thus the star sets in the seas.
You track the small hare under Orion.

At qua cauda canis languenti desinit astro,
fulgent Argoae stellis aplustria puppis, 345
puppe etenim trahitur, non recto libera cursu,
ut cum decurrens inhibet iam navita remos
aversamque ratem votis damnatus ad oram
perligat, optatam cupiens contingere terram.
sed quia pars violata fuit, coeuntia saxa 350

But where the tail of the Dog ends at the languishing star,
the Argo's stern gleams with stars, the stern indeed is dragged, not free on a straight course, 345
for as when, running down, the boatman now checks his oars
and, condemned by his prayers, hauls the craft with its stern turned away to the shore,
eager to touch the longed-for land. But because a part had been broken, the closing rocks 350

numine Iunonis tutus cum fugit Iason,
haec micat in caelo, lateri non amplior auctus,
quam surgit malus; qua debet reddere proram,
intercepta perit nulla sub imagine forma;
puppis demisso tantum stat lucida clavo. 355
Haud procul expositam sequitur Nereia pristis
Andromedam. media est Solis via, cum tamen illa
terretur monstro pelagi gaudetque sub axe
diverso posita et boreae vicina legenti.
auster pristin agit.

when Jason, safe by the nod of Juno, flees,
this sparkles in the sky, no broader in its flank than the mast increased when it rises; by which it ought to show the prow returned,
no form is lost, intercepted, beneath that image;
the stern alone stands bright with the anchor let down. 355
Not far off the Nereid follows Andromeda exposed to the sea-monster. The sun’s path is in the middle, yet she is terrified by the monster of the deep and rejoices, set under another axis and near the north wind that reads
the south wind blows as before.

duo sidera perlegit unum, 360
namque aries supra pristin piscesque feruntur.
belua sed ponti non multum praeterit amnem,
amnem, qui Phaethonta suas deflevit ad undas,
postquam patris equos non aequo pondere rexit,
vulnere reddentem flammas Iovis; hunc, nova silva, 365

he surveys two stars as one, 360
for Aries is borne above and the former fishes are carried.
but the sea‑beast does not pass far beyond the sea’s stream,
the stream which bewailed Phaethon at its waves,
after he could not govern his father’s horses with equal weight,
returning flames to Jove by his wound; this one, a new wood,

planxere ignotis maestae Phaethontides ulnis.
Eridanus medius liquidis interiacet astris.
huius pars undae laevum ferit Orionis
lapsa pedem.

the mournful Phaethontides beat their breasts with unfamiliar hands.
Eridanus lies amid the liquid stars.
a part of its wave, having slipped, strikes Orion's left foot.

procul ambobus qui piscibus unus
vincula conectit, nodus cristam super ipsam 370
aequoreae pristis radiat. sunt libera caelo
sidera non ullam specie reddentia formam
sub leporis latus aversam post denique puppim
inter et Eridani flexus clavumque carinae.
atque haec ipsa notast nullam praebere figuram, 375
sunt etenim toto sparsi sine nomine mundo
inter signa ignes, quibus etsi propria desit
forma, per appositi noscuntur lumina signi.

far off, one knot that connects the chains to both fishes
casts a crest of rays over the very back of the sea-pristis 370
the stars lie free in the sky, giving back no single form in appearance;
under the side of the hare turned away, and finally between the bends of Eridanus
and the stern and the keel of the ship. And these very ones are noted to present no figure, 375
for they are scattered through the whole nameless world among the fiery signs;
and although their own form is lacking, the lights of the sign are known by their adjacency.

Est etiam a geminis diversus piscibus unus,
qui borean fugitat, totus directus in austros, 380

There is also one fish, distinct from the twins, which flees the north wind, wholly turned toward the south winds, 380

ventre sub aegoceri, pristin conversus ad imam.
infimus hydrochoos sed qua vestigia figit,
sunt aliae stellae; qua caudam belua flectit
quaque caput piscis, media regione locatae
nullum nomen habent nec causast nominis ulla, 385
sic tenuis cunctis iam paene evanuit ardor.
nec procul hinc dextra defundit aquarius undas
atque imitata cadunt errantis signa liquoris.

beneath the belly of the Aegocer, turned toward the former lowest.
below is Hydrochoos where it fixes its footprints,
there are other stars; where the beast bends its tail
and where the fish its head, placed in the middle region
they have no name nor is there any cause for a name, 385
thus the faint brightness has now almost vanished from all.
nor far hence to the right Aquarius pours out waves
and the signs of the wandering water fall, imitating.

e quibus una magis sub cauda flamma relucet
squamigerae pristis, pedibus subit altera signi 390
fundentis latices. est et sine honore corona
ante sagittiferi paullum pernicia crura.
Scorpios erecta torquet qua spicula cauda,
turibulum vicinum austris sacro igne videbis
arcturum contra; sed quanto tardius ille 395

of which one beneath the tail more brightly gleams with flame
of the scaly pristis, the other comes up under the feet of the sign 390
pouring forth milks. there is also an unhonored crown
before the bow-bearing one's somewhat ruinous shanks.
Scorpius, uplifted, twists by which his tail is a spear,
a censer near the south winds with sacred fire you will see
set against Arcturus; but by how much more slowly that one 395

oceanum occasu tangit, tanto magis artae
turibuli metae. vix caelum suspicit et iam
praecipiti tractu vastis dimittitur undis.
multa dedit natura homini rata signa salutis
venturamque notis cladem depellere suasit. 400
inter certa licet numeres sub nocte cavenda
turibulum, nam si sordebunt cetera caeli
nubibus obductis, illo splendente, timeto,
ne pacem pelagi solvat violentior auster.

it touches the ocean at sunset, all the more so the close-set bounds of the thurible. He scarcely looks up at the sky and already by a headlong pull is cast into the vast waves. Nature gave man many sure signs of safety and urged him to avert the coming calamity by their tokens. 400
among certain things you may count the thurible to be guarded under the night, for if the rest of the heavens grow foul with clouds drawn over them, it shining notwithstanding, fear, lest a more violent south wind dissolve the peace of the sea.

tunc mihi *siccentur substricto cornua velo 405
et rigidi emittant flatus per inane rudentes.
quod si deprensae turbavit lintea puppis
incubuitque sinu laxo, vel mergitur undis
prona ratis sorbetque inimicum Nerea prora,
vel si respexit servator Iuppiter, aegre 410

tunc mihi *then the horns will be dried by the tightened sail 405
et rigidi emittant flatus per inane rudentes.
quod si deprensae turbavit lintea puppis
incubuitque sinu laxo, vel mergitur undis
prona ratis sorbetque inimicum Nerea prora,
vel si respexit servator Iuppiter, aegre 410

ultima persolvunt iactati vota salutis;
nec metus ante fugit, quam pars effulserit orbis,
quae boream caelum spectantibus indicet ortum.
Sunt etiam flammis conmissa immania membra
Centauri, capite atque hirsuto pectore et alvo 415
subter candentis hominem reddentia chelas,
inde per ingentis costas, per crura, per armos,
nascitur intacta sonipes sub virgine. dextra
seu praedam e silvis portat seu dona propinquae
placatura deos, cultor Iovis, admovet arae, 420
hic erit ille pius Chiron, iustissimus omnis
inter nubigenas et magni doctor Achillis.

the last pay the vows of safety of those cast about;
nor does fear flee beforehand, until some part of the orb has shone forth,
which to those watching the sky would indicate the rising of the north wind.
There are also the vast limbs of Centaurs committed to the flames,
head and shaggy breast and belly beneath returning shining human chelae, 415
thence along the huge ribs, along the legs, along the shoulders,
an intact sound-hoofed horse is born beneath the maiden. With his right hand
whether he bears spoil from the woods or brings gifts to the near one
to placate the gods, a worshipper of Jove, he sets them to the altars, 420
this will be that pious Chiron, most just of all
among the cloud-born and the great tutor of mighty Achilles.

hic umero medium scindens iter aetheris alti,
si tenuem traxit nubem stellasque recondit,
toto clarus equo venientis nuntiat euros. 425

here, cleaving the middle way of the high ether with his shoulder,
if he has drawn a thin cloud and hides away the stars,
bright throughout the whole, he coming on his horse proclaims the east winds. 425

Nec procul hinc hydros trahitur, cui cauda superne
Centaurum lucet, tractu subit ille leonem,
pervenit ad cancrum capite et tria sidera tangit.
huic primos tortus crater premit, ulterioris
vocali rostro corvus forat. omnia lucent, 430
et corvus pennis et parvo pondere crater
et spatio triplicis formatus sideris hydros.

Not far from here the Hydra is drawn, upon whose upper tail the Centaur shines; it, by its drawing, comes under the lion, reaches with its head to the Crab and touches three stars. To this the twisted Crater presses the first ones, the raven with its vocal beak pierces the farther one. All shine, 430
and the raven with wings and the bowl of slight weight, and the Hydra formed by the spacing of the threefold star.

Sub geminis procyon fulgenti lumine surgit.
Hic caelo ornatus trahitur noctemque diemque;
sors sua cuique data est; semel adsignata tuentur 435
immoti loca nec longo mutantur in aevo.
quinque aliae stellae diversa lege feruntur
et proprio motu mundo contraria volvunt
curricula exceduntque loco et vestigia mutant.

Under the twin stars Procyon rises with shining light.
This one, adorned in the sky, is drawn through night and day;
each to whom his lot is given; once assigned they are kept 435
unmoved in their places nor changed in long age.
Five other stars are borne by a different law
and with their own motion revolve contrary to the world,
they leave their course and change their tracks.

haud equidem possis alio contingere signo, 440

You cannot, indeed, come into contact with another sign, 440

quae divis sedes. hinc atque hinc saepe videntur
occasus ortusque. neque anfractus brevis illis,
annosasque vias tardus vix perficit orbis.

which are the abodes of the gods. From here and from there are often seen their settings and risings;
nor does a brief circuit avail them, and the slow orb scarcely completes the age-long ways.

hoc opus arcanis si credam postmodo Musis,
tempus et ipse labor, patiantur fata, docebit. 445
Signorum partis, quorum est praedicta figura,
annum expleturi praecidunt quattuor orbis.
intervalla trium transversus colligat unus.
nec par est illis spatium: duo namque feruntur
inter se aequales; duo, quorum est maxima forma; 450
et totidem rursum praedictis ante minores.

if I am to trust that this work belongs to the secret Muses thereafter,
time and the labor itself, if the fates permit, will teach. 445
of the parts of the signs, whose figure was aforedeclared,
to complete the year four circles cut off.
one transverse line gathers the intervals of three.
nor is the space equal for them: for two, namely, are reckoned
equal to one another; two, whose form is the greatest; 450
and as many again before the aforesaid are smaller.

hi semper distant, illos communia signa
committunt. qua se tangunt, pars aequa rotarum
dividitur, binos ut si qui desecet arcus.
Dissimilis quintus liquida sub nocte videtur, 455

these are always apart, they assign common signs to those. where they touch one another, an equal part of the wheels is divided, into two as if someone were to cut the arcs. The fifth, unlike, is seen beneath the clear night, 455

sidera cum reddunt sinceros eminus ignis.
lactis ei color, et mediis via lucet in umbris.
Lacteus hic orbis nullo minor orbe rotatur.

when the stars give back pure fires from afar.
its color is of milk, and the way shines in the midst of shadows.
This milky orb is turned by no lesser sphere.

Celsior ad boream qui vergit circulus altos
et peragit tractus vicinis haud procul ursis, 460
per geminos currit medios, vestigia tangit
aurigae plantamque terit Perseida laevam,
transversae Andromedae latera utraque persecat actus
et totam abs umero dextram; summa ungula pulsu
acris equi ferit orbis iter. tunc candidus ora 465
cygnus habet iuxta, cubito lucet super ipsum
nixa genu facies et primis ignibus anguis.
effugit at virgo; totus leo, totus in ipso
cancer.

A loftier circle that leans to the north and traverses high tracts not far from the neighboring bears, 460
runs through the twin middles, touches the charioteer’s footprints and rubs Perseus’s left sole,
cuts across each flank of transverse Andromeda with its sweep
and from the shoulder cleaves away the whole right; with the top hoof’s stroke
the fierce horse smites the circle’s course. then a swan nearby bears a white face, 465
it shines over him at the elbow, its visage leaning on the knee and a snake with first fires.
but the maiden flees; wholly a lion, wholly in itself
the crab.

ab adversis omnem secat ille leonem
clunibus hirsutique iubam per pectoris exit, 470

from the opposite sides he slices the whole lion through his haunches, and his shaggy mane issues forth through the breast, 470

cancro fulgentes oculi, ceu regula currat
per medios, sic divisi latera utraque tangunt.
hunc octo in partis si quis diviserit orbem,
quinque super terras semper fulgere notabit,
abdi tres undis brevibusque latere sub umbris. 475
hoc cancrum tetigit cum Titan orbe, timeto
aestatem rapidam et solventis corpora morbos.
tunc habet aeterni cursus fastigia summa
erectoque polo brevius non adplicat umquam
candentis currus.

the crab’s eyes shine, as a rule runs through the midst,
so the divided sides each touch.
if one were to divide this circle into eight parts,
he would note that five always shine above the lands,
three are hidden by the waves and lie under short shadows. 475
when Titan with his orb touched this crab, fear the swift summer
and the diseases that unloosen the body.
then it attains the highest pinnacles of the eternal course
and, with the pole uplifted, never more closely approaches
the shining chariot.

adverso nititur orbe, 480
dum tangat metas; pronus devolvitur inde.
Hic boreae propior, contrarius excipit austros;
aegoceros metas hiemis glacialibus austris
aestatisque tenet flagrantia sidera cancer.
hoc medium sidus findit devexior orbis, 485

it presses against the opposing orb, 480
while it touches the limits; thence it rolls headlong forward.
Here nearer to the north winds, opposite it receives the souths;
Capricorn (Aegoceros) holds the bounds with wintry, icy south winds,
and Cancer holds the blazing stars of summer. This more sloping orb cleaves the middle constellation, 485

fundentis latices genua implicat; illigat illum
intorta pristis cauda; velocia crura
contingit leporis, canis alvum desecat imam.
desecat et sacrae speciosa aplustria puppis
Centaurique umeros et scorpion ultima cauda 490
spicula torquentem; magnus micat arcus in illo.
inde austro propior sol est aquilone relicto
et gelidas hiemes hebetato lumine portat.

it entwines the knees of the pourer of waters; it binds him with a tail twisted like a pristis; it touches the swift legs of the hare, a dog cuts off the low belly. it also cuts off the handsome stern of the sacred ship and the shoulders of the Centaur, and the scorpion’s last tail, twisting its sting; a great bow flashes in that place. thence the sun is nearer to the south, the north having been left behind, and brings the icy winters with a dulled light. 490

huius tres caelo partes adsurgere cernes,
quinque latent undis et longa nocte feruntur. 495
Hos inter medius nullo minor orbis agetur,
in quo cum Phoebus radiatos extulit ignes,
dividit aequali spatio noctemque diemque.
bis redit haec facies, librato sidere, mundo,
cum ver fecundum surgit, cum deficit aestas. 500

you will see three parts of this rise to the sky,
five lie hidden in the waves and are borne through the long night; 495
among these the middle, by no means a lesser orb, is driven alone,
in which, when Phoebus lifted up his radiating fires,
he divides night and day in equal measure of space.
twice this face returns, with the star balanced, to the world,
when fruitful spring rises, when summer fails. 500

signa aries taurusque aequo tanguntur ab orbe,
sed princeps aries totus fulgebit in illo,
tauri armum subit et flexi duo sidera cruris.
at medium Oriona secat spiramque priorem
hydri et crateram levem corvique forantis 505
ultima, deficiunt nigra qua sidera cauda.
illic et chelas transverso lumine quaeres
et celsi partem anguis et a medio ophiuchum
nec procul inde aquilam, toto capite incubat ardens
Pegasus et longae spatio cervicis inhaeret. 510
hos orbis, quorum tractus et signa notamus,
rectus per medios percurrens traicit axis.

the signs Aries and Taurus are touched by the equal orb,
but foremost Aries will shine wholly in it,
it takes on the bull’s weapon and the two stars of the bent leg.
but Orion cuts the middle and the former coil
of the Hydra and the light Crater and the last of the crow that spews forth 505
where the black stars of the tail fail.
there too you will seek the transverse claws by their light
and the part of the lofty Serpent and Ophiuchus from the middle
and not far thence the Eagle, fiery Pegasus reclines with a whole head
and clings to the long stretch of a neck. 510
these are the circles, whose courses and signs we note,
the straight axis running through the middle pierces them as it passes.

tres intervallis paribus sine fine rotantur
nec mutare vias possunt nec iungere sulcos.
quartus in obliquum tris unus colligat orbis, 515

three are whirled at equal intervals without end,
nor can they change their paths nor join their furrows.
a fourth, a single orb, gathers the three into an oblique circle, 515

partibus extremis diversos implicat; unum
inter utrumque secat medium desectus ab illo.
non si Palladia doctus formaret ab arte,
distantis orbis melius religasset ab uno.
sed tribus idem ortus omni nascuntur ab aevo 520
atque eadem occasus remanent certissima signa.

he entwines different ones at the farthest parts; one
severed from that cuts the middle between the two.
Not if learned in Palladian art he were to fashion by skill,
would he more fitly bind the distant sphere to one.
but from three the same risings are born in every age 520
and the same settings remain the most certain signs.

Quartus ab oceano tantum vestigia mutat,
obliquo currens spatio, quantum capricornus
aestifero distat cancro, quam latus ad auras
aetherias surgit, tam sacris mergitur undis. 525
in sex signiferum si quis diviserit orbem
aequalis partes, succumbet regula binis
inferior signis spatii tantumque tenebit
una, sui lateris quantum a tellure recedit;
nec tamen humanos visus fugit ultimus orbis. 530

The fourth changes its course only from the ocean,
running in an oblique path, as far as Capricorn
is distant from the summer-bearing Cancer, as far as the flank rises to the ethereal airs,
so deeply it is plunged in the sacred waves. 525
if anyone were to divide the sign-bearing sphere into six equal parts,
the rule would yield to the two lower signs and would hold only one
of the spaces, and so much of its own side as it recedes from the earth;
nor yet does the outermost sphere escape human sight. 530

haec via solis erit bis senis lucida signis.
nobilis hic aries aurato vellere, quondam
qui tulit in Tauros Phrixum, qui prodidit Hellen,
quem propter fabricata ratis, quem perfida Colchis
sopito vigile incesto donavit amori. 535
corniger hic taurus, cuius decepta figura
Europe, thalamis et virginitate relicta,
per freta sublimis tergo mendacia sensit
litora, Cretaeo partus enixa marito.
sunt gemini, quos nulla dies sub Tartara misit; 540
sed caelo semper, nautis laetissima signa,
Ledaeos statuit iuvenis pater ipse deorum.

haec via solis erit bis senis lucida signis.
this path of the sun will be bright with twice six signs.
nobilis hic aries aurato vellere, quondam
this noble ram with the golden fleece, who once
qui tulit in Tauros Phrixum, qui prodidit Hellen,
bore Phrixus into the Tauric lands, who betrayed Helle,
quem propter fabricata ratis, quem perfida Colchis
whom, on account of the contrived raft, treacherous Colchis,
sopito vigile incesto donavit amori. 535
corniger hic taurus, cuius decepta figura
this horned bull, by whose beguiling form
Europe, thalamis et virginitate relicta,
Europa, her bridal-chambers and virginity left behind,
per freta sublimis tergo mendacia sensit
lofty on his back across the seas perceived the shores as deceitful,
litora, Cretaeo partus enixa marito.
and she bore offspring to a Cretan husband.
sunt gemini, quos nulla dies sub Tartara misit; 540
sed caelo semper, nautis laetissima signa,
there are twins whom no day sent beneath Tartarus; but always in heaven, most joyous signs to sailors,
Ledaeos statuit iuvenis pater ipse deorum.
the youthful father of the gods himself placed the Ledaean pair.

te quoque, fecundam meteret cum comminus hydram
Alcides ausum morsu contingere *bello
sidere donavit, cancer, Saturnia Iuno, 545

you also, O Cancer, Saturnian Juno bestowed as a warlike star, when Alcides, daring to touch the fruitful Hydra with a close bite,
545

numquam oblita sui, numquam secura noverca.
hinc Nemeaeus erit iuxta leo; tunc pia virgo;
scorpios hinc duplo quam cetera possidet orbe
sidera, per chelas geminato lumine fulgens,
quem mihi diva cavet dicto prius Orione. 550
inde sagittifero tentus curvabitur arcus,
qui solitus Musas venerari supplice plausu
acceptus caelo Phoebeis ardet in armis.
cochlidis inventor, cuius Titania flatu
proelia commisit divorum laetior aetas 555
bellantem comitata Iovem, pietatis honorem,
ut fuerat geminus forma, sic sidere, cepit.

never forgetful of herself, never a careless stepmother.
from here the Nemean lion will be nearby; then the pious maiden;
from here Scorpio holds twice as many stars as the rest of the sphere, shining through its claws with twin light,
whom the goddess forbids me to name before Orion in word. 550
thence a bow poised for arrow-shooting will be bent,
which, accustomed to venerate the Muses with suppliant applause, being received into heaven, burns in Phoebean arms.
the inventor of the spiral-shells, by whose Titanian blast the more joyous age of the gods entrusted its battles, 555
having accompanied Jove in war, seized the honor of piety — as he was twin in form, so in the star he was taken.

hic, Auguste, tuum genitali corpore numen
attonitas inter gentis patriamque paventem
in caelum tulit et maternis reddidit astris. 560

Here, Augustus, your numen with its genital body lifted you into heaven, among astonished peoples and your homeland trembling with fear, and restored you to the maternal stars. 560

proximus infestas, olim quas fugerat, undas
Deucalion parvam defundens indicat urnam.
annua concludunt Syriae duo numina piscis
tempora; tunc iterum praedictus nascitur ordo
lanigeri et tauri, geminorum, postea cancri, 565
tunc leo, tunc virgo, tunc scorpios, arcitenensque
et gelidus capricornus et imbrifer et duo pisces.
huius quantum altas demergitur orbis in undas
oceani, tantum liquidum super aera lucet.

nearest to the hostile waves, which once he had fled, Deucalion, pouring out a small urn, points out; the two divine powers of the Syrian fish enclose the annual seasons; then again the afore‑said order is born of the ram and of the bull, of the twins, afterwards of the crab, 565
then the lion, then the virgin, then the scorpion, and the bow‑bearing one and the frosty Capricorn and the rain‑bearing and the two fishes. As far as the high sphere of this is plunged down into the waves of the ocean, so far the clear air shines above.

nullaque nox bis terna minus caelo trahit astra, 570
nullaque maior erit, quam quanto tempore in auras
orbis perfecti divisus tollitur arcus.
Saepe velis quantum superet cognoscere noctis,
et spe venturae solari pectora lucis.
prima tibi nota solis erit, quo sidere currat, 575

and no night will draw from the sky stars fewer by twos and threes, 570
and no night will be greater than the time during which the arc of the perfect orb, divided, is lifted into the airs.
Often you will wish to know how much of the night remains,
and to solace your breast with the hope of the coming light.
the first sign of the sun known to you will be by which star it runs, 575

semper enim signo Phoebus radiabit in uno.
cetera tunc propriis ardentia suspice flammis,
quod cadat aut surgat summove feratur in orbe,
quantoque exiliant spatio, cum caerula linquunt;
namque aliis pernix saltus, maiore trahuntur               580
mole alia, oceanum tardo linquentia passu.
quod si nube cava solis via forte latebit,
occulet aut signum conscendens vertice caelum
altus Athos vel Cyllene vel candidus Haemus,
Gargaron aut Ide superisve agitatus Olympus,               585
tunc dextra laevaque simul redeuntia signis
sidera si noris, numquam te tempora noctis
effugient, numquam veniens Tithonius ortus.
Cum primum cancrum Tethys emittit in auras,
excipit oceanus Minoae serta coronae               590

for Phoebus will always shine his ray in one sign.
then behold the rest burning with their own flames, whatever falls or rises or is borne away in the revolving sphere, and by how much they exult in space when they leave the blue heavens;
for for some a swift leap, for others they are drawn by a greater mass, leaving the ocean with a slow step,               580
but if by chance the path of the sun should lie concealed in a hollow cloud, or some high peak ascending should hide the sign and the sky—tall Athos or Cyllene or white Haemus,
Gargarus or Ida or Olympus stirred above,               585
then if you knew the stars returning together to the right and to the left with the signs, the hours of night would never escape you, nor the rising of Tithonius when he comes.
As soon as Tethys sends Cancer into the airs,
the ocean receives the garlands and crown of Minos               590

occidit et dorso piscis caudaque priore,
mergitur in totos umeros ophiuchus et anguis
ultima cauda micat, tortus habet illa timendos.
nec multo arctophylax hunc longe subiacet astro,
lumine qui primo cum scorpius occidit undis 595
occulitur pedibus; durat tamen arduus ore,
dum rigidum aegoceri signum freta lucida terret.
siderea vix tum satiatus luce bootes
in terras abit et noctis plus parte relinquit.

the fish also sets with its back and with its fore tail,
Ophiuchus and the serpent are plunged over his whole shoulders,
the serpent's last tail flashes, that twisted thing to be feared.
Nor does the bear-guardian lie far below this star by much,
whose light at first, when Scorpius sets in the waves, is hidden by his feet; 595
yet he endures lofty in mouth, while the rigid sign of the goat terrifies the shining seas.
Scarcely then, sated with light, does Boötes depart to the lands and leave behind more than half the night.

at contra nullo defectus lumine totus 600
Orion umeris splendebit magnaque divi
vagina et claro caelatus balteus igni.
cornua et Eridanus liquido feret utraque caelo.
At cum prima iuba radiarit flamma leonis,
quicquid parte micat caelo, hoc nascente sub undas 605

but on the other hand Orion, wholly without any failure of light, will shine on his shoulders, and the great scabbard of the god and a belt embossed with bright fire.
both horns and Eridanus will bear each in the liquid sky.
But when the first mane has flashed with the flame of the lion,
whatever sparkles in part in the heaven, at this one rising will sink beneath the waves 605

omne abit atque feri venientis defugit ora.
tota Iovis mersa est pennis stellantibus ales,
quique genu posito defessus conditur undis
crure tenus; redit in caelum vasti caput hydri
et pernix lepus et procyon et Sirius ipse               610
totiusque canis rabidi vestigia prima.
Accipe quae vitent exorsae virginis ora:
delphinus notis iam tum deflexerit undis
et lyra dulce sonans et flammis cincta sagitta
et niveus cygnus properarit tangere fluctus,               615
utraque penna volans caudam vix lucet ad ipsam,
nigrescitque Padus, terrae qui proximus amnis.
tum caput abscondet sonipes, tum tota latebit
cervix, at contra sublimior hydra feretur
cratera tenus et surgent aplustria puppis               620

everything departs and the shores flee from the coming wild beast.
the whole bird of Jove is plunged, its feathers studded with stars,
and he who, with knee bent, weary, is plunged into the waves up to the shin;
to heaven returns the head of the vast Hydra, and the nimble hare, and Procyon and Sirius himself               610
and the first footprints of the whole raging Dog.
Take note of what the maiden’s opening lips avoid:
the dolphin even then had turned aside from the familiar waves
and the lyre sounding sweet, and the arrow girded with flames,
and the snowy swan had hastened to touch the waves,               615
each wing flying, the tail itself scarcely gleams toward it,
and the Padus darkens, the river nearest the land.
Then the war-horse will hide its head, then the whole neck will lie concealed;
but on the contrary the loftier Hydra will be borne up to the bowl, and the ship-sterns will rise               620

Argoae totusque canis; sed cum pia virgo
nascitur, illa ratis media plus arbore lucet.
Surgentis etiam chelas sua signa notabunt:
exilit oceano nunc toto crine bootes,
quem claro veniens arcturus nuntiat ore,               625
celsaque puppis habet, cauda minus attamen hydra,
nixa genu species flexo rediit ardua crure,
partibus haud aliis; nocte eluctata suprema
bis solet illa una caelo se ostendere nocte,
nam si Phoebeos currus, dum longa venit nox,               630
occasu sequitur, rursus fugit oceanum ortu
crure simul chelis fulgens. cum scorpius exit,
iam totis radiat membris miserabile sidus;
at cum tantum abiit, quantum lyra surgit ab undis,
arcus ipsa suo caelo referetur imago.               635

Argo and the whole Dog; but when the pious maiden is born, that craft in mid‑sea shines more than a tree.
The rising claws too will note their own signs: now Bootes springs forth from the ocean with his whole mane,
whom coming Arcturus proclaims with a bright mouth,               625
and the lofty stern he has, the Hydra however smaller in tail;
leaning on a knee the semblance returned high on the bent leg, not in other parts; when the final night is struggled through
that single one is wont to show herself twice in the sky in one night, for if she follows Phoebe’s chariot, while the long night comes,
at setting, she again flees the ocean at rising with leg and claws shining together.               630
When Scorpio rises, already the miserable star rays from all its limbs;
but when it has gone as far as the Lyre rises from the waves, the bow itself is restored to its own sky as an image.               635

imperfecta redit caelo tum tota corona
et Chiron pius ad caudam cognoscitur imam.
Pegasus abscondit toto tunc pectore pennas
nec lucet cauda praemersus pectore cygnus.
abdit et Andromede vultus et maxima pristis 640
occasu insequitur metuentis virginis ora,
crista super caelo fulget.

then the whole crown returns to the sky imperfect,
and pious Chiron is recognized at the lowest tail.
Pegasus then hides his feathers within his whole breast
nor does the swan, its tail pressed into his breast, shine.
he also hides Andromeda’s visage and the great pristis 640
at set follows the face of the fearing maiden,
its crest above the sky gleams.

caput abditur ipse
regalis Cepheus alias intactus ab undis.
Scorpios exoriens, cum clarus fugerit amnis,
scorpios Oriona fugat, pavet ille sequentem. 645
sis vati placata, precor, Latonia virgo;
non ego, non primus, veteres cecinere poetae,
virginis intactas quondam contingere vestes
ausum hominem divae sacrum temerasse pudorem.
devotus poenae tunc impius ille futurae 650

nudabatque feris angusto stipite silvas
pacatamque Chion dono dabat Oenopioni.
haud patiens sed enim Phoebi germana repente
numinis ultorem media tellure revulsa
scorpion ingenti maiorem contulit hostem. 655
parcite, mortales, numquam levis ira deorum.
horret vulnus adhuc et spicula tincta veneno
flebilis Orion et quamquam parte relicta
caeli *paene fugit, tamen altis mergitur undis,
scorpios ardenti cum pectore contigit ortus. 660
nil super Andromedae, nil pristis luce fruetur.

and he was stripping the woods for the wild beasts with a narrow trunk
and was giving the tamed Chion as a gift to Oenopion. Not patient, for the sister of Phoebus suddenly,
torn up from the middle of the earth as avenger of the divinity, brought forth a foe greater than the mighty scorpion, 655
spare, mortals, for the anger of the gods is never slight. The wound still quivers and tearful Orion, his shafts stained with venom,
and although with a part left he almost flees the sky, yet he is plunged into the deep waves,
when the scorpion, risen, touched him with its burning breast. 660
nothing remains for Andromeda, nothing to enjoy of her former light.

in caput atque umeros rapit orbis Cassiepiam,
declivemque trahunt aeterni pondera mundi
corruptaque cadit forma, certaverat olim
qua senis aequorei natis, cum litore Canchli 665

the orb seizes Cassiopeia about the head and shoulders, and the weights of the eternal world draw down the sloping form, and her corrupted beauty falls; she had once contended for which of the old sea‑god's buttocks, when on the shore of Canchli 665

Doridos et Panopes spectasset stulta choreas.
illa abit oceano, totius serta coronae
in caelum redeunt, totum se liberat hydrus.
cruribus exspectat Chiron, obscurior arcu,
corpore iam toto vasto sub vertice clarus. 670
tum fera, quam dextra portat Centaurus, in auras
exilit et claris aperitur flexibus anguis;
innixumque genu laeva minus aequora linquunt.

Fool that she was, she had watched the dances of the Dorids and of Panopes.
she goes away to the ocean, the garlands of the whole crown return into the sky, the Hydrus frees itself wholly.
Chiron waits at the legs, darker with his bow, already bright with his entire vast body beneath the summit 670
then the beast which the Centaur bears on his right springs forth into the airs and is opened into a serpent with clear bends;
and leaning on his left knee they leave the less even plains.

At cum prima subit facies remeabilis arcus,
iam sicca oceano Chiron pernicia crura 675
expulit et celsis ophiuchus fulget in astris.
nil trahit obscurum serpens et trunca recepta
desinit esse manu membris deformis imago.
iam lyra cum superis et cygni dextera penna,
radit tellurem rediens cum sidere Cepheus. 680

but when the first face of the returning arc comes in,
chiron, now dry of the ocean, has cast off his deadly legs 675
and the Ophiuchus gleams in the high stars. the serpent draws nothing dark, and, its severed parts received back,
it ceases to be a form deformed in hand and limbs. now with the lyre among the heavens and the right feather of the swan,
cepheus, returning with his star, skims the earth. 680

tum canis abscondit totius corporis ignis
et latet Orion et semper tutus in undis
est lepus Argoaeque ratis, qua flexile signum
in puppim formatur, adhuc aplustria lucent.
mergitur et Perseus et caprae nobile lumen. 685
Aurigam totum abscondit veniens capricornus
atque omnem ornatum venerandae numine puppis.
tum procyon obscurus abit; redit armiger uncis
unguibus, ante omnis gratus tibi, Iuppiter, ales.

then the dog hides the fire of his whole body
and Orion lies hidden and the hare is ever safe in the waves
and the Argo's ship, where the flexible sign is formed on the stern,
still the stern-ornaments shine.
merges also Perseus and the noble light of the goat. 685
the coming Capricorn hides the whole charioteer
and the stern conceals every ornament by a venerable numen.
then dusky Procyon departs; the mail-bearer returns with hooked
talons, a bird, above all pleasing to you, Jupiter.

omnibus et stellis cygnus redit et leve telum 690
et parvus delphinus et apta altaria sacris.
Geminus exsurgit Minoia nota corona.
Hydrochoos caelum scandens simul evocat ore
et cervice tenus fidentem Pegason alis.

and the swan returns to all the stars and the light spear 690
and the little dolphin and altars fit for sacred rites.
Geminus rises, famed for the Minoan crown.
Hydrochoos, climbing the sky, at once summons with its mouth
and up to the neck trusty Pegasus with wings.

aversum Chirona trahit nox atra sub undas, 695

dark night draws Chiron, turned away, beneath the waves, 695

oceanus caudam tinguit, nondum capit ora,
non vastos umeros, non pectora tristia setis.
hydram plus mediam condit, pars tertia lucet.
Hanc pisces abdunt orti totumque biformem.

the ocean dyes the tail, not yet reaching the mouths,
not the vast shoulders, not the breasts grim with bristles.
He buries more than half the hydra, a third shines.
The fishes hide this part risen and the whole two‑formed creature.

cum geminos pisces aquilonis provocat aura, 700
ille etiam surgit, qui tristis respicit austros;
piscibus ille simul surgit, sed liberat ortus,
cum pernix aries in caelum cornua tollit.
pisces educunt Cepheida; laetior illa
Nereidas pontumque fugit caeloque refertur. 705
Ortus lanigeri properabunt condere sacrum
turibulum; patrio fulgebit in aethere Perseus.
Persea cum pennae reddunt, iam Plias ab undis
effugit et dextro tauri cognoscitur armo.

when the northern breeze challenges the twin fishes, 700
he too rises, who sadly looks back to the south winds;
that one rises together with the fishes, but the rising frees him,
when the nimble ram lifts his horns into the sky. the fishes bring forth Cepheida; she more joyful
flees the Nereids and is borne back to the heavens. 705
The risings of the woolly one will hasten to set up the sacred censer;
Perseus will shine in the ancestral ether. when wings are restored to Perseus, already he escapes the Pleiades from the waves
and is recognized on the right flank of the bull.

fixus ut in curru trahitur sine curribus ullis 710

fixed, as he is dragged in a chariot without any chariots at all 710

Myrtilos. haut totum cernes, non integer ipse
in caelum redit, at pars dextera mergitur undis;
vertice lucebit, teneros manus efferet haedos.
laeva Iovis nutrix umero radiabit in ipso,
proxima telluri nascetur planta sinistra. 715
cetera cum geminis perfecto sidere surgent.

Myrtilos. you will not see him whole, he himself does not return intact into the sky, but the right part is plunged in the waves;
the summit will shine, he will bear forth tender kids in his hands.
on the left Jove’s nurse will beam upon the very shoulder,
the left sole will be born nearest to the earth. 715
the rest will arise with the twins when the star is perfected.

Tauro pistricis pariter cristaeque refulgent
caudaque; vicinum terris iam cerne booten.
et cum se genibus demisit pars ophiuchi,
signum erit, oceano geminos remeare relicto. 720
totaque iam pristis lucebunt squamea terga;
Eridani et primos deprendat navita fontes,
caelum conspiciens, dum claro se movet ortu
Orion; habet ille notas, quae tempora noctis
significent, ventosve truces fidamve quietem. 725

On Taurus the shark-like crests and tail alike gleam;
and now behold Booten near the lands.
and when part of Ophiuchi lets itself down upon its knees,
it will be a sign that the twin streams return to the ocean, left behind. 720
and all the scaly backs will already shine with their former light;
and a mariner may descry the first sources of the Eridanus,
gazing at the sky, while Orion moves with a bright rising;
he has those signs which mark the hours of night,
and whether the winds are fierce or a faithful calm. 725