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Notes Do not display Latin text | translated by Theodore C. Williams Book IV Chapter 28: Iris helps her die | Next chapter Return to index Previous chapter |
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Great Juno then looked down in mercy on that lingering pain and labor to depart: from realms divine she sent the goddess of the rainbow wing, Iris, to set the struggling spirit free and loose its fleshly coil. For since the end came not by destiny, nor was the doom of guilty deed, but of a hapless wight to sudden madness stung, ere ripe to die, therefore the Queen of Hades had not shorn the fair tress from her forehead, nor assigned that soul to Stygian dark. So Iris came on dewy, saffron pinions down from heaven, a thousand colors on her radiant way, from the opposing sun. She stayed her flight above that pallid brow: I come with power to make this gift to Death. I set thee free from thy frail body's bound. With her right hand she cut the tress: then through its every limb the sinking form grew cold; the vital breath fled forth, departing on the viewless air. Events: Love and Death of Dido, The Gods interfere in the Aeneid |
693-705 Tum Iuno omnipotens longum miserata dolorem difficilisque obitus Irim demisit Olympo quae luctantem animam nexosque resolueret artus. nam quia nec fato merita nec morte peribat, sed misera ante diem subitoque accensa furore, nondum illi flauum Proserpina uertice crinem abstulerat Stygioque caput damnauerat Orco. ergo Iris croceis per caelum roscida pennis mille trahens uarios aduerso sole colores deuolat et supra caput astitit. 'hunc ego Diti sacrum iussa fero teque isto corpore soluo': sic ait et dextra crinem secat, omnis et una dilapsus calor atque in uentos uita recessit. |