Ovid’s Metamorphis
July 4th, 2007 § Leave a Comment
Ein schöner Vers aus dem Film: the good shepherd
I grabbed a pile of dust, and holding it up, foolishly asked for as many birthdays as the grains of dust, I forgot to ask that they be years of youth.
Hier das Original in englisch:
Ovid Book 14, lines 131-153:
The priestess gazed at him and with a deep sigh, said: I am not a goddess: do not assume any human being is worth the honour of holy incense, or err out of ignorance. I was offered eternal life without end, if I would surrender my virginity to Phoebus my lover. While he still hoped for it, while he desired to bribe me beforehand with gifts, he said: Virgin of Cumae, choose what you wish, and what you wish you shall have. Pointing to a pile of dust, that had collected, I foolishly begged to have as many anniversaries of my birth, as were represented by the dust. But I forgot to ask that the years should be accompanied by youth. He gave me the years, and lasting youth, as well, if I would surrender: I rejected Phoebus’s gift, and never married.
