DAEDALUS AND ICARUS: THE FIRST FLIGHT
Metamorphoses 8.183–235
Daedalus constructs wings for himself and his son Icarus.
“Daedalus Attaching Icarus’ Wings” Joseph Marie Vien 1754 École des Beaux-Arts Paris, France
Giraudon/Art Resource, NY.
Daedalus interea Creten longumque perosus exsilium, tactusque loci natalis amore, 185 clausus erat pelago. “Terras licet,” inquit, “et undas obstruat, 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 190 a 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 compositas parvo curvamine flectit, 195 ut 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 200 impediebat opus. Postquam manus ultima coepto imposita est, geminas opifex libravit in alas ipse suum corpus motaque pependit in aura.
193. lino: linum, linen, thread, cord.
medias et…imas atque…compositas (194): sc. pennas.
ceris: cera,wax.
alligat: alligare,to tie, bind.
imas:lowest, bottommost.
194. flectit: flectere, to bend.
195. aves: avis, bird.
una: adv., together; sc. cum patre.
196. tractare: to handle.
197. renidenti: renidere, to shine, beam, smile.
modo…modo (198): both are advs.
vaga:wandering, shifting.
198. captabat: captare, to try to seize, catch, snatch at, pluck at.
plumas: = pennas.
flavam:yellow, golden.
pollice: pollex,thumb.
199. mollibat: = molliebat.
lusu: lusus,playing, sport.
200. manus ultima: the last hand = the finishing touch.
coepto: coeptum,a thing begun = undertaking, project.
201. opifex: worker, artisan.
libravit: librare,to balance, poise.
alas: ala,wing.
202. mota: i.e., by the movement of his wings.
203. et: = etiam.
natum: natus, partic. of nasci used as a noun, = filius.
limite: limes,path, way; ABL. OF ROUTE.
204. demissior: too low.
205. celsior: too high.
206. utrumque: each, the two; i.e., keep to the middle course.
Booten aut Helicen (207): Greek acc., constellations of the Plowman and the Great Bear; Icarus should not try to set an independent course by the stars but should simply follow Daedalus.
207. strictum: stringere, with ensis (sword), = to draw. Orion is a constellation prominent to the south, the Plowman and the Great Bear to the north; so the order is a recapitulation of that in 206.
209. umeris: umerus, shoulder, upper arm.
