CERĒS ET
PERSEPHONĒ (5)
Tum Cerēs ex
agricolae casā ambulāvit. Sed flēvērunt familia et flēvit Triptolemus, quod nōn
iam in Deae gremiō dormītābat. Māne agricola virōs et fēminās locī convocāvit,
et Deae dicta et facta nārrāvit. Deinde virī et fēminae saxa multa
apportāvērunt et templum magnum aedificāvērunt. In templī ārīs victimās
mactāvērunt, et Deam adōrāvērunt. Grāta erant Deae dōna populī, et Cerēs
templum diū habitābat.
Intereā in ārīs
aliōrum deōrum neque pōma neque ūvae neque rosae iacēbant. Nōn iam herba in
prātīs, nōn iam pōma in agrīs flōrēbant, quod adhūc Cerēs propter fīliam flēbat.
Itaque Iuppiter Deae, “Plūtō,” inquit, “fīliam tuam habet. Persephonē rēgīna
Īnferōrum est. Sed Mercurius ad rēgnum Īnferōrum properābit, et puellam ad
templum tuum celeriter apportābit.”
Deinde Mercurius
ad Īnferōs properāvit. Persephonē cum virō suō in lectō sedēbat. Misera erat
puella, quod adhūc Deam cāram dēsīderābat. Sed Mercurium vidēbat et laeta fuit.
“Iterum,” inquit, “Deam cāram vidēbō, iterum Cerēs fīliam suam habēbit.”
Tum Plūtō verbīs
benignīs puellam ōrāvit, “Ō Persephonē, memoriae tuae grātus semper erit Plūtō;
iterum rēgīna Īnferōrum eris. Nunc caeruleum est caelum, iūcunda sunt prāta,
sed mox gelidum erit caelum, gelidī erunt et ventī et agrī. Tum iterum virum
tuum et rēgnum Īnferōrum dēsīderābis. Valē, Ō cāra rēgīna.”
[1]
familia, -ae
[1/f]: family
populus, -ī [2/m]:
people
Iuppiter, Iovis
[3/m]: Jupiter
Mercurius, -ī
[2/m]: Mercury
rēgnum, -ī [2/n]:
kingdom
rēgīna, -ae [1/f]:
queen
lectus, -ī [2/m]:
bed
ventus, -ī [2/m]:
wind
memoria, -ae
[1/f]: memory
[2]
celer, celeris,
celere: swift
[3]
flēō, flēre [2]:
weep
convocō, convocāre
[1]: call together
apportō, apportāre
[1]: bring
sedeō, sedēre [2]:
sit
videō, vidēre [2]:
see
ōrō, ōrāre [1]:
beg, plead
[4]
māne: in the
morning
intereā: meanwhile
mox: soon
semper: always
valē: farewell
___________________
Then Ceres walked
out of the farmer’s house. But the family wept, and Triptolemus wept because he
was no longer sleeping in the lap of the goddess. In the morning the farmer
called together the men and women of the place and told the deeds and words of
the goddess. Then the men and women brought many stones and built a great
temple. On the altars of the temple they sacrificed victims and worshipped the
goddess. The gifts of the people were pleasing to the goddess, and Ceres lived
in the temple for a long time.
Meanwhile on the
altars of the other gods neither fruit nor grapes nor roses were lying. No
longer did grass in the meadows or fruit in the fields bloom, because Ceres was
still weeping for her daughter. And so Jupiter said to the goddess, “Pluto has
your daughter. Persephone is the queen of the Underworld. But Mercury will
hurry to the kingdom of the Underworld and will quickly bring the girl to your
temple.”
Then Mercury
hurried to the Underworld. Persephone was sitting with her husband on a couch.
The girl was unhappy because she still longed for her dear mother. But she saw
Mercury and was happy. “Again,” she said, “I shall see my dear mother; again
Ceres will have her daughter.”
Then Pluto pleaded
with the girl in kind words, “O Persephone, Pluto will always be grateful to
your memory; again you will be queen of the Underworld. Now the sky is blue,
the meadows are pleasant, but soon the sky will be cold, and the winds and
fields will be cold. Then again you will long for your husband and the kingdom
of the Underworld. Farewell, dear queen.”
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