MŪSAE ET CICĀDAE (2)
Mūsae, simul ac in
vallem dēscendērunt, carmina mīra et dīvīna cecinērunt. Argūtae sunt Mūsārum
vōcēs, nec per tōtum orbem terrārum dulcior est sonitus quam cantus deārum; nōn
tam suāviter avēs in summīs arboribus canunt, ubi vēre āera cantibus mulcent.
Mīrō sonitū
dēlectātī sunt incolae. Diū Mūsae canēbant; diū incolae, cēterārum rērum
immemorēs, stupēbant; nec ad cibum nec ad quiētem tempus capiēbant. Multōs
diēs, multās noctēs deae canēbant, et māne, ubi Aurōra croceum Tīthōnī lectum
relinquit, et sērō, ubi vesper stēllās in caelum redūcit. Ita incolae cēnae
prandiīque immemorēs, mīrum sonitum audiēbant. Itaque propter carminum
dīvīnōrum amōrem in diēs languēscēbant.
Tandem Mūsae
incolās iam tenuissimōs animadvertērunt, et misericordiae plēnae in cicādās
viridēs convertērunt. Cicādae igitur, etiam nunc carminum dīvīnōrum memorēs,
tōtum diem cantant.
[i]
aēr, aēris [3/m]:
air
Aurōra, -ae [1/f]:
Aurora, goddess of the dawn
avis, -is [3/f]:
bird
cantus, -ūs [4/m]:
song
diēs, -ēī [5/m]:
day; indiēs: from day to day
quiēs, quiētis
[3/f]: rest, quiet
sonitus, -ūs
[4/m]: sound
tempus, -oris
[3/n]: time
Tīthōnus, -ī
[2/m]: Tithonus, husband of the dawn goddess
vesper, -eris
[3/m]: evening
[ii]
immemor, -oris:
unmindful, forgetful
tenuis, -e: thin
[iii]
canō, canere [3]:
sing
capiō, capere [3]:
take
languescō, -ere
[3]: languish, faint
mulceō, -ēre [2]:
soothe
relinquō, -ere
[3]: leave
stupeō, -ēre [2]:
be amazed
[iv]
serō: late
suāviter: sweetly
____________________
As soon as they
descended into the valley, the Muses sang wonderful and divine songs. The
voices of the Muses are piercing, and throughout the whole world there is no
sound sweeter than the song of the goddesses; nor do birds sing so sweetly in
the tops of trees, when in spring they soothe the air with their songs.
The inhabitants
were delighted by the wonderful sound. For a long time the Muses sang; for a
long time the inhabitants, forgetful of other things, were amazed; they took no
time for either food or rest. For many days and many nights the goddesses sang,
both in the morning, when Aurora leaves Tithonus’ saffron bed, and in the
evening, when dusk brings the stars back into the sky. Thus the inhabitants,
forgetful of dinner and lunch, listened to the wondrous sound. And so, because
of their love for the divine songs, they grew weaker day by day.
At last the Muses noticed that the inhabitants had become very thin, and full of pity they transformed them into green cicadas. Therefore the cicadas, even now mindful of the divine songs, sing throughout the whole day.
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