Metamorphoses

And now Thebes was standing; now Cadmus, thou mightst seem happy in thy exile. Both Mars and Venus had become thy father-in-law and mother-in-law; add to this, issue by a wife so illustrious, so many sons and daughters, and grandchildren, dear pledges of love ; these, too, now of a youthful age. But, forsooth, the last day of life must always be awaited by man, and no one ought to be pronounced happy before his death, and his last obsequies. Thy grandson, Cadmus, was the first occasion of sorrow to thee, among so much prosperity, the horns, too, not his own, placed upon his forehead, and you, O dogs, glutted with the blood of your master. But, if you diligently inquire into his case , you will find the fault of an accident, and not criminality in him; for what criminality did mistake embrace?

MetamorphosesOvidHenry T. RileyEnglishVerse permalinkRead in Book 3

Book 3, Line 8ProseID metamorphoses-riley-en-prose-3-8