![]() ![]() A 2nd-century mosaic unearthed near Nea Paphos on Cyprus depicts this older version of the myth. The metamorphosis in the primary story involves Pyramus changing into this river and Thisbe into a nearby spring. While in Ovid's telling Pyramus and Thisbe lived in Babylon, and Ctesias had placed the tomb of his imagined king Ninus near that city, the myth probably originated in Cilicia (part of Ninus' Babylonian empire) as Pyramos is the historical Greek name of the local Ceyhan River. Ovid's is the oldest surviving version of the story, published in 8 AD, but he adapted an existing aetiological myth. Pyramus and Thisbe proved to be faithful lovers to each other until the very end and killed themselves so that they could be together. In the end, the gods listen to Thisbe's lament, and forever change the colour of the mulberry fruits into the stained colour to honor forbidden love. Thisbe, after praying to their parents and the gods to have them buried together and a brief period of mourning, stabs herself with the same sword. Thisbe returns, eager to tell Pyramus what had happened to her, but she finds Pyramus' dead body under the shade of the mulberry tree. Pyramus' blood stains the white mulberry fruits, turning them dark. Assuming that a wild beast had killed her, Pyramus kills himself, falling on his sword, a typical Babylonian way to commit suicide, and in turn splashing blood on the white mulberry leaves. When Pyramus arrives, he is horrified at the sight of Thisbe's cloak: the lioness had torn it and left traces of blood behind, as well as its tracks. Thisbe arrives first, but upon seeing a lioness with a bloody mouth from a recent kill, she flees, leaving behind her cloak. ![]() They arrange to meet near a tomb under a mulberry tree and state their feelings for each other. Through a crack in one of the walls they whisper their love for each other. Their respective parents, driven by rivalry, forbid them to wed. Pyramus and Thisbe are two lovers in the city of Babylon who occupy connected houses. The story has since been retold by many authors. Pyramus and Thisbe are a pair of ill-fated lovers whose story forms part of Ovid's Metamorphoses. I think the "Golden Age" was the passage on which I learned to scan hexameters in 1961, I think.Thisbe, by John William Waterhouse, 1909. i- is a consonant between vowels otherwise, it's generally (although not exclusively) treated as a vowel. You should also mark of the caesuras-have you been taught how to do that yet? If not, we'll show you how. Once you have the rhythm in your ear, it will be much easier to scan. Then read the whole passage several times, giving effect to longs and shorts, so that you get it in your ear. ![]() Once you get it right, post a translation so that we can make sure you understand it, and we'll give you some pointers on reading Latin hexameters. Once you have the whole passage scanned, post your solution, and we'll tell you whether anything is wrong. And then take note and remember the quantities. Use a dictionary and a grammar to determine the vowel quantities you don't know off-hand. ![]() Try it again until you have the whole passage scanned. ![]()
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