Antiopa

Hyginus, Fabulae, Fabula 7.

Previous fabula: Cadmus (Fabula 6). This page is Fabula 7 only. Latin and English are given paragraph by paragraph, so each paragraph can be checked against the other. Further fabulae are added as they are finished; see the Hyginus index.

1

Antiopa Nyctei filia ab Epapho per dolum est stuprata, itaque a Lyco uiro suo eiecta est. hanc uiduam Iuppiter compressit.

Antiopa, daughter of Nycteus, was dishonoured through trickery by Epaphus, and was therefore cast out by Lycus, her husband. Jupiter lay with her when she was left without a husband.

2

at Lycus Dircen in matrimonium duxit, cui suspicio incidit uirum suum clam cum Antiopa concubuisse; itaque imperauit famulis ut eam in tenebris uinctam clauderent.

But Lycus married Dirce, who came to suspect that her husband had secretly lain with Antiopa; so she ordered her servants to shut Antiopa up, bound, in darkness.

3

cui postquam partus instabat, effugit ex uinculis Iouis uoluntate in montem Cithaeronem; cumque partus premeret et quaereret ubi pareret, dolor eam in ipso biuio coegit partum edere.

When her delivery was imminent, she escaped from her bonds, by Jupiter's will, to Mount Cithaeron; and as labour pressed upon her and she was looking for a place to give birth, her pain forced her to bear the child at the very crossroads.

4

quos pastores pro suis educarunt et appellarunt Zeton, ἀπὸ τοῦ ζητεῖν τόπον, alterum uero Amphionem, ὅτι ἐν διόδῳ ἢ ὅτι ἀμφὶ ὁδὸν αὐτὸν ἔτεκεν, id est quoniam in biuio eum edidit.

Shepherds brought the twins up as their own and called one Zethus, ἀπὸ τοῦ ζητεῖν τόπον, "from seeking a place", and the other Amphion, ὅτι ἐν διόδῳ ἢ ὅτι ἀμφὶ ὁδὸν αὐτὸν ἔτεκεν, "because she bore him in a thoroughfare or because she bore him beside the road", that is, because she gave birth to him at the crossroads.

5

qui postquam matrem agnouerunt, Dircen ad taurum indomitum deligatam uita priuarunt, ex cuius corpore in monte Cithaerone fons est natus qui Dircaeus est appellatus, beneficio Liberi, cuius baccha fuerat.

After they recognised their mother, they deprived Dirce, tied to an untamed bull, of her life; from her body on Mount Cithaeron a spring arose, which was called Dircaean, by the favour of Liber, whose bacchant she had been.

Notes

Paragraph 1, stuprata: rendered “dishonoured”, not “violated”. Stuprum is illicit intercourse / dishonour, and per dolum points to seduction by deceit rather than force; the English is not made stronger than the Latin.
Paragraph 1, uiduam: rendered “when she was left without a husband”. Uidua is a woman without a husband, widowed or otherwise; Antiopa is cast out, not bereaved, so “widow” would overspecify.
Paragraph 2, cui suspicio incidit: “who came to suspect”, not “suspicion fell on her”. The servants are ordered to shut Antiopa up, named, so “her” cannot be read as Dirce.
Paragraph 3, instabat / premeret: instabat is “was imminent”, premeret is labour pressing; the two are not both rendered “pressing”.
Paragraph 4, Zeton ... alterum: “called one Zethus ... and the other Amphion”. Zeton is one child, alterum the other. The Greek already contains its preposition / conjunction, so the English gloss follows the Greek in quotes without repeating it: no “from from” or “because because”. Names are given in English nominative form (Zethus, Amphion); the Latin gives Zeton, Zetum, Zetus in the accusative places.
Paragraph 5, cuius baccha fuerat: most naturally Dirce, the nearest antecedent and the one in Liber's rites in Fabula 8; Antiopa is possible but strained. The translation keeps “whose bacchant she had been” with this note, rather than settling it silently. Dircaeus est appellatus is past: “was called Dircaean”.
Edition check, still open: this Latin text has not yet been checked against a printed critical edition; the points above were checked against the Packhum online text.

Next fabula: Antiopa Euripidis (Fabula 8). Corrections are welcome via the contact form; please say which paragraph you mean.