3.316-23: Jupiter wonders who gets more pleasure out of sex
Dumque ea per terrās fātālī lēge geruntur
tūtaque bis genitī sunt incūnābula Bacchī,
forte Iovem memorant diffūsum nectare cūrās
sēposuisse gravēs vacuāque agitāsse remissōs
cum Iūnōne iocōs et 'maior vestra profectō est, 320
quam quae contingit maribus' dīxisse 'voluptās.'
illa negat. placuit quae sit sententia doctī
quaerere Tīresiae: Venus huic erat utraque nōta.
3.324-31: The choice of Tiresias as judge is explained
nam duo magnōrum viridī coeuntia silvā
corpora serpentum baculī violāverat ictū 325
dēque virō factus (mīrābile) fēmina septem
ēgerat autumnōs; octāvō rūrsus eōsdem
vīdit, et 'est vestrae sī tanta potentia plāgae'
dīxit, 'ut auctōris sortem in contrāria mūtet,
nunc quoque vōs feriam.' percussīs anguibus īsdem 330
fōrma prior rediit, genetīvaque vēnit imāgō.
3.332-8: Jupiter punishes Tiresias, but Jupiter compensates
arbiter hic igitur sūmptus dē līte iocōsa
dicta Iovis firmat: gravius Sāturnia iūstō
nec prō māteriā fertur doluisse suīque
iūdicis aeternā damnāvit lūmina nocte; 335
at pater omnipotēns (neque enim licet inrita cuīquam
facta deī fēcisse deō) prō lūmine adēmptō
scīre futūra dedit poenamque levāvit honōre.
vocabulary
| fātālis fātālis fātāle | fated, fatal, deadly |
| bis | twice |
| incūnābula –ōrum n. | a cradle; infancy, early years |
| Bacchus –ī m. | Bacchus, Dionysus |
| Iuppiter Iovis m. | Jupiter |
| memorō memorāre memorāvī memorātus | to recall |
| diffūsus -a -um | flushed, warmed |
| nectar –aris n. | nectar |
| sēpōnō –pōnere –posuī –positum | to lay aside |
| remissus -a -um | casual, relaxed |
| Iūnō Iūnōnis f. | Juno 320 |
| iocus iocī m. | joke |
| profectō | without doubt |
| mās maris m. | the male of the species |
| voluptās -tātis f. | pleasure (in love-making) |
| doctus –a –um | taught, learned, skilled |
| Tīresiās –ae m. | Tiresias, a famous prophet-to-be |
| viridis –e | green |
| coeō coīre coīvō/coiī coitus | to come together |
| serpēns –entis (gen. pl. serpentum) m./f. | snake 325 |
| baculum –ī n. or bacilus –ī m. | stick |
| violō violāre violāvī violātus | to hit, violate |
| ictus -ūs m. | blow |
| vīrus –ī n. | a medicinal liquid; poison |
| mīrābilis –e | wonderful, extraordinary |
| septem; septimus –a –um | 7; 7th |
| autumnus autumnī m. | fall |
| octō; octāvus –a –um | 8; 8th |
| potentia potentiae f. | power |
| plāga –ae f. | a blow, wound, lashing |
| contrārium –iī n. | the opposite |
| feriō ferīre | to hit 330 |
| percutiō percutere percussī percussum | to strike, kill |
| anguis anguis m. or f. | snake |
| genetīvus –a –um | original, from birth |
| arbiter –trī m. | judge, observer |
| līs lītis f. | lawsuit; quarrel |
| iocōsus –a –um | humorous |
| fīrmō fīrmāre fīrmāvī fīrmātus | to strengthen |
| Sāturnia | Juno |
| prō materiā | "in proportion to the issue" |
| iudex iudicis m. | judge 335 |
| aeternus -a -um | everlasting |
| damnō -āre | to condemn X (acc.) to Y (abl.) |
| omnipotēns –entis | all–powerful |
| irritus (inritus) –a –um | undone, vain |
| adimō adimere adēmī adēmptus | to take away |
| levō levāre levāvī levātus | to relieve, lighten, raise |