Who came not early, as my charming maid.

Whatever slew thee, I the cause remain,

I nam'd, and fix'd the place where thou wast slain.

.......He kisses the veil and cries over it, then withdraws his sword and plunges it into his chest. When he falls back onto the ground, blood
.
spurts so high that it stains the white berries on the tree. They turn deep red, and the roots of the tree alter themselves so that they will
produce only purple berries henceforth.
.......After Thisbe leaves the cave to search for Pyramus, she hears him sighing near the tomb. When she arrives there, she recognizes the
Pyramus and Thisbe tomb and the tree. But the color of the berries bewilders her. And then she finds the body of Pyramus, quivering. “She shriek'd, she tore her
hair, she beat her breast."
By Ovid (43 BC-AD 17) .......She takes Pyramus in her arms, bathes him in her tears, and kisses him, asking “Whence sprung thy cruel fate?” He opens his eyes for
From Book IV of Metamorphoses a moment, then closes them and dies. When Thisbe sees the bloody veil and the sword, she realizes what happened. She then says she
A Study Guide hopes that the cruel parents of her and Pyramus will witness the results of a prayer she recites: "Oh! see our ashes in one urn confin'd, /
Whom love at first, and fate at last has join'd."
.......She then asks that the tree display the blood of not only Pyramus but also her own. And then
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. in her bosom [she] plung'd the sword,
All warm and reeking from its slaughter'd lord.
The pray'r, which dying Thisbe had preferr'd,
Both Gods, and parents, with compassion heard.
The whiteness of the mulberry soon fled,
And rip'ning, sadden'd in a dusky red:
While both their parents their lost children mourn,
And mix their ashes in one golden urn.

Setting
.
The action is set in Babylon in the Ninth Century BC during the reign of Semiramis (Greek name for Sammu-ramat). Babylon was the capital
of Babylonia, a country in southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq). Ruins of Babylon, said to be the largest city in the world when it was at
the height of its power and glory, exist about 55 miles south of Baghdad.

Characters
..
Pyramus: Handsome youth of Babylon who falls in love with his neighbor, Thisbe.
Setting Characters Type of Work Pronunciations
Thisbe: Beautiful young girl of Babylon who returns Pyramus's love.
Parents of Pyramus and Thisbe: They oppose a relationship between Pyramus and Thisbe for reasons not explained in the story. The
Cultural Background Themes Climax Writing Style
parents play no active role in the story.
Verse Format Free Text: Latin, English Questions and Essay Topics Ovid Biography Semiramis: Queen of Babylon and the subject of myths and legends. After the death of her husband, Ninus, she ruled Babylon for many
years. Semiramis is the Greek name for Sammu-ramat. Semiramis plays no active role in the story.
. Ninus: King of Assyria and late husband of Semiramis. He plays no active role in the story. However, it is at his tomb that Pyramus and
Plot Summary Thisbe meet after running away.
Based on a 1717 English Translation by John Dryden, Alexander Pope, and Others
By Michael J. Cummings © 2008
..
.......In Babylon during the reign of Queen Semiramis, Pyramus and Thisbe live in separate houses sharing the same roof. Of all the young
men in the region, Pyramus has no equal in the magnificence of his looks, and Thisbe is fairer than the fairest nymph.
.......When they grew up, their acquaintance turned into friendship—and friendship into burning love. But their parents now stand between
Type of Work
.
them, forbidding them to see each other or even to speak of their love. However, "The fire of love the more it is supprest, / The story is part of the fourth book of Metamorphoses, a long narrative poem by Ovid about mythological, legendary, and historical
The more it glows and rages in the breast." When the wall dividing their homes was built, shrinkage in the cement left a crack in the wall that characters and circumstances that undergo a transformation. The tale of Pyramus and Thisbe is one of the most famous in the fifteen books
went unnoticed except by the two lovers. Through it, they whisper their sorrows and joys. Desperate with love, they attempt to kiss, but the that make up Metamorphoses.
crack is too small. Even so, they often remain at the wall through the night.
.......In time, they decide to run away and meet at the tomb of Ninus, next to a tree bearing white berries. During the
hours before their planned nighttime escape, they are “impatient for the friendly dusk” to appear and “chide the Pronunciations
slowness of departing day.” After the sun sinks in the western sea, Thisbe steals away, her face veiled, and quickly
arrives at the tomb. And then "a lioness rush’d o’er the plain, Pronunciations of key words in this study guide are as follows: Ovid (Ah vid), Pyramus (PEER uh mihs), Thisbe (THIZ be), Semiramis (suh
Grimly besmear'd with blood of oxen slain." MEER uh mihs), Ninus (NEE nuhs).
.......The frightening sight quickens her thirst, and she runs to a nearby brook to drink, losing her veil along the way.
Afterward, in a nearby cave, she calms down as she awaits the arrival of Pyramus. Meanwhile, the lion roams back across the plain, Cultural Background: Parental Control of Children
discovers the veil, “and mouthing it all o’er, / With bloody jaws the lifeless prey she tore.” .
.......Pyramus, who had to delay his departure until he could sneak past the watchful eyes in his home, arrives late. In the moonlight, he sees In Babylonian society, parents retained absolute legal control of their children while they were growing up. For example, the fathers and
the paw prints of the lioness and, to his horror, finds the torn and bloody veil near the tomb. He upbraids himself mothers had the right to choose spouses for their sons and daughters and even had the right to sell their children into slavery, although they
seldom did so. Hence, after the parents of the mythical Pyramus and Thisbe forbade a relationship between them, the only recourse open to
'Tis I am guilty, I have thee betray'd, the young lovers was to abscond.

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 . Pyramus et Thisbe, iuvenum pulcherrimus alter,
altera, quas Oriens habuit, praelata puellis, In Babylon, where first her queen [Semiramus], for state
contiguas tenuere domos, ubi dicitur altam Rais'd walls of brick magnificently great,
coctilibus muris cinxisse Semiramis urbem. Liv'd Pyramus, and Thisbe, lovely pair!
notitiam primosque gradus vicinia fecit, He found no eastern youth his equal there,
. 60 tempore crevit amor; taedae quoque iure coissent, And she beyond the fairest nymph was fair.
sed vetuere patres: quod non potuere vetare, A closer neighbourhood was never known,
. ex aequo captis ardebant mentibus ambo. Tho' two the houses, yet the roof was one.
Themes conscius omnis abest; nutu signisque loquuntur, Acquaintance grew, th' acquaintance they improve
. quoque magis tegitur, tectus magis aestuat ignis. To friendship, friendship ripen'd into love:
All-Consuming Love 65 fissus erat tenui rima, quam duxerat olim, Love had been crown'd, but impotently mad,
cum fieret, paries domui communis utrique. What parents could not hinder, they forbad.
The love between Pyramus and Thisbe is so strong that they defy the will of their parents and run away. id vitium nulli per saecula longa notatum-- For with fierce flames young Pyramus still burn'd,
quid non sentit amor?—primi vidistis amantes And grateful Thisbe flames as fierce return'd.
Mischance et vocis fecistis iter, tutaeque per illud Aloud in words their thoughts they dare not break,
70 murmure blanditiae minimo transire solebant. But silent stand; and silent looks can speak.
Bad luck (or the power of fate) thwarts the plans of the young lovers when the lioness finds Thisbe's lost veil and chews at it with jaws saepe, ubi constiterant hinc Thisbe, Pyramus illinc, The fire of love the more it is supprest,
stained with the blood of another animal. inque vices fuerat captatus anhelitus oris, The more it glows, and rages in the breast.
"invide" dicebant "paries, quid amantibus obstas? When the division-wall was built, a chink
Climax quantum erat, ut sineres toto nos corpore iungi Was left, the cement unobserv'd to shrink.
75 aut, hoc si nimium est, vel ad oscula danda pateres? So slight the cranny, that it still had been
.
nec sumus ingrati: tibi nos debere fatemur, For centuries unclos'd, because unseen.
The climax occurs when Pyramus finds Thisbe’s bloody veil and, believing her dead, kills himself in despair, causing Thisbe to kill herself
quod datus est verbis ad amicas transitus auris." But oh! what thing so small, so secret lies,
after she finds his body.
talia diversa nequiquam sede locuti Which scapes, if form'd for love, a lover's eyes?
.
. sub noctem dixere "vale" partique dedere Ev'n in this narrow chink they quickly found
80 oscula quisque suae non pervenientia contra. A friendly passage for a trackless sound.
postera nocturnos Aurora removerat ignes, Safely they told their sorrows, and their joys,
solque pruinosas radiis siccaverat herbas: In whisper'd murmurs, and a dying noise,
Style and Verse Format ad solitum coiere locum. tum murmure parvo By turns to catch each other's breath they strove,
multa prius questi statuunt, ut nocte silenti And suck'd in all the balmy breeze of love.
.
85 fallere custodes foribusque excedere temptent, Oft as on diff'rent sides they stood, they cry'd,
.......Although he based the tales in Metamorphoses on existing stories, Ovid presents them with a freshness and originality that made them cumque domo exierint, urbis quoque tecta relinquant, Malicious wall, thus lovers to divide!
uniquely his own. His writing is vivid, elegant, and succinct, with the stories—including "Pyramus and Thisbe"—generally moving swiftly from neve sit errandum lato spatiantibus arvo, Suppose, thou should'st a-while to us give place
beginning to end without tedious digressions or inflated language. Metamorphoses was highly popular with readers of the Augustan age (27 conveniant ad busta Nini lateantque sub umbra To lock, and fasten in a close embrace:
BC to AD 14, when Caesar Augustus ruled the Roman Empire) and became one of the best read books of the Renaissance, influencing arboris: arbor ibi niveis uberrima pomis, But if too much to grant so sweet a bliss,
Shakespeare and other prominent writers. The themes and motifs are as timely today as they were 2,000 years ago. 90 ardua morus, erat, gelido contermina fonti. Indulge at least the pleasure of a kiss.
.......Ovid wrote Metamorphoses in heroic hexameter, the dignified verse format of ancient epic poetry. Heroic hexameter consists of pacta placent; et lux, tarde discedere visa, We scorn ingratitude: to thee, we know,
unrhymed lines that each contain six feet. Each foot is either a dactyl (a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables) or a praecipitatur aquis, et aquis nox exit ab isdem. This safe conveyance of our minds we owe.
spondee (two stressed syllables). The number of syllables per line varies depending on the number of dactyls and spondees in it. Callida per tenebras versato cardine Thisbe Thus they their vain petition did renew
A dactyl tends to accelerate the narrative in the same way that an allegro and a presto accelerate music; a spondee tends to slow the egreditur fallitque suos adopertaque vultum 'Till night, and then they softly sigh'd adieu.
narrative like an adagio in music. Ovid chose dactyls more often than spondees so that the narrative moves along briskly. 95 pervenit ad tumulum dictaque sub arbore sedit. But first they strove to kiss, and that was all;
audacem faciebat amor. venit ecce recenti Their kisses dy'd untasted on the wall.
caede leaena boum spumantis oblita rictus Soon as the morn had o'er the stars prevail'd,
Pyramus and Thisbe in Latin and English depositura sitim vicini fontis in unda; And warm'd by Phoebus, flow'rs their dews exhal'd,
quam procul ad lunae radios Babylonia Thisbe The lovers to their well-known place return,
Introduction to the Texts Alike they suffer, and alike they mourn.
100 vidit et obscurum timido pede fugit in antrum,
dumque fugit, tergo velamina lapsa reliquit. At last their parents they resolve to cheat
.......When translating Latin classics into English, writers generally interpret the Latin words rather than presenting a verbatim rendering of
ut lea saeva sitim multa conpescuit unda, (If to deceive in love be call'd deceit),
them. One reason for this approach is that Latin inflection and word order differ substantially from English inflection and word order.
dum redit in silvas, inventos forte sine ipsa To steal by night from home, and thence unknown
Another reason is that there is no Latin equivalent of the English definite article (a, an, or the). Consider the following Latin phrase:
ore cruentato tenues laniavit amictus. To seek the fields, and quit th' unfaithful town.
oculus dexter. Oculus means eye, and dexter means right. However, the phrase in English does not mean eye right; rather, it means the
105 serius egressus vestigia vidit in alto But, to prevent their wand'ring in the dark,
right eye. As you can see, Latin places the adjective after the noun, not before it, and it does not use an article before the noun. In addition,
pulvere certa ferae totoque expalluit ore They both agree to fix upon a mark;
a verb in a Latin sentence or phrase usually has a different position than a verb in an English phrase or sentence. Consider the following
Pyramus; ut vero vestem quoque sanguine tinctam A mark, that could not their designs expose:
Latin sentence: Poeta puellam amat. A word-for-word literal translation renders it as Poet girl loves. However, its correct translation is The
repperit, "una duos" inquit "nox perdet amantes, The tomb of Ninus was the mark they chose.
poet loves the girl.
e quibus illa fuit longa dignissima vita; There they might rest secure beneath the shade,
.......There are many other differences—too numerous to discuss here—between Latin and English.
110 nostra nocens anima est. ego te, miseranda, peremi, Which boughs, with snowy fruit encumber'd, made:
.......As a result of these differences, translators of Latin literary works try to capture the spirit of them rather than presenting a literal
in loca plena metus qui iussi nocte venires A wide-spread mulberry its rise had took
rendering of them. In addition, they may change the meter of a verse work and add rhyme to it. For example, the following English
nec prior huc veni. nostrum divellite corpus Just on the margin of a gurgling brook.
translation of "Pyramus and Thisbe" uses pentameter with iambic feet rather than hexameter with dactylic or spondaic feet. It also contains
et scelerata fero consumite viscera morsu, Impatient for the friendly dusk they stay;
end rhyme.
o quicumque sub hac habitatis rupe leones! And chide the slowness of departing day;
. 115 sed timidi est optare necem." velamina Thisbes In western seas down sunk at last the light,
tollit et ad pactae secum fert arboris umbram, From western seas up-rose the shades of night.
Original Latin English utque dedit notae lacrimas, dedit oscula vesti, The loving Thisbe ev'n prevents the hour,
From a 1717 Translation of Metamorphoses by John Dryden, "accipe nunc" inquit "nostri quoque sanguinis haustus!" With cautious silence she unlocks the door,
Lines 55-166 of Book IV of Metamorphoses
Alexander Pope, Joseph Addison, William Congreve, and Others quoque erat accinctus, demisit in ilia ferrum, And veils her face, and marching thro' the gloom
120 nec mora, ferventi moriens e vulnere traxit. Swiftly arrives at th' assignation-tomb.

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 ut iacuit resupinus humo, cruor emicat alte, For still the fearful sex can fearless prove; Then her warm lips to the cold face apply'd,
non aliter quam cum vitiato fistula plumbo Boldly they act, if spirited by love. And is it thus, ah! thus we meet, she cry'd!
scinditur et tenui stridente foramine longas When lo! a lioness rush'd o'er the plain, My Pyramus! whence sprung thy cruel fate?
eiaculatur aquas atque ictibus aera rumpit. Grimly besmear'd with blood of oxen slain: My Pyramus!- ah! speak, ere 'tis too late.
125 arborei fetus adspergine caedis in atram And what to the dire sight new horrors brought, I, thy own Thisbe, but one word implore,
vertuntur faciem, madefactaque sanguine radix To slake her thirst the neighb'ring spring she sought. One word thy Thisbe never ask'd before.
purpureo tinguit pendentia mora colore. Which, by the moon, when trembling Thisbe spies, At Thisbe's name, awak'd, he open'd wide
Ecce metu nondum posito, ne fallat amantem, Wing'd with her fear, swift, as the wind, she flies; His dying eyes; with dying eyes he try'd
illa redit iuvenemque oculis animoque requirit, And in a cave recovers from her fright, On her to dwell, but clos'd them slow, and dy'd.
130 quantaque vitarit narrare pericula gestit; But drop'd her veil, confounded in her flight. The fatal cause was now at last explor'd,
utque locum et visa cognoscit in arbore formam, When sated with repeated draughts, again Her veil she knew, and saw his sheathless sword:
sic facit incertam pomi color: haeret, an haec sit. The queen of beasts scour'd back along the plain, From thy own hand thy ruin thou hast found,
dum dubitat, tremebunda videt pulsare cruentum She found the veil, and mouthing it all o'er, She said, but love first taught that hand to wound,
membra solum, retroque pedem tulit, oraque buxo With bloody jaws the lifeless prey she tore. Ev'n I for thee as bold a hand can show,
135 pallidiora gerens exhorruit aequoris instar, The youth, who could not cheat his guards so soon, And love, which shall as true direct the blow.
quod tremit, exigua cum summum stringitur aura. Late came, and noted by the glimm'ring moon I will against the woman's weakness strive,
sed postquam remorata suos cognovit amores, Some savage feet, new printed on the ground, And never thee, lamented youth, survive.
percutit indignos claro plangore lacertos His cheeks turn'd pale, his limbs no vigour found; The world may say, I caus'd, alas! thy death,
et laniata comas amplexaque corpus amatum But when, advancing on, the veil he spied But saw thee breathless, and resign'd my breath.
140 vulnera supplevit lacrimis fletumque cruori Distain'd with blood, and ghastly torn, he cried, Fate, tho' it conquers, shall no triumph gain,
miscuit et gelidis in vultibus oscula figens One night shall death to two young lovers give, Fate, that divides us, still divides in vain.
"Pyrame," clamavit, "quis te mihi casus ademit? But she deserv'd unnumber'd years to live! Now, both our cruel parents, hear my pray'r;
Pyrame, responde! tua te carissima Thisbe 'Tis I am guilty, I have thee betray'd, My pray'r to offer for us both I dare;
nominat; exaudi vultusque attolle iacentes!" Who came not early, as my charming maid. Oh! see our ashes in one urn confin'd,
145 ad nomen Thisbes oculos a morte gravatos Whatever slew thee, I the cause remain, Whom love at first, and fate at last has join'd.
Pyramus erexit visaque recondidit illa. I nam'd, and fix'd the place where thou wast slain. The bliss, you envy'd, is not our request;
Quae postquam vestemque suam cognovit et ense Ye lions from your neighb'ring dens repair, Lovers, when dead, may sure together rest.
vidit ebur vacuum, "tua te manus" inquit "amorque Pity the wretch, this impious body tear! Thou, tree, where now one lifeless lump is laid,
perdidit, infelix! est et mihi fortis in unum But cowards thus for death can idly cry; Ere-long o'er two shalt cast a friendly shade.
150 hoc manus, est et amor: dabit hic in vulnera vires. The brave still have it in their pow'r to die. Still let our loves from thee be understood,
persequar extinctum letique miserrima dicar Then to th' appointed tree he hastes away, Still witness in thy purple fruit our blood.
causa comesque tui: quique a me morte revelli The veil first gather'd, tho' all rent it lay: She spoke, and in her bosom plung'd the sword,
heu sola poteras, poteris nec morte revelli. The veil all rent yet still it self endears, All warm and reeking from its slaughter'd lord.
hoc tamen amborum verbis estote rogati, He kist, and kissing, wash'd it with his tears. The pray'r, which dying Thisbe had preferr'd,
155 o multum miseri meus illiusque parentes, Tho' rich (he cry'd) with many a precious stain, Both Gods, and parents, with compassion heard.
ut, quos certus amor, quos hora novissima iunxit, Still from my blood a deeper tincture gain. The whiteness of the mulberry soon fled,
conponi tumulo non invideatis eodem; Then in his breast his shining sword he drown'd, And rip'ning, sadden'd in a dusky red:
at tu quae ramis arbor miserabile corpus And fell supine, extended on the ground. While both their parents their lost children mourn,
nunc tegis unius, mox es tectura duorum, As out again the blade lie dying drew, And mix their ashes in one golden urn.
160 signa tene caedis pullosque et luctibus aptos Out spun the blood, and streaming upwards flew.
semper habe fetus, gemini monimenta cruoris." So if a conduit-pipe e'er burst you saw,
dixit et aptato pectus mucrone sub imum Swift spring the gushing waters thro' the flaw:
incubuit ferro, quod adhuc a caede tepebat. Then spouting in a bow, they rise on high, .
vota tamen tetigere deos, tetigere parentes; And a new fountain plays amid the sky. Study Questions and Essay Topics
165 nam color in pomo est, ubi permaturuit, ater, The berries, stain'd with blood, began to show
quodque rogis superest, una requiescit in urna. A dark complexion, and forgot their snow; 1. How would you react if your parents opposed your desire to marry someone they did not like?
While fatten'd with the flowing gore, the root 2. Until modern times, it was customary for parents in many countries to arrange marriages for their children. Write an essay explaining why
Was doom'd for ever to a purple fruit. parents insisted on doing so. To prepare for this assignment, read "Parents Arrange Marriages for Wealth and Social Status" in the Romeo
Mean-time poor Thisbe fear'd, so long she stay'd, and Juliet study guide, then conduct further research.
Her lover might suspect a perjur'd maid. 3. Babylon was one of the most famous cities of antiquity, and it is mentioned in the Bible. Write an informative essay describing the city and
Her fright scarce o'er, she strove the youth to find its culture.
With ardent eyes, which spoke an ardent mind. 4. Each story in Ovid's Metamorphoses reports a transformation. What transformation takes place in "Pyramus and Thisbe"?
Already in his arms, she hears him sigh 5. Ovid does not tell why the parents of Pyramus and Thisbe opposed a relationship between the lovers. What do you think were the
At her destruction, which was once so nigh. reasons for their opposition?
The tomb, the tree, but not the fruit she knew, .
The fruit she doubted for its alter'd hue.
Still as she doubts, her eyes a body found
Quiv'ring in death, and gasping on the ground.
She started back, the red her cheeks forsook, .
And ev'ry nerve with thrilling horrors shook.
So trembles the smooth surface of the seas, Fourth Homes Acquaintance Allan edgar poe Allegro Arrives Babylonian Bad Luck
If brush'd o'er gently with a rising breeze.
But when her view her bleeding love confest,
She shriek'd, she tore her hair, she beat her breast.
She rais'd the body, and embrac'd it round,
And bath'd with tears unfeign'd the gaping wound.

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