Pyramus and Thisbe, Part 3

Let's continue reading Pyramus and Thisbe, in Latin. Please take care to complete each handout fully before moving forward in the course.

Part 3 - Pyramus Follows Along - Tragedy Begins

Pyramus and Thisbe, Part 3 has Pyramus finally arriving at the garden, only to find - no sign of Thisbe. No sign, that is, until he spots her veil, covered in blood, and hears the lioness roar in the distance. Pyramus contemplates courses of action and settles on the most severe.

Image note: showing Pyramus and the lioness with the bloody veil. Mosaic from the House of Dionysos in Paphos Archaeological Park: Pyramus and Thisbe. Picture taken by Wolfgang Sauber in 2011.

Download Handout

Please download the Ovid: Metamorphoses - Pyramus and Thisbe, Part 3 Handout. Complete the handout before continuing in the course.

Ovid: Metamorphoses, Book IV, Lines 105-127

While you should be using the handout to help in reading and comprehending the passage, below you will find the complete Latin text for Part 3.

serius egressus vestigia vidit in alto 105
pulvere certa ferae totoque expalluit ore
Pyramus; ut vero vestem quoque sanguine tinctam
repperit, "una duos" inquit "nox perdet amantes,
e quibus illa fuit longa dignissima vita;
nostra nocens anima est. ego te, miseranda, peremi, 110
in loca plena metus qui iussi nocte venires
nec prior huc veni. nostrum divellite corpus
et scelerata fero consumite viscera morsu,
o quicumque sub hac habitatis rupe leones!
sed timidi est optare necem." velamina Thisbes 115
tollit et ad pactae secum fert arboris umbram,
utque dedit notae lacrimas, dedit oscula vesti,
"accipe nunc" inquit "nostri quoque sanguinis haustus!"
quoque erat accinctus, demisit in ilia ferrum,
nec mora, ferventi moriens e vulnere traxit. 120
ut iacuit resupinus humo, cruor emicat alte,
non aliter quam cum vitiato fistula plumbo
scinditur et tenui stridente foramine longas
eiaculatur aquas atque ictibus aera rumpit.
arborei fetus adspergine caedis in atram 125
vertuntur faciem, madefactaque sanguine radix
puniceo tinguit pendentia mora colore.

Practice Activity

After reading the passage, see how well you understood it. Complete the following practice quiz covering the reading material from this section of the passage.

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