Publius Vergilius Maro (BC 70-19):Proteus the Seer Seal
Virgil: Georgics iv: 387-414 (heptads: 3-4:4-3;4-3:3-4)
There is in Carpathia,
of Neptune’s gulf, a seer,
Blue Proteus, great,
who with fishes, the sea, [aequor]
And, yoked to bipeds, in chariot,
measures, with horses. [equorum]
He, now, of Emathia
the port, and his homeland, revisits in
Pallene. Him, we
nymphs worship, and even
Great-aged Nereus; for
he knows all things, the seer,
Which are, which were,
which soon the future will bring.
Indeed thus to Neptune
seemed it good, whose immense
Herds, lazy he pastures
under the gulf, of seals.
He, by you child, first with chains
must be captured, so that all
He may reveal of the disease
the cause, and the outcome help.
For, without force, nothing
will he give of precepts; nor him
By prayers will you persuade.
With force hard, in chains captive,
Hold him. His tricks
around these, at last, will break inanely.
Myself I you, when
midday sun raises heat,
When thirst the plants, and the herd
now longs for shade,
Into the den of the Old-Man, I will lead,
where, tired, from the waves
He retires. Easy,
asleep, to approach him lying-down.
Truly, where seized by hands
and chains you will hold him,
Then variously will play out
the species and visages of beasts.
He will become suddenly
a rat horrible, and ferocious tiger;
A watery dragon and
tawny-maned lion;
Or else, of acrid flames the sound
he’ll give, so from his chains
To slip away; or, into
water tenuous, escaping go.
But however much
he, into forms changes all,
Then you, child, more strongly
strive with tenacious chains,
Until he be transformed
in body, such as
You will see, when he first
covers his lights in sleep.