Tum Iuno omnipotens, longum miserata dolorem
difficilisque obitus, Irim demisit Olympo,
quae luctantem animam nexosque resolveret artus.
Nam quia nec fato, merita nec morte peribat,
sed misera ante diem, subitoque accensa furore,
nondum illi flavum Proserpina vertice crinem
abstulerat, Stygioque caput damnaverat Orco.
Ergo Iris croceis per caelum roscida pennis,
mille trahens varios adverso sole colores,
devolat, et supra caput adstitit: "Hunc ego Diti
sacrum iussa fero, teque isto corpore solvo."
Sic ait, et dextra crinem secat: omnis et una
dilapsus calor, atque in ventos vita recessit.
Then Juno in all her power, filled with pity
for Dido's agonizing death, her labor long and hard,
sped Iris down from Olympus to release her spirit
wrestling now in a deathlock with her limbs.
Since she was dying a death not fated or deserved,
no, tormented, before her day, in a blaze of passion--
Prosperina had yet to pluck a golden lock from her head
and commit her life to the Styx and the dark world below.
So Iris, glistening dew, comes skimming down from the sky
on gilded wings, trailing showers of iridescence shimmering
into the sun, and hovering over Dido's head, declares:
"So commanded, I take this lock as a sacred gift
to the God of Death, and I release you from your body."
With that, she cut the lock with her hand and all at once
the warmth slipped away, the life dissolved in the winds
It should then have been the duty of Proserpina, the queen
of the dead, to take a lock of hair from her head and escort her
to the underworld. But she had not yet arrived, because Dido
was dying before the time that had been planned for her by
fate: her end was undeserved, brought on by unexpect pass-
sion. And so Juno took pity on Dido's painful struggle, and
from Olympus she sent down Iris to set her spirit free and
relax her stiffening limbs. And Iris, leaving behind her a trail
of a thousand different colors, the colors of the sun shining
through the drops of dew that sparkled on her wings, flew
down to stand by Dido's head and cut off a lock of her hair.
"It is the gods' command," she whispered. "I make this of-
fering to Hades, and release you from your body."
At that very moment, a chill slipped through the room: it
was Dido's spirit, fluttering off upon a breeze.
Then Almighty Juno, pitying Dido's long agony
And hard death, sent Iris down from Olympus
To free her struggling soul from its mortal coils.
Her death was neither fated nor deserved
But before her day and in the heat of passion.
Proserpina had not yet plucked from her head
A golden lock, nor allotted her a place
In the stygian gloom. And so Iris flew down
Through the sky on sparkling, saffron wings,
Trailing in the sunlight a thousand changing hues,
And then stood above Dido's head.
"This offering
I consecrate to Dis and release you from your body."
As soon as she had cut the lock, all the body's warmth
Ebbed away, and Dido's life withdrew into the winds.
Almighty Juno pitied her long suffering and difficult death, and sent Iris
down from Olympus to release her struggling soul from clinging flesh. Since
she did not die a fated or deserved death, but sadly died before her time in a
sudden blaze of madness, Proserpina had not yet taken a golden lock from her
head or handed her over to Stygian Orcus. So dewy Iris flew down through the
sky on saffron wings, carrying a thousand colors against the sun, and stood
over Dido's head. "As ordered, I carry this sacred lock to Dis, and I release
you from this body." She cut the hair with her right hand; all warmth slipped
away from Dido, and her life withdrew to the winds.
At length powerful Juno pitied her wretched,
long death. She sent Iris from heaven
to free the wrestling spirit from knots of the body.
For Dido neither deserved to die nor was destined:
sudden grief and madness before her time had consumed her.
Proserpine still had not yet taken a golden
curl from her head or sent the spirit to Orcus.
So Iris flew from the sky, trailing a thousand
moist colors reflecting the sun, gliding on saffron
wings. She stopped by Dido "I'm taking an offering
now at the Death-God's command. Your life is freed from its body.
Her hand clipped hair while she spoke. Quickly and wholly
the warmth diminished. A life was gone on the breezes.
Tum Iuno omnipotens, longum miserata dolorem
difficilisque obitus, Irim demisit Olympo,
quae luctantem animam nexosque resolveret artus.
Nam quia nec fato, merita nec morte peribat,
sed misera ante diem, subitoque accensa furore,
nondum illi flavum Proserpina vertice crinem
abstulerat, Stygioque caput damnaverat Orco.
Ergo Iris croceis per caelum roscida pennis,
mille trahens varios adverso sole colores,
devolat, et supra caput adstitit: "Hunc ego Diti
sacrum iussa fero, teque isto corpore solvo."
Sic ait, et dextra crinem secat: omnis et una
dilapsus calor, atque in ventos vita recessit.
All-powerful Juno then took pity on her long anguish
and difficult death and sent Iris down from Olympus to
free her struggling spirit and loosen the fastenings of her
limbs. For since she was dying not by the decree of Fate or
by her own deserts but pitiably and before her time, in a
sudden blaze of madness, Proserpina had not yet taken a
lock of her golden hair or consigned her to Stygian Orcus.
So Iris, bathed in dew, flew down on her saffron wings,
trailing all her colours across the sky opposite the sun, and
hovered over Dido's head to say: 'I am commanded to
take this lock of hair as a solemn offering to Dis, and now I
free you from your body.'
With these words she raised her hand and cut the hair,
and as she cut, all warmth went out of Dido's body and
her life passed into the winds.
All mighty Juno then, pitying the pain
That went on for so long, and the hard exit,
Sent Iris down to her from Olympus
To free the struggling spirit from the limbs.
For since it ws not fate that made her perish,
Nor a just death, but she was dying pitiably
Before her day, caught in a sudden madness,
Proserpina had still not taken from her head
The yellow lock she owed to Stygian Orcus.
So dewy Iris on her saffron wings
Flew down from heaven trailing her changing colours
Against the sun, and stopped above her head.
'I take this offering, sacred to Dis, as ordered,
And so, set you free from that body,' she said
And with her right hand cut the lock. At once
All her warmth ebbed, her life went to the winds.
... Almighty Juno,
Filled with pity for this long ordeal
And difficult passage, now sent Iris down
Out of Olympus to set free
The wrestling spirit from the body's hold.
For since she died, not at her fated span
Nor as she merited, but before her time
Enflamed and driven mad, Proserpina
Had not yet plucked from her the golden hair,
Delivering her to Orcus of the Styx.
So humid Iris through bright heaven flew
On saffron-yellow wings, and in her train
A thousand hues shimmered before the sun.
At Dido's head she came to rest.
"This token
Sacred to Dis I bear away as bidden
And free you from your body."
Saying this,
She cut a lock of hair. Along with it
Her body's warmth fell into dissolution,
And out into the winds her life withdrew.
Then Juno in pity for her lingering pain
and laggard death, sent Iris down from heaven
to free her struggling soul from bonds of flesh.
(For not at her earned and fated hour she died,
but in a flash of fury, before her day:
Proserpina had not yet cut the lock
from her head, nor sentenced her to life below.)
But Iris flew down, dewy and golden-winged,
trailing a thousand colors against the sun.
She stopped over Dido's head: "This sacred lock
I carry to Dis, and from the flesh I free you."
With that she cut the wisp; at once all warmth
dispersed, and life retreated to the winds.
But then all-able Juno pitied her
long sorrow and hard death and from Olympus
sent Iris down to free the struggling spirit
from her entwining limbs. For as she died
a death that was not merited or fated,
but miserable and before her time
and spurred by sudden frenzy, Proserpina
had not yet cut a gold lock from her crown,
not yet assigned her life to Stygian Orcus.
On saffron wings dew-glittering Iris glides
along the sky, drawing a thousand shifting
colors across the facing sun. She halted
above the head of Dido: "So commmanded,
I take this lock as offering to Dis;
I free you from your body." So she speaks
and cuts the lock with her right hand; at once
the warmth was gone, the life passed to the winds.
