In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Philemon and Baucis, poor, but mindful of the sacred duty of hospitality to strangers, entertain the Gods unawares.
Hear Ovid’s Latin and follow in English here.
See the illustrated blog post here.
Philemon and Baucis’s goose has a narrow escape, as Ovid tells the story of the old couple who became legendary for their generosity and proverbial for love between wife and husband.
Hear Ovid’s Latin and listen in English here.
Photo by VladoubidoOo, licence details at photo credits.
Philemon and Baucis are the poorest of the poor, but when the immortals arrive in disguise and ask for hospitality, their response is immediate and their generosity boundless. Ovid in the Metamorphoses sometimes plays the rather rickety old gentleman and his kindly wife for laughs, but their open-handedness and the warmth of their welcome are heartwarming nevertheless. The next post will tell the end of their story.
Hear Ovid’s Latin and follow in English here.
