ICARUS FALLING
Dedalus and Icarus are trapped on Crete. The father makes two sets of human-sized wings from wax and feathers, so that they can escape. He hovers in the air, and gives young Icarus some flying instructions.
“Keep to the middle air. If you go too low, the waves will weigh your wings down. Too high, and the sun will scorch them.”
They take to the sky. You may know what happens next.
This will be our longest passage yet, but Ovid’s style is so fluent and clear that he is a pleasure to read even for a relative beginner. I’ll take us through the first few sections, and then give you the vocabulary to tackle the last stretch on your own.