Ovid's Metamorphoses

I liked Ovid's Metamorphoses. I bought it on the advice of a friend a few months ago, and have gone back to it several times since. For something so old, it is really very good, and kind of raunchy. :P

I like the part set during the Trojan War, when Nestor tells the story about the battle between the Lapiths and the Centaurs. There's one part in there about two centaurs called Cyrallus and Hylonome. Nestor describes Cyrallus as a handsome centaur, no small praise for an enemy. He says no less about Hylonome, calling her the most beautiful centaur girl. He goes on for a few lines or so telling about how they always spend time together. Then he tells about how, at the battle, Cyrallus is killed. Hylonome, cut off from her love, takes the spear out of his body and shoves it through her own chest.

Now, Nestor praised only these two centaurs. It seems, to me anyway, that the reason he did so was because he saw how Hylonome wanted to die rather than live without Cyrallus. Because he witnessed such a human quality in two supposedly brutish enemies, it compelled him to think of them more highly after the fact. I just thought that the changed point of view I read into that particular section was very interesting and noteworthy.

In other news, I'm doing NaPo because of that wonderful girl I told you all about. She convinced me to do it in exchange for her doing something for me. I relented, but I let her think up what it is she'll do for me. I'm eagerly awaiting whatever it is she cooks up.