638: paterque — this refers to Atalanta’s father Schoeneus. In other versions of this tale, such as Hyginus’, Schoeneus actually devises the contest and officiates the race. Ovid however places him simply as a spectator with the crowds (populus)

639: me — remember that this story is narrated by Venus (link to context essay) and so this and all instances of I or me in the story will refer to Venus

639: proles neptunia — an epic periphrasis to describe Hippomenes as he is a descendant of Neptune through his father Megareus of Onchestus

641: quos...ignes — quos which is the beginning of a relative clause precedes the noun (ignes) which it describes and depends on

642: detulit...blandas — In both Apollodorus and Hyginus’ versions Hippomenes already has the golden apples when he challenges Atalanta and thus expects victory all along, Ovid however shows Hippomenes first putting his life on the line and then appealing to Venus for assistance

642: aura...non invida — A not envying breeze or breath of wind; this is the subject of the sentence, representing the plea made by Hippomenes in the previous sentence

643: opis — while opis can be directly translate as help or support it differs from the feeling of ‘ausis’ (640) or ‘adiuvet’ (641) in that opis is more concrete and has the flavor of strength, power and might as opposed to simply ‘aid’

644: Tamasenum — Tamasis, or Tamaseus, is mentioned by Pliny as a city of Cyprus, it was rich in copper and was a valuable land as such it was consecrated to Venus

645: Cypriae — The island of Cyprus; while in Ovid’s narration the apples are from the Tamasenian field on Cyprus, other writers say they were from the gardens of Hesperides

645: prisci — ancient and venerable; this theme of religious sacredness and seclusion is  connected to the later metamorphoses in the story (context essay)

646: dotem — the Cypriots of olden times set apart this region to be consecrated and given to the goddess

648: fulva — golden or yellow-gold

648: comas — accusative of respect

648: crepitantibus — crepō, crepāre, crepuī, crepitus, to rattle or rustle

649: mea — with manu

650: poma — Apples; apples are a common motif throughout classical literature, from Adam and Eve to the Trojan war to Snow White. For more information you can read Mr. Littlewood's paper “The symbolism of the Apple in Greek and Roman Literature” in Harvard Studies in Classical Philology 72 (1968).

651: Hippomenen — Greek accusative form

651: usus — use or purpose, it is not explicitly revealed what the use of the apples is either for suspense or because Ovid assumes you already know the story and how they will be used

652: dederant —  This verb is in the plu. perfect tense (had been sounded) by being in the past tense this verb shifts the story and throws the reader right in the midst of the race

652: carcere — ablative, from the starting line; in chariot races they used ‘carceres’ or starting gates, here Ovid has transferred this use to a foot-race and so instead of starting gates it more closely means starting line

652: pronus — the runners are leaning forward assuming their stance as they take off from the starting line

653: emicat — while dederant was past time, this is in the present tense describing what is unfolding at that very moment and brings the action into a more normal storytelling present tense

653: harenam — sand, just like tracks for chariot racing, the race-course is made of sand

654: posse putes — you would think; here Ovid sets up and then uses two excellent metaphors to describe just how quick they are running

654: illos...aristas — The metaphors used to describe their speed are very similar to Virgil’s description of Camilla’s speed in running in the Aeneid (7. 808) Virgil’s passage may well have inspired Ovid’s description

654: illos — refers to the two runners

654: freta — fretum, fretī, the sea or waves

655: aristas — arista, aristae, ear of corn

655: segetis — seges, segetis, cornfield

655: percurrere — to run through or along, think of it as the prefix per added onto the stem currere which means to run

656: iuveni — Ovid first brings our attention to Hippomenes who is the underdog and thus the popular favorite

658: utere — takes the ablative

659: Megareius heros — another name for Hippomenes as he is the son of Megareus

660: virgin...Schoeneia — the virgin of Schoeneia; another name for Atalanta, this epic descriptor counters Hippomenes’ (Megareius heros) in the line above

660: gaudeat an virgo — Atalanta, seemingly contrary to what she should be feeling, rejoices at the condition of the race because while the prophecy has warned her not to get married she is also attracted to Hippomenes and does not want to see him killed

660: an — this is best translated as ‘whether ... or’

661-662: Here it is clear that while Atalanta has the ability to move ahead and win the race she is torn inside at the thought of beating Hippomenes and having him pay the consequence

661: posset — imperfect subjunctive because of the cum clause

661: morata est — moror, morārī, morātus sum (deponent verb)

662: vultus — face; here a poetic plural

663: This is a ‘golden line’ meaning it is of the form: adjective 1, adjective 2, verb, noun 1, noun 2

663: veniebat — most likely a frequentative imperfect, his breathing is rapid as the race intensifies just as any runner’s breathing becomes more quick and hard as they sprint

664: metaque erat longe — and the end of the race was still a long way off

666: obstipuit — amazed or awe-struck; this verb switches our attention back to Atalanta

666: nitidique cupidine pomi — while up to this point Atalanta has been almost the opposite of a stereotypically feminine girl, here she seems to be driven merely by selfish desire and lusting for the shining gold object

668: resonant — resounds, rings or echoes back

668: spectacula — seats or benches on which spectators sit in an amphitheatre; Ovid artfully describes the applause of the spectators through personifying the seats on which they sit, this could also be considered an example of metonymy

667: volubile — rolling or tumbling; this adjective encourages us to imagine the apple rolling over and over along the sand

669: celeri...cursu —  these both go together with ‘corrigit’ (670)

669: cessataque tempora — the time she lost in delay while retrieving the apple

671-672: rursus...virum — the same sequence of events happens for a second time though this time but with little description possibly to show that it only slowed her briefly

671: remorata — having been delayed, the participle is the subject and refers to Atalanta who is inferred in the sentence

672: consequitur — cōnsequor, cōnsequī, cōnsecūtus sum (deponent verb) to pursue or follow after

673: restabat; — The only discrepancy between R.J. Tarrant's text and that found online at www.thelatinlibrary.com is the punctuation after restabat. Tarrant uses a semicolon while the other text uses a period

673: ‘nunc...auctor!’ — As he is about to throw his final apple, he sends a final prayer to Venus

674: quo tardius illa rediret  —  a subjunctive phrase, which could be seen as a relative clause of characteristic or perhaps more correctly as a purpose clasue. It would be translated as: “whereby he might delay her”

675: ab obliquo — more literally from the side though a smoother translation might be ‘sidewise’

675: nitidum — shining or gleaming, this, just as the yellow vesture of Chloreus which fatally tempted Virgil’s Camilla, will be the pitfall of Atalanta

675: iuvenaliter — with all his youthful strength or in a youthful manner; this adjective shows the desperation and full strength with which Hippomenes hurls the final distraction

676: an...dubitare — indirect question

676: dubitare — Atalanta as she has done throughout the story, cannot decide between the foreboding prophecy and Hippomenes. In the end, Venus decides for her by driving her to the apple and thus securing the victory for Hippomenes

676: coegi — first person perfect active of cōgō, cōgere, coēgī, coāctus, meaning I compelled or drove, here Venus herself directly intervenes in the race

677: malo — apple, ablative with the ‘sub-’ of ‘sublato’

678: pariter — both or equally

679: neve — ’and lest’ or ‘so that this not’; this sets up a charming artistic comparison in which Venus, telling the story, compares the length of her narration to the running of the story. In essence this line serves to say: eventually or in the end.

680: virgo — Atalanta has been a virgin thus far, however with her loss of the race and subsequent marriage to Hippomenes that will soon change

680: praemia — as with many instances in the story this is a poetic plural

680: victor — it is only fitting that this passage of the story end with what each was seeking, to be the winner