P R E F A C E

E L E G Y.

The earth-born Giants, with impudent audacity, Refers to the Gigantomachy, the mythical battle where the Giants—monstrous sons of Gaia (Earth)—attempted to overthrow the Olympian gods by piling mountains on top of each other.

Made war against the Gods,

But the flood punished them, and uprooted the race original: "l'onde." Likely a reference to the Great Flood sent by Zeus (Jupiter) to wipe out the early, hubristic generations of living beings.

Of these ambitious ones.

These colossi of flesh, having rotted in the earth,

The soil sucked up their blood:

And then it brought forth, to our great misery,

Men even more wicked.

Who, full of cruelty, rage, and fury,

And of faithlessness,

Were smaller of body: but their battle-hardened hands

Performed more iniquities.

Jupiter, angered to see their injustice

Spreading in all places:

original: "Pulluler," meaning to swarm or multiply rapidly. *And that inhuman man made a virtue of vice,*

He abandoned the Heavens.

To come and consult with both Pluto and Neptune,

His two full brothers:

In mythology, these three brothers divided the universe: Jupiter took the sky, Neptune the sea, and Pluto the underworld. *In order to learn from them the timely method*

To punish humanity.

He spoke these words to them: "My brothers, I pray you

To tell me how

I may worthily stir my fury

To destroy these people."