Aldhelm Riddle 49: Lebes

ALEXANDRAREIDER

Date: Tue 15 Mar 2022
Original text:

Horrida, curva, capax, patulis fabricata metallis
Pendeo nec caelum tangens terramve profundam,
Ignibus ardescens necnon et gurgite fervens;
Sic geminas vario patior discrimine pugnas,
Dum latices limphae tolero flammasque feroces.

Translation:

Horrid, curved, capacious, made from beaten metals
I hang, touching neither the sky nor the vast earth,
Heated by fire and also boiling with swirling water;
Thus I endure twin battles with their various risks,
For as long as I tolerate the water’s liquid and the fierce flames. 

Click to show riddle solution?
Cauldron


Notes:

This edition is based on Rudolf Ehwald, ed. Aldhelmi Opera Omnia. Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Auctores Antiquissimi, 15. Berlin: Weidmann, 1919, pages 59-150. Available online here.



Tags: riddles  latin  Aldhelm