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62

Priapus

Securi dormite, canes: custodiet hortum
   cum sibi dilecta Sirius Erigone.

Sleep, O ye watchdogs! safe, while aid in guarding the garden
Lover his leman beloved, Seirius Erigone.

Sleep dogs in safety: Sirius will watch over the garden with his beloved Erigone.[1]

[1. Sirius, the Dog Star, Erigone, the constellation Virgo. Icarus, the father of Erigone, having been slain by some intoxicated shepherds, his dog Maera, returning home, drew his daughter by her robe to where her father lay. She hanged herself for grief, and the dog perished of hunger. In compassion, Bacchus raised them to the sides, calling Icarus by the name of Boötes; Erigone the Virgin; and Maera, Canicula, Sirius, 'the Dog Star' or Procyon.]


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