Il y a une dizaine de jours, je suis parti retrouver Christine à Narbonne.

Le Musée Narbo Via, dédié à la Narbo romaine (cette ville fut la première ville romaine hors d'Italie et un des 3 plus grands ports de l'Empire romain)

décor du triclinium de la Maison à Portiques, avec le Génie de l'Empereur et une Victoire ailée - fin IIème s. ap. J-C.

sol en opus sectile avec marbres - 1er s. ap. J-C.

peinture aux Chevaux, peut-être ceux du char de Phaëton, avec le Génie des Vents les arrêtant - Clos de la Lombarde - 150 ap. J-C.

Phaëton's terrifying chariot-ride through the sky's strange figures of huge and savage beasts

   Quod simulac sensere, ruunt tritumque relinquunt

quadriiugi spatium nec quo prius ordine currunt.

ipse pavet nec qua commissas flectat habenas

nec scit qua sit iter, nec, si sciat, imperet illis.               170

tum primum radiis gelidi caluere Triones

et vetito frustra temptarunt aequore tingui,

quaeque polo posita est glaciali proxima Serpens,

frigore pigra prius nec formidabilis ulli,

incaluit sumpsitque novas fervoribus iras;               175

te quoque turbatum memorant fugisse, Boote,

quamvis tardus eras et te tua plaustra tenebant.

...

et modo, quos illi fatum contingere non est,

prospicit occasus, interdum respicit ortus,               190

quidque agat ignarus stupet et nec frena remittit

nec retinere valet nec nomina novit equorum.

sparsa quoque in vario passim miracula caelo

vastarumque videt trepidus simulacra ferarum.

est locus, in geminos ubi bracchia concavat arcus                195

Scorpius et cauda flexisque utrimque lacertis

porrigit in spatium signorum membra duorum:

hunc puer ut nigri madidum sudore veneni

vulnera curvata minitantem cuspide vidit,

mentis inops gelida formidine lora remisit.               200

"The team run wild and leave the well-beaten track, and fare no longer in the same course as before. The driver is panic-stricken. He knows not how to handle the reins entrusted to him, nor where the road is; nor, if he did know, would he be able to control the steeds. Then for the first time the cold Bears grew hot with the rays of the sun, and tried, though all in vain, to plunge into the forbidden sea. And the Serpent, which lies nearest the icy pole, ever before harmless because sluggish with the cold, now grew hot, and conceived great frenzy from that fire. They say that you also, Boötes, fled in terror, slow though you were, and held back by your clumsy ox-cart...And now he looks forward to the west, which he is destined never to reach, and at times back to the east. Dazed, he knows not what to do; he neither lets go the reins nor can he hold them, and he does not even know the horses’ names. To add to his panic fear, he sees scattered everywhere in the sky strange figures of huge and savage beasts. There is one place where the Scorpion bends out his arms into two bows; and with tail and arms stretching out on both sides, he spreads over the space of two signs. When the boy sees this creature reeking with black poisonous sweat, and threatening to sting him with his curving tail, bereft of wits from chilling fear, down he dropped the reins." (Transl. Miller, 1915)