"Pygmalion and the Statue"

In Book X of "Metamorphoses," the Roman poet Ovid sings of the mythological Greek musician Orpheus singing about Pygmalion and the statue. Hear some of his words in translation.

Here are all the word lists to support the reading of Grade 12 Unit 2's texts from SpringBoard's Common Core ELA series: Pygmalion and the Statue, Pygmalion, Talkin' 'bout a Revolution, Cinderella, the Legend, Why Women Always Take Advantage of Men, The Giving Tree, A Rose for Emily, The Story of an Hour, The Chaser
12 words 25 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. offend
    strike with disgust or revulsion
    Pygmalion had seen them, spending their lives in wickedness, and, offended by the failings that nature gave the female heart, he lived as a bachelor, without a wife or partner for his bed.
  2. modesty
    formality and propriety of manner
    The features are those of a real girl, who, you might think, lived, and wished to move, if modesty did not forbid it.
  3. consume
    engage fully
    He marvels: and passion, for this bodily image, consumes his heart.
  4. compliment
    a remark expressing praise and admiration
    Now he addresses it with compliments, now brings it gifts that please girls, shells and polished pebbles, little birds, and many-coloured flowers, lilies and tinted beads, and the Heliades' amber tears, that drip from the trees.
  5. cincture
    a band of material around the waist that strengthens a skirt or trousers
    He dresses the body, also, in clothing; places rings on the fingers; places a long necklace round its neck; pearls hang from the ears, and cinctures round the breasts.
  6. grant
    let have
    The incense was smoking, when Pygmalion, having made his offering, stood by the altar, and said, shyly: "If you can grant all things, you gods, I wish as a bride to have..." and not daring to say "the girl of ivory" he said "one like my ivory girl."
  7. fondness
    a positive feeling of liking or affection
    Golden Venus, for she herself was present at the festival, knew what the prayer meant, and as a sign of the gods' fondness for him, the flame flared three times, and shook its crown in the air.
  8. image
    a representation of a person
    When he returned, he sought out the image of his girl, and leaning over the couch, kissed her.
  9. yield
    be flexible under stress of physical force
    The ivory yielded to his touch, and lost its hardness, altering under his fingers, as the bees' wax of Hymettus softens in the sun, and is molded, under the thumb, into many forms, made usable by use.
  10. stupefied
    as if struck dumb with astonishment and surprise
    The lover is stupefied, and joyful, but uncertain, and afraid he is wrong, reaffirms the fulfillment of his wishes, with his hand, again, and again.
  11. likeness
    picture consisting of a graphic image of a person or thing
    Then the hero, of Paphos, was indeed overfull of words with which to thank Venus, and still pressed his mouth against a mouth that was not merely a likeness.
  12. bashful
    self-consciously timid
    The girl felt the kisses he gave, blushed, and, raising her bashful eyes to the light, saw both her lover and the sky.
Created on Thu Mar 05 12:32:21 EST 2015 (updated Fri Mar 06 12:22:13 EST 2015)

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