Milo, now grown old, weeps when he sees his arms, which once equalled those of Hercules in the massiveness of solid muscle, hang weak and exhausted. The daughter of Tyndarus (Helen) weeps, too, as she beholds in her mirror the wrinkles of old age, and enquires of herself why it is that she was twice ravished. Time, thou devourer of all things, and thou, hateful Old Age, together destroy all things; and by degrees ye consume each thing, decayed by the teeth of age, with a slow death.

In this poignant passage from Ovid's Metamorphoses, the inexorable passage of time and its devastating effects on human vitality and beauty are laid bare. Milo, once a champion in strength, finds his once powerful arms reduced to frailty, while Helen of Troy, a paragon of beauty, grapples with the unavoidable ravages of age. Ovid underscores the universal truth that time spares no one, reducing even the most formidable and beautiful to mere shadows of their former selves. The imagery of time as a "devourer" and old age as "hateful" personifies these forces, emphasizing their relentless power. This passage serves as a reminder of the transient nature of human glory and the inevitable decline that accompanies all living things.