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SHORTER POEMS.

I. THE FASTI.

THE word fasti, properly applied to those days of the year on which it was permitted (fas) to transact public business, came to be applied to the Roman Calendar, or systematic arrangement and classification of the days of each month. Ovid's purpose in this poem was to cast this calendar into a poetic form, describing whatever was peculiar and characteristic in the Roman usages,

as festivals and rites, — and working into it whatever traditions and myths were current among the people. The Roman religion was so meagre in the elements of fable, that its mythology, as presented in this work, is hardly more than a clumsy adaptation and vamping over of Grecian myths. It was, however, as rich in form and ceremonial as it was poor in story; and the most valuable and original portions of the Fasti are those which describe fragments of these primitive rites, which had managed to survive the inroad of the more fashionable Greek and Oriental forms of worship, and still lingered in the community. Some of them, indeed, held their own for centuries longer, and some were transformed and adopted into the Christian calendar.

Only six books of the Fasti, containing the months from January to June inclusive, are extant. It is a much disputed question whether the other six books have been lost, or were never written. It is probable that they were written in the rough, but unfinished at the time of the poet's exile, and never published. At any rate, there are no citations in ancient authors from any but the first six books.

The following extracts from the fourth book (April) contain a description of two very ancient festivals, with the traditional account of the founding of Rome, introduced in the usual manner of the poet.

1. The Festival of Pales (April 21).

Nox abiit, oriturque Aurora. Parilia poscor:
Non poscor frustra, si favet alma Pales.
Alma Pales, faveas pastoria sacra canenti,
Prosequor officio si tua festa pio.

Certe ego de vitulo cinerem stipulasque fabalis
Saepe tuli plena (februa casta) manu.

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Certe ego transilui positas ter in ordine flammas,
Udaque roratas laurea misit aquas.
Mota dea est, operique favet : navalibus exi,
Puppis! habent ventos jam mea vela suos.

I, pete virginea, populus, suffimen ab ara :
Vesta dabit; Vestae munere purus eris.
Sanguis equi suffimen erit, vitulique favilla,

Tertia res durae culmen inane fabae.

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Pastor, oves saturas ad prima crepuscula lustra :
Unda prius spargat, virgaque verrat humum.
Frondibus et fixis decorentur ovilia ramis,

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Et tegat ornatas longa corona fores.

Caerulei fiant vivo de sulfure fumi,
Tactaque fumanti sulfure balet ovis.

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Ure mares oleas, taedamque, herbasque Sabinas,
Et crepet in mediis laurus adusta focis.

Libaque de milio milii fiscella sequetur:

Rustica praecipue est hoc dea laeta cibo.

Adde dapes mulctramque suas, dapibusque resectis
Silvicolam tepido lacte precare Palen.

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Consule (dic) pecori pariter pecorisque magistris :
Effugiat stabulis noxa repulsa meis.
Sive sacro pavi, sedive sub arbore sacra,
Pabulaque e bustis inscia carpsit ovis;
Si nemus intravi vetitum, nostrisve fugatae

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Sunt oculis nymphae, semicaperve deus; Si mea falx ramo lucum spoliavit opaco,

Unde data est aegrae fiscina frondis ovi;
Da veniam culpae, nec, dum degrandinat, obsit
Agresti fano supposuisse pecus.

Nec noceat turbasse lacus: ignoscite, nymphae,
Mota quod obscuras ungula fecit aquas.
Tu, dea, pro nobis fontes fontanaque placa
Numina; tu sparsos per nemus omne deos.

Nec dryadas, nec nos videamus labra Dianae,
Nec Faunum, medio cum premit arva die.
Pelle procul morbos: valeant hominesque gregesque,
Et valeant vigiles, provida turba, canes.
Neve minus multos redigam quam mane fuerunt,
Neve gemam referens vellera rapta lupo.
Absit iniqua fames: herbae frondesque supersint,
Quaeque lavent artus, quaeque bibantur, aquae.
Ubera plena premam: referat mihi caseus aera,
Dentque viam liquido vimina rara sero.
Lanaque proveniat nullas laesura puellas,

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Mollis et ad teneras quamlibet apta manus.

Quae precor, eveniant; et nos faciamus ad annum
Pastorum dominae grandia liba Pali.

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His dea placanda est; haec tu conversus ad ortus
Dic quater, et vivo perlue rore manus.

Tum licet adposita, veluti cratere, camella,

Lac niveum potes purpureamque sapam ;

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Moxque per ardentes stipulae crepitantis acervos
Traicias celeri strenua membra pede.

Expositus mos est: moris mihi restat origo.
Turba facit dubium, coeptaque nostra tenet.

Omnia purgat edax ignis, vitiumque metallis
Excoquit: idcirco cum duce purgat ovis?

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An, quia cunctarum contraria semina rerum
Sunt duo discordes, ignis et unda, dei,
Junxerunt elementa patres, aptumque putarunt
Ignibus et sparsa tangere corpus aqua?

An, quod in his vitae causa est, haec perdidit exsul,
His nova fit conjunx, haec duo magna putant?
Vix equidem credo: sunt qui Phaethonta referri
Credant, et nimias Deucalionis aquas.

Pars quoque, cum saxis pastores saxa feribant,
Scintillam subito prosiluisse ferunt:

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Prima quidem periit, stipulis excepta secunda est.
Hoc argumentum flamma Parilis habet?

An magis hunc morem pietas Aeneïa fecit,
Innocuum victo cui dedit ignis iter?

Num tamen est vero propius, cum condita Roma est,
Transferri jussos in nova tecta Lares,
Mutantesque domum tectis agrestibus ignem
Et cessaturae subposuisse casae,
Per flammas saluisse pecus, saluisse colonos?
Quod fit natali nunc quoque, Roma, tuo.
Ipse locus causas vati facit. Urbis origo.
Venit ades factis, magne Quirine, tuis!

2. The Founding of Rome.

JAM luerat poenas frater Numitoris, et omne
Pastorum gemino sub duce volgus erat.
Contrahere agrestes et moenia ponere utrique
Convenit ambigitur, moenia ponat uter.
'Nil opus est' dixit certamine' Romulus 'ullo:
Magna fides avium est; experiamur aves.'
Res placet alter adit nemorosi saxa Palati;
Alter Aventinum mane cacumen init,

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Sex Remus, hic volucres bis sex videt ordine; pacto
Statur, et arbitrium Romulus urbis habet.
Apta dies legitur, qua moenia signet aratro.
Sacra Palis suberant; inde movetur opus:
Fossa fit ad solidum; fruges jaciuntur in ima,
Et de vicino terra petita solo.

Fossa repletur humo, plenaeque imponitur ara,
Et novus accenso fungitur igne focus.
Inde premens stivam designat moenia sulco:
Alba jugum niveo cum bove vacca tulit.
Vox fuit haec regis: Condenti, Fuppiter, urbem
Et genitor Mavors Vestaque mater, ades!
Quosque pium est adhibere deos, advertite cuncti !
Auspicibus vobis hoc mihi surgat opus.
Longa sit huic aetas dominaeque potentia terrae,
Sitque sub hac oriens occiduusque dies.

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Ilie precabatur: tonitru dedit omina laevo
Juppiter, et laevo fulmina missa polo.
Augurio laeti jaciunt fundamina cives,

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Et novus exiguo tempore murus erat.

Hoc Celer urget opus, quem Romulus ipse vocarat,
'Sint' que, 'Celer, curae,' dixerat ‘ista tuae :
Neve quis aut muros, aut factam vomere fossam
Transeat, audentem talia dede neci.'

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Quod Remus ignorans humiles contemnere muros
Coepit, et His populus' dicere 'tutus erit?'
Nec mora, transiluit: rutro Celer occupat ausum ;
Ille premit duram sanguinulentus humum.
Haec ubi rex didicit, lacrimas introrsus obortas

Devorat, et clausum pectore volnus habet;
Flere palam non volt, exemplaque fortia servat,
Sic que meos muros transeat hostis ait.

Dat tamen exsequias; nec jam suspendere fletum

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