I tamen et pro me tu, cui licet, adspice Romam : Ut titulo careas, ipso noscere colore, Dissimulare velis, te liquet esse meum. Clam tamen intrato, ne te mea carmina laedant: Si quis erit, qui te, quia sis meus, esse legendum 60 65 'Inspice,' dic, titulum: non sum praeceptor amoris; Forsitan exspectes, an in alta palatia missum Me quoque, quae sensi, fateor Jovis arma timere; Quicumque Argolica de classe Capharea fugit, 70 75 80 85 me; namely, that I am satisfied with my verses even such as they are.- ·58. Di facerent, possem, ut possem; Ovid is found of this free construction. See v. 114, 119.-61. Titulo, as in v. 7. Ipso noscere colore, with reference to nigra frons, v. 8. -62. Dissimulare velis; understand si, which is often omitted by the poets. Gram. 346, note 2. 63. Mea carmina, the recollection of my former poems. He alludes, however, as is plain from what follows, only to the Ars Amandi, which was one of the chief grounds of accusation against him.-67. Titulum, here in the general sense of the title or name of the book, whereas, in v. 61, it meant the ornamental title on the outside of the book.-69. Alta palatia. The house of Augustus stood on the Palatine Mount, where also were the temples of several gods (di locorum, v. 71).-79. Phaethon. The fable is related above, Metam. i. and ii.-83. Capharea. Caphareus is the southern promontory of Euboea, where the Greeks were shipwrecked on their return from Troy.-87. Ergo. The o in ergo is here shortened, which is An satis a media sit tibi plebe legi. Si quis erit, qui te dubitantem et adire timentem Tradat, et ante tamen pauca loquatur; adi. Luce bona, dominoque tuo felicior ipso Pervenias illuc et mala nostra leves. Namque ea vel nemo, vel qui mihi vulnera fecit, 100 Tantum ne noceas, dum vis prodesse, videto: Quaeque quiescebat, ne mota resaeviat ira, Cum tamen in. nostrum fueris penetrale receptus, 105 Contigerisque tuam, scrinia curva, domum, Adspicies illic positos ex ordine fratres, 110 not usual with the poets of the Golden Age. In this, as in other matters, Ovid forms the transition to the later usage. So Heroid. v. 59 Votis ergo meis alii rediture redisti?-88. An satis sit, if it is sufficient for you; expression of doubt, instead of the expression of a wish or advice. He himself, however, is not sure if it can be carried into effect; hence v. 91: Difficile est tamen, &c. A media plebe, by the middle class, in opposition to infima plebs. Similarly, Trist. iii. 1, 82: Sumite plebeiae carmina nostra manus.-90. Icarus. The fable is related, Metam. viii. 183, foll.-91. Hic remis utaris an aura, whether in this matter you should use oars or sails; that is, whether you can choose the more difficult or the easier way. Aura, the wind that fills the sails. -93. Vacuo, sc. a negotiis. Ovid had hitherto avoided speaking directly of Augustus. Alta palatia, v. 69, contains an allusion to him which would be intelligible to every reader. What is said of Jupiter in the verses which follow, is put in such a way that it might also be applied to Augustus, without exposing the poet to the charge of flattery; for he might always throw the blame on his interpreter. 97. Luce bona, fausta, bene auspicata.-100. Achilleo more. See Metam. xii. 112.-105. In nostrum penetrale, into the chamber which I occupied at Rome. -106. Scrinia curva, the round cases in which the books were kept. We must imagine one for each separate book; for the Metamorphoses, therefore, fifteen. 107. Fratres, the works of Ovid which had up to this time appeared; namely, the Metamorphoses, Ars Amandi, Hos tu vel fugias vel, si satis oris habebis, 115 Sunt quoque mutatae ter quinque volumina formae, 120 Namque ea dissimilis subito est effecta priori; Et si, quae subeunt, tecum, liber, omnia ferres, Longa via est: propera. Nobis habitabitur orbis 125 Amorum Libri, Remedia Amoris, Medicamina Faciei, Heroides, Medea. The Fasti were not yet published. 113. Satis oris, satis audaciae.114. Oedipodas Telegonosque. Oedipus and Telegonus had both, without knowing or intending it, killed their own fathers. 118. Ab exsequiis meis, from the funeral which I prepared for my writings. He had wished to burn the Metamorphoses, as he himself states in several passages; nay, he even appears to have done so, and the poem has been preserved to us only by the circumstance that transcripts had already been made from it.-125. Quae subeunt, sc. animum meum, all that occurs to me, all that I have at heart. 126. Laturo, the bearer: futurus eras, you would have been.-127. Habitabitur. Here, again, he writes as if he were still on the voyage. 128. Construe: Terra remota a terra mea; that is, a patria mea. ELEGIA III. Departure from Rome. CUM subit illius tristissima noctis imago, 5 1. Cum subit. Compare Elig. i. 125.3. Repeto, sc. animo vel recordatione. 5. Jam prope lux aderat. The edict of relegation usually ran so: Illum provincia illa insulisque eis relego, excedereque debebit intra illum diem. In the present case, the day appears to have been fixed on which Ovid had to quit the bounds of Italy Nec spatium nec mens fuerat satis apta parandi: Quocumque aspiceres, luctus gemitusque sonabant, Hanc ego suspiciens et ab hac Capitolia cernens, 'Jamque oculis nunquam templa videnda meis, Dique relinquendi, quos urbs habet alta Quirini, - (extrema Ausoniae).-7. Satis apta is the accusative dependent on parandi.-8. Longa mora, I had been for a long time in a state of stupor; hence nec spatium erat, I had no longer time, &c. - 10. Opisve. The most general word is here put last: the requisite means of all kinds. 13. Animi nubem, stuporem. 16. Modo de multis, de modo multis, a poetical inversion, which is not uncommon.- 18. Per indignas genas, quae non meruerant hunc casum.19. Libycis sub oris, more general and indefinite than Libycis in oris. Libya is the whole north coast of Africa, with the exception of Egypt. We know nothing of the occasion which had taken the daughter of Ovid to Africa. Diversa, longe remota.-22. Non taciti funeris, multum defleti, lacrimosi. 23. Femina virque-pueri quoque, all ages and both sexes. Meo funere. The simile which he had just used is here spoken of as an actual fact.-29. Ab hac, from the moon to the Capitol; equivalent, therefore, to post hanc. - 30. Nostro lari, meae domui. The house of Ovid was therefore in the Capitol. Under Capitolia we may also, according to the Roman usage, understand the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus. The proximity of his house to the temple was of no avail (frustra), for the god did not protect him. - 32. Nunquam, non amplius. 33. Dique relinquendi. Juno and Minerva were also worshipped in the temple of Jupiter. Urbs alta Quirini, the lofty city, because it was built on Este salutati tempus in omne mihi. Et quanquam sero clypeum post vulnera sumo, Ut, quod vos scitis, poenae quoque sentiat auctor: Illa etiam ante Lares sparsis prostrata capillis Jamque morae spatium nox praecipitata negabat, Ah quoties aliquo dixi properante: Quid urges? Saepe eadem mandata dedi, meque ipse fefelli, Denique Quid propero? Scythia est, quo mittimur,' ls.-35. Clypeum post vulnera sumo; a proverbial expression: to take the shield after one is already wounded; that is, to be too late of doing anything.-36. Fugam, like the Greek puy, for exilium.— 37. Coelestique viro, Augusto. The adulation, which represented Augustus as a god, began even in his lifetime. V. 40 he is expressly called deus. 38. Pro culpa ne scelus esse putet. Culpa is a violation of right, arising from the want of sufficient prudence; scelus, a crime proceeding from the intention to do injury. 44. Exstinctos focos. The fire of the hearth was put out in a season of grief. Contigit ore, threw herself with her face on the hearth, to utter her prayer. 46. Deplorato, desperato, given up for lost. 47. Nox praecipitata. Night is looked upon as rising and setting like the So Metam. iv. 92: Aquis nox surgit ab isdem.-48. Parrhasis Arcts. See Fast. iv. 377. Versa ab axe suo erat, was past the midd' cf her course, approached her setting, which is towards morg ·50. Ultima-fugae, a singular expression, for this night does at belong to the time of his exile, but is ultima ante fugam. -57. Vale, here used as a substantive.-58. Oscula summa, supre sun. |