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Cuncta dabant reditus: tamen est deterrita nunquam,

Quin fleret nostras prospiceretque vias.
Ipse ego solator, cum iam mandata dedissem,

Quaerebam tardas anxius usque moras.
Aut ego sum causatus aves aut omina dira,
Saturnive sacram me tenuisse diem.
O quotiens ingressus iter mihi tristia dixi
Offensum in porta signa dedisse pedem!
Audeat invito ne quis discedere Amore,
Aut sciat egressum se prohibente deo.
Quid tua nunc Isis mihi, Delia, quid mihi prosunt
Illa tua totiens aera repulsa manu,
Quidve, pie dum sacra colis, pureque lavari
Te (memini) et puro secubuisse toro?
Nunc, dea, nunc succurre mihi (nam posse
Picta docet templis multa tabella tuis),
Ut mea votivas persolvens Delia voces

Ante sacras lino tecta fores sedeat
Bisque die resoluta comas tibi dicere laudes
Insignis turba debeat in Pharia.

mederi

At mihi contingat patrios celebrare Penates
Reddereque antiquo menstrua tura Lari.
Quam bene Saturno vivebant rege prius quam
Tellus in longas est patefacta vias!

taking an omen from the first inci-
dent or thing seen by a servant sent
out into the street for the purpose.
13. deterrita-Quin] 'Prevented
from.'

15. mandata] Parting wishes.' 17. causatus] Made the excuse of.' 18. Saturni sacram-diem] The Jewish Sabbath. Some Romans, it appears, were so far influenced by the Jewish religion as to be unwilling to do any thing on this day. Hor. Sat. i. 9. 69, Hodie tricesima Sabbata: vin' tu Curtis Iudaeis oppedere ?'

20. Offensum-pedem] 'The striking of my foot against the threshold.' This was a very bad omen.

22. sciat] 'Let him know to his

cost.'

23.] The Egyptian Isis was much

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venerated under the Emperors, and had more worshippers than the old deities of Greece and Rome.

24. aera]'Cymbals.'

25. pureque lavari, &c.] It was a customary part of the rites of Isis that women should bathe frequently and sleep apart from their husbands. Cf. infr. ii. 1. 11, 12.

32.] Pharia = Aegyptia. The lighthouse on the island of Pharos was one of the sever wonders of the world.

34. menstrua] Monthly on the kalends of each month. N. B. The Penates were recognized deities as Jupiter, Juno, &c., who protected the family. The Lares had no existence independently of the family.

35-50.] With this passage compare Virg. Georg. i. 121-146.

Nondum caeruleas pinus contempserat undas,

Effusum ventis praebueratque sinum,
Nec vagus ignotis repetens conpendia terris
Presserat externa navita merce ratem.
Illo non validus subiit iuga tempore taurus,
Non domito fraenos ore momordit equus,

Non domus ulla fores habuit, non fixus in agris,
Qui regeret certis finibus arva, lapis.

Ipsae mella dabant quercus, ultroque ferebant
Obvia securis ubera lactis oves.

Non acies, non ira fuit, non bella, nec ensem
Inmiti saevus duxerat arte faber.

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At Iove sub domino caedes et vulnera semper,
Nunc mare, nunc leti mille repente viae.

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Parce, pater. Timidum non me periuria terrent,
Non dicta in sanctos impia verba deos.

Quod si fatales iam nunc explevimus annos,
Fac lapis inscriptis stet super ossa notis:
'Hic iacet inmiti consumptus morte Tibullus,
Messalam terra dum sequiturque mari.'
Sed me, quod facilis tenero sum semper Amori,
Ipsa Venus campos ducet in Elysios.

Hic choreae cantusque vigent, passimque vagantes
Dulce sonant tenui gutture carmen aves,
Fert casiam non culta seges, totosque per agros
Floret odoratis terra benigna rosis:

Ac iuvenum series teneris inmixta puellis
Ludit, et assidue praelia miscet Amor.

37. contempserat] Usurpant verbum de eo qui non timet.' Dissen. 'Antoni gladios potuit contemnere, si sic Omnia dixisset.' Juv. Sat. x. 123.

38. praebueratque] An allowable position of que with a quadrisyllabic verb. Infr. ii. 5. 72.-sinum,' sail.' 39. conpendia]' Gain.'

42. momordit] Champed.'

·

43, 44.] Ne signare quidem aut partiri limite campum Fas erat.' Virg. Georg. i. 126.

45.Mellaque decussit foliis.' Ibid. 131.

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46. securis-lactis] 'Certain of obtaining milk.' Cf. Lucan viii. 784, 'I modo securus veniae.' 'Go, certain of indulgence:' lit. 'free from anxiety respecting it.' A. H. W.

51. timidum appears to be by prolepsis for ut timeam, fearful in consequence of these perjuries. Or we may take it,' Fearful though I be, it is not perjured words that excite my apprehension.'

53. fatales]Ordained by fate.' 54. inscriptis] Other readings are, his scriptis, his scriptus. 57. facilis] Compliant.'

Illic est, cuicunque rapax mors venit amanti,
Et gerit insigni myrtea serta coma.
At scelerata iacet sedes in nocte profunda
Abdita, quam circum flumina nigra sonant:
Tisiphoneque impexa feros pro crinibus angues
Saevit, et huc illuc impia turba fugit:
Tunc niger in porta serpentum Cerberus ore
Stridet et aeratas excubat ante fores.
Illic Iunonem temptare Ixionis ausi

Versantur celeri noxia membra rota,
Porrectusque novem Tityos per iugera terrae
Assiduas atro viscere pascit aves.
Tantalus est illic, et circum stagna: sed acrem
Iam iam poturi deserit unda sitim:

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Et Danai proles, Veneris quod numina laesit,
In cava Lethaeas dolia portat aquas.

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Illic sit, quicunque meos violavit amores,
Optavit lentas et mihi militias.

At tu casta precor maneas, sanctique pudoris
Assideat custos sedula semper anus.

Haec tibi fabellas referat positaque lucerna
Deducat plena stamina longa colo,

Ac circa gravibus pensis affixa puella
Paulatim somno fessa remittat opus.

85

Tum veniam subito, nec quisquam nuntiet ante,
Sed videar caelo missus adesse tibi.
Tunc mihi, qualis eris, longos turbata capillos,

65.] Hic, quos durus amor crudeli tabe peredit, Secreti celant calles, et myrtea circum Silva tegit.' Virg. Aen. vi. 442.

69. impexa &c.] "With the fierce serpents, which she has in place of hair, formed into no headdress.'

72. Stridet] 'Hisses.'

75.] Nec non et Tityon. Cernere erat; per tota novem cui iugera corpus Porrigitur.' Virg. Aen.

vi. 595.

79, 80.] Audiat Lyde scelus atque notas Virginum poenas, et inane lymphae Dolium fundo pereuntis imo. Hor. Od. iii. 25. The fifty

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daughters of Danaus, all save one, at the instigation of their father, slew their husbands, the sons of Aegyptus, brother of Danaus.

82. lentas] 'Prolonged.' Owing to his illness, Tibullus was thrown into involuntary inactivity, which he thinks may have been caused by the malignant wishes of his rivals, who wished him to be detained longer than an ordinary campaign would have detained him.

86. stamina] Threads.' Properly the warp' of a web, as subtemina were the cross threads or 'woof.'

91. qualis eris] Just as you are.'

Obvia nudato, Delia, curre pede.

Hoc precor, hunc illum nobis Aurora nitentem
Luciferum roseis candida portet equis.

VII.

Hunc cecinere diem Parcae fatalia nentes
Stamina non ulli dissoluenda deo;

Hunc fore, Aquitanas posset qui fundere gentes,
Quem tremeret forti milite victus Atax.
Evenere: novos pubes Romana triumphos
Vidit et evinctos brachia capta duces:
At te victrices lauros, Messala, gerentem
Portabat niveis currus eburnus equis.

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Non sine me est tibi partus honos: Tarbella Pyrene Testis et Oceani litora Santonici,

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Testis Arar Rhodanusque celer magnusque Garumna, Carnoti et flavi caerula lympha Liger.

An te, Cydne, canam, tacitis qui leniter undis
Caeruleus placidis per vada serpis aquis,
Quantus et aetherio contingens vertice nubes
Frigidus intonsos Taurus alat Cilicas?

Quid referam, ut volitet crebras intacta per urbes
Alba Palaestino sancta columba Syro,

93. hunc illum] This famous (day).'-hunc denotes the day he refers to, illum its distinguished

nature.

94.] Aurora in roseis fulgebat lutea bigis.' Virg. Aen. vii. 26.

VII. This is a poem on the birthday of Messala, and celebrates his victories in Aquitania.

3. Hunc fore, &c.] 'That this day should be the one to see the rout of the Aquitanians.'

4. Atax] A river (now the Aude, in Languedoc), in Gallia Narbonensis, from which the poet Terentius Varro Atacinus received his agnomen.

9. Tarbella Pyrene] The Pyrenean district, inhabited by the Tarbelli, an Aquitanian tribe.

10. Santonici] The Santones were

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another people of Aquitania, on the coast between the Loire and the Garonne. Hence the province called Santonge et Aunis.'

11. Arar] The Saone.-Rhodanus, the Rhone.-Garumna, the Ga

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Utque maris vastum prospectet turribus aequor
Prima ratem ventis credere docta Tyros,
Qualis et, arentes cum findit Sirius agros,
Fertilis aestiva Nilus abundet aqua?
Nile pater, quanam possim te dicere causa
Aut quibus in terris occuluisse caput?
Te propter nullos tellus tua postulat imbres,
Arida nec Pluvio supplicat herba Iovi.
Te canit atque suum pubes miratur Osirim
Barbara, Memphiten plangere docta bovem.
Primus aratra manu sollerti fecit Osiris

Et teneram ferro sollicitavit humum,
Primus inexpertae commisit semina terrae
Pomaque non notis legit ab arboribus.
Hic docuit teneram palis adiungere vitem,
Hic viridem dura caedere falce comam:
Illi iucundos primum matura sapores
Expressa incultis uva dedit pedibus.
Ille liquor docuit voces inflectere cantu,

Movit et ad certos nescia membra modos;
Bacchus et agricolae magno confecta labore
Pectora tristitiae dissoluenda dedit;
Bacchus et afflictis requiem mortalibus affert,
Crura licet dura compede pulsa sonent.

20.] The invention of navigation is attributed to the Phoenicians. 27. miratur] Venerates.'

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28. Memphiten bovem] Apis. This deity was supposed to reside in the form of a sacred ox. When the animal had reached a certain age, it was solemnly drowned by the priests, and the population went into mourning for the supposed death of Apis, until another similar ox was found, which in its turn received veneration, as if the deity had revived within it. See Plin. H. N. viii. 46.-plangere. The literal meaning is to beat the breast; hence, to mourn for,' as the Greek TÚTTEσ0αL and κόπτεσθαι.

34.] Tum denique dura Exerce imperia et ramos compesce fluentes,' Virg. Georg. ii. 369, 370.

36. incultis]

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Untrained,' i. e. having no knowledge of this employment [or, perhaps, simply rude,' as being the feet of uncivilized rustics. A. H. W.]

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38.] nescia, like incultis above, expresses the novelty of what he taught [or, perhaps, simply: conscious,' owing to the effect of the wine. A. H. W.]

39. agricolae] Genitive.-Bacchus, 'wine.'

40. tristitiae] Genitive, from sadness.' Sooperum solutus,' Hor. Od. iii. 17. 16, as we might say, 'freed of.'

42. dura compede, &c.] This alludes to slaves confined in the ergustulum, or house of correction. So Horace, railing at Menas, a freedman, in Epod. iv. 2, 3, says, 'Ibe

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