Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

Quid tamen ista fides, quid rari forma coloris,

quid vox mutandis ingeniosa sonis,

quid iuvat, ut datus es, nostrae placuisse puellae ?
Infelix avium gloria, nempe iaces.

Tu poteras fragilis pinnis hebetare smaragdos,
tincta gerens rubro Punica rostra croco.
Non fuit in terris vocum simulantior ales;

20

reddebas blaeso tam bene verba sono. Raptus es invidia; non tu fera bella movebas,

25

A

garrulus et placidae pacis amator eras.

Lover of

Peace

Ecce, coturnices inter sua proelia vivunt,
forsitan et fiant inde frequenter anus.

Plenus eras minimo. Nec prae sermonis amore
in multos poteras ora vacare cibos.
Nux erat esca tibi causaeque papavera somni,
pellebatque sitim simplicis umor aquae.
Vivit edax vultur ducensque per aera gyros
miluus et pluviae graculus auctor aquae;
vivit et armiferae cornix invisa Minervae,

illa quidem saeclis vix moritura novem.
Occidit illa loquax humanae vocis imago,
psittacus, extremo munus ab orbe datum.

19. ut: when. 20. nempe: assuredly. 21. hebetare: dim the brightness of. — smaragdos: emeralds. 22. Punica rostra: a purple beak. -croco: yellow. 23. simulantior: more imitative. 24. blaeso: lisping. 27. coturnices: quails. 28. forsitan: perhaps. - inde: for that reason. 29. Plenus: satisfied. - prae: on account of. 31. esca: food. - papavera: poppies. 33. gyros: circles. 34. miluus: kite. graculus: jackdaw. 36. saeclis: gene

[ocr errors]

auctor: harbinger. 35. cornix: crow. rations of thirty-three and a third years each; hence three hundred years.

30

35

Optima prima fere manibus rapiuntur avaris; 40 implentur numeris deteriora suis.

Tristia Phylacidae Thersites funera vidit;

iamque cinis vivis fratribus Hector erat. Quid referam timidae pro te pia vota puellae, vota procelloso per mare rapta Noto?

45 Septima lux venit non exhibitura sequentem, et stabat vacuo iam tibi Parca colo.

50

Nec tamen ignavo stupuerunt verba palato;

clamavit moriens lingua, "Corinna, vale." Colle sub Elysio nigra nemus ilice frondet, udaque perpetuo gramine terra viret.

Si qua fides dubiis, volucrum locus ille piarum
dicitur, obscenae quo prohibentur aves.
Illic innocui late pascuntur olores,

et vivax phoenix, unica semper avis.
55 Explicat ipsa suas aleș Iunonia pinnas,
oscula dat cupido blanda columba mari.
Psittacus has inter nemorali sede receptus

convertit volucres in sua verba pias.

40. numeris: sc. annorum. 41. Phylacidae: Protesilaus, who was the first Greek slain at Troy; Thersites, the ugliest and most worthless, lived on. 44. procelloso: stormy. 46. vacuo colo: with empty distaff; i.e. the thread of life was spun out. 47. ignavo: numb. -stupuerunt: were silenced. 49. ilice: holm-oak. 50. uda : moist. 52. obscenae : ill-omened. 53. olores: swans. 54. phoenix: phenix. There was only one at a time; every five hundred years it was believed that it cremated itself, and that from the ashes another arose.

Iunonia: i.e. the peacock. 56. mari: mate. inter has (avis).- nemorali: cf. nemus, v. 49. attracts (the attention of).

55. ales 57. has inter :

58. convertit:

The

best

die

first

The

Tomb

Ossa tegit tumulus, tumulus pro corpore magnus,
quo lapis exiguus par sibi carmen habet:
CONLIGOR EX IPSO DOMINAE PLACUISSE SEPULCHRO.

ORA FUERE MIHI PLUS AVE DOCTA LOQUI.

Poets

held

in

Honor

60

XLIX. FAREWELL TO LOVES

Quaere novum vatem, tenerorum mater Amorum; raditur hic elegis ultima meta meis,

quos ego composui, Paeligni ruris alumnus

(nec me deliciae dedecuere meae),

si quid id est, usque a proavis vetus ordinis heres,
non modo militiae turbine factus eques.
Mantua Vergilio gaudet, Verona Catullo;
Paelignae dicar gloria gentis ego,

quam sua libertas ad honesta coegerat arma,
cum timuit socias anxia Roma manus.

Atque aliquis spectans hospes Sulmonis aquosi
moenia, quae campi iugera pauca tenent,
"Quae tantum," dicat, "potuistis ferre poetam,”

quantulacumque estis, vos ego magna voco."
Culte puer, puerique parens Amathusia culti,

60. par with carmen, inscription. 61. Conligor placuisse : it is inferred that I pleased. 62. plus ave: more than (was to be expected of) a bird.

XLIX. 2. meta: the goal of three conical pillars which the chariots turned in a race, sometimes just grazing it. 3. Paeligni ruris here Ovid was born. 5. quid: of any importance. 6. militiae turbine: i.e. by birth, not by military advancement. 10. socias manus: the reference is to the Social War (B.C. 90). 15. Culte: adored. - Amathusia: i.e. Venus.

[ocr errors]
[merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

20

aurea de campo vellite signa meo. Corniger increpuit thyrso graviore Lyaeus ; pulsanda est magnis area maior equis. Imbelles elegi, genialis Musa, valete,

post mea mansurum fata superstes opus.

[blocks in formation]

Quod mare non novit, quae nescit Ariona tellus? Carmine currentis ille tenebat aquas. Saepe sequens agnam lupus est a voce retentus, saepe avidum fugiens restitit agna lupum; 5 saepe canes leporesque umbra iacuere sub una, et stetit in saxo proxima cerva leae; et sine lite loquax cum Palladis alite cornix sedit, et accipitri iuncta columba fuit. Cynthia saepe tuis fertur, vocalis Arion, tamquam fraternis obstupuisse modis. Nomen Arionium Siculas impleverat urbis, captaque erat lyricis Ausonis ora sonis. Inde domum repetens puppem conscendit Arion, atque ita quaesitas arte ferebat opes.

[ocr errors]

16. aurea signa: i.e. the standards of love. 17. thyrso: wand, a stem twined with vine-shoots. -Lyaeus: i.e. Bacchus, who was sometimes represented with horns. 18. area maior: i.e. he must turn to a higher style of poetry. 20. fata: death.

superstes: survivor, pred. after mansurum.

L. 5. lepores: hares. 6. leae: lioness. 7. lite: quarrel. - Palladis alite: i.e. the owl. 8. accipitri: hawk. 9. Cynthia: i.e. Diana. — fertur: is said. 10. fraternis: i.e. Apollo's. 12. Ausonis: i.e. Italian. 14. quaesitas: acquired.

The

Fame

of

Arion

Whom

Sailors design to

slay

But

he

is

saved

by

a

Dolphin

Forsitan, infelix, ventos undasque timebas?
At tibi nave tua tutius aequor erat.
Namque gubernator destricto constitit ense
ceteraque armata conscia turba manu.

Quid tibi cum gladio? Dubiam rege, navita, puppem;
non haec sunt digitis arma tenenda tuis.
Ille metu vacuus, "Mortem non deprecor," inquit,
"sed liceat sumpta pauca referre lyra."
Dant veniam ridentque moram. Capit ille coronam,
qua possit crinis, Phoebe, decere tuos;
induerat Tyrio bis tinctam murice pallam;
reddidit icta suos pollice chorda sonos,
flebilibus numeris veluti canentia dura

traiectus pinna tempora cantat olor.
Protinus in medias ornatus desilit undas.
Spargitur impulsa caerula puppis aqua.
Inde (fide maius) tergo delphina recurvo
se memorant oneri supposuisse novo.
Ille sedens citharamque tenet; pretiumque vehendi,
cantat et aequoreas carmine mulcet aquas.
Di pia facta vident. Astris delphina recepit
Iuppiter et stellas iussit habere novem.

18. conscia turba: i.e. conspirators. 19. Quid: sc. est; addressed to the helmsman. - Dubiam: unsteady. 22. liceat: allow.. -pauca: sc. carmina. 23. veniam: permission. 25. bis tinctam: i.e. royal purple, which being twice dipped in the dye of the murex had a deep, rich color. 26. pollice: thumb. 27. veluti: just as. canentia: hoary, gray; with tempora, temples (of the head). 28. pinna: arrow. 31. fide maius: a story too great for belief. 32. se: obj. of supposuisse. 33. pretium: as payment. 36. habere: sc. eum as subject.

[blocks in formation]
« ZurückWeiter »