Invitat somnos crepitantibus unda lapillis. 605 610 615 620 625 630 tion which is not avoided even by the best authors. The fountain of the water of Lethe is borrowed from the infernal regions, because sleep brings on oblivion of life.-606. Lacte, suco.-610. Medio, to be joined with antro. Ebeno, not the ablative of the material, which, indeed, is without grammatical foundation, but the ablative of place: sublimis ebeno, high on ebony; that is, on a frame of ebony, torus being the bed itself, or mattress.-611. Unicolor, to mark the gloomy aspect of the place. The noble Romans had covers of purple and other gay colours. What the one colour here is, is stated in the same line: pullo velamine tectus.-615. Ejectas litus arenas. Out of gerit, which is not quite suitable in this clause, we must supply a general verb, like habet. 618. Sacra domus, because it belongs to a god.-621. Excussit tandem sibi se, a play upon the expression excutere alicui somnum.-627. Herculea Trachine. Trachin, or Trachis, a city at the foot of Oete, where At pater e populo natorum mille suorum Ille in humum saxumque undamque tra bemque, 635 640 645 Deposuitque caput stratoque recondidit alto. Ille volat nullos strepitus facientibus alis 650 Per tenebras, intraque morae breve tempus in urbem Pervenit Haemoniam, positisque e corpore pennis Luridus, exsangui similis, sine vestibus ullis 655 Hercules put an end to his life.-633. Populo, as Metam. vi. 198, here still farther strengthened by the number mille.-635. Morphea, from pogon, form, artificem simulatoremque figurae. The names here employed point to a Greek source.-640. Icelon-Phobetora, like—one who terrifies.-642. Phantasos, who assumes false appearances.-645. Populos -plebemque. There is no distinction to be sought here in the meaning of these two words; the poet only wishes to multiply expressions.647. Thaumantidos. Iris, the daughter of Thaumas. Edita, a solemn expression for the announcements of the gods.-648. Molli languore. Mollis is here not pleasant, but rather in a bad sense: enervating, prostrating.-649. Alto, as v. 610, sublimis, because he is a god.-651. Intra morae breve tempus. Morae tempus is to be taken as one conception : a time-of-delay; hence the adjective agrees with tempus. So Metam. x. 568: instantem turbam procorum.-652. Haemoniam, Thessalam ; that is, to Trachis.-653. Abit, a frequent expression in transformations. Metam. iv. 396: Pars abit in vites; xiv. 498: comaeque In plumas abeunt.-654. Luridus. In such accounts, the dead appear in the same J An mea mutata est facies nece? Respice: nosces, Adjicit his vocem Morpheus, quam conjugis illa 660 665 670 675 680 685 form as that which they had last in life.-659. Respice. According to the usual idea, the form places itself behind the head of the sleeper, and bends over him; hence respice in the strict sense: look behind thee.-662. Falso tibi me promittere noli, as v. 576: reditusque sibi promittit inanes. Sibi promittere, equivalent to sperare; hence: noli me falso sperare vel exspectare.-667. Ambiguus, incertus, de quo ambigere debeas.-669. Lugubria, sc. vestimenta, as we say, mourning. Trist. iv. 2, 73: Illa dies veniet mea qua lugubria ponam.-670. Inania Tartara, unsubstantial Tartarus, as the realm of shadows.-672. Crederet, ita ut non posset non credere.-674. Lacrimas movet atque lacertos, the verb belongs to both objects, but with a difference of meaning. Lacrimas movet, equivalent to profundit.-680. Postquam with the present is poetical, but passed also into the later prose.-681. Laniatque a pectore vestes, a shortened expression for rapit vestes a pectore laniatque.682. Solvere, to unloose the braids.-684. Nulla est, expression of the most violent sorrow: separated from Ceyx, there is no Alcyone longer. -685. Tollite, omittite. Naufragus interiit: vidi agnovique, manusque Umbra fuit, sed et umbra tamen manifesta virique Nescio quid quasi corpus aqua, primoque, quid illud 690 695 700 705 710 715 690. Nitebat. Above, xi. 271: Patriumque nitorem Ore ferens Ceyx, with reference to the brightness of Lucifer.-695. Sequerere. In the vividness of her sensations, she passes from the third to the second person.-700. Absens, separated from thee. See above, v. 424.-702. Ducere, perducere.-706. Littera. See above, v. 429. The inscription on the tombstone at least shall unite us.-714. Dumque-acta. Dumque reminiscitur acta quae notata oculis erant, while she remembers the past, which had been impressed on her mind by her eyes (sight), and therefore comes at once to her recollection.-715. Tuetur, intuetur. Compare v. 722.— Quis foret ignorans, quia naufragus, omine mota est, 725 Hoc minus et minus est mentis. Jam jamque propinquae Dumque volat, maesto similem plenumque querelae 730 735 740 Tunc quoque mansit amor, nec conjugiale solutum 745 719. Omine mota est, she was struck by the significance of the sight, from its reference to her own fate, quia naufragus.—723. Hoc minus—est mentis, sc. ei, eo amentior fit.-729. Facta manu, facta opera humana.-741. Superis miserantibus. According to others, it was Thetis; some also mention Jupiter.-742. Alite, collective, as miles, pedes, &c. Martial, ix. 561: quo plurima mittitur ales. Alite mutantur, the rarer form for in alitem mutantur. Alite is a kind of ablative of the instrument. Metam. iv. 396: quae modo fila fuerunt Palmite mutantur. The bird into which they were changed is the kingfisher (Alcedo ispida, L.); it is somewhat larger than the sparrow, of a dark-blue colour, sprinkled with purple and white feathers, with a thin, raised neck.-745. Perque dies Alcyone. The bird broods for seven days. These days are called placidi, which is more particularly explained v. 747. Ovid says hiberno tempore; some writers state definitely the time at the shortest day, others mention February, others April.-746. Pendentibus aequore nidis. |