XV. 834.] Jupiter foretells his Glory. 151 in templum gladii; neque enim locus ullus in Urbe Talibus hanc genitor: Sola insuperabile fatum, nata, movere paras? intres licet ipsa sororum tecta trium! cernes illic molimine vasto ex aere et solido rerum tabularia ferro, quae neque concursum caeli, neque fulminis iram, 805 810 Hic sua complevit, pro quo, Cytherea, laboras, tempora perfectis quos terrae debuit annis. ut deus accedat caelo templisque locetur, tu facies natusque suus, qui nominis haeres. impositum feret unus onus, caedisque parentis nos in bella suos fortissimus ultor habebit. illius auspiciis obsessae moenia pacem victa petunt Mutinae; Pharsalia sentiet illum; Emathiaque iterum madefient caede Philippi; et magnum Siculis nomen superabitur undis; Romanique ducis conjunx Aegyptia taedae non bene fisa cadet: frustraque erit illa minata, servitura suo Capitolia nostra Canopo. 815 820 825 Quid tibi barbariem, gentes ab utroque jacentes Oceano numerem? Quodcumque habitabile tellus 830 sustinet, hujus erit; pontus quoque serviet illi. pace data terris, animum ad civilia vertet jura suum, legesque feret justissimus auctor: exemploque suo mores reget, inque futuri temporis aetatem venturorumque nepotum 835 840 845 850 Vix ea fatus erat, media cum sede senatus constitit alma Venus, nulli cernenda, suique Caesaris eripuit membris, nec in aëra solvi passa recentem animam caelestibus intulit astris. dumque tulit, lumen capere atque ignescere sensit, emisitque sinu. Luna volat altius illa, flammiferumque trahens spatioso limite crinem stella micat, natique videns benefacta fatetur esse suis majora, et vinci gaudet ab illo. x hic sua praeferri quamquam vetat acta paternis, libera fama tamen nullisque obnoxia jussis invitum praefert, unaque in parte repugnat. sic magni cedit titulis Agamemnonis Atreus; Aegea sic Theseus, sic Pelea vincit Achilles. denique, ut exemplis ipsos aequantibus utar, sic et Saturnus minor est Jove. Juppiter arces temperat aetherias et mundi regna triformis ; terra sub Augusto: pater est et rector uterque. Di, precor, Aeneae comites, quibus ensis et ignis cesserunt, dique Indigetes, genitorque Quirine Urbis, et invicti genitor Gradive Quirini, Vestaque Caesareos inter sacrata penates, et cum Caesarea tu, Phoebe domestice, Vesta, quique tenes altus Tarpeïas Juppiter arces, quosque alios vati fas appellare piumque est : tarda sit illa dies et nostro serior aevo, 855 860 865 XV. 879.] The Poet's Immortality. 153 qua caput Augustum, quem temperat, orbe relicto accedat caelo, faveatque precantibus absens. x. 870 875 JAMQUE opus exegi, - quod nec Jovis ira nec ignis nec poterit ferrum nec edax abolere vetustas. cum volet, illa dies, quae nil nisi corporis hujus jus habet, incerti spatium mihi finiat aevi : parte tamen meliore mei super alta perennis astra ferar, nomenque erit indelebile nostrum. quaque patet domitis Romana potentia terris, ore legar populi, perque omnia saecula fama, si quid habent veri vatum praesagia, vivam. 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. |