60 candidaque antiquo detinet Alba lare. V10 ΙΟ Quis fuit, horrendos primus qui protulit enses? 58. candida: the reference is to the same appearance in the limestone rock which had originally given the name Alba. Cf. Taylor, Words and Places, pp. 141-142. — lare: home.' 59. glarea the broken rock and gravel used for foundation, while the silex was the polygonal flint (selce) regularly used for the surface, as still to-day in many Italian cities. 60. apta. . . arte: how neat the joints were can still be seen from many extant examples on various ancient Roman roads, e.g. the Via Praenestina. 62. serus though late,' and therefore presumably rather mellow. Cf. Cic. Ad Fam. 7, 22: bene - inoffenpotus seroque redieram. sum: ' without stumbling.' 63. natalis: sc. dies. 64. candidior semper candidiorque: more and more joyous.' Cf. 1, 10, 45; Ovid, Trist. 5, 5, 13: optime Natalis . . . candidus huc venias. I, 10 This is generally considered the earliest of Tibullus's elegies. I. It contains no definite hints at any relations between the poet and either his patron, Messalla, or his mistress, Delia, with both of whom they were established by the latter part of the year 31 B.C. 2. The reference to war in vv. 13 and 14 can hardly be to any war later than the Aquitanian expedition in 31 B.C., and therefore, if not to an earlier one, expresses a vague premonition of the approaching conflict of which the events of 31 B.C. were a part. 3. The simplicity of the form of composition, and the frequent recurrence of similar thoughts in different connections, while belonging to the genuine manner of Tibullus, are so marked here as 5 tum caedes hominum generi, tum proelia nata, 10. 5. an AV at G forsan et ille nihil P. to suggest early work. Belling, through a series of parallel passages in other elegies of this first book, has sought to show that this was written last, as a climax (Bell. p. 244 sqq.); but the examples may as easily be considered imitations of this, as imitated by this elegy. The early part of B.C. 31, or possibly the end of B.c. 32, is, therefore, the most probable date when the poet fears that he will be drawn into the impending conflict If the expectation is based on his liability to serve the usual campaign as a young man of seventeen years, this may be an important poem in determining the date of the author's birth. Cf. Intr. § 21. The elegy forms a fitting close to Bk. 1, from its striking similarity in theme and many points of treatment to the opening poem of the book. 1-14: 'War is a hateful thing, a child of avarice; the good old days knew it not. It would have been pleasanter to live then! 1532 Preserve me, Lares, as you did in my childhood; things were better in the days of simplicity which you represent; spare me, and I will render you your due. Let another be a doughty warrior! 33-44: What madness to covet a violent death on the battlefield! All is gloom in Acheron; how much better to lead a humble, peaceful life on a little farm! 4568: Let peace hold sway, under whose rule happy home life flourishes, and there are no battles save those of love, and even these but playful contests! Come, Peace, and bless us!' 1. enses: the words lead up to the idea of ferreus, iron-hearted.' 2. ferus . . . ferreus: alliteration and assonance, which played an important rôle in early Latin poetry, survived in the classical period mainly in certain formulas or stereotyped expressions. This one, for example, occurs in Cic. Ad Q. Fr. 1, 3, 3; quem ego ferus ac ferreus e complexu; cf. Cat. 76, 20. The same process has been gone through in other languages; cf. Eng. "weal and woe," slow and sure," fun and frolic," etc. Other instances of ferreus in this sense in Tibullus may be seen: 1, 2, 65: ferreus ille fuit; 2, 3, 2; 3, 2, 2. 66 4. mortis... via: cf. 1, 3, 50; Ovid, Met. 11, 792: letique viam sine fine retemptat; Prop. 3, 7, 2; Hor. Car. 1, 3, 32: tarda necessitas leti corripuit gradum. 5. miser: unfortunate' in being blamed rather than really responsible. Note the asyndeton IO vertimus in saevas quod dedit ille feras? divitis hoc vitium est auri, nec bella fuerunt, faginus adstabat cum scyphus ante dapes. non arces, non vallus erat, somnumque petebat securus varias dux gregis inter oves. tunc mihi vita foret, vulgi nec tristia nossem arma nec audissem corde micante tubam: nunc ad bella trahor, et iam quis forsitan hostis II. vulgi O dulcis Heinsius. in the contrast with the emphatic nos. 6. in feras : the preposition here expresses purpose; cf. Prop. 1, 7, 6, n. 7. divitis: precious'; cf. I, 9, 31: non ullo divitis auri pondere; 3, 3, II: nam grave quid prodest pondus mihi divitis auri; Prop. 3, 5, 4. -- vitium est auri: cf. I, I, I; Prop. 3, 7, 1-2. 8. faginus: a token of primitive simplicity in Rome, before the advent of cups made of silver and gold, or precious stones; cf. Prop. 3, 5, 4; Plin. N. H. 16, 38: Manius Curius iuravit se nihil ex praeda attigisse praeter guttum faginum quo sacrificaret; Ovid, Met. 8, 669; Fast. 5, 522: pocula fagus erant; Verg. Ec. 3, 36. The same general idea is brought out in Tib. 1, 1, 37-40, where the fictilia pocula (of common pottery) are praised; cf. 1, I, 38, n. scyphus cf. Varro, apud Gell 3, 14, 3. 9. vallus the rarer masc. form for the sake of the meter. = 10. varias: no effort was made to separate sheep of different colors, but all were allowed to run in the same flock. dux gregis 'the shepherd'; but in 2, 1, 58, dux pecoris = 'the ram'; cf. Ovid, Am. 3, 13, 17: duxque gregis cornu per tempora dura recurvo. 11. foret: for the more exact fuisset, i.e. o si tum vixissem! The tense makes the picture more vivid. An unfulfilled wish in this form is rare; cf. G. 261, N. 2. vulgi: it is an everyday passion, fit for the rabble, to fight and win sordid gain; Tibullus thinks his tastes purer and higher. 13. nunc = vov dé, as it is,' referring to the actual state of affairs by way of contrast to the previous condition contrary to fact. trahōr the syllable is lengthened in this thesis before the following caesura. Cf. Intr. § 43; Verg. Aen. 11, 323: considant si tantus amor, et moenia condant. quis: for the more usual aliquis, because taken closely with forsitan, a compound of an. 15 20 haesura in nostro tela gerit latere. tunc melius tenuere fidem, cum paupere cultu seu dederat sanctae spicea serta comae: 15. servate i.e. from war, not et idem pleonastic. in war. 16. tener: 'in tender youth.' - ante pedes: because the little images of the Lares used to stand in a shrine called the Lararium over the hearth; cf. 2, 2, 22. 6 17. neu pudeat: cf. 1, 1, 38. prisco: old-fashioned'; cf. v. 15; 1, 3, 34; 2, 1, 60; 1, 7, 58. The frequent use of such epithets for the Lares implies a consciousness that they no longer enjoyed the universal veneration of former days. stipite: in early times the images of the Lares were made of wood; later, of stone or metal, often of silver. See Preller, 2, p. 108; Baum. Denk., Vol. 2, p. 810; 1, p. 77, fig. 79. 18. sic: i.e. when your images were fashioned of such humble material as wood. 20. exigua . . . aede: humble shrine,' as contrasted with the more elaborate Lararia of later times. deus: the reference is here apparently to the Lares; but a similar simplicity prevailed in early times in the form of other images of divinities; cf. Ovid, Fast. 1, 201-202: Iuppiter angusta vix totus stabat in aede inque Iovis dextra fictile fulmen erat; Verg. Aen. 7, 177 sqq.: veterum effigies ex ordine avorum antiqua e cedro, Italusque paterque Sabinus vestibulo adstabant. 21. placatus: 'gracious.'uvam = vinum. 22. spicea serta : cf. 1, 1, 15. 23. aliquis si quis erat. 24. filia parva: cf. Ovid, Fast. 2, 652: porrigit incisos filia parva favos. On the propitiatory power of honey, especially for the souls of the dead, cf. Porph. De Ant. Nymph. 16 and 28. Wissowa (Rel. u. Kult. d. Römer., p. 153) considers the Lares to be the souls of the dead. 25 30 35 at nobis aerata, lares, depellite tela, hostiaque e plena rustica porcus hara. miles et in mensa pingere castra mero. non seges est infra, non vinea culta, sed audax illic percussisque genis ustoque capillo 26. Pontanus conjectured a lacuna before this, and supplied 4 vv. hostiaque e O hostia erit w. 37. percussisque O perscissisque P pertusisque Livineius rescissisque Lachmann (parce!) ustisque Deutsch. 25. nobis emphatic; but in my case' the petition is, "depellite tela!" 26. porcus: and so an extraordinary thankoffering is promised instead of the usual trifling gifts mentioned in vv. 21-24. Sc. erit. For similar omissions of the copula cf. 1, 3, 49, 50; Prop. 3, 16, 8. This verse is practically the conclusion of the condition implied in the impv. depellite; for the thought cf. I, 1, 22. 27. myrtoque: cf. Hor. Car. 3, 23, 16. canistra: these contained sacrificial utensils and offerings. 29. sic: by such offerings. alius: cf. I, I, I. 32. pingere ... mero: cf. Ovid, Her. 1, 31-32: atque aliquis po sita monstrat fera proelia mensa pingit et exiguo Pergama tota mero. 34. inminet: note the contrast to arcessere. tacito . pede : cf. Ovid, A. A. 3, 712: ipsa nemus tacito clam pede fortis init. 35. non seges . . . culta: cf. I, 3, 61. The whole description of the lower world following 1, 3,61 is to be compared with this passage. 36. navita turpis: Charon: cf. Verg. Aen. 6, 315: navita sed tristis; 299: terribili squalore Charon; Prop. 3, 18, 24. 37. percussisque genis: the imagination of the ancients pictured the dead as continuing in the same state as that in which they were last seen in the flesh, i.e. on the |