90

vertet in offensas libera verba suas.
seu memor ille mea contentus manserit umbra

et tanti cineres duxerit esse meos,
discite venturam iam nunc sentire senectam,

caelibis ad curas nec vacet ulla via. 95 quod mihi detractum est, vestros accedat ad annos :

prole mea Paullum sic iuvet esse senem.
et bene habet : numquam mater lugubria sumpsi:

venit in exequias tota caterva meas.
causa perorata est. flentes me surgite, testes,

dum pretium vitae grata rependit humus.
moribus et caelum patuit: sim digna merendo,

cuius honoratis ossa vehantur aquis.

I OO

93. sentire O lenire Schrader.

102. aquis NFLV2 equis DV avis Heinsius.

sen

90. vertet in : will interpret 99. flentes ... testes : Cornelia them to imply.'

seems at least to include her 93. nunc: with sentire.

family with those previously cited. tire : “to realize'; cf. Ovid, A. A. 100. dum:ówhile'; she assumes 3, 59: venturae niemores iam nunc a favorable verdict. humus: i.e. estote senectae.

the lower world. 94. nec vacet ulla via : .and

101. moribus bene moratis. leave him no access.'

et : 'even.' 95. quod : sc. tempus. Cf. Tib.

102. honoratis

vehantur 1, 6, 63: proprios ego tecum, aquis : “to ride in triumph over the sit modo fas, annos contribuisse dark waters ’; i.e. to the Elysian velim.

fields rather than to a place of 96. prole mea : a Propertian punishment. Cf. 4, 7, 55 sqq.: abl. The idea is essentially nam gemina est sedes turpem sorcausal, however the grammar is tita per amnem, turbaque diversa to be explained. — sic: i.e. if you remigat omnis aqua. una Clytaeare so spared to comfort him. mnestrae stuprum vehit

97. bene habet: “I am coronato pars altera vecta phaselo, tent.'

ecce

con

P. OVIDI NASONIS

AMORVM

LIBER PRIMVS

EPIGRAMMA IPSIVS
Qui modo Nasonis fueramus quinque libelli,

tres sumus : hoc illi praetulit auctor opus;
ut iam nulla tibi nos sit legisse voluptas,

at levior demptis poena duobus erit.

Arma gravi numero violentaque bella parabam
edere, materia conveniente modis;
AMORES

legisse : cf. Tib. I, I, 29, n. Epigramma Ipsius : there is no

I, I reason to doubt the genuineness of 1-4: 'I essayed heroic strains, this epigram thus prefixed to the but Cupid drove me to elegy. 5-20: first book of the Amores. – Na- “Who gave you the right to intersonis : Ovid is fond of calling fere?” I complained, “let every himself by his cognomen; cf. Am. cobbler stick to his last." 21-26: 2, 1, 2; Trist. 5, 13, 1; etc. – But he drew his unerring bow at me, quinque : an earlier edition of the and now love rules my heart; 27Amores was published in five 30: so elegy is my province. Cf. books. Ovid later withdrew 2, I, II sqq.; Prop. 3, 3. some of his more youthful efforts 1. gravi numero: the hexamfrom circulation and published the eter; cf. modis (v. 2) (of the melexisting edition in three books. ody) and inferior versus (v. 3) Cf. Cicero's change of plan in (i.e. the second of a couplet) for a the Academica. — libelli: a term variety of expression of the genof modesty. — hoc illi : the present eral idea. to the earlier.' — ut: even if.' – 2. edere: “to produce.'

par erat inferior versus : risisse Cupido

dicitur atque unum surripuisse pedem.
quis tibi, saeve puer, dedit hoc in carmina iuris ?

Pieridum vates, non tua turba sumus.
quid, si praeripiat flavae Venus arma Minervae,

ventilet accensas flava Minerva faces?
quis probet in silvis Cererem regnare iugosis,

lege pharetratae virginis arva coli ?
crinibus insignem quis acuta cuspide Phoebum

instruat, Aoniam Marte movente lyram ?
sunt tibi magna, puer, nimiumque potentia regna:

cur opus adfectas, ambitiose, novum ?
an, quod ubique, tuum est ? tua sunt Heliconia Tempe?

vix etiam Phoebo iam lyra tuta suast? cum bene surrexit versu nova pagina primo,

attenuat nervos proximus ille meos;

15

11. crinibus : cf. Tib. 2, 5, 8; Prop. 3, 13, 52: intonsi Pythia regna dei. — cuspide: the spear (of Mars); the term is common in

the poets.

a

4. unum pedem : i.e. the two half feet which the pentameter lacks, as compared with the hexameter. surripuisse : the poet was taken unawares, like Apollo when Hermes stole his cattle.

5. saeve : common epithet for Cupid in the elegiac writers; cf. Tib. 3, 4, 65. — in carmina : this construction with ius is not infrequent in the poets.

6. vates : cf. Am. 3, 9, 17.

12. Aoniam: cf. Prop. 1, 2, 28, n.

13. nimiumque potentia : «and all too powerful.'

15. “Do you want the earth”?' Heliconia Tempe: the beautiful Thessalian valley through which

the Peneios here becomes typical, and the poet means the beautiful regions where dwell the Muses, who

ran