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atque illud prono praeceps agitur decursu, huic manat tristi conscius ore rubor.

66

Omnia qui magni dispexit lumina mundi, qui stellarum ortus comperit atque obitus,

66. 1. dispexit o despexit V. 2. obitus @ habitus V.

23. The rhythm, including the alliteration, prono praeceps, and the spondaic ending of the verse, is admirably adapted to express the bounce of the apple and the astonishment and confusion of the girl. Cf. 68, 59.

24. huic contrasted with illud (v. 23). — tristi: 'rueful.'

66

There is little doubt that this is the poem referred to in No. 65, viz. the translation from Callimachus sent to Ortalus. The meager fragments of the original Βερενίκης Πλόκαμος of Callimachus indicate that this elegy of Catullus was not a literal translation, though it was a work of little originality. All the characteristic vices of the Alexandrian type of elegy are here illustrated better, perhaps, than in any other existing Latin poem, -the artificiality of tone, the far-fetched, and often obscure, allusions, the adulation of the court, the general

Its

air of superior learning appropriate to the "doctus poeta." interest is accordingly greater from the standpoint of literary history than per se. Cf. Lamarre, Vol. 2, p. 560.

The legend upon which the elegy is based is referred to by Hyginus, Astr. 2, 24: vovisse Berenicen, si victor Ptolomaeus redisset, se crinem detonsuram, quo voto damnatam crinem in Veneris Arsinoes Zephyritidis posuisse templo eumque postero die non comparuisse. Quod factum cum rex aegre ferret, Conon mathematicus, ut ante diximus, cupiens inire gratiam regis crinem inter sidera videri conlocatum et quasdam vacuas a figura septem stellas ostendit quas esse fingeret

crinem.

Ptolemy Euergetes (king of Egypt, 247-222 B.C.), soon after his marriage to Berenice II, was compelled to go on an expedition against Seleucus II of Syria. Το insure the safe return of her hus

flammeus ut rapidi solis nitor obscuretur,
ut cedant certis sidera temporibus,

band the young bride vowed to
the gods a part of her fine head of
hair. Upon the return of Ptolemy
the vow was duly performed, and
the hair was placed in the temple
of Arsinoe on the promontory of
Zephyrion, not far from Alexan-
dria. When it was discovered, next
morning, that the hair had dis-
appeared from the temple, the
royal astronomer Conon seized
the opportunity to declare that he
had already discovered it in the
heavens as a constellation; and
to this day the group of stars is
known under the appellation Coma
Berenices.

The elegy is spoken by the hair itself in the first person, and is sometimes playful, sometimes petulant, sometimes gently ironical in its tone: 1-8: In the heavens Conon discovered me, Berenice's hair; 9-14: which she vowed to the gods when as a bride she was obliged to let her husband go off to war. 15-20 Despite the tears of brides, they really love their husbands dearly. 21-32: Was it a separation from a brother merely that you SO dreaded? What then became so suddenly of your well-known courage? Was it not rather the anguish of a lover at the thought of parting? 33-38 Then you vowed me to the gods on behalf of his safe return; and here I am among the immortals paying your

vow. 39-50: It grieved me sorely to leave your head; but how could I resist the power of steel? That power has even leveled mountains. Cursed be the inventors of steel! 51-56: It was a sad day for my sister locks when the winged horse of Arsinoe came to bear me away to the goddess his mistress. 57– 68 She sent him after me that I might honor her as a new constellation like that made from Ariadne's golden tresses, and might be beside Virgo, Leo, Callisto and Boötes. 69-78: But, no matter how ungrateful I may appear, I cannot feel as much joy at my new honors as sorrow at being torn from the head of my mistress, and from all the royal perfumes there enjoyed. 79-88: In compensation, ye brides, offer unguents to me on your wedding days, ye who are worthy, and may love ever abide with you! 89-92: As to you, my queen, when you propitiate Venus on holidays, do not forget me. 93-94 But what are stars to me? Would that I were back upon thy head!'

:

1. qui the antecedent is ille Conon (v. 7).— dispexit: 'distinguished'; cf. v. 7, n.

3. Conon is said to have brought together the earlier Egyptian records of eclipses.

4. This verse refers to the annual disappearance of certain constellations at fixed times.

Cf.

5

IO

ut Triviam furtim sub Latmia saxa relegans
dulcis amor gyro devocet aerio,

idem me ille Conon caelesti in lumine vidit
e Bereniceo vertice caesariem

fulgentem clare, quam multis illa dearum
levia protendens bracchia pollicitast,

qua rex tempestate novo auctus hymenaeo
vastatum finis iverat Assyrios,

5. relegans w religans V. 7. in lumine Voss celesti numine V. 9. multis illa dearum VR cunctis illa deorum Haupt.

Hor. Car. 3, 1, 27; and Verg. Aen. 3, 516, where pluviasque Hyadas refers to the usual bad weather at the season of the year when the Hyades are in a certain position.

5. Triviam: the goddess of the crossroads, the Latin name for the Greek Hecate, i.e. the moon as goddess of the night. - Latmia saxa: the grotto on Mt. Latmus in Caria, where Selene used to meet her loved Endymion. For the significance of the myth cf. H. and T. § 61.

7. Conon: a native of Samos; astronomer of the court of Ptolemy; friend of Archimedes; reputed author of several astronomical works, which are not extant. The rather fulsome flattery of the court poet is responsible, however, for so many things being attributed to him in vv. 1-6. matter of fact, he was of minor importance as an astronomer, compared with such famous Alexandrians as Aristarchus and

As a

Hipparchus.

Cf. Verg. Ec. 3, 40-42 in medio duo signa, Conon et — quis fuit alter, descripsit radio totum qui gentibus orbem, tempora quae messor, quae curvus arator haberet?

8. e... vertice: sc. detonsum.

9. multis . . . dearum: cf. v. 33; it was the custom for women to offer their hair to certain goddesses; then in making the vow all the divinities would be included; so there is no contradiction between the two verses; cf. Serv. Georg. I, 21: more pontificum post speciales deos generaliter omnia numina invocabantur. Cf. Friedrich's note on this passage.

...

10. protendens bracchia: for the position see that of the 'praying boy' in the Berlin Museum; cf. Von Sybel, p. 297.

II. novo auctūs hymenaeo: cf. Intr. § 43.

12. Assyrios = Syrios; cf. the introduction to this elegy; also v. 36; Tib. 1, 3, 7, n.

15

20

25

dulcia nocturnae portans vestigia rixae
quam de virgineis gesserat exuviis.

estne novis nuptis odio Venus? anne parentum
frustrantur falsis gaudia lacrimulis,

ubertim thalami quas intra limina fundunt?

non, ita me divi, vera gemunt, iuerint. id mea me multis docuit regina querellis

invisente novo proelia torva viro.

at tu non orbum luxti deserta cubile,

sed fratris cari flebile discidium?

quam penitus maestas exedit cura medullas!
ut tibi tum toto pectore sollicitae

sensibus ereptis mens excidit! at te ego certe
cognoram a parva virgine magnanimam.

anne bonum oblita es facinus quo regium adepta's

25. te Avantius; omitted in V.

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26. magnanimam D magnanima V.

the Egyptian kings sometimes married their sisters. As a matter of fact, Berenice and her husband were cousins. Cf. P.W. 284.

23. The reply to the preceding question extends through v. 32; it was not sisterly, but conjugal love. cura: 'love' (for thy husband). — medullas: cf. 35, 15: ignes interiorem edunt medullam; 45, 16: ignis mollibus ardet in medullis; Verg. Aen. 4, 66: est mollis flamma medullas.

26. a parva virgine: 'from girlhood'; cf. Ter. Andr. 35: a parvolo. magnanimam : 6 Courageous.'

27. facinus: the story is found in Justinus 26, 3, 2: Apama, the mother of Berenice, wished to

30

35

coniugium, quod non fortior ausit alis?
sed tum maesta virum mittens quae verba locuta's!
Iuppiter, ut tristi lumina saepe manu!

quis te mutavit tantus deus? an quod amantes
non longe a caro corpore abesse volunt?
atque ibi me cunctis pro dulci coniuge divis
non sine taurino sanguine pollicita's,

si reditum tetulisset. is haut in tempore longo
captam Asiam Aegypti finibus addiderat.
quis ego pro factis caelesti reddita coetu
pristina vota novo munere dissoluo.

28. quod non fortior VR quo D fortius Muretus.

marry her to Demetrius, a brother of king Antigonus of Macedonia, instead of regarding her previous betrothal to Ptolemy. But soon after the arrival of Demetrius at Cyrene he became the paramour of the mother, furnishing Berenice an opportunity to head a band of soldiers who took the life of her would-be husband, and so left her free to marry Ptolemy. Apama was probably spared.

28. quod...alis: 'which many another better adapted for deeds of manly prowess would not venture.' — fortior is essentially a word of masculine.hardihood, and is here contrasted with magnanimam (v. 26). — alis alius: the form occurs only here in classical literature; alid (29, 15) is quite common in Lucretius.

=

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question is omitted, as commonly: 'Was it indeed any god at all, or rather the fact that,' etc.?

33. ibi: temporal, taking up the thread of the story broken off with v. 14. — cunctis . . . divis : cf. v. 9, n.

34. taurino sanguine: probably a part of the promise.

35. tetulisset: the usual early Latin form for tulisset; cf. LSHLG, p. 99; reditum tetulisset rediisset. — in tempore longo: A. 256, a.

36. Asiam: with the notorious geographical vagueness of the Roman poets. The famous inscription discovered at the Ethiopian city Adule states that not only Asia Minor, but also other parts of the continent, even beyond the Euphrates, were subdued.

37. coetu: dat.; a form found only here and in 64, 385.

38. dissoluo: cf. evoluam, v. 74; Intr. § 43.

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