90 si miles muros isset ad Iliacos: nam tum Helenae raptu primores Argivorum coeperat ad sese Troia ciere viros, Troia (nefas) commune sepulcrum Asiae Europaeque, Troia virum et virtutum omnium acerba cinis. quaene etiam nostro letum miserabile fratri attulit? hei misero frater adempte mihi, hei misero fratri iucundum lumen ademptum, 91. quaene etiam Heinsius que vetet id VM qualiter et Ellis quandoquidem et F. W. Shipley PAPA. 35, vii quae vae, vae, et Scaliger quae taetre id Munro. the forms in -iebam, etc., after the analogy of the 3d conjugation. Cf. LSHLG, p. 94. Cf. 84, 8. — tempore: the abl. of time within which is accurately used with abisse; within a comparatively short time this wedlock would be a thing of the past. abisse: the use of this perfect for the fut. perf. idea enforces the certainty of fulfillment of the decree. For the syntax cf. Livy, 21, 8, 8: Poeno cepisse iam se urbem, si paulum adnitatur, credente. 87. Cf. Intr. § 42, I (3); also vv. 89, 109; 76, 15; etc. 89. The mention of the hateful name of Troy distracts the poet for a time into a passionate outburst of fresh grief over his brother's death, from which he does not return to Laodamia until V. ΙΟΙ. - nefas: unspeakable,’ an ejaculation of concentrated hatred. Cf. Verg. Aen. 8, 688: sequiturque (nefas) Aegyptia coniunx. commune sepulcrum: e.g. of the unnumbered victims of the ten years' war who sank to earth in both armies. 90. Cf. Verg. Aen. 1, 565: quis Troiae nesciat urbem virtutesque virosque aut tanti incendia belli?acerba: the quality of fruit plucked before its time; hence the meaning untimely '; cf. Verg. Aen. 6, 427-429: infantumque quos . . . ab ubere raptos funere mersit acerbo. cinis: here used of the place of reduction to ashes, 'pyre': 'Troy, the pyre where heroes and heroism all met an untimely death.' 91. quaene nonne ea enim; originally rhetorically interrogative, such forms acquired sometimes asseverative or causal force. Here, however, the exclamatory question is in harmony with the tone of the passage. 92–96. Cf. 20–24. The repetition argues for the unity of the poem. The phrase frater adempte mihi recurs in IOI, 6. 93. Cf. Verg. Aen. 3, 658, for a reminiscence of form. 95 100 tecum una tota est nostra sepulta domus, quae tuus in vita dulcis alebat amor. nec prope cognatos conpositum cineres, sed Troia obscena, Troia infelice sepultum ad quam tum properans fertur simul undique pubes ne Paris abducta gavisus libera moecha 105 quo tibi tum casu, pulcherrima Laodamia, 98. conpositum: 'laid to rest'; cf. Tib. 3, 2, 26. the 99. obscena and infelice here are synonyms. - infelice: form is metrically more convenient to this verse than the orthodox abl. in 7, which Catullus elsewhere employs. Cf. 62, 30. 100. extremo: 'far away'; cf. Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 45: extremos curris mercator ad Indos. 102. penetralis: where were the shrines of the household gods, the most sacred, and so the dearest spot of home. 103. moecha: Catullus refers to Helen with characteristic bluntness, the more remarkable when we consider Lesbia's own character and vv. 135-148. But only a Catullus, love-blinded, could write this elaborate parallel between the constant Laodamia and the inconstant Lesbia. 105. casu: the chronological coincidence of the expedition against Troy with the marriage of Protesilaus and Laodamia. 107. tanto, etc. in confirmation of the preceding comparison. - absorbens vertice . . . aestus : the imagery suggests an irresistible force, combining the undertow of ebb-tide with the concentration of the whirlpool's vortex. Cf. Cic. Brut. 81, 282: hunc quoque absorbuit aestus gloriae; Verg. Aen. 3, 421 vastos sorbet in abruptum fluctus. 108. barathrum: this Greek word is especially applicable to an underground channel. ΠΙΟ quale ferunt Grai Pheneum prope Cylleneum tempore quo certa Stymphalia monstra sagitta 115 pluribus ut caeli tereretur ianua divis, sed tuus altus amor barathro fuit altior illo, 118. durum domitam Lachmann tuum domitum VM tantum indomitam Statius tunc indomitam Conr. de Allio tamen indomitam Heyse tum te indomitam Riese actutum domitum Ellis te tum domitam Macnaghten tum te domitam Friedrich. 109. Pheneum : an Arcadian town near the base of Mt. Cyllene, in a plain which was sometimes so inundated as to become a troublesome lake. 110. pingue: 'heavy,' because saturated and enriched by the abundant moisture. III. quod refers to barathrum. 112. audit = dicitur; cf. Hor. Ep. 1, 16, 17: tu recte vivis, si curas esse quod audis. The construction is like the similar use of clueo and ȧkovw, but this is the only case extant where audio is so used with an infinitive. - falsiparens Amphitryoniades: Heracles, really the son of Juppiter, was reputed to be the son of Amphitruo. 113. Several other feats of Heracles belonging to this time and region are by nature closely allied to this story of the draining of the plain of Pheneos: the tale of the Stymphalian birds, also that of the Hydra, the Erymanthian boar, and the stables of Augeas. Cf. H. & T. §§ 138-140. 114. deterioris eri: Eurystheus. 115. pluribus . . . divis: their number being increased by the addition of Heracles. The action of the verb being involuntary (and even unconscious) rather than voluntary, divis is best considered an instrumental abl.; a less convincing instance is Hor. Sat. 1, 6, 116: cena ministratur pueris tribus. 116. Hebe: the bride of the deified Heracles. Her Roman name was Iuventas. 117. Even this comparison does not duly represent the intensity of Laodamia's affection. 118. durum: i.e. for maidenly 120 125 nam nec tam carum confecto aetate parenti qui, cum divitiis vix tandem inventus avitis modesty to assume. This idea, 119-124. A second parallel to the intensity of Laodamia's love is found in that of an old man for his long-hoped-for grandson. carum. . . caput . . . alit = carum est caput seri nepotis quod nata alit. 120. caput: 'life.' Cf. Prop. 4, II, Io, n. -seri: and therefore long-expected. 123. inpia: because pietas especially implies loyalty to the highest interests and wishes of the older members of one's family, in the broad or narrow sense of the word family; and here a more distant relative had selfishly and greedily hoped for disappointment of the grandsire's fondest hopes. - derisi gentilis: now in turn mocked by the rotation of Fortune's wheel. The Laws of the XII Tables provided: si paterfamilias intestato moritur, familia pecuniaque eius agnatum gentiliumque esto (Cic. De Inv. 2,50). 124. volturium: the gentilis. Cf. Sen. Ep. 95, 43: amico aegro aliquis adsidet; probamus: at hoc si hereditatis causa facit, voltur est, cadaver exspectat; Plaut. Trin. 101: sunt alii qui te volturium vocant. - capiti: an abl. form unparalleled in the classical period, and exceedingly rare even in the postclassical period. Cf. Neue, Vol. 1, p. 366. 125-128. A third comparison is found in the proverbial fondness of a dove for its mate. 126. conpar: 'mate.' 1:30 oscula mordenti semper decerpere rostro aut nihil aut paullo cui tum concedere digna 135 quae tamen etsi uno non est contenta Catullo, 127. mordenti: cf. 2, 2-4; cui primum digitum adpetenti et acris solet incitare morsus; Plaut. Men. 195. 128. multivola: amaέ λey. in classical Latin. The multa forming the first part of the compound refers to oscula. 129. tu: Laodamia. — furores : cf. 2, 8: uti gravis acquiescat ardor; Verg. Aen. 4, 101: ardet amans Dido traxitque per ossa furorem; Prop. 1, 13, 20: tantus erat demens inter utrosque furor. 130. flavo: of a typical ancient hero. 131. Reverting to the comparison in vv. 70-74, Catullus takes up again the theme of Lesbia's love and entrancing loveliness. 132. lux mea: cf. V. 160; Tib. 4, 3, 15: tum placeant silvae, si, lux mea, tecum arguar; Prop. 2, 14, 29: nunc ad te, mea lux, veniat mea litore navis. 133. Lesbia seems a very Venus to her enthralled lover; cf. vv. 7072; Hor. Car. 1, 2, 33: Erycina quam circum volat et Cupido. 134. crocina: the same color as the bridal veil; so Hymen is represented in this color in 61, 8: flammeum cape, etc. 135. Catullus has heard enough of Lesbia's frailties to disturb his peace of mind; but, in no mood yet to cast her off, would excuse her as even in this respect also like the immortals. 136. verecundae: that Lesbia Idid not reveal her amours to the world is considered an extenuating circumstance. furta see Lex. Cf. v. 145; Prov. 9, 17: "Stolen waters are sweet.' erae: used also by Ovid in Her. 9, 78, for the more usual domina. 137. molesti: i.e. jealous. |