Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

4

Tarpeium nemus et Tarpeiae turpe sepulcrum fabor et antiqui limina capta Iovis.

71. The proper place to dedicate the arms of the returning victorious warrior would be a temple of Mars. The temple most natural and convenient would be that about a mile outside the Porta Capena, near the Appian Way, along which the army would probably return from the east; cf. Ovid, Fast. 6, 191: lux eadem Marti festa est, quem prospicit extra appositum Tectae porta Capena viae. - portae: poetic dat. of place to which.

72. Cf. 2, 28, 44. - salvo servato (abl.).

4, 4

=

A typical aetiological elegy on the subject of the Tarpeia myth, with characteristic emphasis upon the erotic element. For the development of this myth, and its protean forms and later literary reminiscences cf. H. A. Sanders in Rom. Hist. Sources and Institutions (Univ. of Mich. Studies), I, 1-47; and O. Rossbach in BPW., Vol. 25 (1905), Sp. 1563. Its origin is to be sought far back in Greek literature, and its first introduction into Roman legend probably was in connection with the sack of Rome by the Gauls,

instead of the wars with the Sabines. Tarpeia's motive in Livy (1, 11) and Plutarch (Romulus) is avarice; but in making her motive, rather, love, Propertius has doubtless reverted to the original form of the myth as seen in Parthenius, Simylus, and others.

1-2: The theme; 3-6: the scene; 7-20: the circumstances: the Sabine camp near the spring; Tarpeia's duties as a Vestal take her to the spring; she beholds Tatius below engaged in military exercises; 21-30: she conceives a violent passion for the handsome warrior, which becomes all-absorbing: 31-66: her soliloquy, in which she acknowledges that her love overrides all other considerations, plans to betray the city into the hands of her adored one, and dreams of wedding the Sabine King; 67-88: she sleeps, wakes on the festal day of Rome's birth, compacts with Tatius to deliver the city into his hand, accomplishes the betrayal. 89-94: Her reward.

1. Tarpeium nemus: while we need not credit Varro's statement (L. L. 5, 41) that the Capitoline hill was originally called Mons Tarpeius, that designation doubtless was often used even in

[merged small][ocr errors]

lucus erat felix hederoso conditus antro,
multaque nativis obstrepit arbor aquis,
Silvani ramosa domus, quo dulcis ab aestu
fistula poturas ire iubebat oves.
hunc Tatius fontem vallo praecingit acerno,
fidaque suggesta castra coronat humo.
quid tum Roma fuit, tubicen vicina Curetis.
cum quateret lento murmure saxa Iovis,
atque ubi nunc terris dicuntur iura subactis,
stabant Romano pila Sabina foro?

4. 3. conditus O consitus w.

the time of Propertius, and whatever remnants of a sacred lucus were still left on the summit could be easily designated by the phrase with which this elegy opens. Cf. Verg. Aen. 8, 347: hinc ad Tarpeiam sedem et Capitolia ducit. Tarpeiae . . . sepulcrum: her real or supposed tomb on the Capitol, still pointed out when Propertius wrote. Cf. 3, 11, 45.

2. The first temple of Juppiter Capitolinus was built under the kings. The second temple, built by Sulla and Catulus, had been elegantly restored by Augustus in Propertius's own time.

rocks offered many a lurkingplace. The abl. is locative. With the description cf. Ovid, Am. 3, 1, 3: fons sacer in medio speluncaque pumice pendens.

4. nativis: i.e. of springs. obstrepit: the rustling of the trees vies with the murmur of the waters. any

5. Silvani. . . . domus : such grove might be considered sacred to the forest-god.

6. poturas: instead of the more usual supine.

7. The Sabine leader was Titus Tatius, acc. to Livy, 1, 10.— praecingit: i.e. he runs the line of his fortification close to the spring, without including it.

8. fidaque belongs to the predicate. coronat: encircles'; cf. Ovid, Met. 9, 334: est lacus

3. lucus . . . felix: 'a grove of noble trees,' such as were connected with religious purposes and associations. conditus: 'secluded.' antro: cf. I, I, II, n. Propertius is thinking, not of any one grotto, but of the curving slope of the hill on the side 10. lento: 'long-reverberattowards the Forum, where the ing. saxa Iovis: the Capitol.

summum myrteta coronant. 9. Curetis adj. from Cures, the chief town of the Sabines.

15

20 *

murus erant montes: ubi nunc est curia saepta,
bellicus ex illo fonte bibebat equus.
hinc Tarpeia deae fontem libavit: at illi

urgebat medium fictilis urna caput.

et satis una malae potuit mors esse puellae,
quae voluit flammas fallere, Vesta, tuas?
vidit arenosis Tatium proludere campis,
pictaque per flavas arma levare iubas.
obstupuit regis facie et regalibus armis,
interque oblitas excidit urna manus.

13. montes: they alone surrounded the Forum valley like a wall, whatever the extent of the legendary wall of Romulus. curia: the senate house on the north side of the Forum. - saepta: i.e. by temples and other public buildings.

14. illo fonte: there was a well-known spring in the Tullianum, near the Curia.

15. hinc may possibly refer to Roma (v. 9), but seems naturally to refer to v. 14. But the spring in v. 15 must be identical with that in v. 7, which would seem necessarily far removed from that just mentioned in v. 14. Either Propertius is ambiguous here, or his topography must be declared as vague as the notorious geography of these poets. - deae: cf. v. 18: the dramatic force of the myth is enhanced in the form which Propertius adopts, whereby Tarpeia is a Vestal, vowed to perpetual virginity. Water for the service of the goddess must be drawn from a running, open

stream; cf. Preller, Vol. 2, p. 167. at: cf. Tib. 1, 3, 63, n.

16. fictilis: cf. Tib. 1, 1, 38, n.; and the picture of Silvia Vestalis going after water in Ovid, Fast. 3, 14: ponitur e summa fictilis

urna coma.

17. et used often to introduce an exclamatory question; cf. 2, 8, 2: et tu me lacrimas fundere, amice, vetas! Cat. 29, 6; Friedrich, p.173. mors: cf. Hor. Car. 3, 27, 37: levis una mors et virginum culpae.

una

20. picta arma: the Sabine scutum became ultimately the characteristic legionary shield of the Romans. From early times it was painted and carried distinctive designs. iubas: the flowing mane of the horse on which Tatius rode. Cf., however, 4, 1, 30, n.

21. obstupuit: regularly used of love at first sight; cf. Ovid, Met. 2,726: obstipuit forma love

natus.

22. interque temporal; as her hands forgot to maintain their grip, the pitcher fell. excidit:

25

30

35

saepe illa inmeritae causata est omina lunae
et sibi tinguendas dixit in amne comas:
saepe tulit blandis argentea lilia nymphis,
Romula ne faciem laederet hasta Tati.
dumque subit primo Capitolia nubila fumo,
rettulit hirsutis bracchia secta rubis,
et sua Tarpeia residens ita flevit ab arce
vulnera, vicino non patienda Iovi:
'ignes castrorum et Tatiae praetoria turmae
et formosa oculis arma Sabina meis,
o utinam ad vestros sedeam captiva penates,
dum captiva mei conspicer ora Tati.
Romani montes et montibus addita Roma
et valeat probro Vesta pudenda meo.

ille equus, ille meos in castra reportet amores,
34. ora Gronovius arma V2 esse 0.

32. formosa DV famosa NFL. reportet @ reponet 0.

cf. Tib. 4, 2, 4; Ovid, Met. 3, 39: effluxere urnae manibus.

[ocr errors]

23. saepe causata est: Tarpeia sought excuses to revisit the spring and perhaps catch sight of her hero. Cf. Tib. 1, 3, 17.

24. tinguendas . . . in amne : for purification in the morning. amne = fonte.

[blocks in formation]

37.

28. In her absorption she hardly noticed the brambles as she hurried home.

[blocks in formation]

40

45

cui Tatius dextras collocat ipse iubas.

quid mirum in patrios Scyllam saevisse capillos,
candidaque in saevos inguina versa canes?
prodita quid mirum fraterni cornua monstri,
cum patuit lecto stamine torta via?

quantum ego sum Ausoniis crimen factura puellis,
inproba virgineo lecta ministra foco!

Pallados extinctos siquis mirabitur ignes,

ignoscat: lacrimis spargitur ara meis.

cras, ut rumor ait, tota pugnabitur urbe:

47. pugnabitur 0 purgabitur Huleatt pigrabitur Housman potabitur Rossberg cessabitur Palmer.

38. Tarpeia is already jealous of the caress given by Tatius to his horse when arranging the mane on the right side of his neck.

39. Tarpeia seeks for justification, or at least comfort, from examples of other maidens who had proved disloyal to family or country, for the sake of love. Other parallels are cited by Sanders (1.c. above).- Scylla: daughter of Nisus, king of Megara. She fell in love with the besieging king Minos, and cut from her father's head the purple (or golden) lock upon which his life, and therefore the safety of the city, depended. But Minos despised her treachery, and caused her death, as Tarpeia's was caused by Tatius.

40. Propertius wrongly identifies the Scylla of verse 39 with the notorious sea monster in the straits of Messina. But there are several

other examples of the same mistake, eg. Verg. Ec. 6, 74; and Ovid, Fast. 4. 500 and A. A. 1, 331.

41. monstri: the Minotaur, halfbrother of Ariadne, who for her love to Theseus assisted in the scheme for killing the monster by arranging the thread which served as a guide in the Cretan labyrinth. 42. lecto by gathering up.'

43. ego: emphatic contrast. Tarpeia is to correspond in infamy among the Latins to Scylla and Ariadne among the Greeks.

45. Pallados: not only was it supposed that the sacred fire of Vesta had been brought to Rome from Troy, the city of Pallas (cf. Verg. Aen. 2, 297), but also an image of Pallas, also believed to have been brought from Troy, was kept in the temple of Vesta; cf. Ovid, Fast. 6, 421-436. 46. Cf. 4, 3, 4.

« ZurückWeiter »