35 40 et domus est titulis utraque fulta suis. vinxit et acceptas altera vitta comas, in lapide hoc uni nupta fuisse legar. 37. colendos O verendos w. 38. tunsa O tonsa w. 39. te Santenius et O. Perseu Santenius Persen LF2 pseu F Persem NDV. simulantem o stimulantem 0. Achilli O Achillis V2 Achille Lipsius. 40. tuas O tumens Postgate et tumidas Heyne. : 32. titulis strictly, the inscriptions placed beneath the masks of the family ancestors, which were kept in the atrium; here used for the famous ancestors themselves as an illustrious line. 33. praetexta : the purplebordered garment of childhood, which girls laid aside at marriage. 34. altera vitta: i.e. the dressing of the hair in the mode of the sex crines according to the custom of Roman matrons. 35. sic discessura: cf. the formula, "till death us do part." 36. lapide hoc suggests the use of this elegy as a sepulchral inscription. - uni nupta: regarded as a special glory to a woman: cf. CIL. 6, 14404, 8: diceris coniunxs una fuisse viri. 38. sub... titulis . . . iaces: perhaps the poet is thinking of some artistic representation of the humiliation of Carthage, with suitable inscriptions; but titulis may be used here much as in verse 32. 39. te... quique . . . fregit = eum qui te . . . et . fregit. Cornelia is appealing to another illustrious member of her family, Aemilius Paullus, who was conqueror of Perseus, and the father of the Scipio Numantinus of verse 30, who came into the Cornelian family by adoption.-proavi: Perseus traced his descent through Pyrrhus to Achilles. - simulantem pectus making a bluff at the spirit.' — Achilli: one of the several variant forms for this gen. 40. proavo.. Achille: scornfully concessive. 41. censurae legem: 'the strictness of the Censor's ideal.' Her husband, Paullus, was one of the Censors in 22 B.C., but disagreed with his colleague L. Munatius; 45 50 labe mea vestros erubuisse focos. non fuit exuviis tantis Cornelia damnum, quin erat et magnae pars imitanda domus. ne possem melior iudicis esse metu. vel tu, quae tardam movisti fune Cybeben, Claudia, turritae rarà ministra deae, vel cuius, sacros cum Vesta reposceret ignes, 2 48. ne possem o ne possim V2 ne possis O nec Scaliger. 51. Cybeben Lachmann Cybellem NDV Cibelem FL. 53. cuius sacros Rothstein cuius rasos O cui commissos @ cui iuratos Phillimore. 44. et = etiam: 'even.' 45. aetas: cf. 1, 6, 21, n. 46. utramque facem: the torch of the wedding procession and that with which the funeral pyre was kindled. Cf. Ovid, Fast. 2, 561: conde tuas, Hymenaee, faces et ab ignibus atris aufer! habent alias maesta sepulcra faces. 49. quaelibet... urna: i.e. whatever court, no matter how strict. tabellas: the votes of the judges (jury): these would be marked either C (condemno), A (absolvo), or N L (non liquet). 50. It was the custom for friends to sit beside the accused at trials. 51. tu: Claudia Quinta, a vestal virgin accused of unchastity, who, when the image of Cybele was being brought to Rome, was able, after praying to the goddess, to move the boat, which had grounded in the Tiber, and was thus vindicated; cf. Suet. Tib. 2.—tardam: referring to the boat carrying the sacred images and mysteries of the goddess. 52. turritae referring to the mural crown worn by the goddess as guardian of cities. 53. cuius sc. illa. Aemilia, a virgo vestalis maxima, who allowed the sacred fire to go out, was vindicated when her linen garment, which she had thrown upon the hearth, sprang into flame. Cf. Val. Max. I, 1, 7. 55 60 65 exhibuit vivos carbasus alba focos. nec te, dulce caput, mater Scribonia, laesi : tu, Lepide, et tu, Paulle, meum post fata levamen : vidimus et fratrem sellam geminasse curulem; consul quo factus tempore, rapta soror. 66. consul quo factus Lachmann consule quo facto 0 festo Koppiers. 70 75 filia, tu specimen censurae nata paternae, haec est feminei merces extrema triumphi, fungere maternis vicibus, pater: illa meorum oscula cum dederis tua flentibus, adice matris: 70. aucturis w uncturis LDV nupturis F. 67. filia: Lepida was probably born in the year of her father's censorship, 22 B.C. specimen : how much Cornelia meant by this expression it is difficult to tell. The daughter's birth at that time, her likeness to her parents as an indication that her father and mother practiced what they preached, and a model life to follow all these at least may have been in her mother's mind. 69. serie: i.e. of descendants. fulcite: Cornelia is now speaking to all three of her children; cf. Sen. Rhetor, Contr. 2, 1, 7: non tibi per multos fulta liberos domus est. Cf. English "pillar of the church." cymba: Charon's. 70. aucturis. . . mea fata: 'destined to add luster to my fame'; the abl. abs. is causal. 71. feminei. . . triumphi: the only triumphal procession a woman could have was that of a funeral like Cornelia's. 72. emeritum . . . rogum: cf. verse 8, n. libera fama: 'repute freely expressed.' 73. tibi: she turns to her husband. 74. spirat: lives on.' - inusta : cf. Cic. Ver. 2, 1, 113: cur hunc dolorem cineri eius atque ossibus inussisti? Butler cites Gray's Elegy: "Ev'n in our ashes live their wonted fires." 75. Cf. Eurip. Alc. 377: où vôv γενοῦ τοῖσδ ̓ ἀντ ̓ ἐμοῦ μήτηρ τέκ 80 85 cum venient, siccis oscula falle genis. sat tibi sint noctes quas de me, Paulle, fatiges, somniaque in faciem credita saepe meam : atque ubi secreto nostra ad simulacra loqueris, ut responsurae singula verba tace. seu tamen adversum mutarit ianua lectum, sederit et nostro cauta noverca toro, coniugium, pueri, laudate et ferte paternum: capta dabit vestris moribus illa manus. nec matrem laudate nimis: conlata priori 84. tace O iace o. 80. oscula = eos osculantes. Paullus is to maintain cheerfulness for his children's sake. 81. quas . . . fatiges: 'to pass in sleepless weariness.' By day he must take up life's burdens. 82. And the visions in which you believe you see my face.' 83. simulacra: likenesses of wax or marble, in lieu of the modern photograph. Cf. Ovid, Her. 13, 157. 84. ut responsurae: 'as if you expected me to reply.'-singula verba tace: he is to make it like a conversation rather than an address. 85. seu corresponds to the sen in verse 91. — tamen: i.e. in spite of such matrimonial love as now exists between us, Paullus and Cornelia. - adversum . . . lectum : the marriage bed (lectus genialis) at times of weddings stood in the back part of the atrium directly opposite the front door. Long before this period this bed (which in more primitive times probably also served as a sofa in the daytime) was usually removed to a cubiculum after the wedding ceremonies were entirely completed, and in its place stood the sofa which was the special seat of honor of the materfamilias (lectus adversus); cf. Ascon. Mil. (K. and S.) p. 38: imagines. . . maiorum deiecerunt et lectulum adversum uxoris eius Corneliae . . . fregerunt; Laberius, Compitalia: materfamilias tua in lecto adverso sedet. - mutarit ianua: with poetic license Propertius makes the door responsible for the changes involved in arranging the furniture for a new marriage and admitting a new bride. 87. pueri: children.' 88. dabit... manus: the imagery is military: will surrender' (i.e. her heart). 89. conlata: hypothetical. |