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discentur numeri, culte Tibulle, tui.
Gallus et Hesperiis et Gallus notus Eois,
et sua cum Gallo nota Lycoris erit.
ergo cum silices, cum dens patientis aratri
depereant aevo, carmina morte carent.
cedant carminibus reges regumque triumphi,
cedat et auriferi ripa benigna Tagi.
vilia miretur vulgus; mihi flavus Apollo
pocula Castalia plena ministret aqua,
sustineamque coma metuentem frigora myrtum
atque ita sollicito multus amante legar.
pascitur in vivis Livor, post fata quiescit,

cum suus ex merito quemque tuetur honos.
ergo etiam cum me supremus adederit ignis,
vivam, parsque mei multa superstes erit.

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LIBER SECVNDVS

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Psittacus, eois imitatrix ales ab Indis, occidit: exequias ite frequenter, aves. ite, piae volucres, et plangite pectora pinnis, et rigido teneras ungue notate genas. horrida pro maestis lanietur pluma capillis, pro longa resonent carmina vestra tuba. quod scelus Ismarii quereris, Philomela, tyranni,

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The death of Corinna's parrot. The rhetorical wealth of elaboration employed by Ovid on this somewhat trifling theme furnishes an excellent commentary on his mind and art when the elegy is compared with the familiar little poem of Catullus on the death of Lesbia's pet sparrow. Ovid must have had Catullus in mind; but the heartfelt simplicity of mourning in the earlier poet was beyond the reach of his imitator. (Yet cf. Martinengo, p. 165; Mart. 1, 7; Statius, Silv. 2, 4.)

1-6: Come, all ye birds to mourn Corinna's parrot; 7-10: Philomela, never mind your old complaint; 11-16: all come! but especially you, turtledove, the parrot's dearest friend. 17-24: What gifts and graces you had, parrot! 25-42: It must have been

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envy that caused your death, bird so superior to others; but death is always claiming the best. 43-48: So he died, amid Corinna's grief; 49-58: he has entered the bird's paradise; 59-62: and his tomb has a suitable inscription.' 1. imitatrix: cf. V. 37. Indis: cf. Pliny, N. H. 10, 117: India hanc avem mittit. etc.

2. exequias: cf. Prop. 2, 13, 24, n.

3. plangite pectora pinnis : note the onomatopoetic alliteration. 4. Cf. Tib. 1, 1, 68.

5. capillis: tearing the hair was a common expression of human mourning.

7. Ismarii. . . tyranni: the Thracian king Tereus, husband of Philomela and father of Itys. He betrayed Procne, his wife's sister, and in revenge Philomela killed Itys. When Tereus pursued the fleeing sisters, all three

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expleta est annis ista querella suis; alitis in rarae miserum devertere funus:

magna, set antiqua est causa doloris Itys. omnes, quae liquido libratis in aere cursus, tu tamen ante alios, turtur amice, dole. plena fuit vobis omni concordia vita,

et stetit ad finem longa tenaxque fides.
quod fuit Argolico iuvenis Phoceus Orestae,
hoc tibi, dum licuit, psittace, turtur erat.
quid tamen ista fides, quid rari forma coloris,
quid vox mutandis ingeniosa sonis,

quid iuvat, ut datus es, nostrae placuisse puellae?
infelix, avium gloria, nempe iaces!

tu poteras fragiles pinnis hebetare zmaragdos,
tincta gerens rubro Punica rostra croco.
non fuit in terris vocum simulantior ales:

reddebas blaeso tam bene verba sono!

raptus es invidia: non tu fera bella movebas;
garrulus et placidae pacis amator eras.

ecce, coturnices inter sua proelia vivunt,

6. 9. devertere Heinsius devertite PR divertite S devertito Mueller.

were metamorphosed into birds; cf. Cat. 65, 14, n.

11. libratis . . . cursus: poise yourselves'; cf. Verg. Georg. 4, 196: sese per inania nubila librant.

12. turtur amice: cf. Pliny, N. H. 10, 207: amici pavones et columbae, turtures et psittaci.

15. iuvenis Phoceus: Pylades, whose friendship with Orestes was as celebrated as that of Damon and Pythias.

17 sqq. a typical consolatio; cf. Prop. 3, 18, 11 sqq. — fides: i.e. to Corinna.

19. ut datus es: from the moment you became hers.'

21. hebetare: by contrast. 22. Punica cf. Prop. 3, 3, 32, n.

23. Cf. v. I.

26. garrulus: i.e. a mere talker, as contrasted with a fighter.

27. coturnices: notoriously quarrelsome birds.

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forsitan et fiant inde frequenter anus.
plenus eras minimo, nec prae sermonis amore
in multos poteras ora vacare cibos.
nux erat esca tibi causaque papavera somni,
pellebatque sitim simplicis umor aquae.
vivit edax voltur ducensque per aera gyros
miluus et pluviae graculus auctor aquae;
vivit et armiferae cornix invisa Minervae,

illa quidem saeclis vix moritura novem :
occidit illa loquax humanae vocis imago,
psittacus, extremo munus ab orbe datum.
optima prima fere manibus rapiuntur avaris :
inplentur numeris deteriora suis.
tristia Phylacidae Thersites funera vidit :

iamque cinis, vivis fratribus, Hector erat.
quid referam timidae pro te pia vota puellae,
vota procelloso per mare rapta noto?
septima lux venit, non exhibitura sequentem,

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29. minimo: SC. cibo. The parrot would rather talk than eat.

31. causaque papavera somni: cf. Verg. Georg. 1, 78: Lethaeo perfusa papavera somno.

34. graculus auctor aquae: cf. Prop. 4, 3, 32; but the crow is more common as a messenger of rain; cf. Hor. Car. 3, 17, 12: aquae nisi fallit augur annosa cornix.

35. invisa Minervae: the crow talked too much, and besides was at enmity with Minerva's favorite, the owl; cf. Met. 2, 535 sqq.

ROM. EL. POETS- - 25

385

36. Cf. v. 34, n.

39. A familiar sentiment; cf. Cat. 3, 13: malae tenebrae Orci, quae omnia bella devoratis.

41. Phylacidae: Protesilaus ; cf. Her. 13; Cat. 68, 74, n. — - Thersites: the hateful figure of Hom. Il. 2, 212 sqq.

42. fratribus: including the cowardly Paris, who brought on all the trouble of the Trojan War.

43. vota: offered during the illness of her parrot.

45. septima: believed by the ancients to be a critical day in certain diseases; Cic. Ad Fam. 16, 9, 3: ne in quartam hebdomada incideres.

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et stabat vacuo iam tibi Parca colo,
nec tamen ignavo stupuerunt verba palato:
clamavit moriens lingua 'Corinna, vale!'
colle sub Elysio nigra nemus ilice frondet,
udaque perpetuo gramine terra viret.
siqua fides dubiis, volucrum locus ille piarum
dicitur, obscenae quo prohibentur aves.
illic innocui late pascuntur olores,

et vivax phoenix, unica semper avis.
explicat ipsa suas ales Iunonia pinnas,

oscula dat cupido blanda columba mari.
psittacus has inter nemorali sede receptus
convertit volucres in sua verba pias.

ossa tegit tumulus, tumulus pro corpore magnus,
quo lapis exiguus par sibi carmen habet:
'colligor ex ipso dominae placuisse sepulcro ;
ora fuere mihi plus ave docta loqui.'

46. Parca: Clotho, the emptiness of whose spindle signifies that the thread of life has run out. 49 sqq. an ideal scene in bird paradise. The poet's imagination is helped by the memory of his boyhood home; cf. 2, 16, 5 sqq.

51. siqua fides dubiis: sc. est. For the thought cf. Cat. 96, 1, n. 52. obscenae ill-boding'; cf. Verg. Aen. 12, 875: ne me terrete timentem, obscenae volucres.

53. olores poetic for cygni. 54. vivax phoenix: which, according to mythology, rose again from its own ashes; cf. the poems on this subject by Claudian and Lactantius.

55. ales Iunonia: the peacock; cf. A. A. 1, 627: laudatas ostendit avis Iunonia pinnas. Pausanias (2, 17, 6) tells of the golden peacock in the Hera temple at My

cenae.

56. Cf. Cat. 68, 125–127; Prop. 2, 15, 27: exemplo iunctae tibi sint in amore columbae.

59. pro corpore magnus: 'correspondingly small.’

60. Cf. Prop. 2, 1, 72: breve in exiguo marmore nomen ero.

61. colligor: 'it may be inferred.' ex ipso ... sepulcro: i.e. the very existence of a tomb is a mark of unusual affection.

62. plus ave: i.e. like human beings.

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