55 60 et satur arenti primum est modulatus avena rure etiam teneris curam exhibitura puellis molle gerit tergo lucida vellus ovis. hinc et femineus labor est, hinc pensa colusque, fusus et adposito pollice versat opus: 58. curtas auxerat hircus opes Waardenburg yrcus hauxerat yrcus oves A hauserat VG hirtas duxerat hircus oves Heinsius. 53. satur: 'after eating his fill.' avena: for a similar scene cf. Verg. Ec. 1, 1–2. 54. ornatos: with wreaths. 55. minio originally, doubtless, made of the lees of wine, the most convenient substance on such occasions. Cf. Hor. Ep. 2, 3, 277: quae canerent agerentque peruncti faecibus ora. Later a prepared vermilion was used for both man and god; cf. I, I, 17. From this custom masks came to be used in the dramatic representations originating in the same rustic festivals. Bacche: it was at the festivals of Dionysus that the Greek drama began, just as such native Italian dramatic forms as the Fescenninae and Saturae came from similar celebrations in Etruria. 56. ab used to make it clear that the idea is one of source here. Cf. Prop. 2, 27, II, n. 57. huic i.e. agricolae, in recognition of his skill as leader of the chorus. ovili : we might have expected caprili; but this word seems to have been little used and ovile elsewhere does duty for both sheep and goats; cf. Ovid, Met. 13, 828: aliis in ovilibus haedi. Cf. Bentley, Horace, Vol. 2, p. 33. 58. auxerat: for the tense cf. Prop. I, 12, II; 2, 13, 38, n; Ovid, Trist. 3, 11, 25: non sum ego quod fueram. 62. lucida: an unusual adjective in the sense of white,' indicating a glistening effect, and corresponding to our familiar expression, ‘as white as snow,' used of wool. 63. hinc refers to the wool. 64. pollice: the thumb of the right hand, while the left hand holds the distaff; Cat. 64, 313: tum prono in pollice torquens 65 70. 75 80 atque aliqua adsiduae textrix operata Minervae ipse quoque inter agros interque armenta Cupido illic indocto primum se exercuit arcu: hei mihi, quam doctas nunc habet ille manus! ah miseri, quos hic graviter deus urget! at ille 67. quoque inter agros A quoque inter greges V interque greges G apros R. Klotz. libratum tereti versabat turbine fusum; Ovid, Met. 6, 22: sive levi teretem versabat pollice fusum. 65. aliqua: i.e. here and there one. - operata: 'engaged in the service of'; cf. note on v. 9. — Minervae: the patroness of weaving; cf. H. & T. § 39. This is best considered not a case of metonymy. 66. latere used collectively, referring to the pieces of brick by which the threads of the warp were weighted to keep them taut, and which would often strike together as the web was moved back and forth for the passage of the shuttle; rings the web beneath the driven lay' (Cranst.). 67. Cf. Pervigilium Ven. 77: ipse Amor puer Dionae rure natus dicitur. Tibullus is fond of using ipse with the name of a divinity; cf. e.g. 1, 3, 58; 2, 2, 5; 1, 8, 5. 73. The perfect tenses express customary action. 74. iratae: sc. puellae. 76. iuvenem: 'her lover.' 77. pedibus praetemptat iter: 'her way on tiptoe feels ' (Cranst.). 78. ante: adverb. 80. adflat: cf. 2, 4, 57: ubi indomitis gregibus Venus adflat amores. Amor: the more common name of this god in Tibullus. 85 90 sancte, veni dapibus festis, sed pone sagittas ludite iam Nox iungit equos, currumque sequuntur postque venit tacitus furvis circumdatus alis 81. sancte: cf. Cat. 64, 95: sancte puer, curis hominum qui gaudia misces. - veni: followed by the dat., as if it were ades. 83. celebrem: to whom many resort'; cf. 4, 4, 23; Hor. Car. 2, 12, 20: Dianae celebris die. 86. obstrepit: i.e. the noise is so great that there is no danger of being overheard. - tibia curva : the Phrygian pipe was bent only at its mouth, where it terminated in a broadening curve. Cf. Rich's Dict. s.v. tibia, 6; Howard in Harv. Stud. 10, 19. As it was associated with the worship of Cybele, the playing is here referred to as wild and noisy, such as to drown other sounds. Cf. Cat. 63, 22: tibicen ubi canit Phryx curvo grave calamo. 87. Nox: among the Greeks and Romans night was not regarded as a negative idea, but was as definitely conceived of as moving through the heavens once every twenty-four hours as was day. So, as the sun drove his chariot, and the moon rode backward on her steed, the personified Night is spoken of as driving over the heavenly course a chariot, sometimes with two horses, as in Verg. Aen. 5, 721 et Nox atra polum bigis subvecta tenebat; at others, with four horses, as in Tib. 3, 4, 17: iam Nox aetherium nigris emensa quadrigis. 88. matris: the idea that the stars are children of night is several times expressed by the Greek poets, e.g. Orph. Hymn. 7. 3: ἀστέρες οὐράνιοι, Νυκτὸς φιλα τέκνα μελαίνης ; but of the Romans Tibullus alone seems to have imitated the figure. 89. circumdatus alis: Tibullus evidently has in mind the conception of the god of sleep most common in the art of his own time, viz. that of a bearded man with large wings on the shoulders, and others on the head, which together seem almost to envelop the rest of the figure. Cf. Baum. Denk., p. 707. 90. Dreams may be regarded as the children of Sleep. - nigra : 'gloom-wrapt' (Cranst.). 5 2 Dicamus bona verba: venit Natalis ad aras: quos tener e terra divite mittit Arabs. 2, 2 To his friend Cornutus, whose first birthday since his marriage is being celebrated, Tibullus sends this dainty poem, with good wishes appropriate to the occasion. Cornutus is, perhaps, the M. Caecilius Cornutus who became a member of the Arval College about 20 B.C., and may be identical with the Cerinthus of Bk. 4, the latter name being then a poetic pseudonym. His bride in that case is Sulpicia. Cf. Intr. § 26; Bell. U., pp. 292, 297 sqq. 1-10: While all keep a propitious silence, let acceptable offerings be made to your Genius, and let him graciously draw nigh to enjoy your worship and listen to your petitions. Lo! Our prayer is granted. Make known your request. 11-22: My guess is that you will ask for the unchanging love of your beloved wife, which is better than all other earthly wealth. Your wish is fulfilled. Now let Amor seal the bond, never to be broken, and thus, in your old age, IO 15 cui decorent sanctas mollia serta comas. atque satur libo sit madeatque mero, iam reor hoc ipsos edidicisse deos. nec tibi malueris, totum quaecumque per orbem nec tibi, gemmarum quidquid felicibus Indis vota cadunt: utinam strepitantibus advolet alis vincula, quae maneant semper, dum tarda senectus |