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P. OVIDI NASONIS

AMORVM

LIBER PRIMVS

EPIGRAMMA IPSIVS

Qui modo Nasonis fueramus quinque libelli, tres sumus: hoc illi praetulit auctor opus; ut iam nulla tibi nos sit legisse voluptas, at levior demptis poena duobus erit.

I

Arma gravi numero violentaque bella parabam

edere, materia conveniente modis;

AMORES

Epigramma Ipsius: there is no reason to doubt the genuineness of this epigram thus prefixed to the first book of the Amores. — Nasonis: Ovid is fond of calling himself by his cognomen; cf. Am. 2, 1, 2; Trist. 5, 13, 1; etc. quinque an earlier edition of the Amores was published in five books. Ovid later withdrew some of his more youthful efforts from circulation and published the existing edition in three books. Cf. Cicero's change of plan in the Academica. -- libelli: a term of modesty. hoc illi: the present to the earlier.' — ut: 'even if.'

legisse cf. Tib. I, I, 29, n.

I, I

1-4: 'I essayed heroic strains, but Cupid drove me to elegy. 5-20: "Who gave you the right to interfere?" I complained, "let every cobbler stick to his last." 21-26: But he drew his unerring bow at me, and now love rules my heart; 2730: so elegy is my province.' Cf. 2, I, II sqq.; Prop. 3, 3.

1. gravi numero : the hexameter; cf. modis (v. 2) (of the melody) and inferior versus (v. 3) (i.e. the second of a couplet) for a variety of expression of the general idea.

2. edere: 'to produce.'

5

IO

15

par erat inferior versus: risisse Cupido

dicitur atque unum surripuisse pedem.
'quis tibi, saeve puer, dedit hoc in carmina iuris?
Pieridum vates, non tua turba sumus.

quid, si praeripiat flavae Venus arma Minervae,
ventilet accensas flava Minerva faces?

quis probet in silvis Cererem regnare iugosis,
lege pharetratae virginis arva coli?

crinibus insignem quis acuta cuspide Phoebum
instruat, Aoniam Marte movente lyram?

sunt tibi magna, puer, nimiumque potentia regna:
cur opus adfectas, ambitiose, novum ?

an, quod ubique, tuum est? tua sunt Heliconia Tempe?
vix etiam Phoebo iam lyra tuta suast?
cum bene surrexit versu nova pagina primo,
attenuat nervos proximus ille meos;

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4. unum . . pedem: i.e. the two half feet which the pentameter lacks, as compared with the hexameter. surripuisse : the poet was taken unawares, like Apollo when Hermes stole his cattle.

5. saeve: a common epithet for Cupid in the elegiac writers; cf. Tib. 3, 4, 65. in carmina : this construction with ius is not infrequent in the poets.

6. vates: cf. Am. 3, 9, 17.

7. flavae: so Minerva is described, e.g. in Fast. 6,652; Trist. I, IO, I.

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II. crinibus: cf. Tib. 2, 5, 8; Prop. 3, 13, 52: intonsi Pythia regna dei. - cuspide: the spear (of Mars); the term is common in the poets.

12. Aoniam: cf. Prop. 1, 2, 28, n.

13. nimiumque potentia: and all too powerful.'

15. 'Do you" want the earth "?' Heliconia Tempe: the beautiful Thessalian valley through which ran the Peneios here becomes typical, and the poet means the beautiful regions where dwell the Muses, who were commonly located on Helicon.

17. surrexit: i.e. 'started off." - pagina: sc. mea.

attempt the task of Diana.

18. ille: Cupid.

20

25

30

nec mihi materia est numeris levioribus apta,
aut puer, aut longas compta puella comas.'
questus eram, pharetra cum protinus ille soluta
legit in exitium spicula facta meum
lunavitque genu sinuosum fortiter arcum,

'quod' que 'canas, vates, accipe' dixit 'opus!'
me miserum! certas habuit puer ille sagittas :

uror, et in vacuo pectore regnat Amor.

sex mihi surgat opus numeris, in quinque residat:
ferrea cum vestris bella valete modis !
cingere litorea flaventia tempora myrto,
Musa per undenos emodulanda pedes!

3

Iusta precor. quae me nuper praedata puellast,
aut amet, aut faciat cur ego semper amem!

19. nec adversative; the nega-
tive force is carried over to the
correlatives aut in the following
verse. - numeris levioribus: elegy.
20. longas: cf. Am. 3, 3, 3:
habuit nondum
longos
quam
periura capillos.

22. in exitium: purpose acc. 25. Cf. Prop. 2, 12, 9-12; 13, 2. 26. vacuo : 'hitherto fancyfree'; cf. Hor. Car. 1, 6, 19: cantamus, vacui, sive quid

urimur.

27. Cf. Schiller's couplet: Im Hexameter steigt des Springquells flüssige Säule,

Im Pentameter drauf fällt sie melodisch herab;

and Coleridge's English version:

"In the hexameter rises the foun

tain's silvery column, In the pentameter aye falling in melody back."

29. cingere: the imperative used reflexively. litorea: cf. Mart. 4, 13, 6: litora myrtus amat: for the myrtle as sacred to Venus cf. A. A. 3, 53: dixit et e myrto (myrto nam vincta capillos constiterat) folium granaque pauca dedit.

I, 3

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ah, nimium volui! tantum patiatur amari:
audierit nostras tot Cytherea preces!
accipe, per longos tibi qui deserviat annos,
accipe, qui pura norit amare fide!

si me non veterum commendant magna parentum
nomina, si nostri sanguinis auctor eques,
nec meus innumeris renovatur campus aratris,

temperat et sumptus parcus uterque parens:
at Phoebus comitesque novem vitisque repertor
hinc faciunt at, me qui tibi donat, Amor,
at nulli cessura fides, sine crimine mores

nudaque simplicitas purpureusque pudor.

3. 12. hinc Merkel haec PS hac Palmer. at me Merkel ut me P et me S. 13. at Ehwald et 0.

your lover, though I bring you neither nobility, nor wealth;

11-16: but I have the favor of the gods, fidelity and constancy. 17-26: Love me, live with me; and I will make your name as well known throughout the world as the names of the heroines of old.'

1. praedata... est: has captivated me'; cf. Am. 1, 2, 19: tua sum nova praeda, Cupido.

2. amet: his petition to Venus is in the third person, appropriately, in an address to his lady love.

3. tantum: 'simply.'

4. Cytherea cf. Am. 2, 17, 4. 5. accipe: the poet addresses the unknown lady, whose shadowy personality receives the name Corinna first in I, 5, 9.

7. With this passage cf. Prop.

3, 2, 11 sqq.

8. eques: Ovid was proud that

his equestrian rank was not of the parvenu type; cf. Am. 3, 15, 5; and Trist. 4, 10, 7, to which he adds: non modo fortunae munere factus eques.

9. renovatur: cf. Tib. 3, 3, 5, n; Prop. 3, 5, 5.

10. But the poet's biography in Trist. 4, 10, and the manner of his life at Rome do not indicate straitened circumstances. Cf. Tib. I, I, 5, n.

11. comitesque novem: the Muses. vitisque repertor: Bacchus, who also inspired poetry and song; cf. Tib. 1, 7, 29, n.; Prop. 4, I, 62.

12. hinc faciunt: are on my side'; cf. Cic. Ad Att. 7, 3, 5: dignos illinc facere.

14. purpureusque pudor: i.e. modesty such as would cause a 'rosy blush'; cf. Am. 2, 5, 34:

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non mihi mille placent, non sum desultor amoris:
tu mihi, siqua fides, cura perennis eris.
tecum, quos dederint annos mihi fila sororum,
vivere contingat, teque dolente mori;

te mihi materiem felicem in carmina praebe:
provenient causa carmina digna sua.

carmine nomen habent exterrita cornibus Io
et quam fluminea lusit adulter ave

quaeque super pontum simulato vecta iuvenco
virginea tenuit cornua vara manu:

nos quoque per totum pariter cantabimur orbem,
iunctaque semper erunt nomina nostra tuis.

15

Quid mihi, Livor edax, ignavos obicis annos
ingeniique vocas carmen inertis opus;

conscia purpureus venit in ora
pudor.

15. desultor: the figure is from the circus rider who leaped from one horse to another; cf. Prop. 4, 2, 36: traicit alterno qui leve pondus equo.

16. cura cf. 3, 3, 32, n.

17. fila sororum: cf. Hor. Car. 2, 3, 15: dum res et aetas et sororum fila trium patiuntur atra.

19. in carmina: purpose acc. 20. causa = materie: cf. Prop. 2, 1, 12: invenio causas mille poeta novas.

21. cornibus Io: cf. Prop. 2, 28, 17, n.

22. quam: Leda, wooed by Juppiter (adulter) in the form of a swan (fluminea . . ave).

23. quaeque: Europa ; cf. Prop. 2, 28, 52, n.

25. Cf. Am. 1, 15, 8.

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I, 15

The poet justifies his profession. 1-6: Envy says, I am wasting my time in poetry, which has no practical value. 7-30: Nay! my work will be immortal, like that of my great Greek and Roman predecessors. 31-34: Then let all bow before poetry. 35-42: The rabble may be wedded to their idols, but if Apollo fosters my art, I shall have undying fame after envious tongues have ceased to wag.' With the thought as a whole cf. Prop. 3, I.

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