90

95

100

vixque dedit victas utilitate manus.
egredior sive illud erat sine funere ferri-
squalidus, inmissis hirta per ora comis.
illa dolore amens tenebris narratur obortis
semianimis media procubuisse domo :
utque resurrexit foedatis pulvere turpi
crinibus et gelida membra levavit humo,
se modo, desertos modo conplorasse Penates,
nomen et erepti saepe vocasse viri,

nec gemuisse minus, quam si nataeque meumque
vidisset structos corpus habere rogos,

et voluisse mori, moriendo ponere sensus,

respectuque tamen non voluisse mei.

vivat! et absentem —— quoniam sic fata tulerunt —
vivat ut auxilio sublevet usque suo.

LIBER QVARTVS

ΙΟ

Ille ego qui fuerim, tenerorum lusor amorum,
quem legis, ut noris, accipe posteritas.

97. meumque A virique GHV.

5

ΙΟ

15

Sulmo mihi patria est, gelidis uberrimus undis,
milia qui novies distat ab urbe decem.
editus hinc ego sum; nec non ut tempora noris,
cum cecidit fato consul uterque pari.

siquid id est, usque a proavis vetus ordinis heres,
non modo fortunae munere factus eques.
nec stirps prima fui. genito sum fratre creatus,
qui tribus ante quater mensibus ortus erat.
Lucifer amborum natalibus adfuit idem:
una celebrata est per duo liba dies.

haec est armiferae festis de quinque Minervae,
quae fieri pugna prima cruenta solet.
protinus excolimur teneri, curaque parentis

imus ad insignes urbis ab arte viros.

10. 7. siquid id vulg. si quis et Postgate. 8. modo vulg. sum Riese.

to put such poems at the close of some work (cf. Am. 3, 15, Intr.). Here Ovid at the end of Bk. 4 of his Tristia gives the most complete account of his life, though it is supplemented by many other passages in other Tristia and other groups of poems. Written in the spring of the year 11 A.D. at Tomi.

1. Ille ego: 'the well-known writer that I am.' — qui(= qualis) fuerim indirect question. — tenerorum . . . amorum: probably intended to include the Heroides as well as the three books of the Amores.-lusor: cf. Cat. 68, 17.

3. Sulmo: cf. Am. 2, 16, 1, n. - gelidis . . . undis: cf. 3, 15, 11. 6. Cf. Tib. 3, 5, 18, n. 7. Cf. Am. 3, 15, 5.

For a

description of the opposite type of equestrian nobility, referred to in verse 8, cf. Hor. Epod. 4.

10. Ovid's older brother, Lucius, was exactly a year older than he. He died at the age of twenty (cf. v. 31).

12. liba: for the offerings on birthdays cf. Tib. 2, 2, 7-8.

13. festis de quinque : sc. diebus. The festival of Quinquatrus or Quinquatria was sacred to Minerva, and was originally celebrated on the fifth day after the Ides of March. After 168 B.C., however, the original significance of the name being forgotten, the festival was extended to include five days. Ovid was born on the second of these, March 20.

16. Cf. Intr. § 38.

20

25

30

frater ad eloquium viridi tendebat ab aevo,
fortia verbosi natus ad arma fori.

at mihi iam puero caelestia sacra placebant,
inque suum furtim Musa trahebat opus.
saepe pater dixit 'studium quid inutile temptas?
Maeonides nullas ipse reliquit opes.'

motus eram dictis totoque Helicone relicto
scribere conabar verba soluta modis :

sponte sua carmen numeros veniebat ad aptos;
et quod temptabam dicere, versus erat.
interea tacito passu labentibus annis

liberior fratri sumpta mihique togast;
induiturque umeris cum lato purpura clavo:
et studium nobis, quod fuit ante, manet.
iamque decem frater vitae geminaverat annos,
cum perit, et coepi parte carere mei.
cepimus et tenerae primos aetatis honores,
eque viris quondam pars tribus una fui.

34. eque vulg. deque A.

17. eloquium = eloquentia, a variation common after this time.

18. Cf. Prop. 4, 1, 134.

19. caelestia sacra: i.e. the poetic art.

21. studium. . . inutile: poetry was not "practical," as the saying goes to-day of similar pursuits.

22. Maeonides: cf. Am. 3, 6, 25, n.

23. Helicone : the Boeotian mountain recognized as the abode of the Muses.

24. verba soluta modis: prose.' 27. labentibus annis: the date for the assumption of the toga virilis was not definitely fixed, ROM. EL. POETS- 27

417

but usually came on the Liberalia (March 17), and not often later than the boy's seventeenth year.

28. liberior: since it indicated a greater degree of freedom for the young man.

29. lato. . . clavo: instead of the usual tunica angusticlavia of the knight. Sons of senators and of noble knights often in the Augustan epoch assumed the tunica laticlavia as a token that they were planning a higher official career.

32. Cf. Cat. 68, 22.

34. viris . . . tribus: either the tresviri capitales, who punished

35

40

45

50

curia restabat: clavi mensura coactast:
maius erat nostris viribus illud onus.

nec patiens corpus, nec mens fuit apta labori,
sollicitaeque fugax ambitionis eram,
et petere Aoniae suadebant tuta sorores

otia, iudicio semper amata meo.
temporis illius colui fovique poetas,

quotque aderant vates, rebar adesse deos.
saepe suas volucres legit mihi grandior aevo,
quaeque nocet serpens, quae iuvat herba, Macer.
saepe suos solitus recitare Propertius ignes,

iure sodalicii quo mihi iunctus erat.
Ponticus heroo, Bassus quoque clarus iambis
dulcia convictus membra fuere mei;

et tenuit nostras numerosus Horatius aures,
dum ferit Ausonia carmina culta lyra.
Vergilium vidi tantum; nec amara Tibullo
tempus amicitiae fata dedere meae.

44. iuvat vulg. iuvet AH. 46. quo vulg. qui A. 51. amara w avara vulg.

55

60

65

successor fuit hic tibi, Galle: Propertius illi:
quartus ab his serie temporis ipse fui.
utque ego maiores, sic me coluere minores,
notaque non tarde facta Thalia meast.
carmina cum primum populo iuvenalia legi,
barba resecta mihi bisve semelve fuit.
moverat ingenium totam cantata per urbem
nomine non vero dicta Corinna mihi. .
multa quidem scripsi: sed quae vitiosa putavi,
emendaturis ignibus ipse dedi.

tunc quoque, cum fugerem, quaedam placitura
cremavi,

iratus studio carminibusque meis.

molle Cupidineis nec inexpugnabile telis

cor mihi, quodque levis causa moveret, erat. cum tamen hic essem minimoque accenderer igni, nomine sub nostro fabula nulla fuit.

53. Galle: cf. Intr. § 12.

56. Thalia: Muse,' in general; here for the product of the Muse. 57. The custom of holding readings (recitationes) of one's own works before publication, in the presence of a select company of invited guests, was introduced by Asinius Pollio.

58. The first cutting of the youthful beard was a festal occasion; and the cuttings were offered to divinities (the depositio barbae).

60. nomine non vero: her real name is not known, if indeed there was any real person involved. The name may have been easily derived from the Greek name for girl,

Kópη. There was also a Boeotian poetess of the same name.

63. fugerem: of going into banishment; cf. Tac. Ann. 3, 24. - placitura: which would probably have proved popular.' — cremavi: cf. Intr. § 39; Trist. 1, 7, 15 sqq.

64. iratus grieving for.'

68. fabula: 'gossip.' Ovid's life, he maintains steadfastly, was pure, in spite of the impurity of some of his writings. Cf. Trist. 2, 353-354: crede mihi, distant mores a carmine nostro: vita verecunda est, musa iocosa mea. Other Roman writers, e.g. Catullus, Martial, and even Pliny the younger, argued similarly.