5 ΙΟ namque mei nuper Lethaeo gurgite fratris ereptum nostris obterit ex oculis. adloquar, audiero numquam tua facta loquentem, semper maesta tua carmina morte canam, 9. omitted in VR adloquar audiero numquam tua loquentem Do the lacuna between tua and loquentem variously supplied as facta (D man. sec.), verba, fata w. Lachmann, followed by Haupt- Vahlen, believed there was a lacuna in ▼ of seven verses after 8, and supplied before 9 six verses from 68, 20–24, and 92-96. II. at D aut V. 12. canam or legam w tegam VR (in R the verse reads: semp mesta tua carmine morte tegam). 6. pallidulum: a pathetic diminutive, implying fond tenderness; probably either coined by Catullus or borrowed from the speech of everyday life; not used elsewhere before the silver Latin period; cf. Intr. § 17; Juv. 10, 82; Platner, Dimin. in Catull. -manans: Catullus's conceptions of underworld geography were probably at least as hazy as those of all the Roman poets with regard to terrestrial geography (cf. 66, 12, n). He may have pictured his brother as fording Lethe, or being ferried over in a skiff (Charon's); but the emphasis of manans adluit is best preserved if we assume that he meant that, escaping from its ordinary bounds, the flood of Lethe, this stray wave had borne the innocent youth all too early to the waters of oblivion. 7. Rhoeteo: celebrated also as the site of the grave of Ajax. — subter: the use of this preposition with the abl. is very rare, hardly occurring elsewhere except in Vergil; cf. Verg. Aen. 9, 514. 9. audiero: sometimes a fut. perf. is used with no appreciable difference in meaning from that of the fut.; cf. Prop. 2, 5, 22; Plaut. Most. 526; Tib. 1, 1, 29, n. 10. numquam belongs to both adloquar and audiero. 11. posthac seems to indicate that his brother's death was quite recent. 15 20 Daulias absumpti fata gemens Ityli: ne tua dicta vagis nequiquam credita ventis ut missum sponsi furtivo munere malum quod miserae oblitae molli sub veste locatum, 14. Daulias= Procne, or, according to another myth, Philomela, from Daulis, the scene of the Tereus myth. — Ityli: according to a Homeric myth, Itylus, son of Zethus and Aëdon, was killed by his mother by mistake, and she became a nightingale. When the Tereus myth was developed, the name of the boy was given as Itys. As the two myths are essentially one, it is not strange that the name of the former should be transferred to the latter, perhaps under the idea that it was a diminutive of Itys; cf. German Willychen, etc. 15. sed tamen: the conclusion of the periodic sentence begun in v. I.—in tantis maeroribus: note the concessive force of the construction. The plural expresses mere poetic intensity. 16. expressa: 'translated.' carmina: 'verses': a single couplet may be a carmen; cf. 64, 383; Ovid, Sapph. 6; Prop. 2, 13, 25, n. on tres ... libelli. At any rate we have no translation of Callimachus in this collection 'except No. 66.- Battiadae the celebrated elegiac poet Callimachus, who claimed to be a descendant of Battus, the founder of Cyrene. It was certainly true in a general sense, as Callimachus was a native of Cyrene; cf. 116, 2. 17. tua dicta: implies a previous request on the part of Ortalus for some poem, whether a translation from Callimachus or something else. — nequiquam : best taken with credita; cf. 30, 10; the usual medium of communication by sound is "ventis." 19. malum: the most common gift of lovers; cf. Verg. Ec. 3, 64 : malo me Galatea petit; 71: aurea mala decem misi; Prop. I, 3, 24: furtiva cavis poma dabam manibus; the myth of the apple of discord, etc. 20. Cf. the Latin proverb quoted by Festus, p. 165: nec mulieri nec gremio credi oportet; quod plerumque, he adds, in gremio posito, cum in oblivionem venerunt propere exsurgentium, procidunt. atque illud prono praeceps agitur decursu, huic manat tristi conscius ore rubor. 66 Omnia qui magni dispexit lumina mundi, qui stellarum ortus comperit atque obitus, 66. 1. dispexit o despexit V. 2. obitus @ habitus V. 23. The rhythm, including the alliteration, prono praeceps, and the spondaic ending of the verse, is admirably adapted to express the bounce of the apple and the astonishment and confusion of the girl. Cf. 68, 59. 24. huic contrasted with illud (v. 23). — tristi: ‘rueful.' 66 The meaoriginal Callima There is little doubt that this is the poem referred to in No. 65, viz. the translation from Callimachus sent to Ortalus. ger fragments of the Βερενίκης Πλόκαμος of chus indicate that this elegy of Catullus was not a literal translation, though it was a work of little originality. All the characteristic vices of the Alexandrian type of elegy are here illustrated better, perhaps, than in any other existing Latin poem, - the artificiality of tone, the far-fetched, and often obscure, allusions, the adulation of the court, the general air of superior learning appropriate to the "doctus poeta." Its interest is accordingly greater from the standpoint of literary history than per se. Cf. Lamarre, Vol. 2, p. 560. The legend upon which the elegy is based is referred to by Hyginus, Astr. 2, 24: vovisse Berenicen, si victor Ptolomaeus redisset, se crinem detonsuram, quo voto damnatam crinem in Veneris Arsinoes Zephyritidis posuisse templo eumque postero die non comparuisse. Quod factum cum rex aegre ferret, Conon mathematicus, ut ante diximus, cupiens inire gratiam regis crinem inter sidera videri conlocatum et quasdam vacuas a figura septem stellas ostendit quas esse fingeret crinem. Ptolemy Euergetes (king of Egypt, 247-222 B.C.), soon after his marriage to Berenice II, was compelled to go on an expedition against Seleucus II of Syria. insure the safe return of her hus Το . flammeus ut rapidi solis nitor obscuretur, band the young bride vowed to The elegy is spoken by the hair itself in the first person, and is sometimes playful, sometimes petulant, sometimes gently ironical in its tone: 1-8: In the heavens Conon discovered me, Berenice's hair; 9-14 which she vowed to the gods when as a bride she was obliged to let her husband go off to war. 15-20 Despite the tears of brides, they really love their husbands dearly. 21-32: Was it a separation from a brother merely that you SO dreaded? What then became so suddenly of your well-known courage? Was it not rather the anguish of a lover at the thought of parting? 33-38 Then you vowed me to the gods on behalf of his safe return; and here I am among the immortals paying your Vow. 39-50: It grieved me sorely to leave your head; but how could I resist the power of steel? That power has even leveled mountains. Cursed be the inventors of steel ! 51-56: It was a sad day for my sister locks when the winged horse of Arsinoe came to bear me away to the goddess his mistress. 5768 She sent him after me that I might honor her as a new constellation like that made from Ariadne's golden tresses, and might be beside Virgo, Leo, Callisto and Boötes. 69-78: But, no matter how ungrateful I may appear, I cannot feel as much joy at my new honors as sorrow at being torn from the head of my. mistress, and from all the royal perfumes there enjoyed. 79-88 : In compensation, ye brides, offer unguents to me on your wedding days, ye who are worthy, and may love ever abide with you! 89-92: As to you, my queen, when you propitiate Venus on holidays, do not forget me. 93-94 But what are stars to me? Would that I were back upon thy head!' : 1. qui the antecedent is ille Conon (v. 7).— dispexit: 'distinguished'; cf. v. 7, n. 3. Conon is said to have brought together the earlier Egyptian records of eclipses. 4. This verse refers to the annual disappearance of certain constellations at fixed times. Cf. 5 ΙΟ ut Triviam furtim sub Latmia saxa relegans idem me ille Conon caelesti in lumine vidit fulgentem clare, quam multis illa dearum. levia protendens bracchia pollicitast, qua rex tempestate novo auctus hymenaeo vastatum finis iverat Assyrios, 5. relegans o religans V. 7. in lumine Voss 9. multis illa dearum VR cunctis illa deorum Haupt. Hor. Car. 3, 1, 27; and Verg. Aen. 3, 516, where pluviasque Hyadas refers to the usual bad weather at the season of the year when the Hyades are in a certain position. 5. Triviam: the goddess of the crossroads, the Latin name for the Greek Hecate, i.e. the moon as goddess of the night. - Latmia saxa: the grotto on Mt. Latmus in Caria, where Selene used to meet her loved Endymion. For the significance of the myth cf. H. and T. § 61. 7. Conon: a native of Samos; astronomer of the court of Ptolemy; friend of Archimedes; reputed author of several astronomical works, which are not extant. The rather fulsome flattery of the court poet is responsible, however, for so many things being attributed to him in vv. 1-6. As a matter of fact, he was of minor importance as an astronomer, compared with such famous Alexandrians as Aristarchus and celesti numine V. Hipparchus. Cf. Verg. Ec. 3, 40-42: in medio duo signa, Conon et — quis fuit alter, descripsit radio totum qui gentibus orbem, tempora quae messor, quae curvus arator haberet? 8. e... vertice: sc. detonsum. 9. multis. . . dearum: cf. v. 33; it was the custom for women to offer their hair to certain goddesses; then in making the vow all the divinities would be included; so there is no contradiction between the two verses; cf. Serv. Georg. 1, 21: more pontificum post speciales deos generaliter omnia numina invocabantur. Cf. Friedrich's note on this passage. 10. protendens bracchia: for the position see that of the 'praying boy' in the Berlin Museum; cf. Von Sybel, p. 297. II. novo auctus hymenaeo: cf. Intr. $ 43. 12. Assyrios Syrios; cf. the introduction to this elegy; also v. 36; Tib. 1, 3, 7, n. |