Ossa quieta, precor, tuta requiescite in urna : Cephalus and Procris. 55 Est prope purpureos colles florentis Hymetti 1 Conjugis ad timidas aliquis, male sedulus, aures Procris, ut accepit nomen quasi pellicis Aurae, Pallescunt frondes, quas nova laesit hiemps; tenant unsubstantial bodiesshadows, as it were, of their real ones when on earth. 5 10 15 20 my 2 Quaeque meos releves. "O breeze, come to relieve heat." "Aura" is a breeze, or might be supposed to be, as in this narrative, the name of some lady (pellex) with whom Ce. phalus was in love: and “ tus would accordingly be either bodily heat, or the heat of passion. 3 aes Cydonia. Sc."Cydonia malą," Ut rediit animus, tenues a pectore vestes Quid tibi mentis erat, cum sic male sana lateres, 30 Jam jam venturam, quaecunque erat Aura, putabas Nunc juvat. Incertus pectora versat amor. Credere quae jubeant, locus est, et nomen, et index : Et quia amans semper, quod timet, esse putat. Vidit ut oppressam, vestigia corporis,1 herbam ; 35 Pulsantur trepidi corde micante sinus. Jamque dies medius tenues contraxerat umbras; Anxia, Procri, lates: solitas jacet ille per herbas; quinces, introduced into Italy from Cydonia, a town of Crete. Propertius (iii. 13, 27) uses the word absolutely, as here: "Decussa Cydonia ramo." Below, indignas" is "deserving no such treatment." They got worse than their deserts. 40 sky, the length of the shadows diminishes. 2 Inque pari spatio. It was noon, a time, roughly speaking, removed by an equal distance or interval from sunrise and sunset. Below, "Cyllenia proles," is "son of Mercurius," born on Cyllene, a mountain of Arcadia, in the Peloponnesus. Cf. Shelley: "But when the light of day was spread abroad, He sought again Cyllene's peaks divine." Ut patuit miserae jucundus nominis error; Hoc faciet positae te mihi, terra, levem. Ille sinu dominae morientia corpora maesto 3 Ovid's banishment from Rome. Cum subit illius tristissima noctis imago, 1 Hic locus. "My heart, long pierced by the darts of love for you, is now pierced by a veritable dart." Below, "labor" is "I swoon." 2 Incauto... pectore. "The breast is carelessly exposed to 45 50 55 60 5 the darts of Cephalus." Below, "Excipitur" is "is caught." 66 3 Subit. "Occurs to me; rises up before me." Below, "qua is an ablative of time: "I recall the night on which." + Spatium. The remaining, Non mihi servorum,1 comitis non cura legendi, Ut tamen hanc animo nubem dolor ipse removit, Quocunque aspiceres, luctus gemitusque sonabant ; 4 Hanc ego suspiciens, et ab hac Capitolia cernens, Quae nostro frustra juncta fuere Lari; intervening time." He had dawdled during the first part of the time between his notice of banishment and his actual departure, and then found he had left too little time for his preparations. "Apta" is, perhaps, the accusative neuter plural after "paranti." 1 Servorum. Sc. "legendorum." Below, "extremum" is "for the last time." 2 Indignas. "Ill-deserving such a fate." So Juvenal (x. 60) uses "immeritus:" "Immeritis franguntur crura caballis," 10 15 20 25 30 "although they deserved no such fate." Below, "nata" is his daughter Perilla, who was then far away (diversa) in Libya. 3 Intus. Indoors, funerals being of course out of doors. Below, "pueri" are slaves. So Horace (Carm. i. 38): "Persicos odi, puer, apparatus." 4 Ab hac. "By its light." Below, "frustra" implies that the proximity of the gods whose temples were on the Capitol had not done him the good he might have expected, Numina vicinis habitantia sedibus, inquam, 1 Et quanquam sero clipeum 1 post vulnera sumo: Ut, quod vos scitis, poenae quoque sentiat auctor! Hac prece adoravi Superos ego: pluribus uxor; Illa etiam ante Lares passis prostrata capillis Jamque morae spatium nox praecipitata 2 negabat, Quid facerem? blando patriae retinebar amore; 3 Ah quoties aliquo dixi properante, Quid urges? 1 Clipeum. Ovid was too late in his precautions: the mischief was done. To use a proverb of similar import, he shut the stable door after the horse was stolen. Below, "odiis" is "animosities," whether of Augustus (Caelesti viro) or others. 35 40 45 50 being an old name for Arcadia. Callisto, daughter of Lycaon, king of Arcadia, was turned into the Great Bear. The Bear had turned away from its axis, i.e., it had revolved round the Pole-star, and completed half the circle. 2 Praecipitata. "Hurrying 3 Ultima. The last night forward," the idea being ap- before his exile began. Below, parently that of night rushing" quo" is "to what a wretched down the slope of heaven. country;" and "unde," "from Below, Parrhasis is a feminine what a dear spot.” adjective, Arcadian, Parrhasia |