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Ah quoties certam me sum mentitus habere
Horam, propositae quae foret apta viae!
Ter limen tetigi;1 ter sum revocatus: et ipse
Indulgens animo pes mihi tardus erat.
Saepe "Vale" dicto, rursus sum multa locutus ;
Et quasi discedens oscula summa dedi.
Saepe eadem mandata dedi: meque ipse fefelli,
Respiciens oculis pignora2 cara meis.

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Denique, Quid propero? Scythia est, quo mittimur, inquam:

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Roma relinquenda est: utraque justa mora est. Uxor in aeternum vivo mihi viva negatur; Et domus, et fidae dulcia membra domus: Quosque ego fraterno dilexi more sodales; O mihi Thesea pectora juncta fide! Dum licit, amplectar: nunquam fortasse licebit Amplius. In lucro, quae datur hora, mihi est. Nec mora; sermonis verba imperfecta relinquo, Complectens animo proxima quaeque meo. Dum loquor, et flemus, caelo nitidissimus alto, Stella gravis nobis, Lucifer ortus erat. Dividor haud aliter, quam si mea membra relin

quam,

Et pars abrumpi corpore visa suo est.

1 Tetigi. To touch the threshold with the foot, instead of stepping over it, would be ill-omened; and therefore Ovid turned back. Below, "Vale dicto" is "the word Farewell having been said."

2 Pignora. That is, his wife and friends, for children there were none. Below, "Thesea fide" is "fidelity like that of Theseus" for his friend Pirithous.

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3 In lucro. "Is to be looked on as so much clear gain." So Horace (Carm. i. 9, 14): "Quem fors

dierum cunque dabit, lucro Appone." Below, "Metus," etc., refers to the punishment of Metus Suffetius, who, for his treachery to Tullus Hostilius, was bound between two chariots, and so torn to pieces by the struggles of the horses in opposite directions.

Sic doluit Metus tunc cum in contraria versos
Ultores habuit proditionis equos.
Tum vero exoritur clamor gemitusque meorum;
Et feriunt maestae pectora nuda manus.
Tum vero conjunx, humeris abeuntis inhaerens,
Miscuit haec lacrimis tristia dicta suis:

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"Non potes avelli: simul ah, simul ibimus, inquit !
Te sequar; et conjunx exsulis exsul ero.
Et mihi facta via est;1 et me capit ultima tellus.
Accedam profugae sarcina parva rati.
Te jubet e patria discedere Caesaris ira ;
Me pietas: pietas haec mihi Caesar erit.
Talia temptabat; sic et temptaverat ante:

;

Vixque dedit victas utilitate manus.
Egredior (sive illud erat sine funere ferri) 2
Squalidus immissis hirta per ora comis.
Illa dolore amens tenebris narratur obortis
Semanimis media procubuisse domo:
Utque resurrexit, foedatis pulvere turpi
Crinibus, et gelida membra levavit humo
Se modo, desertos modo complorâsse Penates;
Nomen et erepti saepe vocâsse viri :
Nec gemuisse minus, quam si nataeve meumve
Vidisset structos corpus habere rogos:3

1 Et mihi facta via est. "For me, too, as well as for you, a journey is settled:" if one goes, both shall. Below, "dedit manus is "she surrendered," the idea being that of giving up one's hands to be fettered; and "victas utilitate" is " overcome by expediency."

2 Ferri. One might call it a being carried out for burial without an actual funeral.

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Et voluisse mori; et moriendo ponere sensus:
Respectuque tamen non posuisse mei.
Vivat; et absentem,1 quoniam sic Fata tulerunt,
Vivat, et auxilio sublevet usque suo.

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The parrot.

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Psittacus, Eois imitatrix ales ab Indis,
Occidit. Exsequias ite frequenter 2 aves:
Ite, piae volucres; et plangite pectora pennis;
Et rigido teneras ungue notate genas:
Horrida pro maestis lanietur pluma capillis;
Pro longa resonent carmina vestra tuba.

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Quid scelus Ismarïi quereris, Philomela, tyranni ? 3 Expleta est annis ista querella suis.

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Alitis in rarae miserum devertite funus:
Magna, sed antiqui causa doloris Itys.
Omnes, quae liquido libratis in aëre cursus :
Tu tamen ante alias, turtur amice, dole:
Plena fuit vobis omni concordia vita,

Et stetit ad finem longa tenaxque fides.
Quod fuit Argolico juvenis Phocaeus Orestae;
Hoc tibi, dum licuit, Psittace, turtur erat.
Quid tamen ista fides? quid rari forma coloris ?
Quid vox mutandis ingeniosa sonis?

1 Absentem. This is governed by "sublevet," although "vivat," a neuter verb, comes between. 2 Frequenter. "In crowds." So "frequens senatus" means a crowded senate." The trumpet (tuba), as before explained, was used at funerals.

3 Ismarii... tyranni. Te

reus, a Thracian king.

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Expleta. "Your complaint has been filled up during its allotted period;" i.e., has run its due course, and may be regarded as exhausted. Below, "juvenis Phocaeus" is Pylades, a native of Phocis.

"

Quid juvat, ut datus es,1 nostrae placuisse puellae ?
Infelix, avium gloria, nempe jaces.
Tu poteras virides pennis hebetare smaragdos,
Tincta gerens rubro Punica rostra croco.
Non fuit in terris vocum simulantior ales;
Reddebas blaeso tam bene verba sono.
Raptus es invidia: non tu fera bella movebas:
Garrulus, et placidae pacis amator eras.
Ecce! coturnices inter sua proelia vivunt;
Forsitan et fiant inde frequenter anus.
Plenus eras minimo; nec prae sermonis amore
In multos poteras ora vacare cibos.
Nux erat esca tibi, causaeque papavera somni;
Pellebatque sitim simplicis humor aquae.
Vivit edax vultur, ducensque per aëra gyros

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Miluus, et pluviae graculus auctor aquae;
Vivit et armiferae cornix invisa Minervae ;
Illa quidem saeclis vix moritura novem.
Occidit ille loquax, humanae vocis imago,
Psittacus, extremo munus ab orbe datum.
Optima prima fere manibus rapiuntur avaris;
Implentur numeris deteriora suis.
Tristia Phylacidae Thersites funera vidit:
Jamque cinis, vivis fratribus, Hector erat.
Quid referam timidae pro te pia vota puellae;
Vota procelloso per mare rapta Noto?

1 Ut datus es. "When you were given her;" and "placuisse" of course depends on "juvat." Below, "inde is "for that reason: just because they are pugnacious." "Frequenter" is "in a large number of cases," which is here equivalent to "often."

2 Auctor aquae. "The pro

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phet of rain." Below, "implentur numeris suis" is are complete with their full complement of years live out their full time."

3 Phylacidae. Protesilaus, born at Phylace, in Thessaly. Thersites was the most worthless of the Greeks before Troy. Below, "obscoenae aves are "unclean, ill-omened birds."

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Septima lux aderat, non exhibitura sequentem;
Et stabat vacua jam tibi Parca colo:
Nec tamen ignavo stupuerunt verba palato;
Clamavit moriens lingua, Corinna, vale.
Colle sub Elysio nigra nemus ilice frondens,
Udaque perpetuo gramine terra, viret.

Si qua fides dubiis; volucrum locus ille piarum
Dicitur, obscoenae quo prohibentur aves.
Illic innocui latè pascuntur olores;

Et vivax Phoenix, unica semper avis.
Explicat ipsa suas ales Junonia 1 pennas;

Öscula dat cupido blanda columba mari.
Psittacus has inter, nemorali sede receptus,
Convertit 2 volucres in sua verba pias.
Ossa tegit tumulus: tumulus pro corpore parvus:
Quo lapis exiguus par sibi carmen habet.
Colligor ex ipso dominae placuisse sepulchro
Ora fuere mihi plus ave docta loqui.

The birth of Romulus and Remus.

Bellice, depositis clipeo paulisper et hasta,
Mars, ades; et nitidas casside solve comas.
Ipse vides manibus peragi fera bella Minervae:
Num minus ingenuis artibus illa vacat?
Palladis exemplo ponendae tempora sume
Cuspidis invenies et quod 3 inermis agas.

1 Ales Junonia. The peacock. Below, “mari (mas)" is "to her mate."

2 Convertit. "Draws the attention of... to his words." The parrot talks, and the other birds are struck by its talking and listen. Below, "pro corpore" is

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"in proportion to its body"-the tomb was small, like the body placed in it.

3 Et quod. "Something also to do while stripped of your armour." Below, "cepit" may be captivated," or simply ". received your visit." Ilia is

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