Tum quoque inermis eras, cum te Romana sacerdos
Cepit, ut huic Urbi semina digna dares.
Ilia Vestalis (quid enim vetat inde moveri ?) 1
Sacra lavaturas mane petebat aquas.
Ventum erat ad molli declivem tramite ripam;
Ponitur e summa fictilis urna coma.
Fessa resedit humi: ventosque accepit aperto
Pectore; turbatas restituitque comas.
Dum sedet, umbrosae salices volucresque canorae 15
Fecerunt somnos, et leve murmur aquae.
Blanda quies victis furtim subrepit ocellis ;
Et cadit a mento languida facta manus.
Languida consurgit; nec scit cur languida surgat:
Et peragit tales, arbore nixa, sonos:
"Utile sit faustumque, precor, quod imagine somni
Vidimus; an somno clarius illud erat?
Ignibus Iliacis aderam; cum lapsa capillis
Decidit ante sacros lanea vitta focos.
Inde duae pariter (visu mirabile!) palmae
Surgunt; ex illis altera major erat;
Et gravibus ramis totum protexerat orbem,
Contigeratque nova sidera summa coma.
Ecce meus ferrum patruus molitur2 in illas;
Terreor admonitu; corque timore micat.
called "Romana" by anticipation, as giving birth to the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus (semina), for Rome was not yet built.
1 Inde moveri. "To be started in my narrative from that point; to begin from this incident." Below, "somno clarius" is "more distinct than mere sleep; too clearly defined to be a mere dream."
2 Molitur. "Wields, puts in motion an axe." "Patruus" is Amulius. A woodpecker brought food to the twin brothers ("gemino pro stipite," the two palm trees), and a she wolf suckled them.
"The ravening she wolf knew them,
And licked them o'er and o'er,
And gave them of her own fierce milk
Rich with raw flesh and gore."
Martia Picus avis gemino pro stipite pugnant,
Et Lupa: tuta per hos utraque palma fuit.”
Dixerat: et plenam non firmis viribus urnam
Sustulit; implêrat, dum sua visa refert.
Interea, crescente Remo, crescente Quirino,
Caelesti tumidus pondere venter erat,
Haec ubi cognovit contemptor Amulius aequi,
(Nam raptas fratri victor habebat opes;)—
Auferri jussit pueros, et in amne necari.
Quid facis? Ex istis Romulus alter erit.
Jussa recusantes 1 peragunt lacrimosa ministri :
Flent tamen, et geminos in loca jussa ferunt.
Albula, quem Tiberin mersus Tiberinus in unda
Reddidit, hibernis forte tumebat aquis.
Huc ubi venerunt, neque enim procedere possunt 45 Longius, ex illis unus et alter, ait:
"At quam sunt similes! at quam formosus uterque!
Plus tamen ex illis iste 2 vigoris habet.
Si genus arguitur vultu (ni fallit imago),
Nescio quem vobis suspicor esse deum.
At si quis vestrae deus esset originis auctor,
In tam praecipiti tempore ferret opem.
Ferret opem certe, si non ope mater egeret,
Quae facta est uno mater et orba die.
Nata simul, peritura simul, simul ite sub undas
Corpora." Desîerat; deposuitque sinu.
Vagierunt clamore pari; sentire 3 putares:
Hi redeunt udis in sua tecta genis.
1 Recusantes. "Reluctantly," Below, "reddidit," etc., is "rendered;" i.e., caused to be called, Tiberis.
2 Iste. "That one," pointing to Romulus. Below, "nescio quem," etc., is "I suspect you
Sustinet impositos summa cavus alveus unda :
Heu quantum fati parva tabella vehit!
Alveus in limo silvis appulsus opacis,
Paullatim fluvio deficiente, sedet.
Venit ad expositos (mirum !) lupa feta gemellos.
Quis credat pueris non nocuisse feram ?
Non nocuisse, parum est; prodest quoque: quos lupa nutrit,
Prodere cognatae sustinuere manus?
Constitit et cauda teneris blanditur alumnis,
Et fingit1 lingua corpora bina sua.
Marte satos scires: timor abfuit: ubera ducunt;
Et sibi permissi lactis aluntur ope.
The rape of the Sabine women.
Parva fuit, si prima velis elementa referre,
Roma; sed in parva spes tamen hujus erat.
Moenia jam stabant, populis angusta futuris;
Credita sed turbae tunc nimis ampla suae.
Quae fuerit nostri si quaeris regia nati,
Aspice de canna straminibusque domum.
In stipula placidi carpebat munera somni;
Et tamen ex illo venit in astra toro.
Jamque loco majus Romanus nomen habebat :
Nec conjunx illi, nec socer ullus erat.
Aspice. This "house of Romulus was kept up in its original state until late in the empire. It was on the side of the Palatine Hill,
Spernebant generos inopes vicinia dives;
Et male credebar 1 sanguinis auctor ego.
In stabulis habitâsse, boves pavisse, nocebat,
Jugeraque inculti pauca tenere soli.
Extremis dantur conubia gentibus; at quae
Romano vellet nubere nulla fuit.
Indolui; patriamque dedi tibi, Romule, mentem:
"Tolle preces," dixi: “quod petis, arma dabunt.
Festa para Conso: 2 Consus tibi cetera dicet,
Illo facta die cum sua sacra canes.'
Tunc neque marmoreo pendebant vela theatro;
Nec fuerant liquido pulpita rubra croco:
Illic, quas tulerant nemorosa Palatia, frondes
Simpliciter positæ, scena sine arte fuit:
In gradibus sedit populus de cespite factis,
Qualibet hirsutas fronde tegente comas.
Respiciunt oculisque notant sibi quisque puellam,
Quam velit et tacito pectore multa movent.
Dumque, rudem praebente modum tibicine Tusco,
Ludius aequatam ter pede pulsat humum,
In medio plausu (plausus tunc arte1 carebat)
Rex populo praedae signa petenda dedit.
1 Male credebar. "I was not really believed," or, " "I was hardly. believed." Below, "patriam mentem" is "his father's craft," for "his father's courage" would probably be "animum patrium." 2 Conso. "Consus" was the Equestrian Neptune, whose feast was on July 21st. The speech of Mars ends at Conso, and "tibi" is Ovid. Below, 66 sacra" is not "his rites," for that would be "ejus," but "the rites peculiar to his feast."
3 Vela. "Awnings," stretched
over the open top of the theatre. The stage was often sprinkled with crocus-essence and wine. The Romans notice where the various Sabine maidens are sitting, and make arrangements for their seizure. Below, "rudem modum" is "an artless tune."
4 Tunc arte. The applause was genuine and spontaneous; not arranged beforehand, with hired claqueurs. Below, "petenda" seems to mean "to be desired, longed for."
Protinus exsiliunt animum1 clamore fatentes,
Virginibus cupidas iniciuntque manus.
Ut fugiunt aquilas, timidissima turba, columbae, 35
Utque fugit visos agna novella lupos ;
Sic illae timuere viros sine lege ruentes:
Constitit in nulla, qui fuit ante, color;
Nam timor unus erat; facies non una timoris:
Pars laniat crines; pars sine mente sedet: Altera maesta silet: frustra vocat altera matrem : Haec queritur; stupet haec: haec manet; illa
Ducuntur raptae, genialis præda, puellae ;
Et potuit multas ipse decere pudor.
Si qua repugnârat nimium, comitemque negârat: 2 45 Sublatam cupido vir tulit ipse sinu.
Daedalus ut clausit conceptum crimine matris
Semibovemque virum semivirumque bovem ;
Sit modus exilio, dixit, justissime Minos;
Accipiat cineres terra paterna meos.
Et, quoniam in patria, fatis agitatus iniquis,
Vivere non potui, sit mihi posse mori:
Da reditum puero, senis est si gratia vilis:
Si non vis puero parcere, parce seni.
taur, half man and half bull, born by Pasiphae.
Senis, etc. "If the gratitude of an old man like myself is valueless in your eyes." Below, "jura novanda," because man is not naturally made to fly through the air. It is a little difficult to give the proper force here to the
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