XV. 834.] Jupiter foretells his Glory. 151 in templum gladii; neque enim locus ullus in Urbe qua prius infesto Paris est ereptus Atridae, et Diomedeos Aeneas fugerat enses. 805 Talibus hanc genitor: Sola insuperabile fatum, nata, movere paras? intres licet ipsa sororum tecta trium! cernes illic molimine vasto ex aere et solido rerum tabularia ferro, 810 quae neque concursum caeli, neque fulminis iram, 'Hic sua complevit, pro quo, Cytherea, laboras, 815 820 825 'Quid tibi barbariem, gentes ab utroque jacentes Oceano numerem? Quodcumque habitabile tellus 830 sustinet, hujus erit; pontus quoque serviet illi. pace data terris, animum ad civilia vertet jura suum, legesque feret justissimus auctor : exemploque suo mores reget, inque futuri temporis aetatem venturorumque nepotum Vix ea fatus erat, media cum sede senatus constitit alma Venus, nulli cernenda, suique Caesaris eripuit membris, nec in aëra solvi passa recentem animam caelestibus intulit astris. dumque tulit, lumen capere atque ignescere sensit, emisitque sinu. Luna volat altius illa, 835 840 845 flammiferumque trahens spatioso limite crinem stella micat, natique videns benefacta fatetur esse suis majora, et vinci gaudet ab illo. 850 hic sua praeferri quamquam vetat acta paternis, libera fama tamen nullisque obnoxia jussis invitum praefert, unaque in parte repugnat. sic magni cedit titulis Agamemnonis Atreus; 855 860 865 XV. 879.] The Poet's Immortality. 153 qua caput Augustum, quem temperat, orbe relicto accedat caelo, faveatque precantibus absens. 870 875 JAMQUE opus exegi, — quod nec Jovis ira nec ignis nec poterit ferrum nec edax abolere vetustas. cum volet, illa dies, quae nil nisi corporis hujus jus habet, incerti spatium mihi finiat aevi : parte tamen meliore mei super alta perennis astra ferar, nomenque erit indelebile nostrum. quaque patet domitis Romana potentia terris, ore legar populi, perque omnia saecula fama, si quid habent veri vatum praesagia, vivam. SHORTER POEMS. I. THE FASTI. THE word fasti, properly applied to those days of the year on which it was permitted (fas) to transact public business, came to be applied to the Roman Calendar, or systematic arrangement and classification of the days of each month. Ovid's purpose in this poem was to cast this calendar into a poetic form, describing whatever was peculiar and characteristic in the Roman usages, —as festivals and rites,—and working into it whatever traditions and myths were current among the people. The Roman religion was so meagre in the elements of fable, that its mythology, as presented in this work, is hardly more than a clumsy adaptation and vamping over of Grecian myths. It was, however, as rich in form and ceremonial as it was poor in story; and the most valuable and original portions of the Fasti are those which describe fragments of these primitive rites, which had managed to survive the inroad of the more fashionable Greek and Oriental forms of worship, and still lingered in the community. Some of them, indeed, held their own for centuries longer, and some were transformed and adopted into the Christian calendar. Only six books of the Fasti, containing the months from January to June inclusive, are extant.. It is a much disputed question whether the other six books have been lost, or were never written. It is probable that they were written in the rough, but unfinished at the time of the poet's exile, and never published. At any rate, there are no citations in ancient authors from any but the first six books. The following extracts from the fourth book (April) contain a description of two very ancient festivals, with the traditional account of the founding of Rome, introduced in the usual manner of the poet. 1. The Festival of Pales (April 21). NOX abiit, oriturque Aurora. Parilia poscor : Non poscor frustra, si favet alma Pales. |