THE METAMORPHOSES OF PUBLIUS OVIDIUS NASO

96 P. OVIDII N ASONIS
Dixerat: ista decent humeros gestamina nostros,
Q,ui dare certa ferae, dare vulnera possumus hosti;
Q,ui modo, pestifero lot jugera ventre prementem,
Stravimus innumeris tumidum Pythona sagittis.
Tu face nescio quos esto contentus amores
tmtare tua; nee laudes assere nostras.
Filius huic Veneris ; Figat tuus omnia, Phoebe;
Te meus arcus, ait: quantoque animalia cedunt
Cuncta tibi, tanto minor est tua gloria nostra.
Dixit, et eliso percussis ae're pennis,
Impiger umbrosa Parnassi constitit arce;
Eque sagittifera promsit duo tela pharetra
Diversorum operum. Fugat hoc, facit illud amorem;
Quod facit, auratum est, et cuspide fulget acuta:
Quod fugat, obtusum est, et habet sub arundine plumbum
Hoc Dcus in nympha Penei'de fixit; at illo 21 0 1
Lossit Apollineas trajecta per ossa medullas.
5. Quidquetibi? what have you to do?
Supply est.
5. Fortiltus armis : with gallant arms;
viz. with the bow and arrows.
Winged was the boy, and nrms he wore,
Behind him shafts, a bow before. ANACRBON.
6. Ista gestamina: these burdens; the
bow and arrows.
6. Decent humeroi: become our shoul
ders.
Vos Tempe totidem tollite landibus;
Na'.alemque. mares, Delon Apolliius,
Iiisignemque pharetra
Frnternaque humerum lyra. HORACE.
1. Qui. The relative qui agrees with
the primitive nos, in the possessive nostros.
See Grammar, Rule VI., n. 5.
7. Certa: unerring wounds. Supply
vulnera.
9. Stravimus: prostrated; slew.
9. Tumidum Pythona: swelling Python.
Poisonous serpents generally, when ex
cited, increase greatly in size.
The snake on herds and flocks that poison
spreads;
Now, while he threats, and swells liis hissing
crest,
Crush with huge stones and clubs tli* enven
omed pest. VmGiL, Georgic iii.
10. Eslo contenlus: be satisfied.
10. Face irrilare: to excite ; to kindle by
thy torch. As fire is the most penetrating
of all things, Cupid is represented with a
torch, to inflame the human breast.
Through cottage-door, or paluce-porch,
Love enters free as spicy winds,
"With purple wings and lighted torch,
With tripping feet and silvery tongue,
And bow and darts behind him slung.
G. P. MOBMS.
10. Nescio quos: the love which I know
not; the passion to which I am a stranger.
This is haughtily spoken, as if love was a
thing too effeminate for the conqueror of
NOTVE.
10
15
LIBER 1.
6. Dixerat que 1ns-
civc puer, quid tibi
cum fortibus armisT
ista gestamina decent
nostros humeros; qui
possumus dare certa
vulnera fertp, qui
10. Qui modo stra-
vimus Pythona pre-
meiitem tot jugera
pestifero ventre, tu
midum innumeris aa-
gmis. Esto tu con-
tcntus irritare nescio
qnos amores tuft face;
nee assere nostras
laudes. Filius Vene
ris ait huic; Phcebe,
tuus arcus ngat om
nia ; meus arcus te :
18. Hoc fugat, illud
facit amorem. Quod
.facit est auratum, et
* 21. Deus fixit hoc in
Pene'ide nymphft. at
lllo IcGsit Apollineas
the Python. He finds the passion some
thing more serious than he had imagined it.
lie jests at scars that never felt a wound.
ROMEO AND JULIET
11. Nee assere: nor assert; nor arrogate
to thyself.
12. Huic: to him ; Apollo.
13. Te meus arcus. Supply fgat.
13. Cedunt tibi: are inferior to you.
14. Tanto minor: by so much is your
glory less than mine. In proportion as the
animals subdued by Apollo are inferior to
that god, so is Apollo, wounded by Cupid,
inferior to Cupid.
15. Eliso acre: the air being cut; bring
parted.
15. Percussis pennis : with his shakea
wings; by his flapping wings.
16. Umbrosa arce: the shady peak.
17. Eque. This word is a compound of
the preposition e and the enclitic one.
18. Diversorum operum: of different ef
fects.
18. Fugat hoc: this repels love.
19. Quod facit: the arrow which causes
love.
19. Auratum est: is gilded. In an age
where the dowry is often an object of
greater care than the bride, it might be
wittily said, that love's arrows, when
pointed with gold, are sure to wound.
20. Ottusum: blunt; without a point.
20. Sub arundine : at the point of the
reed. _ .
21. Hoc: with this; the latter; the blunt
one.
21. Illo: with that; the former one; the
arrow with the sharp point.
22. jfrajecta per ossa . through th»
pierced bones.
Quick then his deadly bow he drew,
And pierced my liver through and through.
AKACREOIC
FABULAXH. M ET AM O RPHOSEO N.
Protinus alter amat; fugit altcra nomen amantis,
Silvarum latebris, captivarumque ferarum
Exuviis gaudcns, innuptEeque scmula Phccbes. 25
Vitta ccercebat positos sine lege capillos.
Multi illain petiorc : ilia aversata petentes,
Impatiens, expersque viri, nemorum avia lustrat:
Nee quid Hymen, quid amor, quid sint c-rnubic/curat.
Sospe pater dixit: Generum mihi filia debes : 30
gape pater dixit: Debes mihi nata nepotes.
Ilia velut crimen, tasdas exosa jugales,
Pulchra verecundo suffunditur ora rubore,
Inque patris blandis haerens cervice lacertis,
Da mihi perpctua, genitor charissime, dixit, 35
Virgmitute frui: dedit hoc pater antfc Diana.
Ille quidem obsequitur: sed te decor iste, quod optas,
Esse vetat: votoque tuo tua forma repugnat.
Phoebus amat; visaeque cupit connubia Daphnes:
22. Medullas. The marrow is some
times described as the seat of love; though
the liver is more generally said to be.
Kit mollis flurnma medullas
Iiitereu, et taciturn vivit sub pectore vulnus.
VIRGIL, Georgic iv.
Continuoque nvidus ubi subdita flamma m
dullis,
Vere magis, quia vere calor redit ossibus.
VIKGIL, Georgic. iii.
24. Ferarum exuviis: the spoils of wild
Nbeasts. Exuvias is derived from exuo, to
put off. It relates to whatever is put off:
thus of men, clothes, arms, &e.; ot beasts,
the skins.
25. JEmula P/uebes: the rival of Diana.
2(j. Villa: n fillet; a headband.
A belt licr waist, a Jilltt binds her hair. POPE.
26. Positos sine lege: lying without or-
, der; carelessly.
27. Multi petiere: many courted her.
27. Aversala petentes: hating thote court
ing her,- hating her suitors.
28. Jmpalieas expersque: unable to en
dure, ana unacquainted with man.
28. Avia lustrat: rambles over the path
less parts.
29. Hymen. - Hymen was the son of
Bacchus and Venus, or of Apollo and one
of the Muses. He was the god of mar
riage, wore a crown of roses on his head,
and held a loreh in one hand, and n purple
vest in the other.
31. Safe dixit. This line and the pre
ceding form the figure called anaphora, a
graceful repetition.
32. Ttrdns jupalA•' marriage torches;
here put, by metonymy, for marriage it
self. It \vas the custom, in ancient times,
for the bridegroom to lead his bride home
at night by torchlight. Sometimes lamps
were used.
13
NOTjE.
97
medullas, trajecta per
ossa. 1'rotmus alter
ainot; altera fugit no-
men nmantis, que
gaudens lutcbris
88. Vittn coercebat
co,iillos positos sine
lege Multi petiere
llliim: ilia avcrsuta
petentes, impatien*
e? persque viri, *
30. Pater dixit scope;
Film debes mihi ge-
nerum. Pater dixit
sicpe, Nnia debes mi
hi nepotes. Ilia exosa
Jugales tiedns velut
crimcn, suftunditur
pulchra ora verecun
do ruliorc.que luurens
blaudis laocrtis in
cervice polris, dixit,
37. Illc quidem ob
sequitur ; sed iste de
cor vetat te essequod
optas tat: tuaque for
ma repugnat tuo veto.
Mopse, novas incide faces; tibi ducitur uzqr.
VJECFL, Kclog. viii.
And at midnight there was a cry made. Be
hold tlie bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet
him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed
their lamps. MATTHEW xxv. 0, 7.
33. Pulchra suffunditur ora: is suffused
as to her beautiful countenance.
I have marked
A thousand blushing apparitions start
Into her face ; a thousand innocent shames
In angel whiteness, bear uwny those blushes.
SUAKSFEAKE.
33. Verfcundo rubore: with a modest
blush. There is a blush of shame, as well
as of modesty.
Her blush is guiltiness, not modesty.
SHAKSFEABE.
34. Ilia liarens: she clinging to her fa
ther's neck. This attitude of entreaty is
like that of Phceton, when making e re
quest, in Fable I., Lib. II.
Quid mea colla tenes blandis, ignare, lacertis ?
OVID.
35. Da mihi perpctua: grant me to enjoy
perpetual chastity. She endeavours to in
fluenee him by the example of Diana, who
implored and received this boon from Ju
piter.
Adg fidi irapScvirjv aiuvtov, a iriru, ^nXdtrircM'.
CALLTMACIIUB.
36. Pater: her father; Jupiter.-
37. Ille obsequitur: he (Pencus) com
plies.
37. Sfd decor isle: but that beauty of
thine. The poet himself speaks herp, and,
by apostrophe, addresses the damsel in a
irery complimentary mnnner.
38. Vetat esse: forbids you to be what
you wish; to remain a damsel.
38. Sepugnut rolo: resists thy desire.
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