Ovid 1 Flashcards
arma gravi numero violentaque bella perebam
I was preparing to tell in solid rhythm of arms and violent wars
words, sounds, rhythm all combine to remind the reader of the opening of Virgil’s Aeneid: arma virumque cano, Troiae qui pirmus ab orbis . Ovid wittily misdirects the reader about the nature of the poetry which follows
bella
war
a word with pun potential as it usually is used for the meaning of beautiful girl but is used here to mean war
modis…par erat…suripere
matching…was equal…stolen away
All references to the joke about each line of hexameter being equal, now elegiac couplets are not, Cupid has stolen a foot
risisse Cupido dicitur atque unum suripusse pedem
but Cupid is said to have laughed and stolen away one foot
Play on words to give image that Cupid took away a foot so he cant write about epic poetry
quis tibi, saeve puer dedit hoc in carmina iuris? Pieridum vates, non tua, turba sumus
who gave you, cruel boy this right over poetry? We bards are the throng of the Muses, not yours
Ovid is questioning cupid. Ovid parodies the typical inspirational encounter between poet and divine being . He is the poet, cupid the god. Notice Ovid’s rude and disrespectful tone to the god. It is a direct message to Cupid making the encounter vivid as if he is actually talking to cupid. A bard is a word with religious overtones of prophet spokesman for the gods
quid si paraeripiat flave Venus arma Minerva ventilet accensas flava Minerva faces?
What if Venus seized the weapons of golden haired Minerva and golden haired Minerva fanned the light torches
One of the list of examples of mixing up the epithets of the gods typical of Ovid, here suggesting gods have different roles than for which they are known for. Roman students practiced this in rhetoric class so they could produce examples to back up in an argument and find a variety of ways in which to express them. It is wrong to associate cupid with aspiring poets just as it is wrong to mix up the gods.
Minerva known for her weapons and flowing golden hair is being mixed up with Venus the godess of love and her love torches
quis probet in silivis Cererem regnare iugosis lege pharetratae Virginis arva coli
Who would approve of Ceres’ reigning in the mountain forests while the fields were tilled under the rule of the maiden with the quiver
One of the list of examples of mixing up the epithets of the gods typical of Ovid, here suggesting gods have different roles than for which they are known for. Roman students practiced this in rhetoric class so they could produce examples to back up in an argument and find a variety of ways in which to express them. It is wrong to associate cupid with aspiring poets just as it is wrong to mix up the gods.
Ceres goddess of corps and harvest, tilling the land is mixed up with Diana the goddess of hunting known for carrying a quiver
crinibus insignem quis acuta cuspide Phoebum instruat, Aniam Marte movente lyram
Who would equip Phoebus of the splendid locks with sharp pointed spear while Mars strummed the Aonian lyre
One of the list of examples of mixing up the epithets of the gods typical of Ovid, here suggesting gods have different roles than for which they are known for. Roman students practiced this in rhetoric class so they could produce examples to back up in an argument and find a variety of ways in which to express them. It is wrong to associate cupid with aspiring poets just as it is wrong to mix up the gods.
Apollo god of poetry and music often depicted playing the lyre is mixed up with Mars the god of war
As well as mixing up the epithets ingenious word play is used to emphasise the swapping of roles
vates
throng
Ovid uses this grand rather pretentious word to describe his role as a poet
Pieridum
of the Muses
Genitive plural. The title of the Muses means daughter of Pierus
Aoniam
Aonian
This shows that the lyre belongs to Aonia which is apollos favourite hunting place
Marte movente
Mars strummed
the alliteration of m highlights the twinging of the lyre
crinibus insignem
splendid locks
By placing this at the start of the line it delys the mention of Apollo there for giving time for the audience to figure out who he could be talking about
sunt tibi magna puer nimique potentia regna
You have a great kingdom my boy and a too powerful one
Epic sounding phrase which contrasts with the disrespectful- but accurate- cupid’s power will be picked up later in the poem and in poem 2 where Ovid highlights the idea of cupid capturing and wounding lovers
cur opus adfectas ambitiose novum
why do you aspire to in your own ambition to a further undertaking
Asking cupid to leave him alone because he doesnt want to be inspired be him
tuum…tua…tuta
yours…yours…safe
alliteration of t suggests he is spitting out these words showing his irritation
Heliconia tempe
glades of Helicon
valley of Helicon. Home of the Muses in Greece
tumm…tua sunt Heliconia tempe
your…are the glades of Helicion yours?
Repetition of the word ‘your’ and alliteration along with continued questioning continues to highlight Ovids anger/irritation
cum bene surrexit versu nova pagina primo attenuat nervous proximus ille meos
each time that a new page starts well for me with the first line that second line diminishes my power
Again referring to the change in metre, but these lines do have another meaning: nervus can mean strength, muscle, literary vigour but Ovid is also reffering to something else of a man that can rise and fall
numeris levioribus
lighter rhythm
levis is often used to refer to love poetry that it is of lower status than the solemn heavy metre of epic poetry which would be described as gravis
puer…puella
boy…girl
Ovid complains that he is not in love and so does not have any material for poetry ‘boy meets girl’
questus eram pharetra cum protinus ille soluta legit in exitium spicula facta meum lunavitque genu sinuosum fortier arcum “quod” que “canas,vates,accipe” dixit “opus!”
I had uttered this complaint when forthwith he opened his quiver and selected arrows which had been made for my destruction. He strongly bent his curving bow on his knee and said “Take this bard as a subject for your poems”
Ovid stops talking to Cupid and now paints a cartoon-like picture of Cupid kneeling down and taking aim at Ovid to wound him with his bow and arrow to make him fall in love.
Ovid is being melodramatic
Compares the shape of the bow being drawn back to the moon
Ovid describes this to make him not seem weak
quod…cansas, vates, accipe…opus
Take this bard as a subject for your poems
Note the short stacatto words spoken by cupid. The rhythm fits the effort of attaching the arrow, bending of the bow and firing. Also Cupid’s sarcastic use of the pretentious word vates -your poems, and the double meaning and position of opus- subject as if he is mocking Ovid’s claim to be writing serious epic
me miserum
Alas
Melodramatic tone. Love poets are often said to be always unhappy because of unrequited love or because they endure so much pain from being in love
uror
I’m on fire
Fire/burning imagery is often associated with passion, the heat of love and therefore sometimes the pain
vacuo
empty
Ovid has an empty heart because he his not in love at the moment
regnat Amour
Love reigns
By personifying Love it highlights the dominance of its power
sex mihi surgat opus numeris in quinque residat ferrea cum vestris bella valete modis cingere litorea flaventia tempora myrto Musa per undendos emodulanda pedes
Let my work rise in six feet and fall again in five. Iron wars with your metre, farewell. Garland your golden brow, my Muse with myrtle from the sea-shore for you are to be measured off in eleven foot lengths
Ovid tries to return to the idea of the metre again recalling the beginning of the poem. He describes the metrical effect of adding a pentameter to the hexameter which is an anti climax in his view. He bids farewell to epic poetry- valete. He seems preoccupied with matters of poetic techniques. The poem closes as it opened with reference to poetic techniques which is an example of ring composition
myrto
myrtle
A tree which grows by the sea and is associated with Venus goddess of Love who was born out of the sea shore in Cyprus. this will recur in subsequent poems
Plot explain
-Ovid complains of Cupid stealing a foot so he cant write epic poetry
-Ovid mixes up the epithets of the gods
-Ovid doesn’t have anything to write about
-Imagery of Cupid shooting arrow at him
-Talks about foot again
