Ovid 10 Flashcards
quid mihi, Livor edax ignavos obicis annos ingeniique vocas carmen inertis opus non me more patrum dum stenua aetas praemia militiae pulverulenta sequi nec me verbosa leges ediscere nec me ingrato vocem prostituisse foro?
Why, gnawing Envy, do you reproach me with years of laziness and call my poetry the work of an idle talent complaining that I do not pursue the dusty rewards of military service in the manner of our forefathers while vigorous youth sustains me, or learn by heart wordy laws or prostitute my voice in the ungrateful Forum
The poem begins with a series of questions aimed at the personification of envy
Livor edax
Gnawing envy
The personification of envy- this shows the negative nature of envy as it is emphasised by the description of gnawing
ignavos annos
years of laziness
supposed critisisims of his work
ingenii intertis opus
the work of ideal talent
supposed criticisms of his work
praemia militiae pulverulenta
the dusty rewards of military service
Ovid underminds the military by saying their rewards are dirty
dum strenua sustinet aetas
while vigorous youth stains me
verbosa leges
wordy laws
Here ovid is dissproving of lawyers
vocem prostituisse
prosicute my voice
Here ovid is making fun and disproving of politicans
mihi fama perennis quaeritur, in toto semper ut orbe canar
but I seek everlasting fame, that I may be extolled forever in the whole world
Just as a hero in epic poetry wants to be sung about or remembered for his deeds this is ovid’s way of being remembered by his poetry
vivet Maeonides, Tenedos dum satbit et Ide, dum repidas Simois in mare aquas
Maeonia’s sone will live, while Tenedos and Ida stand and Simois rolls its swift waters to the sea
This is a refference to Homer
vivet et Ascraeus, dum mustis uva tumebit dum cadet incurva falce resecta Ceres
The poet of Ascra too will live while the grape swells with juice and the corn cut by the curved sickle falls
this is a refferece to Hesiod
Battiades semper toto cantabitur orbe: quamvis ingenio non valet, arte valet
The son of Battus will be extolled forever in the whole world though he is not mighty in tallent he is mighty in art
This is a reffence to callimachus
nulla Sophocleo venit iacttura conthurno
No harm will come to the buskin of Sophocles
This is a refference to Sophocles who was an Athenian tragic play write
cum sole et luna Aratus erit
Aratus will live forever together with the sun and moon
Refference to Aratus who was a poet who wrote about astronomy
dum fallax servus, durus pater, improbla lena vivent et meretrix blanda, Menandros erit
Menamder will live while the tricky slave lives and the stern father, the shameless bawd and the alluring prostitute
Refference to Menander who was a famous greek writer of comedies
Ennius arte carens
Ennius lacking in art
Ennius was a latin writer of epic
animosique Accius oris casurum nullo tempore nomen habent
and Accius of the spirited tounge have a fame that will never fall
Accius was a roman writer of tragedy
Varronem piramque ratem quae nesciet aetas aureaque Aesonio terga petita duci
What age will not know of Varro and the first ship and the golden fleece sought by the Aesonian chief
Varro was a roman poet who composed an Argonautica
carmina sublimis tunc sunt peritura Lucreti exito terras cum dabit una dies
The poems of lofty Lucretius are destined to perish only when one day commits the world to ruin
Aesonius was the sone of Aeson i.e. Jason
Tityrus et fruges Aeneiaque arma legentur
Tityrus and the crops and the arms of Aeneas will find their reader
Lucretius was the writer of De Rerum Natura, and explained Epicurean philosophy. The Epicureans believed that this is just one of many universes. After one is destroyed another one may be created out of the same matter
Roma triumphati dum caput orbis erit
While Rome is capital of the conquered earth
Propaganda
Why does Ovid make reference to different poets?
He is making the point that writers live on through their poems and writings and remain famous so he lists some examples and hopes for this to be him.
This is a reference to Aeneas which is the work of Virgil which is so famous that the poet does not need to be named, thereby proving Ovid’s point
ingens… arcus… arma… triumphati
torch… bow… weapons…conquered
Military language ingnes= fire of love as well as war/battle
Gallus et Hesperiis et Gallus notus Eois et sua cum Gallo nota Lycoris erit
Gallus will be famed both in the west and in the east and with Gallus will his Lycoris be famed
Gallus was a Roman love poet- the ‘missing link’- greatly influential writer whose works do not survive except for a few lines. He gave his girl the name Lycoris
ergo cum silices dens patientis aratri depereant aevo carmina morte carent
So through rocks and the share of the long lasting plough perish with time poetry is free from death
Reference to life on the land, that of a farmer; imagery suggests long lasting material, the metal plough, but even these do not last/ are destroyed by time
mihi flavus Apollo pocula Castalia plena ministret aqua
but to me may golden- haired Apollo serve cups filled from the Castilian spring
Ovid is returning to life as a poet. The epithet of Apollo has already been met in poem one. The spring of Castilian on mount Parnassus was where Delphi was situated and is famous and sacred to Apollo
sustineamque coma metuentem frigora myrtum
and may I wear on my hair the myrtle that fears the frost
Again the plant of myrtle which is sacred to venus has been mentioned before
metuentem frigora
fearing frost
appropriate attribute for a plant connected with the heat of passion
atque a sollicito multus amante legar
and be much read by anxious lovers
He is saying that once he is gone people will turn to his work for help
pascitur in vivis Livor; post fata quiescit
Envy feeds on the living; after death it is silent
These lines echo the last lines in poem 1 creating a ring composition. The personification of Envy reappears at the end of the poem And the imegery of ‘pascitur’ feeds pickes up on the adjective ‘edax’ gnawing in line 1 of this poem
ergo etiam cum me supremus adederit ingis
So, even when the final flame has consumed me
This is a pun on fire- fire of his cremation has consumed him but also fire of love/ passion. ‘adederit’ meaning consume is an echo of ‘edax’ gnawing on line one of the poem
vivam, parsque mei multa superstes erit
I shall live and a considerable part of me will survive
The message Ovid wants to complete his first book with is everything passes or dies but poets will always be remembered
supremis ignis
final flame
vivam
I will live
legar
I will be read
