Petronius: "Love will not let the poet sleep" - NOTES Flashcards
“amor” and “Cupid”
Line 3 and Line 14
These are one and the same and represent the desire for man and woman.
“cum me … iacere potes?”
Lines 3-6
The tone in these lines is playful:
- Is he simply sleepy, or is it because he has been too sexually active?
- Is he the slave to love or a woman?
- Love is “saevus” and he who disobeys is “durus” - perhaps the narrator cannot make up his mind over which girl to choose: “mille puellas”
“famulus”
Line 5
A personal slave or attendant.
“pedibus nudis tunicaque soluta”
Line 7
This possibly refers simply to a hasty exit from bed or it could refer to the superstition that bare feet touching the ground assists a magical process.
“impedio … expedio”
Line 8
The poet is all over the place and getting nowhere (physically, emotionally and psychologically).
“propero … piget … paenitet … pudor”
Line 9 and Line 10
Alliteration of “p” heightens emphasis of starting and stopping.
“pudor”
Line 10
The subject of the poet seems to be experiencing conflict between desire and propriety.
“nunc propero … via media”
Lines 9-10
The rhyme, repetition and identical half line rhythms help to enhance the sense of starting and stopping.
“paveo”
Line 13
Is it sex or love that the poet is craving?
“imperium”
Line 14
This can be left open to interpretation as either the power of love or the poet’s situation.
