Tibullus 1.1 Lines 21-40 Notes Flashcards
What is ‘tunc… nunc’ an elaboration of?
‘Quondam… nunc’ on line 19
At the Ambarvalia, what did the size of an offering depend on?
The richness of the land and its produce
What did the poet wish for in line 2 then line 25 then line 43?
Large acreage, living with little then a small crop is enough
What is the effect of the apostrophes of Ceres and Lares?
Briefly dramatic. See the ceremony of sacrifice actually glimpsed
What does the repetition of ‘agna’ do?
Elaborates the thought of the preceding distich
What lessens the impact of the repeated ‘nunc’ and the sense of the earlier subjunctives?
The change of tense and mood
What is ‘circum’?
Postposition
What makes the reiteration of ‘iam modo iam’ effective?
Progression of time
What is the indirect connection here?
Between Tibullus’ past behaviour and his former possessions in a happier era
What might the exhortation of ‘possim’ suggest?
Positive desire or negative self-control
What is the military reference of ‘deditus’?
Surrendering - perhaps this ambition led to his present circumstances
What is ‘longae via’?
A euphemism for travel, normally military or for commercial purposes
What are the thematic ideas linking to ‘via’?
Separation, insecurity, desire
What is the rising Dog Star associated with?
Creative impulse and retreat from life’s pressures
What is the rising dog star an emblem of here?
A ‘vita iners’ - the river passes by but the poet farmer remains constant. The soldier goes on long journeys but the poet remains in one spot
How is ‘contentus’ a pun?
Tension between motion and rest, satisfaction and greed. The poet is content with having little and is held-in by confining shade of a tree
What is the effect of ‘rivos’ and ‘ortus’ plural?
Makes the action habitual
What is the contrast in line 29?
Suddenly there is an active life for the farmer
What does ‘interdum’ suggest?
Only spurts of activity
What does ‘pudeat’ suggest?
Revulsion overcome
What is the effect of the impersonal verbs, renewed subjunctives and abruptness of ‘nec tamen’?
Alerts the reader’s imagination further while keeping the thoughts less directly orientated on the poet
What does ‘increpuisse’ suggest?
Only use of words
What does ‘stimulo’ suggest?
Carries it into deeds in the same phrase
What is the difference between line 32 of Tibullus’ poem and the Eclogues?
The shepherd does not pick up the baby goat in the Eclogues because he is leaving the rural landscape entirely and not returning home. For Tibullus, the mother has only forgotten her offspring
