Reading Ovid

by Peter Jones

  dente premunt †domitō Cybelēia frēna – leōnēs!

  †hōs tū, cāre mihī, cumque hīs genus omne ferārum,

  705

  quod nōn †terga fugae, sed pugnae pectora praebet,

  effuge, nē uirtūs tua sit †damnōsa duōbus! ” ’

  10.708–16: Venus leaves, and at the hunt Adonis is killed by a wild boar

  ‘illa quidem monuit, iūnctīsque per āera †cycnīs

  carpit iter; sed stat monitīs †contrāria uirtūs.

  forte suem^ †latebrīs uestīgia certa secūtī

  710

  †excīuēre canēs, siluīsque exīre ^parantem

  fīxerat †oblīquō iuuenis Cinyrēius ictū.

  prōtinus †excussit pandō uēnābula rōstrō

  sanguine tīncta suō, †trepidumque et tūta petentem

  †trux aper īnsequitur, tōtōsque sub inguine dentēs

  715

  abdidit, et fuluā †moribundum strāuit harēnā.’

  10.717–39: Venus returns, grieves and establishes a festival in Adonis’ name; his blood turns into a flower

  †‘uecta leuī currū mediās Cytherēa per aurās

  †Cypron olōrīnīs nōndum peruēnerat ālīs;

  †agnōuit longē gemitum morientis, et albās

  flexit auēs illūc, utque aethere uīdit ab altō

  720

  †exanimem inque suō iactantem sanguine corpus,

  †dēsiluit, pariterque sinum pariterque capillōs

  †rūpit, et indignīs percussit pectora palmīs;

  questaque cum fātīs “at nōn tamen omnia †uestrī

  iūris erunt” dīxit. “luctūs^ †monimenta manēbunt

  725

  semper, Adōni, ^meī, repetītaque †mortis imāgō

  †annua^ plangōris peraget ^simulāmina nostrī.

  at cruor in flōrem mūtābitur. †an tibi quondam

  fēmineōs artūs in †olentēs uertere mentās,

  †Persephonē, licuit – nōbīs Cinyrēius hērōs

  730

  inuidiae mūtātus erit?” sīc †fāta, cruōrem

  †nectare odōrātō sparsit, quī tāctus ab illō

  †intumuit sīc, ut fuluō perlūcida caenō

  surgere †bulla solet, nec plēnā longior hōrā

  facta mora est, cum flōs dē sanguine †concolor ortus,

  735

  †quālem, quae lentō cēlant sub cortice grānum,

  †pūnica ferre solent. breuis est tamen ūsus in illō;

  namque male haerentem et nimiā †leuitāte cadūcum

  excutiunt †īdem, quī praestant nōmina, uentī.’

  Learning vocabulary for Passage 18, Venus and Adonis

  abdō 3 abdidī abditum hide (away), bury

  abstineō 2 shun, stay away from (+ abl.)

  adiciō 3/4 add

  Adōni: voc. of Adonis

  aper apr-ī 2m. boar

  certāmen certāmin-is 3n. contest

  Cinyrēi-us a um of Cinyras (father of Adonis)

  Cytherē-a ae 1f. Cytherean, i.e. Venus

  coniugi-um ī 2n. marriage

  cupīdō cupīdin-is 3m./f. longing, desire

  dēns dent-is 3m. tusk; tooth

  excutiō 3/4 excussī shake/knock X (acc.) out/off

  fōrmōs-us a um handsome

  fulu-us a um tawny, yellow

  harēn-a ae 1f. sand

  hērōs: nom. s.

  Hippomenēn: Greek acc. s. of Hippomenes

  Hippomenēs: Greek nom. s. of Hippomenes

  hospes hospit-is 3m. guest

  inīqu-us a um unfair, hostile (to + dat.)

  inuidi-a ae 1f. envy, spite, ill-will

  leō leōn-is 3m. lion

  Megareus: Greek nom. s. of Megareus; cf. Megarēius ‘of Megareus’

  mēt-a ae 1f. race, course, lap

  moror 1 dep. delay

  nitid-us a um shining

  obstipescō 3 obstipuī be amazed

  pōm-um ī 2n. apple

  prīsc-us a um of old, ancient

  proc-us ī 2m. suitor

  prōlēs prōl-is 3f. offspring

  prōn-us a um leaning forward, low to the ground

  requiēscō 3 requiēuī lie down, rest

  Schoenēi-us a um descendant of Atalanta’s father Schoeneus

  seu or if

  sūs su-is 3m. boar

  temerāri-us a um rash

  trānseō trānsīre overtake, cross

  tūs tūr-is 3n. incense

  uēlōx uēlōc-is swift

  Study section

  1. ‘Orpheus describes Adonis . . . as a man, but Venus’s relationship with him is more like that of a mother’ (Fantham, 2004, 81). Do you agree? How would you characterise their relationship?

  2. What is the function of the oracle (10.564–6)?

  3. Are there comparisons to be drawn between Hippomenes and Apollo in passage 2? How is Atalanta different from Daphne?

  4. At 733, most manuscripts print caelō, yielding ‘[as a clear bubble swells up] in the yellow sky’, which does not make a lot of sense; but ‘[as a clear bubble swells up] in yellow mud’ is not a great improvement. Since the colour fuluō ‘yellow’ is irrelevant to the simile (the anemone is red), replace it with pluuiō: pluuiō with caelō (‘rainy sky’) looks hopeful, as if the text hides the idea of bubbles formed by rain dropping on water. But that leaves us with ‘as a clear bubble swells up from a rainy sky’ – not a lot of sense either. Can you do any better?

  5. Here are the opening lines of Shakespeare’s Venus and Adonis.

  a. What is the difference between Shakespeare and Ovid in the mise-en-scène and relationship between Venus and Adonis?

  b. How ‘Ovidian’ is Shakespeare? Look for word-plays, balance, antithesis, tricola, chiasmus, paradox, imagery, and so on.

  Even as the sun with purple-coloured face

  Had ta’en his last leave of the weeping morn,

  Rose-cheeked Adonis hied him to the chase.

  Hunting he loved, but love he laughed to scorn.

  Sick-thoughted Venus makes amain unto him,

  5

  And like a bold-faced suitor ’gins to woo him.

  ‘Thrice fairer than myself,’ thus she began,

  ‘The fields’ chief flower, sweet above compare,

  Stain to all nymphs, more lovely than a man,

  More white and red than doves or roses are –

  10

  Nature that made thee with herself at strife

  Saith that the world hath ending with thy life.

  ‘Vouchsafe, thou wonder, to alight thy steed

  And rein his proud head to the saddle-bow;

  If thou wilt deign this favour, for thy meed

  15

  A thousand honey secrets shalt thou know.

  Here come and sit where never serpent hisses;

  And, being sat, I’ll smother thee with kisses,

  ‘And yet not cloy thy lips with loathed satiety,

  But rather famish them amid their plenty,

  20

  Making them red, and pale, with fresh variety;

  Ten kisses short as one, one long as twenty.

  A summer’s day will seem an hour but short,

  Being wasted in such time-beguiling sport.’

  With this, she seizeth on his sweating palm,

  25

  The precedent of pith and livelihood,

  And, trembling in her passion, calls it balm -

  Earth’s sovereign salve to do a goddess good.

  Being so enraged, desire doth lend her force

  Courageously to pluck him from his horse.

  30

  Over one arm, the lusty courser’s rein;

  Under her other was the tender boy,

  Who blushed and pouted in a dull disdain

  With leaden appetite, unapt to toy.

  She red and hot as coals of glowing fire;

  35

  He red for shame, but frosty in desir
e.

  5. Study the two pictures of Venus and Adonis (Titian and Rubens) How would you compare and contrast them (position of the couple, dress, hunting implements, Cupids, dogs, etc.)? Are they more Ovidian or Shakespearean in the ‘story’ they tell?

  Figure 4 Titian, Venus and Adonis.

  Figure 5 Rubens, Venus and Adonis.

  Vocabulary and grammar

  519 occultē secretly

  uolātil-is e fleeting, on wings

  520 *uēlōx uēlōc-is swift

  sorōre . . . auōque suō: i.e. Myrrha and Cinyras

  521 au-us ī 2m. grandfather

  arbore: i.e. inside the tree that was his mother

  nūper: the repeated nūper (in chiasmus), then modo and repeated iam in tricolon with asyndeton (523) push the story quickly along

  522 gignō 3 genuī genitus bear

  *fōrmōs-us a um handsome. There is amusing polyptoton, fōrmōsissimus (superlative) being outdone by fōrmōsior sē ipsō (523)!

  īnfāns īnfant-is 3m.*

  524 mātrisque: i.e. Myrrha

  ulcīscor 3 dep. avenge

  ignēs: i.e. the fires of unnatural passion felt by Myrrha, which had been stirred by the anger of Venus (in some versions of the stories). The ‘revenge’ presumably consists in Venus’ grief at Adonis’ death

  525 pharetrāt-us a um with a quiver. The puer pharetrātus is Cupid, Venus’ playful son, a wound from whose arrows makes the wounded fall in love (see Apollo in passage 2, 1.472–4)

  526 īnsci-us a um*

  exstō 1 protrude

  dēstringō 3 dēstrinxī graze

  harundō harundin-is 3f. shaft

  pectus: i.e. Venus’ pectus

  527 repellō 3*

  altius: comparative adverb

  528 speci-ēs ēī 5f. appearance (here abl. of comparison)

  fefellerat: i.e. at first, Venus had not realised how deeply she had been wounded

  529 Cytherēi-us of Cythera (an island off the southern tip of Greece associated with Venus’ birth)

  530 lītus lītor-is 3n. shores

  Paphon: Greek acc. of Paphos (in Cyprus), where Venus had her main cult centre

  531 piscōs-us a um full of fish, teeming (the -que scans light)

  Cnidon: Greek acc. of Cnidos, a promontory at the tip of South-West.Turkey, location of a famous shrine to Venus complete with a notorious nude female statue of her (see Comment on Pygmalion, passage 17)

  grauid-us a um prolific, rich in

  Amathunta: Greek acc. of Amathus, a town in Cyprus where Venus had another major cult centre

  metall-um ī 2n.*

  532 *abstineō 2 shun, stay away from (+ abl.). abstinet . . . Adōnis makes a neatly antithetical, almost chiastic, line

  et: here, ‘even’

  praeferō 3 prefer X (acc.) to Y (dat.)

  533 umbrā . . . augēre: the ancients avoided the sun because a tan was low-class (it proved you worked, and in the open air, too); hence the pop-ularity of skin-whitening cosmetics, made of tin oxide for colour, starch for bulk and animal fat for applicability. Likewise, women did not slim, they fattened themselves up (augēre) – which Venus certainly will not do chasing over the mountains all day. Such is the effect of Cupid’s dart on a goddess

  adsuēt-us a um being accustomed (adsuēscō 3)

  534 indulgeō (+ dat.)*

  augeō 2 increase, improve

  535 iug-um ī 2n. ridge

  dūmōs-us a um full of brambles

  536 fīne up to (+ gen.)

  uestem: acc. of respect

  ritū in the style of

  succingō 3 gird (oneself) up

  537 tūtae . . . praedae: gen. of description, lit. ‘of safe prey’, i.e. safe to hunt

  animāl-e is 3n.* : animālia . . . leporēs . . . ceruum . . . dammās are all objects of agitat (539)

  538 *prōn-us a um leaning forward, low to the ground

  lepor -is 3m. hare

  cels-us a um tall

  ceru-us ī 2m. stag

  539 agitō 1 drive, hunt

  damm-a ae 1f. deer

  *aper apr-ī 2m. boar

  540 raptor -is plundering. Note the rising tricolon of animals not to be chased, each described more bloodily than the last

  lup-us ī 2m. wolf

  armō 1*

  ungu-is is 3m. claw

  urs-us ī 2m. bear

  541 uītō 1 avoid

  arment-um ī 2n. herd, cattle

  saturō 1*

  *leō leōn-is 3m. lion

  543 *Adōni: voc. of Adonis

  fugācibus: i.e. (fortis) against [animals] that flee

  estō: imper. of sum, RLE1

  545 meō . . . perīclō: ‘with my danger’, i.e. at my cost/expense

  *temerāri-us a um rash

  546 lacessō 3 wound, harm

  547 stet: begin the clause with nē. stāre + abl. means lit. ‘to stand at the price of’, ‘cost’; stāre magnō thus means ‘cost X (dat.) dear’. magnō is abl. of price, RLL(f)4(iv)

  aetās . . . faciēs . . . quae Venerem mouēre: all subjects of mouet (547)

  549 saetiger -a um bristly

  *sūs su-is 3m. boar

  550 adunc-us a um hooked

  *dēns dent-is 3m. tusk; tooth

  551 impet-us ūs 4m. aggression

  *fulu-us a um tawny, yellow

  uast-us a um*

  552 inuīs-us a um hateful

  quae causa [esset] rogantī: ‘to [him] asking what . . . ’; with causa, understand ‘of her hatred of lions’

  553 mōnstr-um ī 2n. monstrous act

  554 īnsolit-us a um unaccustomed

  lasso 1 exhaust

  ecce look!

  555 opportūn-us a um*

  blandior 3 dep. entice, beguile

  pōpul-us ī 2f. polar tree

  556 caespes caespit-is 3m. turf, grass

  libet 2 (impersonal) it is pleasing

  *requiēscō 3 requiēuī lie down, rest

  557 grāmen grāmin-is 3n. grass

  558 sin-us ūs 4m. lap

  ceruīx ceruīc-is 3f. neck

  reclīn-is e*

  559 interserō 3 interpose X (acc.) with Y (dat.)

  560 forsitan perhaps

  aliquam: ‘that a certain [woman]’

  *certāmen certāmin-is 3n. contest

  563 bonō: here used as a noun

  praestāns praestant-is outstanding

  564 scītanti . . . hc dē . . . : ‘to this [woman] enquiring about . . .’ (scītor 1 dep.)

  deus: the god of oracles, Apollo

  565 opus est there is a need to X (dat.) of Y (abl.); X needs Y

  566 careō lose (+ abl.). This makes a typical riddling answer from the god

  567 opāc-us a um*

  innub-us a um unmarried

  568 īnstō 1 press, urge, insist

  *proc-us ī 2m. suitor

  569 condiciō condiciōn-is 3f. condition, terms (stated in the forthcoming speech)

  fugō 1 put to flight, rout

  570 pedibus: i.e. in a foot-race

  contendō 3 compete

  571 praemia: in apposition to coniunx thalamīque

  572 preti-um ī 2n. price

  estō: 3rd s. imper. of sum

  573 immit-is e ruthless

  575 sēderat: note the plupf. – Hippomenes seems to appear from nowhere. Ovid is imagining a packed stadium (spectātor), with seats

  *Hippomenēs: Greek nom. s. of Hippomenes

  spectātor -is 3m.*

  *inīqu-us a um unfair, hostile (to + dat.)

  576 cquam: dat. of interested agent

  577 damnō 1*

  578 uēlāmen uēlāmin-is 3n. covering, clothes. Was Atalanta running naked, as Greek male athletes did? It all depends on what is meant by genuālia (see on 593 below)

  579 quāle . . . fīās: a high compliment from the goddess of sexual attraction (who is speaking at the moment) to her mortal lover

  580 *obstipescō 3 obstipuī be amazed (strongly placed at the s
tart of the line)

  ignōscite: imperative. The (understood) subject is ‘You suitors’ whom (quōs) Hippomenes has recently been blaming

  581 nōt-us a um*

  582 concipiō 3/4*

  584 *inuidi-a ae 1f. envy, spite, ill-will. It is not clear what Ovid is saying here. The text as printed means ‘Hippomenes is afraid because of/in respect of envy’, which might be hammered into meaning ‘he is filled with envious fear’, i.e. that a rival might win; RLL(f)4

  585 intemptāt-us a um*

  586 iuuō 1 help

  587 exigō 3 turn over, reflect on

  uolō 1 fly

  āles ālit-is winged

  588 Scythic-us a um Scythian (Scythia was famous for its archers)

  sētius differently from (+ abl.)

  sagitt-a ae 1f. arrow

  589 Āoni-us a um from Boeotia

  591 cit-us a um swift

  tālār-ia ium 3n. pl. ankle-ribbon

  plant-a ae 1f. foot

  592 iactō 1 toss

  eburne-us a um ivory

  quaeque: ‘and (i.e. ‘as were the’) the genuālia which . . . ’

  593 poples poplit-is 3m. knee

  subsum be under

  pict-us a um colourful (with limbō, abl. of description referring to the genuālia)

  genuāl-ia ium 3n. pl. bands (round the knees, cf. genu ‘knee’). It might conceivably mean a knee-length skirt, but the word appears only here. It indeed looks as if Atalanta is running naked, except for ankle-ribbons and knee-bands; the imagination runs almost as fast as she

  limb-us ī 2m. border

  594 puellār-is e*

  595 ātri-a ōrum 2n. pl. atrium, often the entrance to a Roman house. Note the anachronism (Roman houses did not exist when Greek myths were being told). Above the ‘white’ (and therefore marble) atrium was a rectangular opening in the roof, which was covered with awnings if the sun was too fierce. Purple awnings were very expensive: this is a rich man’s villa