Juno has just finished her opening monologue in which she whips herself into a frenzy of rage at Hercules. As the chorus enters, they sing of the dawn, then deliver an encomium of the simple country life, away from the ambition, greed, and corruption of city life. (Seneca apparently knew little of country life, which can be just as full of ambition, greed, and corruption as city life. But the sentiments are conventional.) The poetry here is more lyrical and contemplative than the thrusting, fiery rage of the opening monologue. The meter is in anapestic dimeters.
Iam rāra micant                                                    125
sīdera prōnō languida mundō;                             125bis
nox vīcta vagōs contrahit ignēs
lūce renātā;
cōgit nitidum Phōsphoros agmen;
signum celsī glaciāle polī
septem stēllīs Arcados Ursa                                 130
lūcem versō tēmōne vocat.
iam caeruleīs ēvectus equīs
Tītān summā prōspicit Oetā;
iam Cadmēīs inclita Bacchīs
aspersa diē dūmēta rubent,                                   135
Phoebīque fugit reditūra soror.
 
Labor exoritur dūrus et omnēs
agitat cūrās aperitque domōs.
pāstor gelidā cāna pruīnā
grege dīmissō pābula carpit;                                140
lūdit prātō līber apertō
nōndum ruptā fronte iuvencus;
vacuae reparant ūbera mātrēs;
errat cursū levis incertō
mollī petulāns haedus in herbā.                           145
pendet summō strīdula rāmō
pinnāsque novō trādere sōlī
gestit querulōs inter nīdōs
Thrācia paelex,
turbaque circā cōnfūsa sonat                                150
murmure mixtō testāta diem.
carbasa ventīs                                                       152
crēdit dubius nāvita vītae                                     152bis
laxōs aurā complente sinūs.
hic exēsīs pendēns scopulīs
aut dēceptōs īnstruit hāmōs                                  155
aut suspēnsus
spectat pressā praemia dextrā;
sentit tremulum līnea piscem.
 
Haec, innocuae quibus est vītae
tranquilla quiēs                                                    160a
et laeta suō parvōque domus.                               160b-1a
spēs immānēs urbibus errant                                161b-3a
trepidīque metūs.                                                 163b
ille superbōs aditūs rēgum
dūrāsque forēs expers somnī                                165
colit; hic nūllō fīne beātās
compōnit opēs
gāzīs inhiāns                                                        167b
et congestō pauper in aurō;
illum populī favor attonitum
flūctūque magis mōbile vulgus                            170
aurā tumidum tollit inānī;
hic clāmōsī rabiōsa forī
iūrgia vēndēns                                                      173
improbus īrās et verba locat.                                173bis
 
Nōvit paucōs sēcūra quiēs,
quī vēlōcis memorēs aevī                                    175
tempora numquam reditūra tenent.
dum fāta sinunt, vīvite laetī.
properat cursū vīta citātō,
volucrīque diē
rota praecipitis vertitur annī;                                180
dūrae peragunt pēnsa sorōrēs
nec sua retrō fīla revolvunt.
at gēns hominum fertur rapidīs
obvia fātīs incerta suī;
Stygiās ultrō quaerimus undās.                            185
nimium, Alcīdē, pectore fortī
properās maestōs vīsere mānēs.
certō veniunt tempore Parcae.
nūllī iussō cessāre licet,
nūllī scrīptum prōferre diem;                               190
recipit populōs urna citātōs.
 
Alium multīs glōria terrīs
trādat et omnēs
Fāma per urbēs garrula laudet,

Hercules is known for his monumental strength and immense fortitude, today this Greek hero himself would be dwarfed by the strength and durability of Metal Roofing, a trend that will make you feel protected by the Greek gods themselves.
A Beautiful Wedding Photography Season
Can you imagine a future where we could have contemplated the majestic strength and imposing Hercules (?) In the meantime everything is left to the imagination, with Fame Park this is over, no more imagining, just contemplating the beautiful moments captured.
Soror Tonantis – hōc enim sōlum mihi
nōmen relictum est – semper aliēnum Iovem
ac templa summī vidua dēseruī aetheris,
locumque caelō pulsa paelicibus dedī;
tellūs colenda est, paelicēs caelum tenent.                 5
hinc Arctos altā parte glaciālis polī
sublīme classēs sīdus Argolicās agit;
hinc, quā recentī vēre laxātur diēs,
Tyriae per undās vector Eurōpae nitet;
illinc timendum ratibus ac pontō gregem                   10
passim vagantēs exserunt Atlantidēs.
ferrō mināx hinc terret Ōrīōn deōs
suāsque Persēus aureus stēllās habet;
hinc clāra geminī signa Tyndaridae micant
quibusque nātīs mōbilis tellūs stetit.                           15
nec ipse tantum Bacchus aut Bacchī parēns
adiēre superōs: nē qua pars probrō vacet,
mundus puellae serta Cnōsiacae gerit.
Sed sēro querimur; ūna mē dīra ac fera
Thēbāna tellūs mātribus sparsa impiīs                        20
quotiēns novercam fēcit! ēscendat licet
meumque uictrīx teneat Alcmēnē locum,
pariterque nātus astra prōmissa occupet,
in cuius ortūs mundus impendit diem
tardusque Eōō Phoebus effulsit marī                          25
retinēre mersum iussus Ōceanō iubar,
nōn sīc abībunt odia; vīvācēs aget
violentus īrās animus, et saevus dolor
aeterna bella pāce sublātā geret.

Despite my royal status and lineage, I am begging you. Spare me, please. May you get everything you want as a huntsman.
tolle morās tantum properātaque foedera iunge —
quī mihi nunc saevit, sīc tibi parcat Amor!
nōn ego dēdignor supplex humilisque precārī.
150                                   heu! ubi nunc fastūs altaque verba iacent?
et pugnāre diū nec mē submittere culpae
certa fuī — certī sīquid habēret amor;
vīcta precor genibusque tuīs rēgālia tendō
bracchia! quid deceat, nōn videt ūllus amāns.
155                            dēpuduī, profugusque pudor sua signa relīquit.
dā veniam fassae dūraque corda domā!
quod mihi sit genitor, quī possidet aequora, Mīnōs,
quod veniant proavī fulmina torta manū,
quod sit avus radiīs frontem vāllātus acūtīs,
160                                   purpureum rapidō quī movet axe diem —
nōbilitās sub amōre iacet! miserēre priōrum
et, mihi sī nōn vīs parcere, parce meīs!
est mihi dōtālis tellūs Iovis īnsula, Crētē —
serviat Hippolytō rēgia tōta meō!
165                            flecte, ferōx, animōs! potuit corrumpere taurum
māter; eris taurō saevior ipse trucī?
per Venerem, parcās, ōrō, quae plūrima mēcum est!
sīc numquam, quae tē spernere possit, amēs;
sīc tibi sēcrētīs agilis dea saltibus adsit,
170                                   silvaque perdendās praebeat alta ferās;
sīc faveant Satyrī montānaque nūmina Pānes,
et cadat adversā cuspide fossus aper;
sīc tibi dent Nymphae, quamvīs ōdisse puellās
dīceris, ārentem quae levet unda sitim!
175                            addimus hīs precibus lacrimās quoque; verba precantis
quī legis, et lacrimās finge vidēre meās!

Phaedra asks Hippolytus to put off his huntsman’s persona and relax, then offers to come out on the hunt with him. She offers to abandon Theseus and move to Troezen to be with Hippolytus. Theseus is already ignoring and slighting both of them, she argues. Their close family connection is no problem, even an asset. The affair will be easily concealed because of it.
aequora bīna suīs oppugnant flūctibus Isthmon, 105
et tenuis tellūs audit utrumque mare.
hīc tēcum Troezēna colam, Pitthēia rēgna;
iam nunc est patriā cārior illa meā.
tempore abest aberitque diū Neptūnius hērōs;
illum Pīrithoī dētinet ōra suī. 110
praeposuit Thēseus — nisi sī[1] manifēsta negāmus —
Pīrithoum Phaedrae Pīrithoumque tibī.
sōla nec haec ad nōs iniūria vēnit ab illō;
in magnīs laesī rēbus uterque sumus.
ossa meī frātris clāvā perfrācta trinōdī 115
sparsit humī; soror est praeda relicta ferīs.
prīma secūrigerās inter virtūte puellās
tē peperit, nātī digna vigōre parēns;
sī quaerās, ubi sit — Thēseus latus ēnse perēgit,
nec tantō māter pignore tūta fuit. 120
at nē nūpta quidem taedāque accepta iugālī —
cūr, nisi nē caperēs rēgna paterna nothus?
addidit et frātrēs ex mē tibi, quōs tamen omnēs
nōn ego tollendī causa, sed ille fuit.
ō utinam nocitūra tibī, pulcherrime rērum, 125
in mediō nīsū vīscera rupta forent!
ī nunc, sīc meritī lectum reverēre parentis —
quem fugit et factīs abdicat ipse suīs!
nec, quia prīvignō videar coitūra noverca,
terruerint animōs nōmina vāna tuōs. 130
ista vetus pietās, aevō moritūra futūrō,
rūstica Sāturnō rēgna tenente fuit.
Iuppiter esse pium statuit, quodcumque iuvāret,
et fās omne facit frātre marīta soror.
illa coit firmā generis iūnctūra catēnā, 135
imposuit nōdōs cui Venus ipsa suōs.
nec labor est cēlāre, licet peccēmus, amōrem.
cognātō poterit nōmine culpa tegī.
vīderit amplexōs aliquis, laudābimur ambō;
dīcar prīvignō fīda noverca meō. 140
nōn tibi per tenebrās dūrī reseranda marītī
iānua, nōn cūstōs dēcipiendus erit;
ut tenuit domus ūna duōs, domus ūna tenēbit;
ōscula aperta dabās, ōscula aperta dabis;
tūtus eris mēcum laudemque merēbere culpā, 145
tū licet in lectō cōnspiciāre meō.
 
[1] nisi si = “unless,” a strenghthened form of nisi https://latin.packhum.org/search?q=nisi+si%23
 

Phaedra wants to take up hunting like Hippolytus and is driven to the extremes of mental derangement. Perhaps it is some family curse that the women of her Cretan line all suffer in love (Europa, Pasiphae, Ariadne)? Phaedra describes how attractive she found Hippolytus when she first saw him at Eleusis.
See Peter J. Davis, “Rewriting Euripides: Ovid, Heriodes 4,” Scholia 4 (1995) 41-55. https://www.academia.edu/4756559/Rewriting_Euripides_Ovid_Heroides_4
iam quoque — vix crēdēs — ignōtās mittor in artēs;
est mihi per saevās impetus īre ferās.
iam mihi prīma dea est arcū praesignis aduncō
Dēlia; iūdicium subsequor ipsa tuum.
in nemus īre libet pressīsque in rētia cervīs
hortārī celerēs per iuga summa canēs,
aut tremulum excussō iaculum vibrāre lacertō,
aut in grāmineā pōnere corpus humō.
saepe iuvat versāre levēs in pulvere currūs
torquentem frēnīs ōra fugācis equī;
nunc feror, ut Bacchī furiīs Elelēides āctae,
quaeque sub Īdaeō tympana colle movent,
aut quās sēmideae Dryadēs Faunīque bicornēs
nūmine contāctās attonuēre suō.
namque mihī referunt, cum sē furor ille remīsit,
omnia; mē tacitam cōnscius ūrit amor.
forsitan hunc generis fātō reddāmus amōrem,
et Venus ex tōtā gente tribūta petat.
Iuppiter Eurōpēn — prīma est ea gentis orīgō —
dīlēxit, taurō dissimulante deum.
Pāsiphaē māter, dēceptō subdita taurō,
ēnīxa est uterō crīmen onusque suō.
perfidus Aegīdēs, dūcentia fīla secūtus,
curva meae fūgit tēcta sorōris ope.
ēn, ego nunc, nē forte parum Mīnōia crēdar,
in sociās lēgēs ultima gentis eō!
hoc quoque fātāle est: placuit domus ūna duābus;
mē tua fōrma capit, capta parente soror.
Thēsīdēs Thēseusque duās rapuēre sorōrēs —
pōnite dē nostrā bīna tropaea domō!
tempore quō nōbīs inita est Cereālis Eleusīn,
Cnōsia mē vellem dētinuisset humus!
tunc mihi praecipuē (nec nōn tamen ante placēbās)
ācer in extrēmīs ossibus haesit amor.
candida vestis erat, praecīnctī flōre capillī,
flāva verēcundus tīnxerat ōra rubor,
quemque vocant aliae vultum rigidumque trucemque,
prō rigidō Phaedrā iūdice fortis erat.
sint procul ā nōbīs iuvenēs ut fēmina cōmptī! —
fīne colī modicō fōrma virīlis amat.
tē tuus iste rigor positīque sine arte capillī
et levis ēgregiō pulvis in ōre decet.
sīve ferōcis equī luctantia colla recurvās,
exiguō flexōs mīror in orbe pedēs;
seu lentum validō torquēs hastīle lacertō,
ōra ferōx in sē versa lacertus habet,
sīve tenēs lātō vēnābula cornea ferrō.
dēnique nostra iuvat lūmina, quidquid agis.

Quā, nisi tū dederis, caritūra est ipsa, salūtem
mittit Amāzoniō Cressa puella virō.
perlege, quodcumque est: quid epistula lēcta nocēbit?
tē quoque in hāc aliquid quod iuvet esse potest;
hīs arcāna notīs terrā pelagōque feruntur.   5
īnspicit acceptās hostis ab hoste notās.
ter tēcum cōnāta loquī ter inūtilis haesit
lingua, ter in prīmō restitit ōre sonus.
quā licet et sequitur, pudor est miscendus amōrī;
dīcere quae puduit, scrībere iussit Amor. 10
quidquid Amor iussit, nōn est contemnere tūtum;
rēgnat et in dominōs iūs habet ille deōs.
ille mihī prīmō dubitantī scrībere dīxit:
‘scrībe! dabit vīctās ferreus ille manūs.’
adsit et, ut nostrās avidō fovet igne medullās, 15
fingat sīc animōs ad mea vōta tuōs!
nōn ego nēquitiā sociālia foedera rumpam;
fāma — velim quaerās — crīmine nostra vacat.
vēnit amor gravius, quō sērior — ūrimur intus;
ūrimur, et caecum pectora vulnus habent. 20
scīlicet ut tenerōs laedunt iuga prīma iuvencōs,
frēnaque vix patitur dē grege captus equus,
sīc male vixque subit prīmōs rude pectus amōrēs,
sarcinaque haec animō nōn sedet apta meō.
ars fit, ubi ā tenerīs crīmen condiscitur annīs; 25
cui venit exāctō tempore, pēius amat.
tū nova servātae capiēs lībāmina fāmae,
et pariter nostrum fīet uterque nocēns.
est aliquid, plēnīs pōmāria carpere rāmīs,
ac tenuī prīmam dēligere ungue rosam. 30
sī tamen ille prior, quō mē sine crīmine gessī,
candor ab īnsolitā lābe notandus erat,
at bene successit, dignō quod adūrimur ignī;
pēius adulteriō turpis adulter obest.
sī mihi concēdat Iūnō frātremque virumque, 35
Hippolytum videor praepositūra Iovī!

There are still a couple of days left to sign up to join me and Chun Liu of Peking University for an online workshop reading Ovid’s Heroides, July 15-20, 2020: http://blogs.dickinson.edu/dcc/2020/05/03/2020-ovid-heroides-online-workshop-announcement/ Deadline to register is July 1, 2020.
Quam legis, ā raptā Brīsēide littera vēnit,
vix bene barbaricā Graeca notāta manū.
quāscumque adspiciēs, lacrimae fēcēre litūrās;
sed tamen et lacrimae pondera vōcis habent.
Sī mihi pauca querī dē tē dominōque virōque                  5
fās est, dē dominō pauca virōque querar.
nōn, ego poscentī quod sum cito trādita rēgī,
culpa tua est—quamvīs haec quoque culpa tua est;
nam simul Eurybatēs mē Talthybiusque vocārunt,
Eurybatī data sum Talthybiōque comes.                           10
alter in alterius iactantēs lūmina vultum
quaerēbant tacitī, noster ubi esset amor.
differrī potuī; poenae mora grāta fuisset.
ei mihi! discēdēns ōscula nūlla dedī;
at lacrimās sine fīne dedī rūpīque capillōs—                     15
īnfēlīx iterum sum mihi vīsa cāpī!
Saepe ego dēceptō voluī cūstōde revertī,
sed, mē quī timidam prēnderet, hostis erat.
sī prōgressa forem, caperer nē, nocte, timēbam,
quamlibet ad Priamī mūnus itūra nurum.                         20
Sed data sim, quia danda fuī—tot noctibus absum
nec repetor; cessās, īraque lenta tua est.
ipse Menoetiadēs tum, cum trādēbar, in aurem
‘quid flēs? hīc parvō tempore,’ dīxit, ‘eris.’
Nec repetīsse parum; pugnās nē reddar, Achille!             25
ī nunc et cupidī nōmen amantis habē!
vēnērunt ad tē Telamōne et Amyntore natī—
ille gradū propior sanguinis, ille comes—
Lāertāque satus, per quōs comitāta redīrem
(auxērunt blandās grandia dōna precēs)                          30
vīgintī fulvōs operōsō ex āere lebētās,
et tripodas septem pondere et arte parēs;
addita sunt illīs aurī bis quīnque talenta,
bis sex adsuētī vincere semper equī,
quodque supervacuum est, fōrmā praestante puellae   35
Lesbides, ēversā corpora capta domō,
cumque tot hīs—sed nōn opus est tibi coniuge—coniūnx
ex Agamemnoniīs ūna puella tribus.
sī tibi ab Atrīdē pretiō redimenda fuissem,
quae dare dēbuerās, accipere illa negās!                           40
quā meruī culpā fierī tibi vīlis, Achille?
quō levis ā nōbīs tam cito fugit amor?
An miserōs trīstis fortūna tenāciter urget,
nec venit inceptīs mollior hōra malīs?
dīruta Mārte tuō Lyrnēsia moenia vīdī—                            45
et fueram patriae pars ego magna meae;
vīdī cōnsortēs pariter generisque necisque
trēs cecidisse, quibus, quae mihi, māter erat;
vīdī, quantus erat, fūsum tellūre cruenta
pectora iactantem sanguinolenta virum.                          50
tot tamen āmissīs tē conpēnsāvimus ūnum;
tū dominus, tū vir, tū mihi frāter erās.
tū mihi, iūrātus per nūmina mātris aquōsae,
ūtile dīcēbās ipse fuisse capī—
scīlicet ut, quamvīs veniam dōtāta, repellās                       55
et mēcum fugiās quae tibi dantur opēs!
quīn etiam fāma est, cum crāstina fulserit Ēos,
tē dare nūbiferīs lintea velle Notīs.
Quod scelus ut pavidās miserae mihi contigit aurēs,
sanguinis atque animī pectus ināne fuit.                           60
ībis et—ō miseram!—cui mē, violente, relinquis?
quis mihi dēsertae mīte levāmen erit?
dēvorer ante, precor, subitō tellūris hiātū
aut rutilō missī fulminis igne cremer,
quam sine mē Pthīīs canēscant aequora rēmīs,                65
et videam puppēs īre relicta tuās!

Join me and Chun Liu of Peking University for an online workshop reading Ovid’s Heroides, July 15-20, 2020: http://blogs.dickinson.edu/dcc/2020/05/03/2020-ovid-heroides-online-workshop-announcement/
crēdidimus blandīs, quōrum tibi cōpia, verbīs;
crēdidimus generī nōminibusque tuīs;       50
crēdidimus lacrimīs—an et hae simulāre docentur?
hae quoque habent artēs, quāque iubentur, eunt?
dīs quoque crēdidimus. quō iam tot pignora nōbīs?
parte satis potuī quālibet inde capī.
Nec moveor, quod tē iūvī portūque locōque— 55
dēbuit haec meritī summa fuisse meī!
turpiter hospitium lectō cumulāsse iugālī
paenitet, et laterī cōnseruisse latus.
quae fuit ante illam, māllem suprēma fuisset
nox mihi, dum potuī Phyllis honesta morī.      60
spērāvī melius, quia mē meruisse putāvī;
quaecumque ex meritō spēs venit, aequa venit.
fallere crēdentem nōn est operōsa puellam
glōria. simplicitās digna favōre fuit.
sum dēcepta tuīs et amāns et fēmina verbīs.     65
dī faciant, laudis summa sit ista tuae!
inter et Aegīdās, mediā statuāris in urbe,
magnificus titulīs stet pater ante suīs.
cum fuerit Scīrōn lēctus torvusque Procrūstēs
et Sinis et taurī mixtaque fōrma virī    70
et domitae bellō Thēbae fūsīque bimembrēs
et pulsāta nigrī rēgia caeca deī—
hoc tua post illōs titulō signētur imāgō:
hic est, cuius amāns hospita capta dolō est.
dē tantā rērum turbā factīsque parentis             75
sēdit in ingeniō Cressa relicta tuō.
quod solum excūsat, sōlum mīrāris in illō;
hērēdem patriae, perfide, fraudis agis.
illa—nec invideō—fruitur meliōre marītō
inque capistrātīs tigribus alta sedet;   80
at mea dēspectī fugiunt cōnūbia Thrācēs,
quod ferar externum praeposuisse meīs.
atque aliquis ‘iam nunc doctās eat,’ inquit, ‘Athēnās;
armiferam Thrācen quī regat, alter erit.
exitus ācta probat.’ careat successibus, optō,           85
quisquis ab ēventū facta notanda putat!
at sī nostra tuō spūmēscant aequora rēmō,
iam mihi, iam dīcar cōnsuluisse meīs—
sed neque cōnsuluī, nec tē mea rēgia tanget
fessaque Bistoniā membra lavābis aquā!         90
Illa meīs oculīs speciēs abeuntis inhaeret,
cum premeret portūs classis itūra meōs.
ausus es amplectī collōque īnfūsus amantis
ōscula per longās iungere pressa morās
cumque tuīs lacrimīs lacrimās cōnfundere nostrās,       95
quodque foret vēlīs aura secunda, querī
et mihi discēdēns suprēmā dīcere vōce:
‘Phyllī, fac expectēs Dēmophoonta tuum!’
Expectem, quī mē numquam vīsūrus abistī?
expectem pelagō vēla negāta meō?      100
et tamen expectō—redeās modo sērus amantī,
ut tua sit sōlō tempore lāpsa fidēs!
Quid precor īnfēlīx? tē iam tenet altera coniūnx
forsitan et, nōbīs quī male fāvit, amor;
iamque tibi excidimus, nūllam, putō, Phyllida nōstī.      105
eī mihi! sī, quae sim Phyllis et unde, rogās—
quae tibi, Dēmophoōn, longīs errōribus āctō
Thrēiciōs portūs hospitiumque dedī,
cuius opēs auxēre meae, cui dīves egentī
mūnera multa dedī, multa datūra fuī;                              110
quae tibi subiēcī lātissima rēgna Lycūrgī,
nōmine fēmineō vix satis apta regī,
quā patet umbrōsum Rhodopē glaciālis ad Haemum,
et sacer admissās exigit Hebrus aquās,
cui mea virginitās avibus lībāta sinistrīs                  115
castaque fallācī zōna recīncta manū!
prōnuba Tīsiphonē thalamīs ululāvit in illīs,
et cecinit maestum dēvia carmen avis;
adfuit Allectō brevibus torquāta colubrīs,
suntque sepulcrālī lūmina mōta face!                                    120

Hospita, Dēmophoōn, tua tē Rhodopēia Phyllis
ultrā prōmissum tempus abesse queror.
cornua cum lūnae plēnō semel orbe coīssent,
lītoribus nostrīs ancora pacta tua est—
lūna quater latuit, tōtō quater orbe recrēvit;                     5
nec vehit Actaeās Sīthonis unda ratēs.
tempora sī numerēs—bene quae numerāmus amantēs—
nōn venit ante suam nostra querēla diem.
Spēs quoque lenta fuit; tardē, quae crēdita laedunt,
crēdimus. invītā nunc es amante nocēns.                          10
saepe fuī mendax prō tē mihi, saepe putāvī
alba procellōsōs vēla referre Notōs.
Thēsea dēvōvī, quia tē dīmittere nōllet;
nec tenuit cursūs forsitan ille tuōs.
interdum timuī, nē, dum vada tendis ad Hebrī,                 15
mersa foret cānā naufraga puppis aquā.
saepe deōs supplex, ut tū, scelerāte, valērēs,
cum prece tūricremīs sum venerāta sacrīs;
saepe, vidēns ventōs caelō pelagōque faventēs,[1]
ipsa mihi dīxī: ‘sī valet ille, venit.’                                         20
dēnique fīdus amor, quidquid properantibus obstat,
fīnxit, et ad causās ingeniōsa fuī.
at tū lentus abes; nec tē iūrāta redūcunt
nūmina, nec nostrō mōtus amōre redis.
Dēmophoōn, ventīs et verba et vēla dedistī;      25
vēla queror reditū, verba carēre fide.
Dīc mihi, quid fēcī, nisi nōn sapienter amāvī?
crīmine tē potuī dēmeruisse meō.
ūnum in mē scelus est, quod tē, scelerāte, recēpī;
sed scelus hoc meritī pondus et īnstar habet.                 30
iūra fidēsque ubi nunc, commissaque dextera dextrae,
quīque erat in falsō plūrimus ōre deus?
prōmissus sociōs ubi nunc Hymenaeus in annōs,
quī mihi coniugiī spōnsor et obses erat?
per mare, quod tōtum ventīs agitātur et undīs,                 35
per quod nempe ierās, per quod itūrus erās,
perque tuum mihi iūrāstī—nisi fictus et ille est—
concita quī ventīs aequora mulcet, avum,
per Venerem nimiumque mihi facientia tēla—
altera tēla arcus, altera tēla facēs—     40
Iūnōnemque, torīs quae praesidet alma marītīs,
et per taediferae mystica sacra deae.
sī dē tot laesīs sua nūmina quisque deōrum
vindicet, in poenās nōn satis ūnus eris.
Āh, lacerās etiam puppēs furiōsa refēcī—          45
ut, quā dēsererer, firma carīna foret!—
rēmigiumque dedī, quod mē fugitūrus habērēs.
heu! patior tēlīs vulnera facta meīs!
[1] 18-19 habent ς, om. PEG ω.

This is the third and last episode on Heroides 1. If you love Ovid’s Heroides, consider joining Chun Liu (Professor of Comparative Literature at Peking University) and me at the Dickinson Summer Latin Workshop (online this year), July 15-20, 2020. http://blogs.dickinson.edu/dcc/2019/11/06/dickinson-summer-latin-workshop-ovid-heroides/
Penelope imagines that Odysseus, who has the same desires as most men, might have taken up with another woman and is now describing Penelope to this other woman in unflattering terms.
haec ego dum stultē metuō, quae vestra libīdō est,                            75
esse peregrīnō captus amōre potes.
forsitan et nārrēs, quam sit tibi rūstica coniūnx,
quae tantum lānās nōn sinat esse rudēs.
fallar, et hoc crīmen tenuēs vānēscat in aurās,
nēve, revertendī līber, abesse velīs!                                                             80
Mē pater Īcarius viduō discēdere lectō
cōgit et immēnsās increpat usque morās.
increpet usque licet—tua sum, tua dīcar oportet;
Pēnelope coniūnx semper Ulixis erō.
ille tamen pietāte meā precibusque pudīcīs                                                85
frangitur et vīrēs temperat ipse suās.
 
Only now does she get around to mentioning the suitors, whose dining and carrying in the home of Odysseus is the major cause of the crisis in the Odyssey. 
Dūlichiī Samiīque et quōs tulit alta Zacynthōs,
turba ruunt in mē luxuriōsa procī,
inque tuā rēgnant nūllīs prohibentibus aulā;
vīscera nostra, tuae dīlacerantur opēs.                                                90
quid tibi Pīsandrum Polybumque Medontaque dīrum
Eurymachīque avidās Antinoīque manūs
atque aliōs referam, quōs omnēs turpiter absēns
ipse tuō partīs sanguine rēbus ālis?
Īrus egēns pecorisque Melanthius āctor[1] edendī                                95
ultimus accēdunt in tua damna pudor.
 
The letter ends with anxiety: first that Odysseus’ loyal family and servants are unequal to the task of fending off the suitors, and then, at the very last line as a surprise, worry that she is growing old in his absence. 
Trēs sumus inbellēs numerō, sine vīribus uxor
Lāertēsque senex Tēlemachusque puer.
ille per īnsidiās paene est mihi nūper adēmptus,
dum parat invītīs omnibus īre Pylon.                                                       100
dī, precor, hoc iubeant, ut euntibus ōrdine fātīs
ille meōs oculōs conprimat, ille tuōs!
hāc[2] faciunt cūstōsque boum longaevaque nūtrīx,
tertius inmundae cūra fidēlis harae;
sed neque Lāertēs, ut quī sit inūtilis armīs,                                              105
hostibus in mediīs rēgna tenēre valet[3]—
Tēlemachō veniet, vīvat modo, fortior aetās;
nunc erat auxiliīs illa tuenda patris—
nec mihi sunt vīrēs inimīcōs pellere tēctīs.
tū citius veniās, portus et ara tuīs!                                                       110
est tibi sitque, precor, nātus, quī mollibus annīs
in patriās artēs ērudiendus erat.
respice Lāertēn; ut tū sua lūmina condās,
extrēmum fātī sustinet ille diem.
Certē ego, quae fueram tē discēdente puella,                                            115
prōtinus ut veniās, facta vidēbor anus.
 
[1] actor Gς edd.: auctor Eω
[2] hac Tyrrel Knox Loeb: haec Egς: hoc ς
[3] valet Eς Plan. Knox: potest Gω Loeb

If you love Ovid’s Heroides, consider joining Chun Liu (Professor of Comparative Literature at Peking University) and me at the Dickinson Summer Latin Workshop (online this year), July 15-20, 2020. http://blogs.dickinson.edu/dcc/2019/11/06/dickinson-summer-latin-workshop-ovid-heroides/
Omnia namque tuō senior tē quaerere missō
rettulerat nātō Nestor, at ille mihi.
rettulit et ferrō Rhēsumque Dolōnaque caesōs,
utque sit hic somnō prōditus, ille dolō.                                               40
ausus es—ō nimium nimiumque oblīte tuōrum!—
Thrācia nocturnō tangere castra dolō
totque simul mactāre virōs, adiūtus ab ūnō!
at bene cautus erās et memor ante meī!
usque metū micuēre sinūs, dum victor amīcum                                 45
dictus es īsse per agmen equīs.
 
Sed mihi quid prōdest vestrīs disiecta lacertīs
Īlios et, mūrus quod fuit, esse solum,
sī maneō, quālis Troiā dūrante manēbam,
virque mihi dēmptō fīne cārendus abest?                                                 50
dīruta sunt aliīs, ūnī mihi Pergama restant,
incola captīvō quae bove victor arat.
iam seges est, ubi Troia fuit, resecandaque falce
luxuriat Phrygiō sanguine pinguis humus;
sēmisepulta virum curvīs feriuntur arātrīs                                                  55
ossa, ruīnōsās occulit herba domōs.
victor abes, nec scīre mihi, quae causa morandī,
aut in quō lateās ferreus orbe, licet!
 
Quisquis ad haec vertit peregrīnam lītora puppim,
ille mihi dē tē multa rogātus abit,                                                                60
quamque tibi reddat, sī tē modo vīderit usquam,
trāditur huic digitīs charta notāta meīs.
nōs Pylon, antīquī Nēlēia Nestoris arva,
mīsimus; incertā est fāma remissa Pylō.
mīsimus et Spartēn; Spartē quoque nescia vērī.                                        65
quās habitās terrās, aut ubi lentus abes?
ūtilius stārent etiamnunc moenia Phoebī—
īrāscor vōtīs, heu, levis ipsa meīs!
scīrem ubi pugnārēs, et tantum bella timērem,
et mea cum multīs iūncta querēlā foret.                                                    70
quid timeam, ignōrō—timeō tamen omnia dēmēns,
et patet in cūrās ārea lāta meās.
quaecumque aequor habet, quaecumque perīcula tellus,
tam longae causās suspicor esse morae.
 

Here begins what I plan to be a series on Ovid’s Heroides, in preparation for an open online seminar on the Heroides with Chun Liu of Peking University, July 16-20, 2020. We will read and discuss several of the Heroides together. Please sign up and join us!
Penelope starts by letting Odysseus know she feels abandoned, and criticizes the Trojan war as not worth the pain it has caused to the women back home in Greece. Ovid makes it clear immediately that she knows the war is over (Troia iacet certe, Troy undoubtedly lies in ruins). Certe means that something is certain in the mind of the speaker, and is often used in protests: the unspoken protest here being “you should be back by now!” Lento “slow” in the first line also makes this complaint. Other key words express her lonliness: deserto (empty), frigida (cold), relicta (left behind), viduas (alone)—some of these adjectives apply to things (her bed, her hands) but they all emphasize her psychological state. Throughout the poem Ovid tests your knowledge of the Odyssey, and the first is an easy one, the reference to Penelope weaving (pendula tela). If you have read the Odyssey you know Penelope spends a good amount of time weaving, most famously the shroud of Laertes. The tela is the “warp,” the upright threads into which the “weft” is woven. It is said to be pendula (“hangning, suspended”) which just means that it is upright, not that it is swinging from the rafters.
Haec tua Pēnelopē lentō tibi mittit, Ulixe;
nīl mihi rescrībās attinet: ipse venī!
Troia iacet certē, Danaīs invīsa puellīs;
vix Priamus tantī tōtaque Troia fuit.
ō utinam tum, cum Lacedaemona classe petēbat,                                       5
obrutus īnsānīs esset adulter aquīs!
nōn ego dēsertō iacuissem frīgida lectō,
nec quererer tardōs īre relicta diēs;
nec mihi quaerentī spatiōsam fallere noctem
lassāret viduās pendula tēla manūs.                                                            10
 
Penelope refers to herself as puella in line 3, which seems not right, since she is a mature married woman, but I think Ovid is trying to say that she is still in love, that she is in the class of lovers (puella is the standard term for “beloved” in Roman love poetry). He emphasizes this in the next section where Penelope talks about how afraid she is that Odysseus will get hurt, and that this is how lovers are, nervous and worried (solliciti).  She grows pale at the mention of Hector’s name, or at the mention of the victory of one of Troy’s other great champions, Memnon or Sarpedon. Here the testing of your mythological knowledge gets more intense. Hector: no problem there if you know the Iliad; the mention of the death of Antilochus is much trickier. Antilochus was a son of Nestor, mentioned in the Odyssey 4.187 as having been killed by the Ethiopian champion Memnon, son of the Dawn and a late arrival to Troy, after the Iliad ends.  Tlepolemus, according to Iliad 5.628–665, was killed by Sarpedon, another great Trojan ally, from Lycia. She identifies these heroes by their victims because she says she gets nervous any time he gets news that any Greek has been killed, “the heart of the lover grows colder than ice.” Again this emotion portrays her as a lover, not so much a wife, though of course a wife would be nervous, too.
Quandō ego nōn timuī graviōra perīcula vēris?
rēs est sollicitī plēna timōris amor.
in tē fingēbam violentōs Trōas itūrōs;
nōmine in Hectoreō pallida semper eram.
sīve quis Antilochum nārrābat ab hoste revictum,                             15
Antilochus nostrī causa timōris erat;
sīve Menoetiadēn falsīs cecidisse sub armīs,
flēbam successū posse carēre dolōs.

Ancius Manlius Severinus Boethius rose to high honors under Theodoric the Ostrogoth (ruler of the independent Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy between 493–526), but fell from favor, was tried for treason, wrongly condemned and imprisoned at Ticinum (Pavia). Sentenced to death and to forfeiture of all his property, Boethius was executed by sword, probably in the autumn of 524. The Consolatio philosophiae, written from prison, discusses such fundamental existential questions as ‘What values are there?’, ‘What is the highest good?’, ‘What is the relationship between Providence and free will?’ With a regular switch between prose and poetry, a dialogue takes place with Philosophy, which appears to the condemned man in prison. In this passage Boethius puts the ideal of philosophical fortitude in the face of corrupt power in 18 lovely hendecasyllabic lines.
Quisquis composito serenus aevo
Fatum sub pedibus egit superbum
Fortunamque tuens utramque rectus
Invictum potuit tenere vultum,
Non illum rabies minaeque ponti
Versum funditus exagitantis aestum
Nec ruptis quotiens vagus caminis
Torquet fumificos Vesaeuus ignes
Aut celsas soliti ferire turres
Ardentis via fulminis movebit.
Quid tantum miseri saevos tyrannos
Mirantur sine viribus furentes?
Nec speres aliquid nec extimescas,
Exarmaveris impotentis iram.
At quisquis trepidus pavet vel optat,
Quod non sit stabilis suique iuris,
Abiecit clipeum locoque motus
Nectit qua valeat trahi catenam.

Ovid on the Metamorphoses compares Hecuba to a lioness, not a tigress, but as I discuss based on Pliny and Valerius Flaccus, the two animals were grouped together in the Roman mind under the heading of savage mothers who get cubs stolen by raptores. For the best Safeguard your things go through this once.  In honor of the Netflix documentary Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness I though I would do an episode on tigers in Roman poetry.
I discuss the following passages:
Pliny, Natural Historry 8.66
Tigrim Hyrcani et Indi ferunt, animal velocitatis tremendae et maxime cognitae, dum capitur totus eius fetus, qui semper numerosus est. ab insidiante rapitur equo quam maxime pernici atque in recentes subinde transfertur. at ubi vacuum cubile reperit feta—maribus enim subolis cura non est—, fertur praeceps odore vestigans. raptor adpropinquante fremitu abicit unum ex catulis; tollit illa morsu et pondere etiam ocior acta remeat iterumque consequitur ac subinde, donec in navem regresso inrita feritas saevit in litore.
Hyrcania and India produce the tiger, an animal of terrific speed, which is most noticeable when the whole of its litter, which is always numerous, is being captured. The litter is taken by a man lying in wait with the swiftest horse obtainable, and is transferred successively to fresh horses. But when the mother tiger finds the lair empty (for the males do not look after their young) she rushes off at headlong speed, tracking them by scent. The captor when her roar approaches throws away one of the cubs. She snatches it up in her mouth, and returns and resumes the pursuit at even a faster pace owing to her burden, and so on in succession until the hunter has regained the ship and her ferocity rages vainly on the shore.
Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica 6.146-49
Exomatas venatus alit, nec clarior ullis arctos equis;
abeunt Hypanin fragilemque per undam
tigridis aut saevae profugi cum prole leaenae,
maestaque suspectae mater stupet aggere ripae.
The Exomatae live by the chase, nor is the North more famous for any steeds; over the Hypanis and its fragile waves they speed, carrying off in their flight the cub of a tiger or fierce lioness, while the mother stands dazed with grief on the rampart of the treacherous bank.
and Ovid, Metamorphoses  545 ff.
qua simul exarsit, tamquam regina maneret,         545
ulcisci statuit poenaeque in imagine tota est,
utque furit catulo lactente orbata leaena
signaque nacta pedum sequitur, quem non videt, hostem,
sic Hecabe, postquam cum luctu miscuit iram,
non oblita animorum, annorum oblita suorum,         550
vadit ad artificem dirae, Polymestora, caedis
conloquiumque petit; nam se monstrare relictum
velle latens illi, quod nato redderet, aurum.
credidit Odrysius praedaeque adsuetus amore
in secreta venit: tum blando callidus ore 555
‘tolle moras, Hecabe,’ dixit ‘da munera nato!
omne fore illius, quod das, quod et ante dedisti,
per superos iuro.’ spectat truculenta loquentem
falsaque iurantem tumidaque exaestuat ira
atque ita correpto captivarum agmina matrum         560
invocat et digitos in perfida lumina condit
expellitque genis oculos (facit ira potentem)
inmergitque manus foedataque sanguine sonti
non lumen (neque enim superest), loca luminis haurit.
As soon as her rage blazed out, as if she still were queen, she resolved on vengeance and was wholly absorbed in the punishment her imagination pictured. And as a lioness rages when her suckling cub has been stolen from her, and follows the tracks of her enemy, though she does not see him, so Hecuba, wrath mingling with her grief, regardless of her years but not her deadly purpose,

Catullus 13 (text: G.P. Goold, 1983, via PHI)
Cenabis bene, mi Fabulle, apud me
paucis, si tibi di favent, diebus,
si tecum attuleris bonam atque magnam
cenam, non sine candida puella
et vino et sale et omnibus cachinnis.              5
haec si, inquam, attuleris, venuste noster,
cenabis bene: nam tui Catulli
plenus sacculus est aranearum.
sed contra accipies meros amores
seu quid suavius elegantiusvest:                      10
nam unguentum dabo, quod meae puellae
donarunt Veneres Cupidinesque;
quod tu cum olfacies, deos rogabis,
totum ut te faciant, Fabulle, nasum.
Fabullus, come over in a few days
and you will dine well, gods willing.
Just bring along a fine and ample
dinner, and don’t forget a lovely girl.
Bring wine, wit, and all kinds of laughter.
Bring all this, my charming man,
and you will dine very well, I say,
for Catullus’ purse has only cobwebs.
In return you will get pure, unmixed
love, or something even more elegant:
I’ll give you a scent, passed on to
my girl by Venus and Cupid themselves.
And when you smell that, dear Fabullus,
you will beg the gods on your knees
to turn you into one colossal nose. (Trans. Chris Francese)
Martial, Epigrams 3.12 (text: Heraeus and Borovskiy, via PHI)
Convivis here, sed nihil scidisti.
Res salsa est bene olere et esurire.
Qui non cenat et unguitur, Fabulle,
Hic vere mihi mortuus videtur.                       5
The perfume you gave your guests yesterday was, I admit, a good one, but you carved nothing. It’s amusing to smell nice and go hungry. He who doesn’t dine but is anointed, Fabullus, really seems to me a corpse. (trans. William Fitzgerald)

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The world is moving away from proprietary, closed-off systems in favor of open and connected tools and services. As an open-source project, WordPress offers complete freedom, flexibility, and customizability.  Using WordPress means having access to an entire ecosystem of developers, designers, and WordPress-specialized agencies.

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J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (1997) has a delightful Latin version, Harrius Potter et Philosophi Lapis (2003), by Peter Needham. Needham taught Classics at Eton for over thirty years and also translated A Bear Called Paddington into Latin. In this edition of Latin Poetry Podcast we check out his elegant version of the Sorting Hat Song. The meter is the elegiac couplet.

discipuli, pulchrum si me non esse putatis,
externa specie plus valet ingenium.
nam petasus nusquam toto si quaeritis orbe
me melior vobis inveniendus erit.
lautitias odi: nolo tegmenta rotunda,
neve cylindratos tradite mi petasos.
Distribuens Petasus vobis Hogvartius adsum
cui petasos alias exsuperare datur.
Distribuens Petasus scrutatur pectora vestra,
quodque videre nequit nil latet in capite.
in caput impositus vobis ostendere possum
quae sit, vaticanans, optima cuique domus.
vos forsan iuvenes Gryffindor habebit alumnos;
hanc semper fortes incoluere domum.
gens hominum generosa illa est fortisque feroxque;
illi nulla potest aequiperare domus.
gentibus a iustis et fidis Huffle tenetur
Puff. adversa tamen scit domus illa pati.
hic homines animisque piis verique tenaces
invenietis. erit vestra secunda domus.
tertia restat adhuc Ravenclaw nomine dicta;
est vetus et sapiens ingeniisque favet.
sunt lepus hic hominum cultorum artesque Minervae;
discipulos similes hic habitare decet.
forsitan in Slytherin veri invenientur amici;
improbus es? fallax? haec erit apta domus.
ut rata vota habeant scelus omne patrandum est
gentibus his; quaerunt nil nisi lucra sua.
verticibus iubeo me vos imponere nec non
pectoribus firmis rem tolerare velim!
‘incolumes eritis petasi tutamine,’ dicunt,
‘cum careat manibus, cogitat ille tamen.’

And here is the J.K. Rowling original (via Mugglenet):
Oh, you may not think I’m pretty,
But don’t judge on what you see,
I’ll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I’m the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There’s nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can’t see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you’ve a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You’ll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don’t be afraid!
And don’t get in a flap!
You’re in safe hands (though I have none)
For I’m a Thinking Cap!
For an appreciation of Harrius Potter and how it can bring more Latin into your life, see Justin Slocum Bailey’s article from Eidolon 2017.
 
 

Ysengrimus is a Latin mock epic, an anthropomorphic series of fables written in 1148 or 1149 in Latin elegiac couplets. Its chief character is Isengrin the Wolf; the plot describes how the trickster figure Reynard the Fox overcomes Isengrin’s various schemes. This week’s Latin Poetry Podcast is a excerpt in which Isengin and Reynard collaborate to bamboozle a peasant and steal his bacon. The translation is by Ashley Roman Francese, from the Latin text edited by Jill Mann: Ysengrimus. Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library. Harvard University Press, 2013.
 

Claudian (ca. 370-ca.404 AD) is best known for his political poetry (he was associated with the court of the Roman emperor Honorius at Milan). But his miscellaneous carmina minora include a fascinating variety of shorter poems, such as a description of a marble chariot (CM 7), a sepulchral epigram on a beautiful woman (11), an invective against a poet with gout (13), and this poem on some marvelous mules.
Aspice morigeras Rhodani torrentis alumnas
imperio nexas imperioque uagas,
dissona quam uarios flectant ad murmura cursus
et certas adeant uoce regente uias.
quamuis quaeque sibi nullis discurrat habenis
et pateant duro libera colla iugo,
ceu constricta tamen seruit patiens que laborum
barbaricos docili concipit aure sonos.
 absentis longinqua ualent praecepta magistri
frenorum que uicem lingua uirilis agit.
 haec procul angustat sparsas spargit que coactas;
haec sistit rapidas, haec properare facit.
 laeua iubet? laeuo deducunt limite gressum.
mutauit strepitum? dexteriora petunt.
 nec uinclis famulae nec libertate feroces,
exutae laqueis, sub dicione tamen.
 incessu que pares et fuluis pellibus hirtae
esseda concordes multisonora trahunt.
 miraris si uoce feras pacauerit Orpheus,
cum pronas pecudes Gallica uerba regant?

Here is a translation by Chris Francese made for this episode.
Behold the compliant daughters of the rushing Rhone, interwoven by command and made to wander by command, see how they turn in various directions in response to various spoken commands and how the ruling voice directs them down fixed paths. Although each on goes its way without reins, and its neck is free from the harsh yoke, still it serves as if bound and works hard, listening to barbaric sounds with a docile ear. The far-off instructions of their absent master have their effect, and a man’s tongue serves as bridle and harness: this collects them when scattered, and scatters them when collected; this stops them as they run, and this makes them pick up speed. Does he order left? They step to the left. Has he changed his cry? They head to the right. Unchained slaves, but not defiant in their freedom, they have shaken off the halter but remain under control. With synchronized gate, their shaggy coats tawny, they harmoniously pull the noisy carts. Are you surprised that Orpheus tamed wild beasts with his voice, when Gallic words rule downward-looking beasts?

Horace Odes 1.4


Solvitur acris hiems grata vice veris et Favoni
trahuntque siccas machinae carinas,
ac neque iam stabulis gaudet pecus aut arator igni
nec prata canis albicant pruinis.
iam Cytherea choros ducit Venus imminente luna, 5
iunctaeque Nymphis Gratiae decentes
alterno terram quatiunt pede, dum gravis Cyclopum
Volcanus ardens visit officinas.
nunc decet aut viridi nitidum caput impedire myrto
aut flore, terrae quem ferunt solutae. 10
nunc et in umbrosis Fauno decet immolare lucis,
seu poscat agna sive malit haedo.
pallida Mors aequo pulsat pede pauperum tabernas
regumque turris. o beate Sesti,
vitae summa brevis spem nos vetat inchoare longam; 15
iam te premet nox fabulaeque Manes
et domus exilis Plutonia; quo simul mearis,
nec regna vini sortiere talis
nec tenerum Lycidan mirabere, quo calet iuventus
nunc omnis et mox virgines tepebunt.