NATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS CURRICULUM SUPPORT
Latin
Catullus and Ovid: Interpretation
Eng lish and La tin tex t w ith
a c co mp an ying no te s
[INTERMEDIATE 1]
Edited by Richard Orr

First published 1998
Electronic version 2001
© Scottish Consultative Council on the Curriculum 1998
This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part for educational purposes by
educational establishments in Scotland provided that no profit accrues at any stage.
ISBN 1 85955 146 7
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HIST O RY
3
CONTENTS
Catullus
CONTENTS
Foreword
Introduction
Passage 4 (Poem LI lines 1-12) in Latin with notes
Passage 5 (Poem V) in Latin with notes
Passage 6 (Poem III) in English with notes
Passage 7 (Poem LXX) in Latin with notes
Passage 8 (Poem LXXXV) in Latin with notes
Passage 9 (Poem VIII) in Latin with notes
Passage 10 (Poem LXXVI lines 13-26) in English with notes
Questions
Talking points
v
1
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
19
25
Ovid
Introduction
Passage 11 lines
lines
lines
lines
lines
End of the story
Questions
Talking points
27
1-10
10-17
18-31
32-41
42-50
30
32
34
36
38
40
41
45
LAT I N
iii
iv
LAT I N
FOREWORD
The content of this booklet largely reproduces material prepared by a writing
group for Strathclyde Regional Council and intended to support interpretation
of prescribed text.
Short sections of the prescribed text are accompanied by facing notes
designed to facilitate translation and interpretation. Vocabulary assistance is
also offered as appropriate.
Questions of an interpretive nature are also included at the end of each
selection from the author. These questions are designed to exercise the
required skills and can be used after each poem in the case of Catullus or
after longer sections of text in Ovid’s case.
Talking points are offered to supply a wider context and to stimulate
discussion.
LAT I N
v
vi
LAT I N
INTRODUCTION
Catullus
Gaius Valerius Catullus was born about 84 BC in the city of Verona in
northern Italy. His father was well-to-do and a friend of Julius Caesar.
Catullus probably came to Rome as a young man in his early twenties to
complete his education and begin a career. It was about this time he fell
under the spell of the beautiful married lady whom he addresses in his poems
as ‘Lesbia’. The affair with Lesbia was brief and very unhappy. Her
repeated infidelities drove the poet to extremes of love and hate and in the
end to despair and loathing.
At some point Catullus suffered another emotional blow, the death of a
brother to whom he was very close. The brother was buried in Asia Minor
near Troy. It was possibly with the intention of paying his last respects to his
brother’s grave that Catullus joined the staff of the Governor of Bithynia,
Gaius Memmius. His year in Bithynia (57-56 BC) was not especially
enjoyable or profitable. He was glad to return to Italy and his father’s villa
on the beautiful Lake Garda, just north of Verona.
Catullus spent most of his life in Rome where he mixed with a very ‘smart
set’ of sophisticated, well-educated young writers. He was also on friendly
terms with members of Roman high society. Catullus died in his thirtieth
year around 54 BC.
The poetry of Catullus
All that survives of Catullus’s work is a collection of one hundred and sixteen
poems of varying lengths. Catullus, like many others in his social position,
had a good knowledge of Greek and Greek literature. In particular he was
impressed by the Greek poets from Alexandria in Egypt which had become
the greatest centre for Greek education and lit erature. He borrowed many
ideas from these sophisticated and scholarly poets who lived and worked in
about 250 BC.
Like the Alexandrian poets Catullus could be sophisticated and scholarly
when necessary. But in his poetry he also uses colloquial speech, the
language of the ordinary people of Rome, to communicate and express his
emotions.
Catullus is very much a personal poet. His feelings and his emotions are the
subject of much of his poetry.
LAT I N
1
IN T RO D UC T IO N
Lesbia
Twenty six poems, mostly short, were written as a result of the poet’s affair
with Lesbia. But Lesbia was a poetic name only, a pseudonym concealing the
identity of a married woman. In using the name, Catullus was paying a
compliment also to Sappho, the Greek lyric poetess who lived and wrote on
the island of Lesbos in the Seventh Century BC.
Who then was Lesbia? There is evidence* that her real name was Clodia.
She may have been one of the three sisters of P. Clodius Pulcher, a politician
whose actions scandalised Roman society. Two of the sisters t hemselves had
scandalous reputations. It has been customary to identify Clodia as the eldest
sister, the wife of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Celer who was consul in 60 BC
and died in the following year. Her character was cruelly exposed by the
orator Cicero in his speech Pro Caelio delivered in 56 BC.
In the twenty six poems each phase of the passionate affair is recorded for all
time. There is the exhilaration of newly-discovered love, the hopes of a deep
and lasting relationship and the gathering cloud s of doubt, misgivings,
suspicion. Love alternates with hatred and at times renunciation, loathing
and disgust.
*The writer Apuleius (Apologia 10)
2
LAT I N
LAT I N
3
CA TU L L U S
PASSAGE FOUR
Poem LI
Catullus is envious of the man who sits opposite Lesbia.
ille mi par esse deo videtur,
ille, si fas est, superare divos,
qui sedens adversus identidem te
spectat et audit
5
dulce ridentem, misero quod omnes
eripit sensus mihi: nam simul te,
Lesbia, aspexi, nihil est super mi
vocis in ore.
10
lingua sed torpet, tenuis sub artus
flamma demanat, sonitu suopte
tintinant aures, gemina teguntur
lumina nocte.
par, paris
sum, esse, fui
deus, -i (m)
fas (n)
supero (1)
divus, -i (m)
qui, quae, quod
sedeo (2)
adversus
specto (1)
audio (4)
dulcis, -is, -e
rideo (2)
miser, -era, -erum
omnis, -is, -e
demano (1)
4
LAT I N
equal
be
god
right
be better than
god
who, which
sit
opposite
look at
listen to
sweet
laugh
miserable, unhappy
all
flow down
eripio (3) + accus. and dat.
snatch away
from
sensus, -us (m)
feeling, sense
aspicio (3) aspexi
look at
nihil
nothing
super
left over
vox, vocis (f)
voice
lingua, -ae (f)
tongue
torpeo (2)
be numb,
paralysed
tenuis, -is, -e
fine, subtle
sub (+ accus.)
under, below
artus, -us (m)
limb
flamma, -ae (f)
flame
auris, -is (f)
ear
CA TU L L U S
line 1
ille
mi
videtur
‘that man’. Catullus does not tell us who
that man is.
= mihi
‘seems’
line 2
si fas est
‘if that is allowed’. Having dared to
suggest that a mortal could be the equal of
a god in line 1, Catullus is about to make
an even more daring suggestion – that a
human could surpass the gods. To avert
the anger of the gods Catullus includes this
excuse.
line 3
identidem
‘repeatedly’. Take with spectat (line 4).
line 5
dulce ridentem
This describes te (line 3) – ‘your sweet
laughter’ lit. ‘you laughing sweetly’.
Take with mihi (line 6). See note on line
6.
‘this’ lit. ‘which’ – refers to all the
experiences of lines 1-5.
Take with sensus (line 6).
misero
quod
omnes
line 6
mihi (misero)
simul
lines 7-8
nihil est super mi
vocis in ore
lines 9-10 tenuis sub artus
flamma demanat
‘from me in my unhappiness’ lit. ‘from
unhappy me’
‘as soon as’
‘I am left speechless’ lit. ‘there is (est) no
voice (nihil vocis) left over (super) to me
(mi) in my mouth (in ore)’.
‘an invisible fire spreads through my
system’.
The fire of love!
line 10
sonitu suopte
‘with their own sound’. The poet has
ringing noises in his ears.
line 11
tintinant
‘ring’. Catullus chooses a word which
sounds like its meaning. This is an
example of onomatopoeia. Compare the
English word ‘buzz’.
lines 11-12 gemina teguntur
lumina nocte
‘my two eyes are covered by darkness’.
lit. ‘my eyes (lumina) are covered
(teguntur) by twin night (gemina nocte)’.
LAT I N
5
CA TU L L U S
PASSAGE FIVE
Poem V
Catullus is in love with Lesbia. It is the start of t he affair. He wants Lesbia
to love him in return. Life, he says, is for living and loving.
vivamus, mea Lesbia, atque amemus,
rumoresque senum severiorum
omnes unius aestimemus assis!
soles occidere et redire possunt:
nobis cum semel occidit brevis lux,
nox est perpetua una dormienda
5
The exact number of their kisses must never be known or bad luck could be
the consequence.
10
da mi basia mille, deinde centum,
dein mille altera, dein secunda centum,
deinde usque altera mille, deinde centum.
dein, cum milia multa fecerimus,
conturbabimus illa, ne sciamus,
aut ne quis malus invidere possit,
cum tantum sciat esse basiorum.
vivo (3)
rumor, -oris (m)
senex, -is (m)
severus, -a, -um
unus, -a, -um
sol, solis (m)
occido (3)
redeo, redire
possum, posse
lux, lucis (f)
nox, noctis (f)
perpetuus, -a, -um
dormio (4)
6
LAT I N
live
gossip, talk
old man
severe, critical
one
sun
set, go down
return
be able
light
night
everlasting
sleep
do (1)
basium, -i (n)
mille, pl. milia
centum
dein = deinde
alter, -era, -erum
secundus, -a, -um
usque
facio (3) feci
scio (4)
aut
invideo (2)
cum
give
kiss
thousand
hundred
then, next
another,
a second
second
continuously,
without stopping
make
know
or
put a spell on
when
CA TU L L U S
line 1
line 2
line 3
line 4
line 5
line 6
line 7
line 9
line 10
line 11
line 12
line 13
‘let us live’ – present subjunctive
Catullus uses a pseudonym to hide the real
identity of his girlfriend. (See Introduction.)
amemus
‘let us love’ – present subjunctive
senum severiorum
‘of too critical old men’
omnes unius
Take omnes with rumores (line 2) and unius
with assis. Catullus places omnes and
unius side by side to contrast one and all.
unius ... assis
‘at the value of one penny’. The as was a
copper coin of little value.
aestimemus
‘let us value’ – present subjunctive
soles
‘the sun each day’ lit. ‘suns’
We know that the next day will dawn, and
the sun will set in the evening. But our
life’s light may not return next day.
nobis
Take with dormienda (line 6).
cum semel
‘when once and for all’
brevis lux
‘our brief light’ i.e. our life. Again two
words are placed together for effect; lux
and nox are contrasted.
(nobis) est … dormienda ‘we must sleep through’
nox ... perpetua
The everlasting night is the night of death,
which no one can escape.
mi
= mihi
mille ... centum
Catullus uses hundreds and thousands in
the same way as a Roman accountant
would use hundreds and thousands in his
calculations.
usque
‘without stopping’
fecerimus
‘we have made a total of’
conturbabimus illa
‘we will wreck the count’ (Catullus
continues with the idea of the accountant.):
conturbare is a word used in accountancy
meaning to become bankrupt while
concealing assets. This idea of
concealment also applies to the lovers –
they will hide the number of their kisses
and so deprive malicious persons of the
opportunity to do any harm.
ne sciamus
‘so that we don’t know it’
aut ne quis malus
‘or that no evil person can cast a spell on
us’ lit. ‘or (aut) in case (ne) any (quis)
evil person (malus) can (possit) cast a spell
(invidere)’
tantum ... esse
‘that our kisses are so many’ The exact
basiorum
number of kisses might be used in a spell
against them, if some evil person knew the
total and wanted to bring Catullus and
Lesbia under his power. That is why the
lovers will wreck the total.
vivamus
mea Lesbia
LAT I N
7
CA TU L L U S
PASSAGE SIX
Poem III
Lesbia’s pet bird is dead! Catullus has composed a lament (mock serious) for
the dead bird as it makes its way to the Underworld.
5
10
15
20
25
8
O goddesses and gods of love,
And all you mortals who above
The common herd love lovely love,
Put mourning on:
Sparrow is dead – my girl’s;
Sparrow the pet – my girl’s;
The one she loved (and you know her)
More than her own dear famous eyes. For
It was her honey, and as well
As a girl knows her mother it knew Herself
And from her lap it never moved away,
But hopping round about, now here, now there,
Ever it chirped its song
To mistress alone;
And now it goes by the shadowed way –
That way from which they say
No one returns.
And you, may evil come to you,
You evil shades of Orcus, who
Devour all pretty things:
So pretty it was, I say,
The sparrow you took away.
O the wicked thing to do!
O wretched little sparrow! You
Are why just now those eyes –
My girl’s – are swollen, reddening as she cries.
(Poor little eyes!)
LAT I N
CA TU L L U S
lines 1-4
Catullus begins with a powerful prayer to the spirits of love.
We wait to hear what terrible disaster has happened: who has
died?
lines 5-8
Now comes the anti-climax. It is the sparrow! Lesbia loved
the sparrow more than her own eyes.
lines 9-14
Lesbia and the sparrow were very close. The bird knew its
mistress (Herself) as a girl knows her mother; it was devoted to
her.
lines 15-17
Now the sparrow takes a one-way trip to the dark and gloomy
Underworld. A humorous touch! The Romans did not
seriously believe that animals went down to Hades!
lines 18-23
Catullus curses Orcus, the god of the Underworld.
lines 24-27
The poem ends by lamenting the effects the sparrow’s death
has had on Lesbia.
LAT I N
9
CA TU L L U S
PASSAGE SEVEN
Poem LXX
Lesbia declares that Catullus is the only man for her, but Catullus is troubled
by doubts.
nulli se dicit mulier mea nubere malle
quam mihi, non si se Iuppiter ipse petat.
dicit: sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti,
in vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua.
nulli - dative of nemo
dico (3)
nubo (3) + dat.
malo, malle
peto (3)
amans, amantis
ventus, -i (m)
rapidus, -a, -um
10
LAT I N
nobody
say
marry
prefer
ask, seek
lover
wind
running, flowing
CA TU L L U S
lines 1-2
nulli se ... nubere malle
‘that there’s no one she would rather
marry than me’ lit. ‘that she (se)
prefers (malle) to marry (nubere) no
one (nulli) (more) than me (quam
mihi). nubere can refer to any sexual
relationship as well as marriage.
line 1
mulier
‘mistress’
line 2
non si
se
Iuppiter ipse
‘not even if’
‘her’
‘Jupiter in person’ – ‘Not even if
Jupiter himself asks me’ was a
proverbial saying or oath used by
lovers. It could be considered a
great honour to be chosen by the
King of the Gods! Jupiter was
notorious for making love to mortal
women.
line 3
mulier cupido quod
dicit amanti
cupido ... amanti
Begin with quod ‘what’
scribere oportet
‘should be written’ lit. ‘(one) ought
to write’
‘on running water’ – another
proverbial saying
line 4
rapida ... aqua
‘to her eager lover’
LAT I N
11
CA TU L L U S
PASSAGE EIGHT
Poem LXXXV
A brief expression of the agony of Catullus’ conflicting feelings for Lesbia.
odi et amo, quare id faciam, fortasse requiris.
nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior.
odi, odisse
amo (1)
quare
is, ea, id
fortasse
requiro (3)
nescio (4)
fio, fieri, factus sum
sentio (4)
excrucio
12
LAT I N
hate
love
why
he, she, it; that
perhaps
ask
not to know
happen
feel
torture, rack
CA TU L L U S
line 1
odi et amo
The language used in this short poem is
simple, striking and sincere.
line 2
excrucior
The meaning of this verb is ‘to put on the
rack’, ‘to torture like a slave’. By
Catullus’ time it had lost its original force
in everyday speech, much as we say ‘It
was torture’ when we just mean something
was pretty unpleasant.
Catullus gives it back much of the original
force here by placing it in the emphatic
position at the end of the line. Being the
final word in the poem, it stresses the
torment he feels, and it is this torment
which remains in our minds.
LAT I N
13
CA TU L L U S
PASSAGE NINE
Poem VIII
The end of this affair. Lesbia has left him and Catullus is in despair. He
reminisces about happier times.
miser Catulle, desinas ineptire,
et quod vides perisse perditum ducas.
fulsere quondam candidi tibi soles,
cum ventitabas quo puella ducebat
amata nobis quantum amabitur nulla.
ibi illa multa cum iocosa fiebant,
quae tu volebas nec puella nolebat,
fulsere vere candidi tibi soles.
5
Catullus must be firm and say good-bye. Lesbia will be sorry. Her future is
a lonely one. But Catullus must be firm.
10
15
nunc iam illa non vult: tu quoque inpotens noli,
nec quae fugit sectare, nec miser vive,
sed obstinata mente perfer, obdura.
vale, puella. iam Catullus obdurat,
nec te requiret nec rogabit invitam.
at tu dolebis, cum rogaberis nulla.
scelesta, vae te, quae tibi manet vita?
quis nunc te adibit? cui videberis bella?
quem nunc amabis? cuius esse diceris?
quem basiabis? cui labella mordebis?
at tu, Catulle, destinatus obdura.
miser, -era, -erum
video (2)
pereo, perire, perii
perditus, -a, -um
duco (3)
fulgeo (2) fulsi
quondam
candidus, -a, -um
cum
puella, -ae (f)
quantum
fio, fieri
qui, quae, quod
volo, velle, volui
vere
nunc
14
LAT I N
wretched, miserable
see
perish, be lost
lost
consider; lead (line 4)
shine
once, formerly
bright
when
girl
as much as
happen, take place
who, which
wish, want
truly, really
now
inpotens
sector (1)
vivo (3)
obduro (1)
nec... nec
at
doleo (2)
rogo (1)
maneo (2)
vita, -ae (f)
quis, quid?
adeo, adire
amo (1)
basio (1)
mordeo (2)
destinatus,
-a, -um
weak, undisciplined
follow, pursue
live
stand firm
neither ... nor
but
be sorry
ask
remain, await
life
who, what?
approach
love
kiss
bite
determine
CA TU L L U S
line 1
desinas ineptire
line 2
et quod vides perisse
perditum ducas
line 3
fulsere = fulserunt
soles
candidi tibi
ventitabas
quo
amata nobis
line 4
line 5
line 6
line 7
line 9
line 10
line 11
line 13
line 14
line 15
line 16
line 17
line 18
line 19
quantum amabitur
nulla
ibi illa multa cum
iocosa
fiebant
‘stop (desinas) being silly’. The use of the
present subjunctive to express a command
is colloquial. So also ducas in line 2.
‘and what you see has been lost (perisse),
you should consider (ducas) written off
(perditum)’ Catullus uses the language of
accountancy. A bad debt is written off
when there is no chance of getting the
money back.
‘the sunlight’ lit. ‘suns’
‘bright on you’, literally ‘for you’
‘you kept going’
‘where’
This describes puella – ‘who was loved
(amata) by me (nobis)’.
‘as no woman (nulla) will ever be loved’
‘there (ibi) when (cum) those many happy
scenes (illa multa iocosa) took place
(fiebant)’
nec puella nolebat
‘and your girlfriend did not refuse’
nunc iam
‘now as things are’
illa
‘she’ referring, of course, to Lesbia
tu quoque inpotens noli ‘You also, weak man, do not desire!’
nec quae fugit sectare ‘nor run after (sectare) a woman who runs
away’
sectare
imperative of sector
miser
‘in misery’
obstinata mente perfer ‘endure it with determination’ lit. ‘endure
with determined mind’
obdura
‘stand fast’
te requiret
‘he will seek you out’
rogabit invitam
‘will he invite you against your will’
rogaberis nulla
‘you will get no invitations at all’
scelesta
‘poor wretch’ (scelestus can also mean
‘wicked’)
vae te
‘pity on you!’
quae
Take with vita.
cui videberis bella?
‘Who will think you pretty?’ lit. ‘to whom
will you seem (videberis) pretty?’
cuius esse diceris?
‘Whose girlfriend will people say you
are?’ lit. ‘Whose (cuius) will you be said
(diceris) to be?’
cui labella
‘Whose lips?’
destinatus obdura
‘be determined and stand fast!’
LAT I N
15
CA TU L L U S
PASSAGE TEN
Poem LXXVI
The affair is over. The poet still suffers from the painful after -effects. Only
the gods can cure him. He prays for such a cure.
5
10
15
20
16
Instant recovery from a chronic love
Is difficult, but this is what you must
Somehow achieve: this is the only way
Of getting better; you must get the better
Of this, once and for all; you must do this,
Whether it can be done or cannot be.
O gods, if it is in your power to pity,
Or if to any you have ever brought
Help at the last, even at death’s very door,
Look upon me in all my wretchedness,
And, if in my past life I have kept faith,
Tear out of me this plague and pestilence
Which, creeping like a numbness deep inside
My limbs, has cast out joy from my whole heart.
No longer do I ask, as once I did,
That she should love me with an answering love;
Nor do I ask for the impossible –
That she should wish to have no other love.
My prayer is for myself: my health and strength –
Recovery from this sickness that I loathe.
O gods, grant this to me for my devotion.
LAT I N
CA TU L L U S
line 1
chronic = long lasting (often used to describe an illness)
lines 1-6
Catullus addresses himself, as in Passage 9 (page 14). His
illness is the result of the affair.
lines 7-14
He prays to the gods to cure him in return for his faithfulness
to them in the past.
lines 15-21
This prayer is unlike his former prayers – that Lesbia should
love him and that she should be faithful to him. That is
impossible! Instead he returns to his former prayer and seeks a
cure for himself.
LAT I N
17
18
LAT I N
CA TU L L U S
QUESTIONS
Passage 4 (Poem LI)
1.
Read lines 1-5
Catullus expresses his envy at the good fortune of the ‘other man’.
(a)
Why is he envious?
(b)
Why compare the other man to a god?
(c)
In contrast to the happiness of the ‘other man’ what is the
poet’s state of mind? Write down and translate the Latin word
in line 5 which reveals this.
2.
Si fas est (line 2)
Translate this and explain why the poet feels he must use these words.
3.
In the poem there are three people: the other man, Catullus and Lesbia.
Write down and translate the Latin phrase which describes Lesbia in
line 5.
4.
(a)
Write down in English four sensations Catullus experiences on
seeing Lesbia.
(b)
Do you find the description of these sensations convincing?
Try to explain with reference to the text.
5.
Which of the following words best expresses Catullus’s feeling for the
‘other man’:
envy? hate? admiration? anger?
Why do you think so?
LAT I N
19
Q U ES T IO NS
Passage 5 (Poem V)
1. What people are likely to criticise Catullus and Lesbia?
Write down the Latin word which means ‘critical’. Why should these
people be critical in your opinion?
2. Write down and translate the Latin words which Catullus uses to tell
Lesbia they should not care at all about the criticism.
3. In lines 5-6 Catullus uses the words lux and nox. What are the usual
meanings of these words? What extra meaning do they have in this poem?
4. What is the main idea in lines 4-6?
Write down and translate the Latin words in line 1 which suggest what the
lovers should now do to cope with the situation de scribed in these lines.
5. What evil or sinister element is to be found in the poem? How does
Catullus propose to deal with this?
6. Do you think that Catullus believed in life after death? (See lines 5 -6.)
Try to explain your answer.
7. How would you describe the attitude of Catullus in the poem? Do you
sympathise with it?
Passage 6 (Poem III)
1.
How serious are the emotions we are meant to have for the dead
sparrow?
2.
Why does Catullus use the word evil to describe Orcus?
3.
O wretched little sparrow! (line 24)
Does this phrase show that:
(a)
(b)
(c)
Catullus was really fond of the sparrow and pitied it?
Catullus isn’t really serious about his feelings?
Catullus is annoyed that the sparrow has made Lesbia cry?
You may choose more than one of these. Explain why you have made
your choice.
20
LAT I N
Q U ES T IO NS
Passage 7 (Poem LXX)
1.
nulli (line 1). Translate this word. Why in your opinion does Catullus
place this word at the beginning of the poem?
2.
Why does Lesbia use Jupiter’s name to try to convince Catullus that she
prefers him to all others?
3.
dicit (line 3). Which of the following do you consider to be the best
translation of this word: ‘She says’; ‘She says this’; ‘This is what she
says’?
Explain why you have made this choice.
4.
Read lines 3-4.
5.
(a)
What images does the poet use to tell us what he thinks about the
truth of Lesbia’s declarations? What do the images mean?
(b)
cupido ... amanti Explain how Catullus realises that he is at a
disadvantage in the relationship with Lesbia.
How hopeful about his future with Lesbia do you think Catullus really
is here? Explain your thinking.
Passage 8 (Poem LXXXV)
1.
What conflicting emotions does Catullus claim to feel?
Do you think that it is possible to feel these emotions for the same
person at the same time? Explain your answer.
2.
Catullus claims not to know why he feels as he does.
Suggest reasons why he might be feeling these conflicting emotions.
3.
Do you think that Catullus succeeds in conveying (a) the torment and
(b) the helplessness which he feels?
Quote words or phrases from the Latin to support your answer.
4.
How far do you think this poem leads on from Catullus’ feelings in
Passage 7 (page 10)?
LAT I N
21
Q U ES T IO NS
Passage 9 (Poem VIII)
1.
What practical advice does Catullus give himself in lines 1 -2?
2.
(a)
(b)
What image does he use in line 3 to describe his happiness in
the past?
The image is repeated in line 8. What is the effect of the
words fulsere vere?
3.
In line 9 what does nunc mean? Find and translate a Latin word in line
3 which corresponds to nunc.
4.
Which Latin words in line 12 show that Catullus is finally finished with
Lesbia? Translate them.
5.
Quote and translate one line in the poem which indicates that Catullus
feels his love for Lesbia has been unique and like no other love affair.
6.
Write down and translate the Latin word in line 14 which describes how
Lesbia will feel when no longer invited to go out with Catullus.
7.
Read lines 15-18
(a)
(b)
(c)
What word is used in line 15 to describe Lesbia’s future state?
Give as many meanings of the word as you can.
Describe the kind of future which lies ahead of Lesbia
(according to Catullus).
What is the answer to all the questions asked in lines 16 -18?
Why do you think Catullus asks so many questions in these
lines?
8.
Write down and translate a Latin word which you consider to be a key
word in the poem. Why have you chosen this word?
9.
at tu; Catullus begins two lines in the poem with these words. Whom is
he addressing in (a) line 14 (b) line 19?
10.
Read lines 12-19. Do you consider that Catullus shows here that he will
be capable of following the advice he gives himself in line 2? Try to
explain your answer fully.
11.
Which of the following statements best sum(s) up the thoughts and
feelings of Catullus at the end of the poem?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
22
LAT I N
He
He
He
He
He
He
could not care less about Lesbia.
realises he will be better off without her.
still loves her.
is bitter about her.
is very sad and depressed.
must make a determined effort to forget her.
Q U ES T IO NS
Passage 10 (Poem LXXVI)
1.
Throughout the poem Catullus uses words relating to health and illness
to describe his condition. Write down as many of these words as you
can.
2.
What prayer does Catullus make here? In what respects are the tone
and content similar to Passage 9 (page 14) and how do they differ?
3.
Why does Catullus believe that his prayers should be answered by the
gods?
LAT I N
23
Q U ES T IO NS
24
LAT I N
CA TU L L U S
TALKING POINTS
1. The text of the poems
The poems of Catullus remained popular for at least two hundred and fifty
years after his death. They were read by the educated members of Roman
society but were not widely available. We must remember that Roman books
were manuscripts – copied out laboriously by hand. Unlike pupils in our own
schools, Roman pupils did not read Catullus. His poetry was considered
unsuitable for young minds! Since he was not read in schools, demand for
his poetry faded over the centuries. All his work might have been lost had it
not been for one single copy which survived in a library in Verona, the p oet’s
birthplace. This copy was found in the Thirteenth Century but vanished a
century later. Fortunately two copies had already been made of it. The
copies contained many errors. But scholars by careful study have been able
as far as possible to reproduce the original text written by Catullus more than
two thousand years ago.
Do you consider that his poetry is likely to survive another two thousand
years?
2. Lyric poetry
The term ‘lyric’ is often used nowadays to refer to the words of ‘pop’ music.
But originally in ancient Greece a lyric was ‘song accompanied by a musical
instrument which is normally but not necessarily the lyre’.*
A special kind of lyric poetry flourished on the Greek island of Lesbos in the
Seventh Century BC. The poetess Sappho and the poet Alcaeus ‘produced a
personal poetry concerned with the emotions and interests of their own
lives.’*
Catullus paid a great tribute to Sappho in using the name Lesbia (‘Woman of
Lesbos’) as the pseudonym for his own girlfriend. Poem LI, our Passage 4, is
adapted from one of the few of her lyrics to survive. Here is a translation of
Sappho’s poem (Book 1, Poem 2).
He seems to me equal to a god,
The man who sits opposite you
And hears your sweet voice and winning laughter.
How it has made the heart in my breast beat fast!
For when I look upon you,
My voice fails me; I am tongue-tied.
* Oxford Classical Dictionary (2 n d Edition)
LAT I N
25
TA L K I N G P O I N TS
A subtle fire courses through my flesh,
My eyes grow dim, my ears sing;
Sweat pours down me, trembling takes me altogether;
I am paler than the grass
And death seems not far away ...
Compare this translation with Passage 4 (page 4). What similarities can you
detect?
26
LAT I N
O VI D
INTRODUCTION
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso, known to us as ‘Ovid’ but to the Romans as ‘Na so’,
was born in 43 BC at Sulmo, a town about 80 miles east of Rome. His family
was well-to-do; his father had the rank of knight ( eques). He was sent with
his elder brother to Rome for his secondary education. He continued his
education at Athens and seemed set to follow a career in public service like
so many young men of his social class.
Ovid did go on to hold two minor government posts. The first of these was
one of the tresviri capitales – in charge of prisons and executions. But such a
career had little appeal to Ovid. His true vocation lay in poetry which he had
already started to write while in his teens. He became a full -time poet and in
the course of twenty-five years had published:
the
the
the
the
Amores (‘Loves’)
Heroides (‘Love Letters of Heroines’)
Ars Amatoria (‘Art of Love’)
Remedia Amoris (‘Remedies for Love’)
As these titles indicate, love was the theme of his poetry and he became
known as the poet of love. All these works were written in elegiacs, a metre
which had been much used by other poets before him.
But he had more ambitious projects in mind. For eight years until his 50th
birthday he worked on two long poems which he hoped would win him the
lasting reputation of being a great poet. One of these, the Fasti, describes the
Roman Calendar and Roman festivals and their origins. The other, the
Metamorphoses (‘Transformations’), is a vast collection of myths or legends
written in dactylic hexameters – the metre of epic poetry.
In AD 8, when he had nearly finished writing the Metamorphoses, misfortune
struck Ovid. Suddenly and without warning he was ordered by the Emperor
Augustus to leave Italy and live in exile at Tomis, a remote Roman settlement
on the Black Sea in what is now Romania.
Ovid claims that a ‘poem and mistake’ caused his downfall. The poem was
probably the Ars Amatoria. Its scandalous content had offended the Emperor
who was trying hard to raise moral standards in Roman society. But the
‘mistake’ is something of a mystery. It is sometimes assumed that Ovid was
in some way involved with Julia, the Emperor’s daughter who had a very bad
reputation. We shall never know.
LAT I N
27
IN T RO D UC T IO N
Ovid spent the rest of his life at Tomis. In spite of many and increasingly
pathetic appeals to the Emperor, he was never allowed to ret urn. Two poems,
the Tristia and Epistulae ex Ponto, vividly and sadly described his life at
Tomis.
The poet had been married three times. First, when only a youth he had been
married to a girl who was ‘neither suitable nor useful’, then to a ‘blameless’
woman who bore him a daughter, lastly to a widow who already had a
daughter. Only the third marriage was happy. His third wife stayed behind
in Rome to try to win forgiveness for Ovid and his return to Rome. But it
was all in vain. Ovid died at Tomis in AD 17 or 18.
The Metamorphoses
The Metamorphoses is a huge work in fifteen books which contains more than
twelve thousand lines and two hundred stories all dealing with the theme of
change or transformation. The word metamorphosis is Greek and means ‘a
change of form’. The poem starts at the beginning of the world with the
change from chaos into an ordered universe; then it conducts us through
Greek mythology to the Trojan War and the beginning of Roman civilisation
in Italy. Finally it comes to the Roman kings and the tranformation of Julius
Caesar into a star to bring greater glory to his adopted son, the Emperor
Augustus.
Ovid has plenty of choice for this Fairy Tale Omnibus and he joins all the
stories together with great skill. The stories ar e very varied but mostly they
describe a change of form in some way or other. For example, Arachne
insulted the goddess Athene by suggesting that she was more talented at
weaving than the goddess. Athene in fury forced Arachne to hang herself
with a thread and changed her into a spider. Niobe offended the goddess Leto
by boasting that she had seven sons and daughters whereas Leto had only one
son and one daughter. Leto’s children, Apollo and Artemis, killed Niobe’s
children in revenge and Niobe herself was then turned into stone.
The story of Daedalus and Icarus in Book 8 does not exactly fit this pattern
but we are told how Daedalus and Icarus try in a sense to change themselves
into birds by wearing wings and how the island of Icaria and the Icarian S ea
got their names. The purpose of the poem is not always to describe a change
but rather to tell a story and Ovid is a superb story -teller. He also encourages
us to consider the characters in his stories as real people with real feelings
and emotions which we can understand.
Daedalus and Icarus
According to the myth Daedalus was an Athenian artist and craftsman who
won great fame for his painting and sculpture and for the cleverness of his
inventions. (His name in Greek means ‘ingenious, clever worke r’.)
However, he became jealous of the skill of his apprentice, his nephew Talus
28
LAT I N
IN T RO D UC T IO N
who was proving something of an inventor also – he had invented the potter’s
wheel and the saw (from observing the backbone of a fish). In a rage
Daedalus threw Talus from the Acropolis or (in another version of the story)
into the sea and killed him.
As a result of his crime Daedalus was forced to flee from Athens and live in
exile in Crete where the powerful King Minos and his Queen Pasiphae
received him and made use of his inventive skills.
Among his inventions in Crete was the Labyrinth which he constructed for
King Minos to house the Minotaur. This terrifying creature, half man and
half bull, was the offspring of Queen Pasiphae’s love for a beautiful bull.
The Labyrinth was a bewildering maze of tunnels and passages from which
escape was virtually impossible. In the middle of the Labyrinth was the
Minotaur which fed on human flesh.
The Athenians, who were subjects of King Minos’s empire, were forced to
send annually, as tribute, seven youths and seven maidens to be food for the
Minotaur. Theseus, the son of the King of Athens volunteered to go to Crete
as one of the seven youths. Fortunately for him, Ariadne, Minos’s daughter
fell in love with him and resolved to help him. She consulted Daedalus who
advised her that the only means of escaping from the Labyrinth would be to
follow back a thread fastened to the entrance. Ariadne provided Theseus with
the required thread and a sword in return for a promise of marriage . Theseus
slew the Minotaur and released the seven youths and seven maidens.
Theseus, Ariadne and the others set sail for Athens. They first landed on the
island of Naxos but here Ariadne was left behind, deserted by Theseus
(according to one version of the story).
Daedalus along with his son Icarus was shut up in the Labyrinth by Minos,
either as punishment for his part in helping Theseus or to ensure that he
continued to provide Minos with the benefits of his inventive nature. It is at
this point that our story begins.
LAT I N
29
O VI D
PASSAGE ELEVEN
Lines 1-10
Longing for his home Daedalus decides to escape from Crete by the only
possible route – the sky!
Daedalus interea Creten longumque perosus
exilium, tactusque loci natalis amore,
clausus erat pelago. ‘terras licet’ inquit ‘et undas
obstruat, at caelum certe patet; ibimus illac:
omnia possideat, non possidet aera Minos.’
5
Daedalus sets to work to build a strange, winged contraption which will make
him like a bird.
10
dixit, et ignotas animum dimittit in artes
naturamque novat. nam ponit in ordine pennas.
tum lino medias et ceris alligat imas
atque ita compositas parvo curvamine flectit
ut veras imitetur aves.
(continued)
interea
perosus, -a, -um
exilium, -i (n)
tango (3) tetigi, tactum
locus natalis (m)
amor, -oris (m)
claudo (3) clausi, clausum
pelagus, -i (n)
terra, -ae (f)
inquit
unda, -ae (f)
obstruo (3)
at
caelum, -i (n)
certe
eo, ire, ivi
possideo (2)
aer, aeris (m)
30
LAT I N
meanwhile
loathing, hating
exile
touch, move
birth place
love
shut up
sea
land
he said
wave, water
stop up, barricade
but
sky
certainly, at any rate
go
own, possess
air
animus, -i (m)
dimitto (3)
ars, artis (f)
novo (1)
mind
direct, apply
skill
make new,
change
pono (3)
put, place
penna, -ae (f)
feather
tum
then
linum, -i (n)
thread,
string
cera, -ae (f)
wax
alligo (1)
bind, tie to
compono (3) composui,
compositum
arrange
parvus, -a, -um small
imitor (1)
imitate
avis, avis (f)
bird
O VI D
line 1
Creten
accusative case
line 2
tactus
‘moved’, ‘filled with’ lit. ‘touched’; see tango
line 3
clausus erat
‘was cut off’ lit. ‘had been shut off’; see
claudo
Crete is an island and Daedalus cannot
escape because of the sea.
lines 3-4
terras licet ... et undas ‘he (Minos) may block (obstruat) the land
and
obstruat
sea’
licet
lit. ‘it is allowed that ...’
licet is followed by the subjunctive
(obstruat)
line 4
illac
‘by that route’, ‘that way’
line 5
possideat ... Minos
‘Minos may have control of’ or ‘Minos
may possess’
possideat is present subjunctive
accusative case
aera
line 6
dixit, et
ignotas ... artes
animum dimittit
line 7
naturamque novat
in ordine
‘with this comment’ lit. ‘he said (this) and’
‘skills which have never been tried’ lit.
‘unknown (ignotas) skills (artes)’
‘he applies his mind’ or ‘he directs his
attention’ lit. ‘he sends (dimittit) his mind
(animum) in different directions’
‘he changes his own nature’ (because he is
making himself into a bird) or ‘he changes
Nature’ (because he is altering the laws of
Nature)
‘in a row’ or ‘one after the other’
lines 8-9
medias ... imas
... compositas
All these words describe the feathers
(pennas line 7). In English repeat the
word ‘feathers’.
line 8
medias
ceris
‘the feathers in the middle’ lit. ‘the middle
feathers’
‘the feathers at the bottom’ lit. ‘the bottom
feathers’
‘with pieces of wax’
line 9
ita compositas
parvo curvamine
‘arranged in this way’; see compono.
‘with a gentle curve’
line 10
ut ... imitetur
‘to imitate’ or ‘to copy’
imas
LAT I N
31
O VI D
Lines 10-17
Icarus does not take his father’s work seriously and g ets in the way. But
Daedalus finishes the machine and tries it on for size.
10
15
puer Icarus una
stabat et, ignarus sua se tractare pericla,
ore renidenti modo quas vaga moverat aura
captabat plumas, flavam modo pollice ceram
mollibat, lusuque suo mirabile patris
impediebat opus. postquam manus ultima coepto
imposita est, geminas opifex libravit in alas
ipse suum corpus, motaque pependit in aura.
(continued)
puer, pueri (m)
sto (1)
ignarus, -a, -um
tracto (1)
os, oris (n)
qui, quae, quod
vagus, -a, -um
aura, -ae (f)
capto (1)
pluma, -ae (f)
flavus, -a, -um
pollex, -icis (m)
mollio (4)
lusus, -us (m)
mirabilis, -is, -e
pater, patris (m)
32
LAT I N
boy
stand
not knowing
handle
mouth
who, which
changing, unsettled
breeze, air
catch at, chase
feather
yellow
thumb
soften
play
marvellous
father
impedio (4)
hinder
opus, operis (n)
work
postquam
after
manus, -us (f)
hand
coeptum, -i (n)
undertaking
impono (3) imposui,
impositum
put on, apply
geminus, -a, -um two
opifex, -icis (m)
craftsman
libro (1)
balance, poise
ala, -ae (f)
wing
ipse, -a, -um
-self
corpus, -oris (n) body
moveo (2), movi, motum
move
pendeo (2), pependi hang, hover
O VI D
line 10
una
‘beside him’ lit. ‘together’
line 11
ignarus
sua
‘unaware that’
Take with pericla ‘things that would be
dangerous for him’ lit. ‘his own (sua)
dangers (pericla)’.
line 12
ore renidenti
‘with a wide grin’ lit. ‘with a smiling
mouth’
lines 12-13 modo ... modo
quas ... plumas
captabat
‘at one moment ... at another moment’
Take in this order – captabat plumas quas.
‘he kept trying to snatch’
line 12
vaga ... aura
‘the constantly changing breeze’
line 13
flavam
Take with ceram.
line 14
mollibat
lusuque suo
‘he was softening’
‘and by his playfulness’ or ‘and through
his pranks’
line 15
manus ultima
coepto
‘the finishing touch’ lit. ‘the last hand’
‘to the project’
line 16
imposita est
geminas
libravit
See impono.
Take with alas.
‘balanced’
line 17
ipse
motaque ... in aura
‘unaided’ lit. ‘himself’
‘and beating the air’ lit. ‘in the moved
(mota) air (aura)’
‘he hovered’; see pendeo.
pependit
LAT I N
33
O VI D
Lines 18-31
Daedalus instructs his son to follow him; he must not fly too low or too high.
Icarus puts on the wings.
20
instruit et natum, ‘medio’ que ‘ut limite curras,
Icare,’ ait ‘moneo, ne, si demissior ibis,
unda gravet pennas, si celsior, ignis adurat.
inter utrumque vola! nec te spectare Booten
aut Helicen iubeo strictumque Orionis ensem:
me duce carpe viam!’ pariter praecepta volandi
tradit et ignotas umeris accommodat alas.
Daedalus and Icarus set off on their great adventure.
25
30
inter opus monitusque genae maduere seniles,
et patriae tremuere manus. dedit oscula nato
non iterum repetenda suo, pennisque levatus
ante volat comitique timet, velut ales, ab alto
quae teneram prolem produxit in aera ni do,
hortaturque sequi, damnosasque erudit artes,
et movet ipse suas et nati respicit alas.
(continued)
instruo (3)
et
natus, -i (m)
curro (3)
ait
moneo (2)
ne
si
eo, ire
unda, -ae (f)
gravo (1)
penna, -ae (f)
ignis, -is (m)
aduro (3)
volo (1)
nec
specto (1)
iubeo (2)
stringo (3), strinxi,
strictum
trado (3)
umerus, -i (m)
34
LAT I N
prepare
also
son
run, fly
he said
advise
lest, in case
if
go
water
weigh down
feather
fire
scorch
fly
and ... not
look at
order
accommodo (1)
ala, -ae (f)
monitus, -us (m)
genae, -arum (f pl)
madeo (2) madui
tremo (3) tremui
manus, -us (f)
do (1) dedi
osculum, -i (n)
comes, comitis (m)
timeo (2)
velut
ales, alitis (f)
altus, -a, -um
produco (3), produxi
nidus, -i (m)
hortor (1)
sequor (3)
erudio (4)
draw (sword) ars, artis (f)
hand down
moveo (2)
shoulder
respicio (3)
fit, attach
wing
warning
cheeks
be wet
shake
hand
give
kiss
companion
fear, be afraid
like
bird
high
lead out
nest
encourage
follow
teach
skill
move
look back at
O VI D
line 18
instruit et natum
‘he got his son ready too’
Take moneo (line 19) before ut limite curras.
medio ... limite
‘on a middle course’
line 19
demissior
‘too low’
line 20
celsior
‘too high’
line 21
inter utrumque
‘between the two’
lines 21-22 Booten ... Helicen
... Orionis
line 22
strictumque Orionis
These are all constellations – Bootes, the
Bear Keeper, Helice, the Great Bear and
Orion, the Hunter. Greek sailors used to
navigate by the stars. Daedalus is
imitating the sailors.
‘Orion with his sword drawn’ lit. ‘the
ensem
drawn (strictum) sword (ensem) of Orion’;
see stringo.
me duce
carpe viam
‘where I lead you’ lit. ‘with me as leader’
(ablative absolute)
‘go’, ‘make your way’
pariter
‘at the same time’
praecepta volandi
‘flying instructions’
line 24
ignotas
See line 6 (page 30); take with alas.
line 25
inter opus monitusque ‘as he worked and gave the warnings’ lit.
line 23
‘between the work and the warnings’
line 27
maduere
= maduerunt
seniles
line 26
‘of the old man’
patriae ‘the father’s’
tremuere
= tremuerunt
nato
Take with suo (line 27).
non iterum repetenda ‘never again to be repeated’
pennis
‘on his wings’
levatus
‘taking off’ lit. ‘having been lifted’
line 28
ante
comiti (que)
ab alto
‘(and) for his companion’
Take with nido (line 29).
teneram prolem
‘young fledgling’
in aera
‘into the air’
line 30
damnosas
‘which will cause his ruin’ or ‘which will
destroy him’
line 31
et movet ... alas
Take in this order – et movet suas alas et
respicit alas nati.
line 29
et ... et
‘in front’
‘both ... and’
LAT I N
35
O VI D
Lines 32-41
The country folk are amazed to see Daedalus and Icarus flying through the
sky. All is going well but suddenly Icarus starts to disobey his father.
35
40
hos aliquis tremula dum captat harundine pisces,
aut pastor baculo stivave innixus arator
vidit et obstipuit, quique aethera carpere possent
credidit esse deos. et iam Iunonia laeva
parte Samos (fuerant Delosque Parosque relictae),
dextra Lebinthos erat fecundaque melle Calymne,
cum puer audaci coepit gaudere volatu
deseruitque ducem, caelique cupidine tactus
altius egit iter. rapidi vicinia solis
mollit odoratas, pennarum vincula, ceras:
(continued)
hic, haec, hoc
dum
capto (1)
harundo, -inis (f)
piscis, -is (m)
pastor, -oris (m)
baculum, -i (n)
-ve
arator, -oris (m)
video (2), vidi
obstipesco (3) obstipui
aether, -eris (m)
possum, posse, potui
credo (3), credidi
sum, esse, fui
-que, ... -que
fecundus, -a, -um
36
LAT I N
this
while
try to catch
rod
fish
shepherd
stick
or
ploughman, farmer
see
be astounded
air
can, be able
believe
be
both ... and
rich (in)
mel, mellis (n)
cum
puer, -i (m)
audax, -acis
coepi, -isse
gaudeo (2)
desero (3),
deserui
dux, ducis (m)
cupido, -inis (f)
ago (3), egi +iter
honey
when
boy
daring, bold
began
rejoice (in)
abandon,
leave
leader
desire, longing
follow a path,
journey
iter, itineris (n) path, journey
vicinia, -ae (f)
closeness
mollio (4)
soften
odoratus, -a, -um sweet smelling,
fragrant
O VI D
line 32
hos
aliquis
tremula
Leave out until line 34; start with dum.
‘some fisherman’ lit. ‘someone’
Take with harundine ‘quivering rod’.
line 33
innixus
stivave – stiva
– ve
‘leaning on’
Take innixus with both pastor and arator –
pastor baculo innixus and stivave innixus
arator.
‘plough handle’
‘or’
vidit
The object is hos in line 32.
line 34
lines 34-35 quique ... credidit esse ‘and thought that they were gods who’
deos
credidit esse deos should be translated
before quique aethera carpere possent;
aethera is accusative.
line 34
carpere
‘to fly through’
laeva parte
‘Juno’s island of Samos’ Juno was the
most important goddess on Samos.
‘on the left side’
line 36
Delos ... Paros
fuerant ... relictae
islands in the Aegean sea
‘had been left behind’ or ‘passed’
line 37
dextra
= dextra parte
Lebinthos ... Calymne islands in the Aegean sea
line 38
audaci
gaudere
Take with volatu ‘with his bold flying’.
‘to be thrilled’
line 39
caelique cupidine
tactus
‘by longing to mount to the sky’ lit. ‘by
longing for the sky’
See line 2 (page 30).
altius egit iter
‘he travelled too high’; see ago
lines 35-36 Iunonia ... Samos
line 40
lines 40-41 rapidi vicinia solis
mollit
‘the nearness (vicinia) of the scorching
(rapidi) sun (solis) melts ...’
vicinia is the subject of the verb
line 41
‘which bound the feathers together’
vinculum is used of anything which binds,
hence a bond or chain.
pennarum vincula
LAT I N
37
O VI D
Lines 42-50
As the wax melts on his wings, Icarus falls into the sea.
45
tabuerant cerae; nudos quatit ille lacertos
remigioque carens non ullas percipit auras,
oraque caerulea patrium clamantia nomen
excipiuntur aqua, quae nomen traxit ab illo.
Daedalus looks in despair for his son. He finds the wings in the sea and
buries his son’s body on an island.
50
at pater infelix, nec iam pater, ‘Icare’, dixit,
‘Icare’ dixit ‘ubi es? qua te regione requiram?’
‘Icare’ dicebat: pennas aspexit in undis,
devovitque suas artes, corpusque sepulcro
condidit, et tellus a nomine dicta sepulti.
tabesco (3) tabui
nudus, -a, -um
quatio (3)
ille, illa, illud
lacertus, -i (m)
percipio (3)
os, oris (n)
caeruleus, -a, -um
clamo (1)
nomen, -inis (n)
38
LAT I N
melt
bare
shake, flap
he, she, it
arm
feel, grip
mouth
blue
shout
name
infelix
ubi?
requiro (3)
aspicio (3) aspexi
devoveo (2) devovi
ars, artis (f)
corpus, -oris (n)
sepulcrum, -i (n)
condo (3) condidi
tellus, -uris (f)
sepelio (4), -ivi, sepultum
unhappy, unlucky
where?
seek, look for
look at, see
curse
skill
body
tomb
bury
land
bury
O VI D
line 42
tabuerant
line 43
remigioque carens ‘and without his wings’ lit. ‘lacking
(carens) oars (remigio)’
non ullas percipit
auras
‘he does not catch the air at all’
lines 44-45
oraque ... aqua
caerulea ... aqua
See tabesco.
Take in this order – oraque clamantia
patrium nomen excipiuntur caerulea aqua.
ablative ‘by’
line 44
oraque
patrium ... nomen
‘and his lips’ lit. ‘and his mouth’
‘the word ‘father’; Icarus shouts out
‘father!’
line 45
excipiuntur
nomen
traxit
ab illo
‘are swallowed up’
The sea is now named after Icarus – the
Icarian Sea.
‘has taken’ lit. ‘has drawn’
‘from him’
line 46
nec iam
‘and no longer’
line 47
qua ... regione
requiram
‘where’ lit. ‘in what region’
‘am I to look for’ (present subjunctive)
line 48
dicebat
‘he kept saying’
line 49
devovit
‘he cursed’
line 50
condidit
See condo.
dicta
‘was called’; supply est.
a nomine ... sepulti ‘after the name of the boy who was buried
there’ lit. ‘from the name (a nomine) of the
buried (sepulti)’; see sepelio. Ovid is
referring to the island of Icaria.
LAT I N
39
EN D O F TH E ST O R Y
After his escape from Crete, Daedalus travelled to Sicily where he found
safety and protection in the house of Cocalus, king of Camicus. M inos
pursued him to Sicily and demanded that Cocalus hand over Daedalus to him.
The king pretended to agree to Minos’s request and welcomed him with
lavish hospitality. He asked his daughters to give Minos a bath as was the
custom with important guests. They prepared the bath and killed him by
pouring boiling water over him.
40
LAT I N
O VI D
QUESTIONS
Lines 1-10
1.
What are the feelings of Daedalus for his native land? See line 2.
2.
How do these feelings compare with his feelings for Crete in line 1?
Find and translate the two words which make these two feelings clear.
3.
How is it possible for Minos to keep Daedalus a prisoner?
4.
What escape route occurs to Daedalus in line 4?
5.
Why do you think Ovid repeats the words possideat ... possidet in line
5? Do you think the reason is:
(a)
(b)
(c)
He likes the sound of the words?
He wants Daedalus to seem to be very determined?
He wants Daedalus to seem to be very angry with Minos?
6.
ignotas in line 6 could be translated as ‘unknown’ o r ‘strange’. Which
translation do you prefer and why?
7.
In line 7 Ovid probably wants us to see two meanings for naturamque
novat. What are the meanings and what did Ovid intend by using these
words?
8.
What does veras mean in line 10? Why does the poet add this word in
your opinion?
LAT I N
41
Q U ES T IO NS
Lines 10-17
1.
Ovid emphasises that Icarus is only a boy. Why is that important?
2.
What actions suggest to us that Icarus is only a boy?
3.
Pick out the Latin words in line 12 which show us that Icarus is not
taking the enterprise seriously and translate them. Why would he find
it amusing?
4.
Describe the appearance of Daedalus when he tries on the wings.
5.
Why does Ovid use the word mirabile (line 14) to describe the work of
Daedalus?
6.
mollibat (line 14)
What do you think Icarus was doing? Was he:
(a)
(b)
(c)
7.
42
playing with little pieces of wax which his father had left lying
around?
rubbing the wax which Daedalus had already used for the machine
and spoiling it?
adding little pieces of wax to the machine?
Daedalus is described as opifex in line 16. What does this mean? Are
there any reasons in the story so far to justify this description of
Daedalus?
LAT I N
Q U ES T IO NS
Lines 18-31
1.
What indications can you find in these lines that Daedalus is not
entirely sure that his enterprise will be safe?
2.
(a)
What instructions does Daedalus give Icarus in lines 18 -21?
(b)
Write down and translate the Latin words which describe the
dangers if this advice is ignored.
(c)
How is Icarus to know which direction to take?
(d)
Why in your opinion would Icarus be unwise to ‘navigate’ by the
stars?
3.
oscula ... non iterum repetenda (lines 26-27)
What hint is Ovid giving here about the outcome of the story?
What other warnings can you find in the story so fa r?
4.
(a)
In lines 28-29 Daedalus is compared to a bird which has just
brought her young out of the nest to fly. In what ways do you
think Icarus is like a young bird?
(b)
But how is the situation of Daedalus and Icarus different from that
of the birds? Which word in line 24 hints at the difference?
5.
In line 30 the skills of Daedalus are called damnosas. Earlier (in line 6)
Ovid describes them as ignotas. Why do you think he has now used a
different word?
Lines 32-41
1.
(a)
What three groups of people see Daedalus and Icarus? What are
they doing and how do they account for men flying through the
sky?
(b)
How does Ovid’s description of the people in lines 32 -35 add to
the story?
2.
What do Daedalus and Icarus see on their journey?
3.
audaci ... volatu (line 38)
This could be translated as ‘with his bold flying’. Look in the
vocabulary and find another way of translating audaci. How would this
meaning change your opinion of what Icarus is doing?
4.
How does Icarus disobey his father in lines 39-40? (Refer also to line
23.)
LAT I N
43
Q U ES T IO NS
Lines 42-50
1.
Read lines 42-43. Explain the meaning of nudos ... lacertos. What are
Icarus’s difficulties at this point? How does he try to overcome them?
How would you describe his state of mind?
2.
What are his exact words (in Latin) as he is drowning?
3.
What words in line 46 describe the tragedy which has befallen
Daedalus? Explain their meaning.
4.
Write down in Latin and translate the exact words which Daedalus uses
in lines 46-7. How does Ovid make us feel sorry for Daedalus at this point?
5.
What two things does Daedalus do when he realises that his son is dead?
Answer the following questions when you have read the whole story.
1.
In this story Ovid tells us how the Icarian Sea and the is land of Icaria
got their names. Do you think that the real purpose of the story is to
explain why these places have their names? Say why you think this.
2.
Ovid twice calls Icarus puer. How old do you think he was? Try to
explain your reasons. What point is Ovid making by his repetition of
the word puer?
3.
Ovid shows us that Daedalus and Icarus do not really understand what
they are doing. Identify and translate three examples of this
uncertainty. Why do you think that all the examples come in t he first
half of the story?
4.
Ovid frequently hints that the story will end unhappily. Write down
and translate at least six examples. Which do you think is the most
convincing?
5.
Daedalus shows great love for Icarus. Find and translate at least si x
examples from the passage which demonstrate this.
6.
How far is Ovid successful in arousing our sympathy for Daedalus?
Illustrate your answer with at least five examples from the text.
7.
Do you feel as sorry for Icarus as you do for Daedalus? Try to explain
your reasons.
8.
Ovid uses the word artes on three occasions in this passage (in lines 6,
30 and 49) to describe the skills of Daedalus. On each occasion he uses
different words with artes to tell us that he feels differently about the
skills as the story progresses. Find and translate these words. What is
Ovid trying to tell us about the way he feels about Daedalus’s skills?
44
LAT I N
O VI D
TALKING POINTS
1. Daedalus and Icarus
The legend of Daedalus and Icarus is one of the most popular subjects
depicted on the walls of Pompeian houses. The paintings show different
stages in the story – Daedalus and Icarus in flight, Daedalus with Icarus
falling, the corpse of Icarus with Daedalus hovering. The wide prospects of
land, sea and sky appealed to the ancient artists.
The moment when Icarus plunges into the sea is portrayed in a painting
(‘Landscape with the Fall of Icarus’) by the Flemish artist Brueghel the Elder
(painted about 1555). Icarus disappears into the sea, only his legs being
visible. Strangely in the painting the country people mentioned by Ovid seem
unconcerned by the disaster. The poet W. H. Auden was moved to write:
In Brueghel’s Icarus, for instance: how everything turns away quite
leisurely from the disaster: the ploughman may have h eard the splash,
the forsaken cry, but for him it was not an important failure.
In the 1960s the English artist, sculptor and writer Michael Ayrton became
almost obsessed in his work with the characters of Daedalus and Icarus and
their message for modern times. For him Daedalus is the technologist
developing human skill and effort to previously undreamed -of lengths. Icarus
on the other hand symbolises the darker side of this endeavour – the risks that
advanced technology inevitably brings to mankind. Ca n you think of any
such risks?
2. Metamorphoses
The title of Ovid’s poem has also intrigued and attracted modern composers.
Benjamin Britten wrote music entitled ‘Six Metamorphoses after Ovid’ in
which each section is based on one of Ovid’s stories. Paul Hindemith and
Richard Strauss also wrote works called ‘Metamorphoses’ in which they
adapted or ‘metamorphosed’ themes used by earlier composers.
In 1916 the Czech writer Franz Kafka wrote a remarkable short story called
‘Die Verwandlung’. The English translation used for this title is
‘Metamorphosis’.
This is how the story begins:
When Gregor Samson awoke one morning after some uneasy dreams he
discovered he had been transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect ...
LAT I N
45
TA L K I N G P O I N TS
Find a copy of Kafka’s short story and read about the amazing consequences
of this metamorphosis!
3. The flying monk
Men have longed to fly since they first walked the earth and watched birds
flying in the sky. Among the many unsuccessful attempts after Daedalus and
before the Wright brothers was that of the French monk Damien. He
persuaded King James IV of Scotland in 1508 that he had the secret of flight.
Here is the story as told in ‘The Scots Magazine’.
Soon servants were bringing to Stirling large quantities of feathers
plucked from protesting birds, particularly hens. Special hunting
parties raided eagles’ nests on rocky crags, while the navy combed the
Forth for swan feathers. A huge pile eventually filled a room at the
castle, where the plumes were carefully stitched on to wooden frames
by the court needlewomen.
At last all was finished, and the date of the historic flight fixed for
September 1508. On the great day, James and his court assembled
beneath the castle walls at a spot called The Valley where tournaments
were held. High on the ramparts above them, John Damien supervised
the workmen who carefully attached the huge wings on his body. His
arms were also strapped along the four foot width of each wing. At
last, stepping up on to the castle wall, he gave a bow t o the throng 200
feet below. A ripple of applause floated up. Ever optimistic, he
checked that James’s personal letter to the King of France was secured
tucked into his belt, and gave a few preliminary flutters of the wings.
Everything seemed in order.
Damien flapped furiously and jumped off the walls in man’s first flight
and soared – straight downwards in a confusion of feathers, wood and
limbs. By sheer good luck his return to earth was softened by a dung
heap and only his thigh bone was broken when he hit the ground. The
king came running over. ‘What went wrong, John?’ he enquired
anxiously. ‘It’s perfectly obvious, sire,’ replied Damien, spitting out a
mouthful of loathsome material. ‘The mistake was to mix hen feathers
with those of eagles. I should have remembered that hens are naturally
attracted to middens. If the wings had been made purely from eagle
feathers then they would have been attracted up to the sky.’
A. C. McKerracher (‘The Scots Magazine’, November, 1986)
46
LAT I N