I have never planned a systematic reading of all
classical Latin poetry. Not that it is impossible, but there are many things I
also like to do. Fortunately there are florilegia. The pleasure of florilegia
is that they contain a selection of various authors and one can pick up one of
these flowers and read it. In an old Dutch schoolbook with Latin poems I found
Tibullus 4,13, but on the Latin Library it is listed as 3,19 and from an
unknown author. Indeed, book 3 and 4 were originally one book and book 4
contains poems which are almost certain not composed by Tibullus. However the author presents himself as
Tibullus. The author is passionately in
love with his girlfriend and wants her for himself. Even when suddenly another
girlfriend were thrown from heaven, he would not fall in love with her. He
swears by Juno, but then he realizes that this vow will make him completely
subject to his girlfriend. HE has vowed, SHE has not and is free to have other
man. The only thing the poor poet can do is seek asylum sitting ad an altar,
just as a slave badly treated by his dominus
flees to an altar.
The following epigram tells that rumour goes that the
poet’s girlfriend is having various liaisons. Please shut up rumour! Though it is not certain – even unlike - that
it is the same poet referring to the same girl, the fact that in the manuscript
tradition these two poems go together indicates that whoever compiled book 3
wanted the epigram as a sequel to the elegy. What a nice idea!
Tibullus 4.13 (= incerti
auctoris 3.19)
Nulla tuum
nobis subducet femina lectum:
hoc primum iuncta est foedere nostra uenus.
Tu mihi sola
places, nec iam te praeter in urbe
formosa est oculis ulla puella meis.
Atque utinam
posses uni mihi bella uideri!
5
Displiceas
aliis: sic ego tutus ero.
Nil opus
inuidia est, procul absit gloria uulgi:
qui sapit, in tacito gaudeat ille sinu.
Sic ego secretis possum bene uiuere siluis,
qua nulla humano sit uia trita pede. 10
Tu mihi
curarum requies, tu nocte uel atra
lumen, et in solis tu mihi turba locis.
Nunc licet e caelo mittatur amica Tibullo,
mittetur frustra deficietque Venus;
hoc tibi
sancta tuae Iunonis numina iuro,
15
quae sola ante alios est mihi magna deos.
Quid facio
demens? Heu! heu! mea pignora cedo;
iuraui stulte: proderat iste timor.
Nunc tu fortis
eris, nunc tu me audacius ures:
hoc peperit misero garrula lingua
malum. 20
Iam faciam
quodcumque uoles, tuus usque manebo,
nec fugiam notae seruitium dominae,
sed Veneris sanctae considam uinctus ad aras:
haec notat iniustos supplicibusque fauet.
Tibullus 4.14 (= incerti auctoris 3.20)
Rumor ait
crebro nostram peccare puellam
nunc ego me surdis auribus esse uelim.
Crimina non haec sunt nostro sine facta dolore:
quid miserum
torques, rumor acerbe? Tace!
subduco subduxi
subductum: to lead away (the prefix
`sub’ has often the connotation of something secretly done.)
lectus (bed)= amor
iuncta foedere:
was united/ sealed with a bond
(in) oculis
displiceo
displicui displicitum: to displease
Nil opus inuidia
est: there is no need for envy
procul: far from
(tua) Gloria
sapio sapivi:
to be wise
in tacito gaudeat
ille sinu: i.e enjoying with one’s face hidden in the fold (sinus) of the toga. The expression is
proverbial.
tritus: trodden
tu nocte uel atra = vel tu
nocte atra
turba: band of
compagnons
deficio defeci
defectum: to be absent
ante alios deos
mea pignora cedo:
I give away my promise (to be faithful to her only)
proderat iste timor:
that fear (of losing me) was useful (for you)
uri ussi ustum:
to burn, torture
misero (mihi)
garrulus:
talkative
notus: well-known,
infamous
consido consedi:
to sit down
noto: to brand
with infamy
supplex supplicis
(m. and f.): suppliant
crebro:
repeatedly
surdus: deaf
crimina non haec
sunt nostro sine facta dolore = haec crimina
non facta sunt sine nostro dolore
(me) miserum
torqueo torsi tortum:
to torture
acerbus:
bitter, cruel
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