The female perspective is
often not far away in Ovid’s poetry and this is especially true for his Heroides: imaginary letters from
heroines in classical mythology to their husbands and lovers who have betrayed
them. Of course it would be nonsense to portray Ovid as a feminist – after all
Ovid’s voice is that of a Roman living during the time of Augustus - but still I think Ovid sympathizes with his
heroines.
A famous example of a
woman betrayed by a man is the story of Ariadne and Theseus. Theseus left her
behind at the island of Lesbos while she was still asleep and now she describes
how she searched for him in vain.
Ovidius, Heroides X, Ariadne Theseo 25-58.
Mons fuit; apparent frutices in vertice rari;
hinc scopulus raucis pendet
adesus aquis.
adscendo; vires animus dabat; atque ita late
aequora prospectu metior alta
meo.
inde ego—nam ventis quoque sum crudelibus usa—
vidi praecipiti carbasa tenta
Noto.
aut vidi aut fuerant quae me vidisse putarem;
frigidior glacie semianimisque
fui.
nec languere diu patitur dolor. Excitor illo,
excitor et summa Thesea voce
voco.
"quo fugis?" exclamo "scelerate revertere Theseu!
flecte ratem! numerum non habet
illa suum!"
Haec ego. quod voci deerat, plangore replebam;
verbera cum verbis mixta fuere
meis.
si non audires, ut saltem cernere posses:
iactatae late signa dedere manus.
candidaque imposui longae velamina virgae
scilicet oblitos admonitura mei.
iamque oculis ereptus eras. tum denique flevi;
torpuerant molles ante dolore
genae.
quid potius facerent, quam me mea lumina flerent,
postquam desieram vela videre
tua?
aut ego diffusis erravi sola capillis,
qualis ab Ogygio concita Baccha
deo;
aut mare prospiciens in saxo frigida sedi,
quamque lapis sedes, tam lapis
ipsa fui.
saepe torum repeto qui nos acceperat ambos,
sed non acceptos exhibiturus
erat
et tua, quae possum pro te, vestigia tango
strataque quae membris intepuere
tuis.
incumbo lacrimisque toro manante profusis
"pressimus" exclamo
"te duo, redde duos!
venimus huc ambo; cur non discedimus ambo?
perfide, pars nostri, lectule,
maior ubi est?"
frutex fruticis
(m.): shrub, bush
vertex verticis
(m.): top
hinc: from
there
scopulus: a
projecting point of rock, crag
raucus:
roaring
adedo adedi adesum: to wear away
animus:
courage
late: far
and wide, (line 40) to and fro
prospectus –us (m.): gaze
metior mensus:
to measure, scan
utor usus (+
abl.): (here) to find, experience
vidi praecipiti carbasa tenta Noto: I your sails (carbassa)
stretched out by the swift (praeceps)
Southern wind
vidi…putarem:
the reading of this line varies in the various manuscripts. This text is taken
from the Latin Library site. The readings in other manuscripts are problematic
too and many attempts have been made by scholars to emend this line. As it
stands, it must mean something like: either I saw (the sails) or I thought I
had seen (the sails) (as?) they were. Many attempts have been made to emend
this line and that of A.J. Housman has found some favour: Ut vidi dignam quae
me vidisse putarem `I saw a thing (ea),
quae) such as I thought I did not
deserve to see’. I wonder though
semianimis: half-alive
(scanned four-syllabic: semanimis)
langueo: to
be faint, languid
excitor illo
(dolore) excito: to rouse
quo: where
to
sceleratus:
impious, wicked
numerum non habet illa suum: she (the ship) has not the full number of passengers
haec (dixi)
ratis –is (f.): raft, boat
quod voci deerat, plangore
replebam: what lacked (desum + dat.)
in voice, I filled with beating of the breast (plangor)
verber verberis
(n.): stroke, blow
fuere = fuerant
ut saltem cernere posses: that you could at least see
iacto (-are): to wave
dedere = dederant
candidus:
white
velaman velaminis (n.): cloth
virga: twig
scilicet oblitos admonitura mei: namely to remind (litt. (the clothes) willing
remind) those who forgot me. Oblivos
is poetic plural, as only Theseus was on board.
oculis (meis)
torpesco torpui:
to become dull
ante: adv.
before
genae:
cheeks, but in poetic language `the eyes’ (lumina)
quid potius facerent, quam me mea
lumina flerent = quid mea lumina potius facerent, quam
me flerent
desino desesii :
to cease
velum: sail
difussis capillis: with dishevelled hair (as a sign of grieve)
Ogygio deo:
Dionysus (Ogyges was a king of Thebes, where Dionysus’ mother Semele came from)
Baccha: a
Bacchante, a maenad
quamque lapis sedes, tam lapis ipsa fui = et tam lapis
ipsa fui, quam lapis sedes: I was as much a stone as was the stone that was
my seat
torus:
cushion, bed
repeto repetivi repitum: to seek again
exhibeo exhibui exhibitum: to show, reveal
quae possum pro te: which I can touch instead of you
strata stratorum (n. pl.): bed
intepesco intepui: to become lukewarm (intepuere
= intepuerunt)
incumbo incubui incubitum: to lay oneself
lacrimisque toro manante profusis: and while the cushion was drenched (mano) by my shed tears
reddo reddidi redditum: to give back
perfide lectule:
either Ariadne curses in her despair the bed, or it is a kind of enallage with
Theseus as the real perfide.
pars nostri maior: my greater part, i.e. my better part
Honoré Daumier - the abandoned Ariadne
Translation by A.S. Klyne
There was a hill: a few
bushes were visible on its summit:
a crag hangs there
hollowed out by the harsh waves.
I climbed it: courage gave
me strength: and I scanned
the wide waters from that
height with my gaze.
Then I saw now the cruel
winds were also felt
your ship driven before a
fierce southerly gale.
Either with what I saw, or
what I may have thought Id seen:
I was frozen like ice and
half-alive.
But grief allowed no time
for languor. I was roused by it,
and roused, I called to
Theseus at the top of my voice.
Where are you going? I
shouted turn back, wicked Theseus!
Work your ship! Youre
without one of your number!
So I called. When my voice
failed I beat my breast instead:
my blows were interspaced
with my words.
If you could not hear at
least you might still see:
I made widesignals with my
outstretched hands.
I hung a white cloth on a
tall branch,
hoping those whod
forgotten would remember me.
Now you were lost to
sight. Then finally I wept:
till then my cheeks were
numb with grief.
What could my eyes do but
weep at myself,
once they had ceased to
see your sails?
Either I wandered alone,
with dishevelled hair,
like a Maenad shaken by
the Theban god:
or I sat on the cold rock
gazing at the sea,
and I was as much a stone
as the stones I sat on.
Often I seek again the bed
that accepted us both,
but it shows no sign of
that acceptance,
and I touch what I can of
the traces of you, instead of you,
and the sheets your body
warmed.
I lie there and, wetting
the bed with my flowing tears,
I cry out: We two burdened
you, restore the two!
We came here together: why
shouldnt we go together?
Faithless bed, wheres the
better part of me now?
