Ovid, Ariande Theseo (1-24): Theseus has sailed away.

After she had helped Theseus escaping from the labyrinth, Ariadne – deeply in love -fled with him. On their way to Athens, they stayed a night a Naxos. There Theseus was informed by Dionysus to leave her behind, as this god wanted her to be his wife. When Ariadne is asleep, Theseus secretly sails away. Ariadne of course is asked nothing.

For reasons I can’t remember anymore, I have commented on lines 25-58 long before turning my attention to this part. Maybe I found those somewhere in an anthology. To be honest, I completely forgot that I had already published of this poem, but when preparing this post, the text sounded a bit too familiar. Fortunately, all post have been labelled.  I have renamed that post now. Next blogs on this poem will be in the order Ovid had in mind.

http://thelatinreadingblog.blogspot.com/search?q=ariadne

P. OVIDI NASONIS EPISTVLAE HEROIDVM, X. Ariadne Theseo

Mitius inveni quam te genus omne ferarum;

     credita non ulli quam tibi peius eram.

quae legis, ex illo, Theseu, tibi litore mitto

     unde tuam sine me vela tulere ratem,

in quo me somnusque meus male prodidit et tu,

     per facinus somnis insidiate meis.

Tempus erat, vitrea quo primum terra pruina

     spargitur et tectae fronde queruntur aves;

incertum vigilans ac somno languida movi

     Thesea prensuras semisupina manus:

nullus erat. referoque manus iterumque retempto

     perque torum moveo bracchia: nullus erat.

excussere metus somnum; conterrita surgo

     membraque sunt viduo praecipitata toro.

protinus adductis sonuerunt pectora palmis

     utque erat e somno turbida, rupta coma est.

Luna fuit; specto siquid nisi litora cernam;

     quod videant oculi, nil nisi litus habent.

nunc huc, nunc illuc et utroque sine ordine, curro,

     alta puellares tardat harena pedes.

interea toto clamanti litore "Theseu!"

     reddebant nomen concava saxa tuum

et quotiens ego te, totiens locus ipse vocabat;

     ipse locus miserae ferre volebat opem.

mitius quam te

invenio inveni inventum: to find out, discover

fera: wild animal

non credita eram ulli (ferae) peius quam tibi :  I could  not have been entrusted

peius: worse

litus litoris (n.): coast, shore

tulere = tulerunt (perf. of fero `to carry’, subject vela `sails’)

ratis ratis (f.): raft, float

prodo prodedi proditum: to betray

per facinus somnis insidiate meis: you! With a shameful deed having plotted (insidior insidiatus, vocative) against my sleeps (poetic plural) = while I was sleeping

vitrea quo primum terra pruina spargitur = quo vitrea prunia (in) terra primum spargitur

vitreus: clear, bright

pruina: rime

spargo sparsi sparsum: to spread, sprinkle

frons frondis (f.): leafy branch

queror questus: to complain, lament

incertum: adverb with vigilans `half awake”

sumno languida: dull from sleep

Thesea: Greek acc.

prensuras (prendo prendi prensum): about/willing to touch

semisupinus: half bent backwards

iterum retempto: I tried again

torus: cushion

bracchium: forearm

excussere = excusserunt (metus is plural: they drive out)

viduus: spouseless, bereft

praecipito (-are): to cast down

protinus (adv.): immediately

adductis palmis: with my hands brought to (= beating)

utque: and as soon

turbidus: disordered

rumpo rupi ruptum: to tear

coma: hair (both beating the breast and tearing the hair out are signs of grief)

siquid nisi litora cernam: if I can distinguish anything (else) but the coast

quod videant oculi, nil nisi litus habent = oculi habent nil quod videant, nisi litus

huc… illuc: hither…tither

altus : 1) high, 2) deep

puellaris: of a girl, maidenly

tardo: impede, hinder

clamanti (mihi): returned along the whole shore to me shouting

ego te (vocabam)

miserae (mihi) to me in my distress

fero opem: to help, aid (i.e. by calling Theseus’ name too)

Translation by A.S. Klyne

The whole tribe of creatures contrive to be gentler than you:

not one have I had less confidence in than you.

Theseus, what you read has been sent to you from this land,

from which your sails carried your ship without me,

in which my sleep, and you, evilly betrayed me,

conceiving your plans against me while I slept.

It was the time when the earth’s first sprinkled with glassy frost,

and the hidden birds lament in the leaves:

waking uncertainly, and stirring languidly in sleep,

half-turning, my hand reached out for Theseus:

there was no one there. I drew back, and tried again,

and moved my arm across the bed: no one there.

Fear broke through my drowsiness: terrified, I rose

and hurled my body from the empty bed.

Straight away my hands drummed on my breast, and tore at my hair,

just as it was, on waking, from my confused sleep.

There was a moon: I looked and saw nothing but the shore:

wherever my eyes could see, there was nothing but sand.

I ran here and there without any sense of purpose,

the deep sand slowing a girl’s feet.

Meanwhile I called: ‘Theseus!’ over the whole beach

your name echoing from the hollow cliffs

and as often as I called you, the place itself called too:

the place itself wished to give aid to my misery.

Aulus Gellius: real tears.

Aulus Gellius (125 – after 180) is an ideal author for providing short anecdotes in not too difficult Latin. The following story is about Polus of Aegina, a famous Greek actor living in the 4th century BC. In his role of Electra he embraced the urn with the ashes of his deceased son. Indeed Electra, as it was not until the 18th century or so that women were active on stage. No need to say that his tears and grief were real. The impact on the public must have been enormous.  I see in detectives regularly actors and actresses grieving for someone just killed, but too often it is not quite convincing. I think I know a way of making it more real…

Aulus Gellius, Noctes Atticae 6.5

Historia de Polo histrione memoratu digna.  Histrio in terra Graecia fuit fama celebri, qui gestus et vocis claritudine et venustate ceteris antistabat:  nomen fuisse aiunt Polum, tragoedias poetarum nobilium scite atque asseverate actitavit.  Is Polus unice amatum filium morte amisit.  Eum luctum quoniam satis visus est eluxisse, rediit ad quaestum artis.  In eo tempore Athenis Electram Sophoclis acturus, gestare urnam quasi cum Oresti ossibus debebat. Ita compositum fabulae argumentum est, ut veluti fratris reliquias ferens Electra comploret commisereaturque interitum eius existimatum. Igitur Polus lugubri habitu Electrae indutus ossa atque urnam e sepulcro tulit filii et quasi Oresti amplexus opplevit omnia non simulacris neque imitamentis, sed luctu atque lamentis veris et spirantibus.  Itaque cum agi fabula videretur, dolor actus est.

memoratu: supine

histrio –ionis (m.): actor

fama celebri: ablative of description

gestus: while acting (gero)

venustas –atis (f.): elegance

antisto antisteti  (+ dat + abl): to excel

scite atque asseverate: thoughtfully and earnestly/ with dignity

aiunt: they say/ it is said

actito: to perform

unice: dearly

luctus –us (m.): grief

quoniam: because, since

eluceo eluxi: to be manifest (i.e. in public mourning)

quaestus –us (m.): way of making profit, profession

Athenis: at Athens

Electra: first performance not known, but probably at the end of Sophocles’ life (496 – 406)

acturus: he was about to perform

gestare urnam quasi cum Oresti ossibus: to carry the urn as if with the bones of Orestes (In the play Orestes pretended to have died in order to deceive his mother and her lover and so being able to kill them off-guard. Electra too initially thought her brother death, but later he makes himself known to her.))

fabula: story

argumentum: plot

reliqiae –arum: remains

comploro (-are): to bewail

commisereor: to grieve for

interitus –us (m.): death

existimo (-are): to suppose

lugubri habitu: in the mourning dress

induo indui indutum (-ere): to dress

amplector amplexus: to embrace

oppleo opplevi oppletum: to fill completely

simulacrum: appearance, semblance

spirantibus: inspired, true

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aulus_Gellius

Translation by John Carew Rolfe (1927)

A noteworthy story about the actor Polus.

1 There was in the land of Greece an actor of wide reputation, who excelled all others in his clear delivery and graceful action. 2 They say that his name was Polus, and he often acted the tragedies of famous poets with intelligence and dignity. 3 This Polus lost by death a son whom he dearly loved. 4 After he felt that he had indulged his grief sufficiently, he returned to the practice of his profession.

5 At that time he was to act the Electra of Sophocles at Athens, and it was his part to carry an urn which was supposed to contain the ashes of Orestes. 6 The plot of the play requires that Electra, who is represented as carrying her brother's remains, should lament and bewail the fate that she believed had overtaken him. 7 Accordingly Polus, clad in the mourning garb of Electra, took from the tomb the ashes and urn of his son, embraced them as if they were those of Orestes, and filled the whole place, not with the appearance and imitation of sorrow, but with genuine grief and unfeigned lamentation. 8 Therefore, while it seemed that a play was being acted, it was in fact real grief that was enacted.