Propertius 3.25: learn to fear the fate of your beauty!

It recently happened that the breakup of a relationship of a celebrity couple was big news here. My newspaper has no show news (it is a serious newspaper!) and I was barely aware of their existence, let alone their relationship. A divorce though can be an inspiration for literature or in a fictional relationship it gives the writer a good excuse for emotional firework. That is exactly what happens here: it has finally dawned to Propertius that his relationship with Cynthia is disastrous and he is leaving her with an accompaniment of curses. It must have relieved him.

Propertius 3.25

Risus eram positis inter convivia mensis,

    et de me poterat quilibet esse loquax.

quinque tibi potui servire fideliter annos:

    ungue meam morso saepe querere fidem.

nil moveor lacrimis: ista sum captus ab arte;

    semper ab insidiis, Cynthia, flere soles.

flebo ego discedens, sed fletum iniuria vincit:

    tu bene conveniens non sinis ire iugum.

limina iam nostris valeant lacrimantia verbis,

    nec tamen irata ianua fracta manu.

at te celatis aetas gravis urgeat annis,

    et veniat formae ruga sinistra tuae!

vellere tum cupias albos a stirpe capillos,

    iam speculo rugas increpitante tibi,

exclusa inque vicem fastus patiare superbos,

    et quae fecisti facta queraris anus!

has tibi fatalis cecinit mea pagina diras:

    eventum formae disce timere tuae!

convivium: guests at a dinner, dinner company

positis mensis: at the (well) arranged tables

loquax, acis; gossiping 

quinque annos: i.e. since book 1 of the elegies had been published (Cynthia is first of all a fictional character.)

ungue morso: with bitten nail (mordeo momordi morsum)

querere = quereris: you shall grieve (queror questus)

arte: `trick’

ab insidiis: insidiously

flebo…vincit: breaking up will hurt Propertius too (note the emphatic ego, but the injustice done to him is stronger

bene conveniens: happily married/ living together

ire iugum: the yoke (of love) to move (further)

limina valeant: farewell threshold

lacrimantia: wet from tears

irata manu: with angry fist (though his words were full of tears, Propertius poetic ego controlled himself and he did not smash the door to pieces)

urgeat: the first of the subjunctives expressing curses (may the burden of old age press upon you!)

celatis annis: with its hidden years (i.e. spent in loneliness; to be connected with gravis aetas)

forma: beauty

ruga: wrinkle

vello (-ere): to tear out

a stirpe: from the root

capillus: hair

iam: some editions have ah

speculum: mirror

increpito: to harass, scold (the mirror is confronting you with your wrinkles)

exclusa: rejected

in vicem: in turn

fastus superbos: haughty arrogance

patior passus: to suffer (patiare = patiaris)

quae facta fecisti

anus (f.): old woman

has fatalis (= fatales) diras: these dire fates

pagina: page, poem

cano cecini (-ere): prophesy

eventus, us (m.): outcome, fate

Translation by A.S. Kline (2002, 2008)

I was laughed at among the guests seated for the banquet, and whoever wished was able to gossip of me. I managed to serve you faithfully for five years: you’ll often grieve for my loyalty with bitten nails.

Tears have no effect on me: I was ensnared by those wiles: Cynthia you only ever wept with guile. I will weep, in departing, but insult overcomes tears: you would not allow the yoke to move in harmony.

Now goodbye to the threshold weeping at my words: to the entrance never hurt by my hand in anger. But let age’s weight burden you with secret years and luckless lines furrow your features! May you long then to tear out your white hairs by their roots, ah, when the mirror rebukes you with your wrinkles, and may you in turn, rejected, suffer proud arrogance, and, changed to an old woman, regret your deeds!

These are the dread events my pages prophesy: learn to fear the fate of your beauty!