Tibullus 2.1: a merry lent ritual.

This elegy by Tibullus is a description of some rural ritual, probably the ambarvalia. This assignation is not quite beyond dispute, but most modern commentators agree on that ritual. The ambarvalia was celebrated late April – early May, after seed had been planted and now the blessings of the gods, especially Ceres, was asked. It has a festive mood and the brightness of the whole scene is stressed by such word as casta, pura, candida etc. With these adjectives it has something of a locus amoenus, a lovely and arcane spot. The day ends with drinking wine. For those thinking that nothing has changed in Italy concerning the production and drinking of wine: don’t!

Tibullus, Elegiae, 2,1 13-30.

casta placent superis: pura cum ueste uenite

    et manibus puris sumite fontis aquam.

cernite, fulgentes ut eat sacer agnus ad aras

    uinctaque post olea candida turba comas.

di patrii, purgarnus agros, purgamus agrestes:

    uos mala de nostris pellite limitibus,

neu seges eludat messem fallacibus herbis,

    neu timeat celeres tardior agna lupos.

tunc nitidus plenis confisus rusticus agris

    ingeret ardenti grandia ligna foco,

turbaque uernarum, saturi bona signa coloni,

    ludet et ex uirgis extruet ante casas.

euentura precor: uiden ut felicibus extis

    significet placidos nuntia fibra deos?

nunc mihi fumosos ueteris proferte Falernos

    consulis et Chio soluite uincla cado.

uina diem celebrent: non festa luce madere

    est rubor, errantes et male ferre pedes.

castus: pure

superi: the gods above

vestis –is (f.): clothing

sumo sumpsi sumptum: to take, get

cerno crevi cretum (-ere): perceive, see

fulgentes aras: i.e marble altars

sacer agnus: this sacred lamb was first led thrice around the farm estate and then led behind the crowd dressed in white (post candida turba) towards the altar.

vincta olea comas: having their hair tied (vincio vinxi vinctum) with an olive (olea: abl. i.e. olive leaves.)

agrestis –is (m.): peasant

pello pepuli pulsum (-ere): drive away

limes limitis (m.): boundary

neu = neve: and that not

seges segetis (f.): crop

eludo elusi elusum (-ere): elude, deceive, escape

messis –is (f.): harvest

fallacibus herbis: i.e. weeds

celer: swift

tardus: slow

nitidus: shining

confido confisus sum (-ere, + dat., abl.): to trust, confide

ingero ingessi ingestum (-ere): to load, put on

grandis: large

lignum: wood

focus: hearth, here: bonfire

verna: home-born slave (m. and f.)

satur: rich

bona signa: apposition to turba vernarum

colonus: farmer

ludet: this may mean the turba vernarum consisted of children, though not necessarily. The context of playing and building huts suggests a ritual setting.

ante focum

virga: branch, twig

extruo extruxi extructum: to build, erect

casa: hut

eventura precor: I pray for good omens (In the meantime the lamb has been slaughtered and its entrails are inspected for good signs.)

uiden ut felicibus extis  significet placidos nuntia fibra deos? Do you see how the forecasting liver (nuntia fibra) from the favourable entrails (felicibus extis) signifies the gods to be pleased?

proferte: bring (from the wine store)

fumosus Falernos: Falernan wine was considered the best wine available. The amphoras were stored near or above the hearth, so that smoke could reach these and preserve the wine. The consequence was of course a smoky taste. The amphoras were sealed and on that seal the names of the then reigning consuls were written, so one could see how old the wine was. The heavy Falerna was usually mixed with a softer wine, in this case from Chios: solvite vincla Chio cado `untie the bounds from the Chian jar (cadus).’

vina: ablative

festa luce: on a festive day

madeo madui (-ēre): to become wet, drunk

rubor -oris (m.): shame

erro (-are): to wander, stray

male ferre pedes: `to carry the feet badly’ i.e. walk with unsteady feet

Translation by A.S. Klyne (2002)

Purity pleases the gods: come with pure robes

and draw the fountain’s water with pure hands.

See how the sacred lamb goes to the shining altar

behind it the crowd, in white, heads crowned with olive.

Gods of our fathers, we purify worker and field:

drive evil far away from our boundaries,

let the fields not cheat us of harvest, failed in the shoot,

let our slow lambs not be in fear of swifter wolves.

Then let the glowing farmer sure of full fields

pile huge logs up, on his blazing hearth,

and a crowd of young slaves, true signs of wealth

play, and build little huts of sticks before it.

I pray, with success: see how the favourable entrails

show that the gods are pleased, by the liver’s markings.

Now bring out the smoky Falernian from old consulships,

and loosen the bindings from the Chian jar.

Let wine celebrate the day: no shame to be drunk

on a day of festival, and weave about on unsteady feet.

Tibullus (Lygdamus) 3.1: do you still love me?

There is now general consensus amongst scholars that book 3 and 4 of Tibullus’ elegies are by other hands: book 4 by Sulpicia and 3, 1-6 by Lygdamus. Little to nothing is known about Lygdamus, except may be his birthdate: 43 BC., which can be reconstructed from elegy 3.5.17, but this might well be a mystification of the author. A Lygdamus is clearly a pseudonym, as well the name of his wife or mistress Naeara, there is no solution for identifying the real author.

The elegies of book 3 are considered of less literary merit than those by Tibullus himself and were it not that at an early point in the manuscript tradition they were included in the corpus of Tibullus, they would probably not have come down to the present day.

Elegy 1 addresses Naeara at the Matronalia, a festival celebrating motherhood and married women in general. This festival took place at March 1, the original Roman New Year.  Processions were all over the town and husbands and daughters gave gifts to their wife and mother. Lygdamus decides to send a book (or rather scroll) to Neaera, containing his poems, though as it is not certain whether this woman is real or just fiction, it need not be that this role contained the present poems. His description of this book has roused the interest of historians, as hardly any book role has survived antiquity. Unfortunately, his description is far from clear as he mainly uses phrases from other poets, giving more authority to poetic embellishment than to clarity.

The text is corrupt and the manuscripts offer a variety of readings. Often such texts are left out in anthologies and curricula, but it can do no harm to include such a text now and then as an illustration of the difficulties of constituting a text.

Note: I have used the edition of Tränkle (Berlin. 1990) and Navarro (Leyden, 1996).

Tibullus 3.1

Martis Romani festae uenere kalendae

    - exoriens nostris hic fuit annus auis -

et uaga nunc certa discurrunt undique pompa

    perque uias urbis munera perque domos.

Dicite, Pierides, quonam donetur honore               5

    seu mea, seu fallor, cara Neaera tamen.

Carmine formosae, pretio capiuntur auarae:

    gaudeat, ut digna est, uersibus illa meis.

Lutea sed niueum inuoluat membrana libellum,

    pumex et canas tondeat ante comas,               10

summaque praetexat tenuis fastigia chartae

    indicet ut nomen littera facta tuum,

atque inter geminas pingantur cornua frontes:

    sic etenim comptum mittere oportet opus.

Per uos, auctores huius mihi carminis, oro               15

    Castaliamque umbram Pieriosque lacus,

ite domum cultumque illi donate libellum,

    sicut erit: nullus defluat inde color.

Illa mihi referet, si nostri mutua cura est,

    an minor, an toto pectore deciderim.               20

Sed primum meritam larga donate salute

    atque haec submisso dicite uerba sono:

"Haec tibi uir quondam, nunc frater, casta Neaera,

    mittit et accipias munera parua rogat,

teque suis iurat caram magis esse medullis,               25

    siue sibi coniunx siue futura soror;

sed potius coniunx: huius spem nominis illi

    auferet extincto pallida Ditis aqua."

venere = venerunt

kalendae: the first day of the month. The kalendae of March was the first day of the year, till under Caesar the beginning of the year was set at the first of January.

exoriens annus: the beginning of a year

avus: grandfather, forefather

et vaga nunc certa = nunc vaga et certa

vagus: roaming

certus: orderly

pompa: procession

undique: everywhere

munera: new year’s gifts

Pierides: the Muses

seu…sue = sive…sive

fallor: to err

tamen: at least

formosus: beautiful

pretium: money

avarus: greedy

luteus: golden-yellow

niveus: snow-white

involvo involvi involutum: to envelope

membrana: parchment, covering (here a kind of covering for the libellum  protecting the papyrus from damage,)

pumex – icis (m.): pumice-stone (used to shave (tondeo totondi tonsum) the hair (coma) on parchment.)

canus: white

ante: (adv.) before

summaque praetexat tenuis fastigia chartae indicet ut nomen littera facta tuum =  et littera facta praetexat summa fastigia tenuis chartis ut indicet nomen tuum

praetexo –texui –tectum: to border, cover (i.e. a word (littera) is written on the highest top (summa fastigia, poetic plural) of the soft parchment (tenuis chartae)

cornua: (probably) the curved ends of the stick around which books were rolled, usually ornamented with ivory (The word is rare in this context: the normal word for a stick around which a book role was wound is umbilicus.)

atque inter geminas pingantur cornua frontes: a much discussed verse: The frontes are the top and bottom  margin, but what to do with inter? And what is meant exactly? The most easy solution is the read geminae (dubble), meaning that both margins are illustrated.

etenim: indeed

como compsi comptum: ta arrange, adorn

auctores: the Muses

per…Castaliamque umbram Pieriosque lacus: along the Castalian shadow and the Pierian spring (Castellia and Pieria were a wood and a spring at mount Parnassus and sacred to the Muses.)

domum: of Naeara

cultum = comptum

defluat color: i.e. fade away

referet: can’t be right: either referat (so Tränkle in his edition) or referte (the edition of Navarro)

Illa mihi referat/ referte, si nostri mutua cura est,   an minor, an toto pectore deciderim: she must tell me (or: you must tell me) whether our love is (still) mutual, or that it is less, or that I have fallen from her (your) whole heart.

meritam: she who deserves it

larga donate salute:  difficult phrase: a solemn formula for plurimam salutem dicere ` (say much greeting to her)

submisso sono: in a low voice

haec: with munera parva

uir quondam, nunc frater: i.e. they had no sexual relationship any longer

et accipias munera parua rogat = et rogat: accipias munera parua

teque suis iurat caram magis esse medullis: and he swears that you are more (to him) than his own heart (medulla: marrow, inmost part, heart)

huius spem nominis: i.e. coniunx

huius spem nominis illi auferet extincto pallida Ditis aqua: the pale water of the Underworld will take away the hope for this name from him when he is dead.

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

Translation by by THEODORE C. WILLIAMS (1908)

THE NEW-YEAR'S GIFT

  Now the month of Mars beginning brings the merry season near,

  By our fathers named and numbered as the threshold of the year.

  Faithfully their custom keeping, through the wide streets to and fro,

  Offered at each friendly dwelling, seasonable gifts must go.

  O what gifts, Pierian Muses, may acceptably be poured

  On my own adored Neaera?—or, if not my own, adored!

  Song is love's best gift to beauty; gold but tempts the venal soul;

  Therefore, 'tis a song I send her on this amateurish scroll.

  Wind a page of saffron parchment round the white papyrus there,

  Polish well with careful pumice every silvery margin fair:

  On the dainty little cover, for a title to the same

  Let her bright eyes read the blazon of a love-sick poet's name.

  Let the pair of horn-tipped handles be embossed with colors gay,

  For my book must make a toilet, must put on its best array.

  By Castalia's whispering shadow, by Pieria's vocal spring,

  By yourselves, O listening Muses, who did prompt the song I sing,—

  Fly, I pray you, to her chamber, and my pretty booklet bear,

  All unmarred and perfect give it, every color fresh and fair:

  Let her send you back, confessing, if our hearts together burn;

  Or, if she but loves me little, or will nevermore return.

  Utter first, for she deserves it, many a golden wish and vow;

  Then deliver this true message, humbly, as I speak it now.

  'Tis a gift, O chaste Neaera, from thy husband yet to be.

  Take the trifle, though a "brother" now is all he seems to thee.

  He will swear he loves thee dearer than the blood in all his veins;

  Whether husband, or if only that cold "sister" name remains.

  Ah! but "wife" he calls it: nothing takes this sweet hope from his soul!

  Till a hapless ghost he wanders where the Stygian waters roll.

Tibullus: A prayer to Apollo for the health of Sulpicia.

The poems by Tibullus have come to us in manuscripts divided in three or four books: the first two books are certainly by him, but the following poems are almost certainly not by him, but by other poets belonging to his circle. Those who wonder why three or four books: the division was made in the 15th century, but some consider the non-authentic poems as a single book. Book four is mainly about and by Sulpicia, the only Roman female poet whose poems have survived, though be it only some forty lines. She writes her love poetry to and for her friend Cerinthus and it is this Cerinthus whom we meet in the poem below praying to Apollo to drive away some disease from Sulpicia. So is he also the poet? Unlikely as most scholars think his name is not just a pseudonym, but that this whole lover is fictitious. So have we to think of a circle of young men and a woman experimenting with poetry to and by a fictitious character? May be. The poem as it stands in the manuscripts is probably not in the form it has originally been written, hence the transposition of various lines by scholars.

Tibullus  4.4 (or 3.10)

Huc ades et tenerae morbos expelle puellae,

    huc ades, intonsa Phoebe superbe coma;

crede mihi, propera, nec te iam, Phoebe, pigebit

    formosae medicas applicuisse manus.

Effice ne macies pallentes occupet artus,               5

    neu notet informis candida membra color,

et quodcumque mali est et quidquid triste timemus,

    in pelagus rapidis euehat amnis aquis.

Sancte, ueni, tecumque feras, quicumque sapores,

    quicumque et cantus corpora fessa leuant;               10

neu iuuenem torque, metuit qui fata puellae

    uotaque pro domina uix numeranda facit;

interdum uouet, interdum, quod langueat illa,

    dicit in aeternos aspera uerba deos.

Pone metum, Cerinthe: deus non laedit amantes;               15

    tu modo semper ama: salua puella tibi est;

nil opus est fletu: lacrimis erit aptius uti,               21

    si quando fuerit tristior illa tibi.               22

At nunc tota tua est, te solum candida secum               17

    cogitat, et frustra credula turba sedet.

Phoebe, faue: laus magna tibi tribuetur in uno

    corpore seruato restituisse duos.               20

Iam celeber, iam laetus eris, cum debita reddet               23

    certatim sanctis laetus uterque focis;

tunc te felicem dicet pia turba deorum,               25

    optabunt artes et sibi quisque tuas.

huc: hither

intonsa Phoebe superbe coma: Apollo is the embodiment of the eternal kouros, the young male. When reaching adulthood hair was cut as a kind of rite de passage, hence intonsa coma `with uncut hair’.

propero: to hasten

pigeo pigui pigitum: to repent (almost only used as an impersonal verb.)

formasae: the beauty is of course Sulpicia

medicas manus: healing hands

macies (f.): leanness, meagreness

pallentes artus: bleak limbs (or prolepsis: so that they grow bleak)

informis color: a colour without distinction

in pelagus rapidis euehat amnis aquis: may a river bring it with rapid waters to the sea (The idea is that illness was the result of some evil spirit. Once transferred into some material object by incantations and magical formulas (cantus), this object was thrown into the sea or in a river flowing to the sea.)

sapores: medical droughts

fessus: tired

iuvenem: Cerinthus

torqueo torsi tortum: to torture

vix: hardly

interdum..interdum: at one time…at another

langueo: to be weary

pone metum: put away your fear

laedo laesi laesum: to hurt, harm

opus est (+ abl.): there is need of

aptius: it is more fitting

candidus: (here) faithful

frustra: in vain

credula turba: the credulous crowd (of other lovers, as opposed to te solum cogitat)

in uno corpore seruato restituisse duos: in one healed body two people having been restored

celeber: honoured

debita: offerings for Apollo

certatim: in rivalry

focus: hearth

Translation by A.S. Kline (2001, He kind be praised enough for providing free translations on internet!)

A Prayer For Sulpicia In Her Illness

Phoebus, come, drive away the gentle girl’s illness,

come, proud, with your unshorn curls.

Trust me, and hurry: Phoebus, you won’t regret

having laid healing hands on her beauty.

See that no wasting disease grips her pale body,

no unpleasant marks stain her weak limbs,

and whatever ills exist, whatever sadness we fear,

let the swift river-waters carry them to the sea.

Come, sacred one, bring delicacies with you,

and whatever songs ease the weary body:

Don’t torment the youth, who fears for the girl’s fate,

and offers countless prayers for his mistress.

Sometimes he prays, sometimes, because she’s ill,

he speaks bitter words to the eternal gods.

Don’t be afraid, Cerinthus: the god doesn’t hurt lovers.

Only love always: and your girl is well.

No need to weep: tears will be more fitting,

if she’s ever more severe towards you.

But now she’s all yours: the lovely girl

only thinks of you, and a hopeful crowd wait in vain.

Phoebus, be gracious. Great praise will be due to you

in saving one life you’ll have restored two.

Soon you’ll be honoured, delighted, when both, safe,

compete to repay the debt at your sacred altar.

Then the holy company of gods will call you happy,

and each desire your own art for themselves

Tibullus (?): how mean a girlfriend can be!

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