- Source
- Ovid. P. Ovidius Naso, Volume 1: Amores, Epistulae, Medicamina faciei femineae, Ars amatoria, Remedia amoris. Ehwald, Rudolf; Merkel, Rudolph; editors. Leipzig: B. G. Teubner, 1907.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:latinLit:phi0959.phi001.humanitext-lat2:1.10.1-1.10.64
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
The poet expresses disillusionment with his mistress, who now demands money, comparing her to mythological beauties. He criticizes the commercialization of love and argues that while the rich can give wealth and the poor loyalty, he offers immortal fame through poetry, pleading for a love free from transactional demands.
Qualis ab Eurota Phrygiis avecta carinis
Just as she who, carried away from the Eurotas by Phrygian ships,
Coniugibus belli causa duobus erat,
was the cause of war for her two husbands,
Qualis erat Lede, quam plumis abditus albis
just as was Leda, whom, hidden in white feathers,
Callidus in falsa lusit adulter ave,
a clever adulterer fooled in the guise of a false bird,
Qualis Amymone siccis erravit in agris,
just as Amymone wandered in the dry fields,
Cum premeret summi verticis urna comas —
when the urn placed on the very top of her head pressed down her hair —
Talis1 eras; aquilamque in te taurumque timebam,
such were you; and I used to fear the eagle and the bull on your account,
Et quidquid magno de Iove fecit amor.
and whatever form love made great Jove take.
Nunc timor omnis abest, animique resanuit error,
Now all fear is gone, and the error of my mind has healed,
Nec facies oculos iam capit ista meos.
and that beauty of yours no longer captures my eyes.
Cur sim mutatus, quaeris? quia munera poscis.
Do you ask why I have changed? Because you demand gifts.
Haec te non patitur causa placere mihi.
This cause does not allow you to please me.
Donec eras simplex, animum cum corpore amavi;
As long as you were simple, I loved your mind along with your body;
Nunc mentis vitio laesa figura tua est.
now your beauty is damaged by the defect of your mind.
Et puer est et nudus Amor; sine sordibus annos
Love is both a boy and naked; he has years without blemish
Et nullas vestes, ut sit apertus, habet.
and no clothes, so that he may be open.
Quid puerum Veneris pretio prostare iubetis?
Why do you order the boy of Venus to stand for sale for a price?
Quo pretium condat, non habet ille sinum!
He has no fold in his garment in which to hide the price!
Nec Venus apta feris Veneris nec filius armis —
Neither Venus nor the son of Venus is suited for fierce arms —
Non decet inbelles aera merere2 deos.
it is not fitting for peaceful gods to earn military pay.
Stat meretrix certo cuivis mercabilis aere,
A prostitute stands purchasable by anyone for a fixed sum of money,
Et miseras iusso corpore quaerit opes;
and seeks wretched wealth with her body at command;
Devovet imperium tamen haec lenonis avari
yet even she curses the rule of the greedy pimp
Et, quod vos facitis sponte, coacta facit.
and does under compulsion what you do of your own free will.
Sumite in exemplum pecudes ratione carentes;
Take as an example the beasts that lack reason;
Turpe erit, ingenium mitius esse feris.
it will be shameful for the nature of wild beasts to be gentler than yours.
Non equa munus equum, non taurum vacca poposcit;
No mare demands a gift from a horse, no cow from a bull;
Non aries placitam munere captat ovem.
no ram wins over the ewe he fancies with a gift.
Sola viro mulier spoliis exultat ademptis,
Only woman exults in the spoils snatched from man;
Sola locat noctes, sola licenda venit,
she alone rents out her nights, she alone comes to be bid for,
Et vendit quod utrumque iuvat quod uterque petebat,
and sells what delights both and what both were seeking,
Et pretium, quanti gaudeat ipsa, facit.
and sets the price according to how much she herself enjoys it.
Quae Venus ex aequo ventura est grata duobus,
Since the lovemaking is to come as a pleasure equally to two people,
Altera cur illam vendit et alter emit?
why does the one sell it and the other buy it?
Cur mihi sit damno, tibi sit lucrosa voluptas,
Why should pleasure be a loss to me and lucrative to you,
Quam socio motu femina virque ferunt?
which woman and man bring about with shared movement?
Non bene conducti vendunt periuria testes,
Witnesses hired for a price do not sell their false oaths well,
Non bene selecti iudicis arca patet.
nor does the strongbox of a chosen judge stand open well.
Turpe reos empta miseros defendere lingua;
It is shameful to defend wretched defendants with a bought tongue;
Quod faciat magni, turpe tribunal, opes;
it is a shameful tribunal that makes great wealth;
Turpe tori reditu census augere paternos,
it is shameful to increase paternal property by the income of the bed,
Et faciem lucro prostituisse suam.
and to have prostituted one’s beauty for profit.
Gratia pro rebus merito debetur inemptis;
Gratitude is deservedly owed for things unbought;
Pro male conducto gratia nulla toro.
no gratitude is due for an ill-hired bed.
Omnia conductor solvit; mercede soluta
The hirer pays for everything; once the fee is paid,
Non manet officio debitor ille tuo.
he does not remain a debtor to your kindness.
Parcite, formosae, pretium pro nocte pacisci;
Spare, beautiful ones, to bargain a price for the night;
Non habet eventus sordida praeda bonos.
dirty gain does not have good outcomes.
Non fuit armillas tanti pepigisse3 Sabinas,
It was not worth so much to have bargained for the Sabine bracelets
Ut premerent sacrae virginis arma caput;
that the arms of the sacred virgin should crush her head;
E quibus exierat, traiecit viscera ferro
her son pierced with iron the womb from which he had come,
Filius, et poenae causa monile fuit.
and a necklace was the cause of the punishment.
Nec tamen indignum est a divite praemia posci;
And yet, it is not unworthy for rewards to be asked from a rich man;
Munera poscenti quod dare possit, habet.
he has what he can give to the one who asks for gifts.
Carpite de plenis pendentes vitibus uvas;
Pluck the hanging grapes from the full vines;
Praebeat Alcinoi poma benignus ager!
let the generous field of Alcinous offer fruit!
Officium pauper numeret studiumque fidemque;
Let the poor man count out his service, his zeal, and his loyalty;
Quod quis habet, dominae conferat omne suae.
whatever each has, let him contribute it all to his mistress.
Est quoque carminibus meritas celebrare puellas
It is also my dowry to celebrate deserving girls in song;
Dos mea; quam volui, nota fit arte mea.
whomever I have wished, becomes famous by my art.
Scindentur vestes, gemmae frangentur et aurum;
Clothes will be torn, gems and gold will be broken;
Carmina quam tribuent, fama perennis erit.
the fame which songs bestow will be everlasting.
Nec dare, sed pretium posci dedignor et odi;
I do not disdain to give, but I disdain and hate to be asked for a price;
Quod nego poscenti, desine velle, dabo!
cease to wish for what I deny to the asker, and I will give it!
- 1.10.1Qualis ... Talis
The three comparative clauses starting with Qualis in lines 1, 3, and 5 lead up to the main clause containing Talis in line 7. The poet compares his former mistress to mythological beauties (Helen, Leda, Amymone), explaining why he used to fear Jupiter's transformations on her account.
- 1.10.20aera merere
Originally a military term meaning 'to earn army pay' or 'to serve in the military'. Here, it responds to the preceding feris ... armis, while double-functioning in the context to mean 'to earn money or compensation (for love)'.
- 1.10.49tanti pepigisse
An impersonal expression using the genitive of value tanti, meaning 'it was not worth so much to have bargained...'. The infinitive pepigisse acts as the subject, followed by the consecutive ut clause in line 50. It refers to the myth of Tarpeia who bargained for the Sabine bracelets.
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — translation 1