Praise of Sulmo and Longing for the Absent Mistress — Ovid, The Loves Book 2 (2.16.1–2.16.52), Latin & English

Pars me Sulmo tenet Paeligni tertia ruris —

Sulmo, a third part of the Paelignian countryside, holds me —

Parva, sed inriguis ora salubris aquis.

a small region, but healthy with its well-watered streams.

Sol licet admoto tellurem sidere findat,

Although the sun cleaves the earth with the star brought near,

Et micet Icarii stella proterva canis,

and the bold star of the Icarian dog shines,

Arva pererrantur Paeligna liquentibus undis,

the Paelignian fields are traversed by flowing waters,

Et viret in tenero fertilis herba solo.

and the fertile grass is green in the soft soil.

Terra ferax Cereris multoque feracior uvis;

A land fertile in grain and much more fertile in grapes;

Dat quoque baciferam Pallada rarus ager;

here and there a field also gives berry-bearing Pallas;

Perque resurgentes rivis labentibus herbas

and through the grass rising again with sliding streams,

Gramineus madidam caespes obumbrat humum.

the grassy turf shades the wet ground.

At meus ignis abest. verbo peccavimus¹ uno! —

But my fire is absent. In one word I have erred! —

Quae movet ardores est procul; ardor adest.

She who moves my passion is far away; the passion is here.

Non ego, si medius Polluce et Castore ponar,

Even if I were placed between Pollux and Castor,

In caeli sine te parte fuisse velim.

I would not wish to be in that part of heaven without you.

Solliciti iaceant² terraque premantur iniqua,

Let them lie anxious and be pressed down by the hostile earth,

In longas orbem qui secuere vias! —

who cut the world into long roads! —

Aut iuvenum comites iussissent³ ire puellas,

Or they should have ordered girls to go as companions to young men,

Si fuit in longas terra secanda vias!

if the earth had to be cut into long roads!

Tum mihi, si premerem ventosas horridus Alpes,

Then for me, even if I, shivering, were treading the windy Alps,

Dummodo cum domina, molle fuisset iter.

as long as I were with my mistress, the journey would have been soft.

Cum domina Libycas ausim⁴ perrumpere Syrtes

With my mistress I would dare to break through the Libyan Syrtes

Et dare non aequis vela ferenda Notis.

and dare to give my sails to be borne by hostile South winds.

Non quae virgineo portenta sub inguine latrant,

Neither would I fear the monsters that bark beneath the virgin’s groin,

Nec timeam vestros, curva Malea, sinus;

nor would I fear your bays, curved Malea;

Non quae submersis ratibus saturata Charybdis

nor Charybdis, sated with sunken rafts,

Fundit et effusas ore receptat aquas.

which pours forth and receives back in its mouth the spilled waters.

Quod si Neptuni ventosa potentia vincat,

But if Neptune’s windy power should conquer,

Et subventuros auferat unda deos,

and the wave should sweep away the gods who would have come to help,

Tu nostris niveos umeris inpone lacertos;

do you place your snow-white arms upon my shoulders;

Corpore nos facili dulce feremus onus.

I will bear the sweet burden with an easy body.

Saepe petens Hero iuvenis transnaverat undas;

Often the youth, seeking Hero, had swum across the waves;

Tum quoque transnasset, sed via caeca fuit.

then too he would have swum across, but the way was blind.

At sine te, quamvis operosi vitibus agri

But without you, though fields busy with grapevines

Me teneant, quamvis amnibus arva natent,

hold me, though the fields swim with rivers,

Et vocet in rivos currentem rusticus undam,

and the peasant calls the running water into the brooks,

Frigidaque arboreas mulceat aura comas,

and a cool breeze caresses the trees’ leafy hair,

Non ego Paelignos videor celebrare salubres,

I do not seem to be dwelling in the healthy Paelignian country,

Non ego natalem, rura paterna, locum —

nor in my birthplace, my paternal countryside —

Sed Scythiam Cilicasque feros viridesque⁵ Britannos,

but rather in Scythia, and among the fierce Cilicians and green Britons,

Quaeque Prometheo saxa cruore rubent.

and those rocks which are red with Prometheus’ blood.

Ulmus amat vitem, vitis non deserit ulmum;

The elm loves the vine, the vine does not desert the elm;

Separor a domina cur ego saepe mea?

why am I so often separated from my mistress?

At mihi te comitem iuraras usque futuram —

Yet you had sworn to me that you would always be my companion —

Per me perque oculos, sidera nostra, tuos!

by me and by your eyes, our stars!

Verba puellarum, foliis leviora caducis,

The words of girls, lighter than falling leaves,

Inrita, qua visum est, ventus et unda ferunt.

the wind and the wave carry away, useless, wherever they please.

Siqua mei tamen est in te pia cura relicti,

Yet if there is any affectionate care in you for me, left behind,

Incipe pollicitis addere facta tuis,

begin to add deeds to your promises,

Parvaque quamprimum rapientibus esseda mannis

and as soon as possible, with swift ponies drawing the small carriage,

Ipsa per admissas concute lora iubas!

shake the reins yourself over their swift-galloping manes!

At vos, qua veniet, tumidi, subsidite, montes,

But you, swelling mountains, sink down where she will come,

Et faciles curvis vallibus este, viae!

and you, roads, be easy in the winding valleys!

Syntax notes5 items

2.16.11peccavimus
First-person plural (poetic plural) representing the first-person singular of the poet himself. It refers to the action of the poet alone, consistent with meus (line 11) and ego (line 13).
2.16.15Solliciti iaceant
The present subjunctives (iaceant, premantur) express a wish or a curse. Solliciti is an adjective used substantively, modifying the implied antecedent of the relative clause in line 16 (qui secuere...). It acts as a curse on those anxious pioneers who first laid out long roads.
2.16.17iussissent
Pluperfect subjunctive, expressing an unfulfilled wish in the past or a past obligation/regret ('they should have ordered...').
2.16.21ausim
First-person singular present subjunctive, archaically derived from audeo. It expresses potentiality ('I would dare') as the apodosis of a conditional thought.
2.16.39virides
Literally 'green.' It refers to the ancient British custom of dyeing their skin blue-green with woad.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0959.phi001.humanitext-lat2:2.16.1-2.16.52