- 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-lat2:2.18.1-2.18.40
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-28
The poet addresses his epic-writing friend Macer, explaining how his own attempts at tragedy were thwarted by Love, leading him to write elegiac love poetry and letters of mythological heroines (Heroides). He notes that even in Macer's epic works, Love is present, predicting that Macer will eventually join his camp.
Carmen ad iratum dum tu perducis Achillen
While you conduct your poem to angry Achilles,
Primaque iuratis induis arma viris,
and put the first armor on the sworn men,
Nos, Macer, ignava Veneris cessamus in umbra,
We, Macer, idle in the lazy shade of Venus,
Et tener ausuros1 grandia frangit Amor.
and tender Love breaks those who would dare grand things.
Saepe meae 'tandem' dixi 'discede' puellae —
Often I said to my girl, “Depart at last!” —
In gremio sedit protinus illa meo.
immediately she sat in my lap.
Saepe 'pudet!' dixi — lacrimis vix illa retentis
Often I said, “It is shameful!” — she, with tears scarcely held back,
'Me miseram! iam te' dixit 'amare pudet?2'
said, “Wretched me! Is it now a shame for you to love?”
Inplicuitque suos circum mea colla lacertos
And she entwined her arms around my neck
Et, quae me perdunt, oscula mille dedit.
and gave a thousand kisses, which are my ruin.
Vincor, et ingenium sumptis revocatur ab armis,
I am conquered, and my genius is recalled from the arms it had taken up,
Resque domi gestas et mea bella cano.
and I sing of deeds done at home and of my own wars.
Sceptra tamen sumpsi, curaque tragoedia nostra
Yet I did take up the sceptre, and through my care tragedy grew,
Crevit, et huic operi quamlibet aptus eram.
and I was as suited to this work as could be.
Risit Amor pallamque meam pictosque cothurnos
Love laughed at my cloak and my painted buskins,
Sceptraque privata tam cito sumpta manu.
and the sceptre taken up so quickly by a private hand.
Hinc quoque me dominae numen deduxit iniquae,
From this too the divine power of an unfair mistress drew me away,
Deque cothurnato vate triumphat Amor.
and Love triumphs over the buskined bard.
Quod licet, aut artes teneri profitemur Amoris —
What is allowed, either I profess the arts of tender Love —
Ei mihi, praeceptis urgeor ipse meis! —
ah me, I am pressed hard by my own precepts! —
Aut, quod Penelopes verbis reddatur Ulixi,
or what may be delivered to Ulysses in the words of Penelope,
Scribimus et lacrimas, Phylli relicta, tuas,
I write, and your tears, abandoned Phyllis,
Quod Paris et Macareus et quod male gratus Iason
what Paris and Macareus, and what ungrateful Jason,
Hippolytique parens Hippolytusque legant,
and Hippolytus’ parent and Hippolytus himself might read,
Quodque tenens strictum Dido miserabilis ensem
and what wretched Dido, holding a drawn sword,
Dicat et Aoniae Lesbis amata lyrae.
might say, and the Lesbian woman loved by the Aonian lyre.
Quam cito de toto rediit meus orbe Sabinus
How quickly my Sabinus returned from the whole world,
Scriptaque diversis rettulit ille locis!
and brought back writings from diverse places!
Candida Penelope signum cognovit Ulixis;
Fair Penelope recognized the seal of Ulysses;
Legit ab Hippolyto scripta noverca suo.
the stepmother read what was written by her Hippolytus.
Iam pius Aeneas miserae rescripsit Elissae,
Already pious Aeneas has written back to wretched Elissa,
Quodque legat Phyllis, si modo vivit, adest.
and what Phyllis may read, if only she lives, is here.
Tristis ad Hypsipylen ab Iasone littera venit;
A sad letter has come to Hypsipyle from Jason;
Det votam Phoebo Lesbis amata lyram.
let the loved Lesbian woman give her vowed lyre to Phoebus.
Nec tibi,3 qua tutum vati, Macer, arma canenti
Nor by you, Macer, singing of arms, as far as is safe for a bard,
Aureus in medio Marte tacetur Amor.
is golden Love kept silent in the midst of Mars.
Et Paris est illic et adultera, nobile crimen,
There too is Paris, and the adulteress, a famous crime,
Et comes extincto Laodamia viro.
and Laodamia, companion to her dead husband.
Si bene te novi, non bella libentius istis
If I know you well, you do not speak of wars more willingly than of those,
Dicis, et a vestris in mea castra venis.
and you come from your camp into mine.
- 2.18.4ausuros
The future active participle accusative plural of audeo (to dare). Here used substantively, referring to 'those who would dare grand (epic) themes' or 'our spirits as they dare grand things,' serving as the direct object of the transitive verb frangit.
- 2.18.8pudet
Syntax of the impersonal verb pudet (it shames). It takes the person who feels shame in the accusative (te, from 'iam te') and the cause of shame as an infinitive (amare), meaning 'does it shame you to love?'
- 2.18.35tibi
Dative singular of the second-person pronoun. Used with the passive verb tacetur as a dative of agent, meaning 'is not kept silent by you' (i.e., you cannot help but sing of it).