- 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-lat2:2.3.1-2.3.18
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
The poet persuades the castrated guardian Bagoas that, since he has neither manly pleasures nor a military path, it is wiser to serve his mistress, earn her gratitude, and condone the lovers' passion.
Ei mihi, quod dominam nec vir nec femina servas
Woe to me, that you, neither man nor woman, guard your mistress,
Mutua nec Veneris gaudia nosse potes!
and cannot know the mutual joys of Venus!
Qui primus pueris genitalia membra recidit,
He who first cut off the genital members of boys,
Vulnera quae fecit, debuit ipse pati.
ought himself to have suffered the wounds he made.
Mollis in obsequium facilisque rogantibus esses,
You would be soft to compliance and easy to those who entreat,
Si tuus in quavis praetepuisset1 amor.
if your love had ever warmed beforehand for any woman.
Non tu natus equo, non fortibus utilis armis;
You were not born for the horse, nor useful for strong arms;
Bellica non dextrae convenit hasta tuae.
the warlike spear does not fit your right hand.
Ista mares tractent; tu spes depone viriles.
Let men handle those things; lay aside your manly hopes.
Sunt tibi cum domina signa ferenda2 tua.
You must carry your standards along with your mistress.
Hanc inple meritis, huius tibi gratia prosit;
Fill her with your services, let her gratitude benefit you;
Si careas illa, quis tuus usus erit?
if you should lack her, what will be your usefulness?
Est etiam facies, sunt apti lusibus anni;
She has also beauty, and years fit for plays;
Indigna est pigro forma perire situ.
it is unworthy for her beauty to perish in sluggish neglect.
Fallere te potuit, quamvis habeare molestus;
She could have deceived you, although you are considered troublesome;
Non caret effectu, quod voluere duo.
what two have willed does not lack effect.
Aptius ut fuerit3 precibus temptasse, rogamus,
Since it would be more fitting to have tempted with prayers, we ask,
Dum bene ponendi munera tempus habes.
while you have the time for placing your favors well.
- 2.3.5esses... praetepuisset
The protasis praetepuisset (pluperfect subjunctive) expresses a past contrary-to-fact condition, while the apodosis esses (imperfect subjunctive) expresses a present contrary-to-fact condition (or a continuous state in the past).
- 2.3.10signa ferenda
signa ferenda is a gerundive expressing obligation, with tibi as the dative of agent. Using the military term signa ferre (to carry the standards, to march), it ironically implies that the eunuch's only 'battlefield' is accompanying his mistress.
- 2.3.17ut fuerit
fuerit is in the perfect subjunctive, indicating a past potentiality ('it would have been'). ut is used here as explanatory or causal ('since' or 'as'), justifying why the poet chooses the milder method of entreaty rather than force.