- 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-lat2:3.14.1-3.14.50
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-28
The poet implores his beloved not to stop her infidelities, but at least to conceal them from him, asking her to deny her affairs even when caught so that he may happily remain deceived.
Non ego, ne pecces, cum sis formosa, recuso,1
I do not object, since you are beautiful, to your sinning,
Sed ne sit misero scire necesse mihi;
but let it not be necessary for wretched me to know;
Nec te nostra iubet fieri censura pudicam,
nor does my censorship order you to become chaste,
Sed tamen, ut temptes dissimulare, rogat.
but yet, it asks that you try to conceal it.
Non peccat, quaecumque potest peccasse negare,
She does not sin, whoever is able to deny having sinned,
Solaque famosam culpa professa facit.
and only a confessed fault makes a woman notorious.
Quis furor est, quae nocte latent, in luce fateri,
What madness is it to confess in the light what is hidden by night,
Et quae clam facias facta referre palam?
and to report openly deeds which you do secretly?
Ignoto meretrix corpus iunctura Quiriti
A courtesan, about to join her body to an unknown citizen,
Opposita populum summovet ante sera;
first shuts out the public with a bar placed against the door;
Tu tua prostitues famae peccata sinistrae
will you expose your sins to unfavorable gossip,
Commissi perages indiciumque tui?
and carry out the betrayal of your own crime?
Sit tibi mens melior, saltemve imitare pudicas,
Let your mind be better, or at least imitate the chaste ones,
Teque probam, quamvis non eris, esse putem.2
and let me think that you are virtuous, even though you will not be.
Quae facis, haec facito; tantum fecisse negato,
What you do, do indeed; only deny having done it,
Nec pudeat coram verba modesta loqui!
nor let it shame you to speak modest words in public!
Est qui nequitiam locus exigat; omnibus illum
There is a place which demands wantonness; fill that place
Deliciis inple, stet procul inde pudor!
with all delights, let shame stand far away from there!
Hinc simul exieris, lascivia protinus omnis
As soon as you go out from here, let all playfulness immediately
Absit, et in lecto crimina pone tuo.
be absent, and leave your crimes in your bed.
Illic nec tunicam tibi sit posuisse pudori3
There let it be no shame for you to have laid aside your tunic,
Nec femori inpositum sustinuisse femur;
nor to have borne a thigh placed upon your thigh;
Illic purpureis condatur lingua labellis,
there let the tongue be hidden by purple lips,
Inque modos Venerem mille figuret amor;
and let love fashion passion in a thousand ways;
Illic nec voces nec verba iuvantia cessent,
there let neither voices nor pleasing words cease,
Spondaque lasciva mobilitate tremat!
and let the bed-frame tremble with wanton mobility!
Indue cum tunicis metuentem crimina vultum,
Put on, along with your tunics, a face that fears accusations,
Et pudor obscenum diffiteatur opus;
and let shame deny the obscene act;
Da populo, da verba4 mihi; sine nescius errem,
Deceive the public, deceive me; let me err in ignorance,
Et liceat stulta credulitate frui!
and let it be allowed to enjoy foolish credulity!
Cur totiens video mitti recipique tabellas?
Why do I see tablets sent and received so often?
Cur pressus prior est interiorque torus?
Why is the edge of the bed and its inner part pressed down?
Cur plus quam somno turbatos esse capillos
Why do I see hair disheveled more than by sleep,
Collaque conspicio dentis habere notam?
and behold necks having the mark of a tooth?
Tantum non oculos crimen deducis ad ipsos;
You bring your crime almost to my very eyes;
Si dubitas famae parcere, parce mihi!
if you hesitate to spare your own reputation, spare me!
Mens abit et morior quotiens peccasse fateris,
My mind departs and I die whenever you confess to having sinned,
Perque meos artus frigida gutta fluit.
and a cold drop of sweat flows through my limbs.
Tunc amo, tunc odi frustra quod amare necesse est;
Then I love, then I hate in vain what I must love;
Tunc ego, sed tecum, mortuus esse velim!
then I would wish to be dead, but with you!
Nil equidem inquiram, nec quae celare parabis
Indeed, I will inquire into nothing, nor will I pursue what you prepare
Insequar, et falli muneris instar erit.
to conceal, and to be deceived will be like a gift to me.
Si tamen in media deprensa tenebere culpa,
If, however, you are caught and held in the middle of your fault,
Et fuerint oculis probra videnda meis,
and your disgraceful deeds must be seen by my eyes,
Quae bene visa mihi fuerint, bene visa negato —
deny that what was clearly seen by me was clearly seen —
Concedent verbis lumina nostra tuis.
my eyes will yield to your words.
Prona tibi vinci cupientem vincere5 palma est,
Victory is easy for you, who wish to defeat one desiring to be defeated;
Sit modo 'non feci!' dicere lingua memor.
let only your tongue be mindful to say ‘I did not do it!’.
Cum tibi contingat verbis superare duobus,
Since it falls to your lot to conquer with two words,
Etsi non causa, iudice vince tuo!6
conquer, if not by your cause, by your judge!
- 3.14.1ne pecces... recuso
The verb 'recuso' with 'ne' and the subjunctive ('ne pecces') introduces a clause of prevention or refusal, meaning 'I do not refuse/object to your sinning' (literally, 'I do not object lest you sin').
- 3.14.14Teque probam... esse putem
The subjunctive 'putem' (present, first person singular) functions here as a clause of result or purpose following the preceding volitive commands, meaning 'so that I may think' or 'and let me think'.
- 3.14.21tibi sit posuisse pudori
A double dative construction with 'tibi' (dative of reference) and 'pudori' (dative of purpose/result). The perfect infinitive 'posuisse' (and 'sustinuisse' in the next line) is used poetically with a present aspect, equivalent to the present infinitive.
- 3.14.29Da verba
The idiom 'verba dare' (literally 'to give words') is a very common Latin colloquialism meaning 'to deceive' or 'to cheat'.
- 3.14.47vinci cupientem vincere
The direct object of 'vincere' (to conquer) is the participial phrase 'vinci cupientem' (one desiring to be conquered). This is a clever wordplay describing the poet's willingness to be deceived.
- 3.14.50iudice vince tuo
The phrase 'iudice tuo' is an ablative of instrument or attendant circumstance ('with your judge' or 'under your judge'). It refers to the poet himself acting as the judge who is already biased and willing to acquit the defendant despite the lack of a good case ('causa').