- 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-lat2:3.15.1-3.15.20
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-28
The poet announces the completion of his love elegies, proudly recalling his native town of Sulmo and his noble equestrian lineage. He bids farewell to the Muse of love, preparing to embark on a grander poetic genre inspired by Bacchus. This poem concludes the entire work; would you like to discuss the legacy and overall themes of the collection?
Quaere novum vatem, tenerorum mater Amorum!
Look for a new poet, mother of tender Loves!
Raditur hic elegis ultima meta1 meis;
Here the final turning-post is grazed by my elegiac verses;
Quos ego conposui, Paeligni ruris alumnus —
which I composed, a foster-son of the Paelignian countryside —
Nec me deliciae dedecuere meae —
nor did my playful themes bring me dishonor —
Siquid id est,2 usque a proavis vetus ordinis heres,
if that is anything, an ancient heir to my class right from my ancestors,
Non modo militiae turbine factus eques.
not just made an eques by the turmoil of military service.
Mantua Vergilio, gaudet Verona Catullo;
Mantua rejoices in Vergil, Verona in Catullus;
Paelignae dicar gloria gentis ego,
I shall be called the glory of the Paelignian race,
Quam3 sua libertas ad honesta coegerat arma,
whom their own liberty had compelled to honorable arms,
Cum timuit socias anxia Roma manus.
when anxious Rome feared the allied forces.
Atque aliquis spectans hospes Sulmonis aquosi
And some stranger, looking upon the walls of watery Sulmo,
Moenia, quae campi iugera pauca tenent,
which occupy but a few acres of the plain,
'Quae tantum' dicat 'potuistis ferre poetam,
’You who were able to bear so great a poet,’ might say,
Quantulacumque estis, vos ego magna voco.'
’however small you are, I call you great.’
Culte puer puerique parens Amathusia culti.
Refined boy, and Amathusian mother of the refined boy,
Aurea de campo vellite signa meo!
pluck up the golden standards from my field!
Corniger increpuit thyrso graviore Lyaeus:
Horned Lyaeus has struck with a heavier thyrsus:
Pulsanda est magnis area maior equis.
a wider field must be trodden by mighty horses.
Inbelles elegi, genialis Musa, valete,
Unwarlike elegies, genial Muse, farewell,
Post mea mansurum4 fata superstes opus!
my work destined to survive and remain after my death!
- 3.15.2ultima meta
'meta' refers to the turning-post at either end of a chariot-racing track. Here, it is used as a metaphor for the final goal of a long poetic journey, signifying the completion of the entire work. 'raditur' (is grazed) evokes the imagery of a chariot rounding the post as closely as possible.
- 3.15.5Siquid id est
Literally 'if that is anything,' this is an idiomatic Latin expression of conditional modesty (or irony) used when the poet mentions his ancient lineage ('vetus ordinis heres'), balancing modesty with pride.
- 3.15.9Quam
Feminine singular accusative relative pronoun, referring back to 'Paelignae gentis' (the Paelignian people, feminine singular) in the preceding line. It introduces the historical context of the Social War (91–88 BC) in which the Paelignians fought against Rome for their liberty.
- 3.15.20mansurum
Future active participle of 'maneo' (to remain, endure) in the neuter singular accusative/vocative, modifying the final noun 'opus' (work, neuter singular), which is in the vocative case. The adjective 'superstes' (surviving) also modifies 'opus'.