- 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-lat2:3.2.1-3.2.84
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-28
The poet, sitting in the spectator stands of the Circus, courts a beautiful woman next to him and expresses his passionate love through the events of the chariot race.
'Non ego nobilium sedeo studiosus equorum;
’I do not sit here as a fan of noble horses;
Cui tamen ipsa faves, vincat ut ille, precor.
yet I pray that the one whom you yourself favor may win.
Ut loquerer tecum veni, tecumque sederem,
I came so that I might speak with you, and sit with you,
Ne tibi non notus, quem facis, esset amor.1
lest the love which you inspire should be unknown to you.
Tu cursus spectas, ego te; spectemus uterque
You watch the races, I watch you; let us each watch
Quod iuvat, atque oculos pascat uterque suos.
what pleases us, and let each feast his own eyes.
O, cuicumque faves, felix agitator equorum!
O, happy driver of horses, whoever it is you favor!
Ergo illi curae contigit esse tuae?
So has it fallen to his lot to be your care?
Hoc mihi contingat, sacro de carcere missis
May this lot fall to me, that when the horses are sent from the sacred barrier
Insistam forti mente vehendus equis,
I should press on, to be carried with a brave mind,
Et modo lora dabo, modo verbere terga notabo,
and now I will give them rein, now mark their backs with the whip,
Nunc stringam metas interiore rota.
now graze the turning posts with my inner wheel.
Si mihi currenti fueris conspecta, morabor,
If I catch sight of you as I run, I shall linger,
Deque meis manibus lora remissa fluent.
and the loosened reins will flow down from my hands.
At quam paene Pelops Pisaea concidit hasta,
Ah, how nearly Pelops fell by the Pisand spear,
Dum spectat vultus, Hippodamia, tuos!
while he watched your face, Hippodamia!
Nempe favore suae vicit tamen ille puellae.
To be sure, he won nevertheless by the favor of his girl.
Vincamus dominae quisque favore suae!
Let us each win by the favor of our mistress!
Quid frustra refugis? cogit nos linea iungi.
Why do you draw back in vain? The boundary line forces us to be joined.
Haec in lege loci commoda circus habet —
The circus has these advantages in the law of the place —
Tu tamen a dextra, quicumque es, parce puellae;
but you on the right, whoever you are, spare the girl;
Contactu lateris laeditur ista tui.
she is hurt by the contact of your side.
Tu quoque, qui spectas post nos, tua contrahe crura,
You too, who watch behind us, draw back your legs,
Si pudor est, rigido nec preme terga genu!
if you have any shame, and do not press her back with your hard knee!
Sed nimium demissa iacent tibi pallia terra.
But your cloak lies trailing too low on the ground.
Collige — vel digitis en ego tollo meis!
Gather it up — or see, I lift it with my own fingers!
Invida vestis eras, quae tam bona crura tegebas;
You were an envious garment, which covered such good legs;
Quoque magis spectes2 — invida vestis eras!
and so that you may see more — you were an envious garment!
Talia Milanion Atalantes crura fugacis
Such legs Milanion wished to have held with his own hands,
Optavit manibus sustinuisse suis.
the legs of fleet Atalanta.
Talia pinguntur succinctae crura Dianae
Such legs of girt-up Diana are painted,
Cum sequitur fortes, fortior ipsa, feras.
when she, herself braver, pursues brave beasts.
His ego non visis arsi; quid fiet ab ipsis?
I burned when these were not seen; what will happen from them themselves?
In flammam flammas, in mare fundis aquas.
You pour flames into flame, and waters into the sea.
Suspicor ex istis et cetera posse placere,
I suspect from these that the rest also can please,
Quae bene sub tenui condita veste latent.
which lie well hidden and concealed under your thin dress.
Vis tamen interea faciles arcessere ventos?
But do you wish, meanwhile, to summon gentle breezes?
Quos faciet nostra mota tabella manu.
Which a tablet moved by our hand will make.
An magis hic meus est animi, non aeris aestus,
Or is this rather the heat of my mind, not of the air,
Captaque femineus pectora torret amor?
and does a female love scorch my captured breast?
Dum loquor, alba levi sparsa est tibi pulvere vestis.
While I speak, your white dress is sprinkled with light dust.
Sordide de niveo corpore pulvis abi!
Depart, dirty dust, from her snow-white body!
Sed iam pompa venit — linguis animisque favete!3
But now the procession comes — favor with tongues and minds!
Tempus adest plausus — aurea pompa venit.
The time for applause is here — the golden procession comes.
Prima loco fertur passis Victoria pinnis —
First in place is carried Victory with outspread wings —
Huc ades et meus hic fac, dea, vincat amor!
come here, goddess, and make this love of mine win!
Plaudite Neptuno, nimium qui creditis undis!
Applaud Neptune, you who trust too much in the waves!
Nil mihi cum pelago; me mea terra capit.
I have nothing to do with the sea; my own land holds me.
Plaude tuo Marti, miles! nos odimus arma;
Applaud your Mars, soldier! We hate arms;
Pax iuvat et media pace repertus amor.
peace pleases, and love found in the midst of peace.
Auguribus Phoebus, Phoebe venantibus adsit!
Let Phoebus be present for augurs, Phoebe for hunters!
Artifices in te verte, Minerva, manus!
Turn skilled hands to you, Minerva!
Ruricolae, Cereri teneroque adsurgite Baccho!
Countrymen, rise up for Ceres and tender Bacchus!
Pollucem pugiles, Castora placet eques!
Let boxers appease Pollux, the horseman Castor!
Nos tibi, blanda Venus, puerisque potentibus arcu
We applaud you, gentle Venus, and your boys powerful with the bow;
Plaudimus; inceptis adnue, diva, meis
nod, goddess, to my undertakings,
Daque novae mentem dominae! patiatur amari!
and give a mind to my new mistress! Let her allow herself to be loved!
Adnuit et motu signa secunda dedit.
She nodded and gave favorable signs by her movement.
Quod dea promisit, promittas ipsa, rogamus;
What the goddess promised, we ask that you yourself promise;
Pace loquar Veneris, tu dea maior eris.
by the leave of Venus I will speak, you will be the greater goddess.
Per tibi tot iuro testes pompamque deorum,
I swear to you by so many witnesses and the procession of the gods,
Te dominam nobis tempus in omne peti!
that you are sought as my mistress for all time!
Sed pendent tibi crura. potes, si forte iuvabit,
But your legs are dangling. You can, if by chance it will please you,
Cancellis primos inseruisse pedes.
insert the tips of your feet into the grating.
Maxima iam vacuo praetor spectacula circo
Now the praetor, with the circus empty, has sent
Quadriiugos aequo carcere misit equos.
the four-horse chariots from the level barrier as the greatest spectacle.
Cui studeas, video. vincet, cuicumque favebis.
I see whom you favor. Whoever you favor will win.
Quid cupias, ipsi scire videntur equi.
The horses themselves seem to know what you desire.
Me miserum, metam spatioso circuit orbe!
Ah, wretched me, he has rounded the turning post in a wide circle!
Quid facis? admoto proxumus axe subit.
What are you doing? The next one comes up with his axle close.
Quid facis, infelix? perdis bona vota puellae.
What are you doing, unhappy man? You waste the good wishes of the girl.
Tende, precor, valida lora sinistra manu!
Pull, I pray, the left reins with a strong hand!
Favimus ignavo — sed enim revocate, Quirites,
We have favored a coward — but indeed call them back, Quirites,
Et date iactatis undique signa togis!
and give signals by tossing your togas from all sides!
En, revocant! — ac ne turbet toga mota capillos,
See, they are calling back! — and lest the moved toga disturb your hair,
In nostros abdas te licet usque sinus.
you may hide yourself even into our bosom.
Iamque patent iterum reserato carcere postes;
And now again the gates lie open with the barrier unlocked;
Evolat admissis discolor agmen equis.
the multi-colored band flies out with the horses let loose.
Nunc saltem supera spatioque insurge patenti!
Now at least overcome and press on in the open space!
Sint mea, sint dominae fac rata vota meae!
Make my wishes, make the wishes of my mistress fulfilled!
Sunt dominae rata vota meae, mea vota supersunt.4
The wishes of my mistress are fulfilled, my wishes remain.
Ille tenet palmam; palma petenda mea est.'
He holds the palm; my palm is still to be sought.’
Risit, et argutis quiddam promisit ocellis.
She smiled, and promised something with her expressive eyes.
'Hoc satis est, alio cetera redde loco!'
’This is enough, render the rest in another place!’
- 3.2.4Ne tibi non notus, quem facis, esset amor.
A double negative (ne... non) conveying a strong positive purpose: "lest the love... should be unknown to you." amor is the antecedent of the relative clause quem facis ("the love which you make/inspire").
- 3.2.28Quoque magis spectes
quo introduces a purpose clause with the subjunctive spectes ("so that you/one may see more [of your legs]"), corresponding to the action of lifting the garment mentioned in the previous line.
- 3.2.43linguis animisque favete
A solemn formula used at the beginning of religious rituals, demanding holy silence and well-disposed attention ("favor with tongues and minds") so as not to utter any ill-omened words.
- 3.2.81Sunt dominae rata vota meae, mea vota supersunt.
rata (feminine plural of ratus) means "fulfilled" or "ratified." It contrasts the lady's wishes, which were granted because her favored charioteer won, with the poet's own unfulfilled desire to win her love.