Avoiding Solitude and Shunning the Lover and Familiar Places — Ovid, The Cure of Love, lines 589–663, Latin & English

589

Semper habe Pyladen aliquem, qui curet Oresten:

Always have some Pylades, who may care for Orestes:

590

Hic quoque amicitiae non levis usus erit.

this too will be a not light utility of friendship.

Quid, nisi secretae laeserunt Phyllida silvae?

What is it, except that the secret woods harmed Phyllis?

Certa necis causa est: incomitata fuit.

The certain cause of her death is: she was unaccompanied.

Ibat, ut Edono referens trieterica Baccho

She was going, just as the barbarian crowd, bringing back

Ire solet fusis barbara turba comis,

the triennial festival to Edonian Bacchus, is accustomed to go with disheveled hair,

595

Et modo, qua poterat, longum spectabat in aequor,

and now, as far as she could, she kept looking into the long sea,

Nunc in harenosa lassa iacebat humo.

now she lay weary on the sandy ground.

'Perfide Demophoon!' surdas clamabat ad undas,

’Treacherous Demophoon!’ she kept crying out to the deaf waves,

Ruptaque singultu verba loquentis erant.

and the words of her speaking were broken by sobbing.

Limes erat tenuis longa subnubilus umbra,

There was a narrow path, slightly darkened by a long shadow,

600

Quo tulit illa suos ad mare saepe pedes.

by which she often bore her feet to the sea.

Nona terebatur miserae¹ via: 'viderit!' inquit,

For the ninth time was the path trodden by the wretched girl: ‘Let him see to it!’ she said,

Et spectat zonam pallida facta suam,

and, grown pale, she looks at her girdle,

Aspicit et ramos; dubitat, refugitque quod audet

she looks also at the branches; she hesitates, and shrinks back from what she dares,

Et timet, et digitos ad sua colla refert.

and is afraid, and brings her fingers to her neck.

605

Sithoni, tum certe vellem² non sola fuisses:

Maid of Sithonia, then certainly I would wish you had not been alone:

Non flesset positis Phyllida silva comis.

the wood would not have wept for Phyllis with its foliage shed.

Phyllidis exemplo nimium secreta timete,

Fear secret places too much, by the example of Phyllis,

Laese vir a domina, laesa puella viro.

you man harmed by a mistress, and you girl harmed by a man.

Praestiterat iuvenis quidquid mea Musa iubebat,

A young man had performed whatever my Muse was commanding,

610

Inque suae portu paene salutis erat:

and was almost in the harbor of his safety:

Reccidit, ut cupidos inter devenit amantes,

he fell back, when he came among eager lovers,

Et, quae condiderat, tela resumpsit Amor.

and Love took up again the weapons which he had put away.

Siquis amas, nec vis, facito contagia vites;³

Whoever you are that love, and do not wish to, make sure you avoid contagion;

Haec etiam pecori saepe nocere solent.

this is often accustomed to harm even cattle.

615

Dum spectant laesos oculi, laeduntur et ipsi,

While eyes look at the hurt ones, they themselves are also hurt,

Multaque corporibus transitione nocent.

and many things harm bodies by transition.

In loca nonnumquam siccis arentia glebis

Sometimes water flows into places parched with dry clods of earth

De prope currenti flumine manat aqua:

from a river running nearby:

Manat amor tectus, si non ab amante recedas;

hidden love flows in, if you do not withdraw from the lover;

620

Turbaque in hoc omnes ingeniosa sumus.

and in this we are all a clever crowd.

Alter item iam sanus erat; vicinia laesit:

Another likewise was already healthy; proximity harmed him:

Occursum dominae non tulit ille suae.

he could not bear the meeting with his mistress.

Vulnus in antiquum rediit male firma cicatrix,

The poorly established scar returned into the ancient wound,

Successumque artes non habuere meae.

and my arts did not have success.

625

Proximus a tectis ignis defenditur aegre;

A fire very near to houses is kept off with difficulty;

Utile finitimis abstinuisse locis.

it is useful to have abstained from neighboring places.

Nec quae ferre solet spatiantem porticus illam,

Neither let the portico, which is accustomed to bear her walking,

Te ferat,⁴ officium neve colatur idem.

bear you, nor let the same duty be cultivated.

Quid iuvat admonitu tepidam recalescere mentem?

What does it help that the lukewarm mind grows warm again by reminding?

630

Alter, si possis, orbis habendus erit.

Another world, if you can, will have to be possessed.

Non facile esuriens posita retinebere mensa,

You, being hungry, will not easily be held back when the table is set,

Et multam saliens incitat unda sitim.

and the leaping wave incites a great thirst.

Non facile est taurum visa retinere iuvenca,

It is not easy to restrain the bull when a heifer is seen;

Fortis equus visae semper adhinnit equae.

the strong horse always neighs at the sight of a mare.

635

Haec ubi praestiteris, ut tandem litora tangas,

When you have performed these things, so that you may at last touch the shores,

Non ipsam satis est deseruisse tibi.

it is not enough for you to have abandoned her alone.

Et soror et mater valeant et conscia nutrix,

Let both sister and mother be gone, and the accomplice nurse,

Et quisquis dominae pars erit ulla tuae.

and whoever will be any part of your mistress.

Nec veniat servus, nec flens ancillula fictum

Neither let a slave come, nor a weeping maidservant humbly say

640

Suppliciter dominae nomine dicat 'ave!'

a feigned ‘hail!’ in the mistress’s name.

Nec si scire voles, quid agat, tamen, illa, rogabis;

Nor, if you wish to know what she is doing, will you nevertheless ask;

Perfer! erit lucro⁵ lingua retenta tuo.

endure! The tongue held back will be for your gain.

Tu quoque, qui causam finiti reddis amoris,

You too, who give the reason of your ended love,

Deque tua domina multa querenda refers,

and relate many things to be complained of concerning your mistress,

645

Parce queri; melius sic ulciscere⁶ tacendo,

spare to complain; you will avenge yourself better thus by keeping silent,

Ut desideriis effluat illa tuis.

so that she may slip away from your longings.

Et malim taceas quam te desisse loquaris:

And I would prefer that you keep silent than that you speak of having ceased to love:

Qui nimium multis 'non amo' dicit, amat.

he who says ‘I do not love’ to too many, loves.

Sed meliore fide paulatim extinguitur ignis

But with better faith is the fire extinguished gradually than suddenly;

650

Quam subito; lente desine, tutus eris.

cease slowly, and you will be safe.

Flumine perpetuo torrens solet altior ire:

A torrent is accustomed to run deeper than a continuous river:

Sed tamen haec brevis est, illa perennis aqua.

but yet this is a brief water, that a perennial one.

Fallat, et in tenues evanidus exeat auras,

Let love deceive, and vanish away into thin air,

Perque gradus molles emoriatur amor.

and die out by gentle degrees.

655

Sed modo dilectam scelus est odisse puellam:

But to hate a girl just now beloved is a crime:

Exitus ingeniis convenit iste feris.

that end suits wild natures.

Non curare sat est: odio qui finit amorem,

To not care is enough: he who ends love with hatred

Aut amat, aut aegre desinet esse miser.

either still loves, or will with difficulty cease to be wretched.

Turpe vir et mulier, iuncti modo, protinus hostes;

It is shameful for a man and a woman, just joined, to be immediately enemies;

660

Non illas lites Appias ipsa probat.

the Appian goddess herself does not approve of those quarrels.

Saepe reas faciunt, et amant; ubi nulla simultas

Often they bring charges, and yet they love; where no enmity

Incidit, admonitu liber aberrat amor.

happens, love wanders away free, by reminders being absent.

Forte aderam iuveni; dominam lectica tenebat:

By chance I was present with a young man; a litter was holding his mistress:

Syntax notes6 items

601miserae
Dative of agent with the passive verb terebatur, meaning "by the wretched girl."
605vellem
Subjunctive imperfect (independent use) expressing an unfulfilled wish in the past ("I could wish" or "I would have wished").
613facito vites
facito is a future imperative (2nd person singular), followed directly by the subjunctive vites (without ut), meaning "make sure that you avoid."
627nec quae ferre solet spatiantem porticus illam, te ferat
A complex sentence structure with hyperbaton. The subject of the main clause is porticus and the verb is the hortatory subjunctive ferat ("let the portico not bear"). The relative pronoun quae refers to porticus, and spatiantem illam ("her walking") is the object of ferre in the relative clause.
642lucro
Dative of purpose or tendency ("for a gain", "to your advantage") used with erit.
645ulciscere
Present imperative second-person singular of the deponent verb ulciscor ("avenge yourself").

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0959.phi005.humanitext-lat2:589-663