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Ovid · The Loves §1.1.1-1.1.30

Cupid Stealing a Foot and the Turn to Love Poetry

Passage 2 of 53 · Latin

Summary

The poet intends to write epic poetry, but Cupid steals a foot to turn it into elegiac meter and shoots him with an arrow of love, forcing him to write love poetry.

§1.1.1Arma gravi numero violentaque bella parabam §1.1.2Edere, materia conveniente modis.
I was preparing to output arms and violent wars in grave meter, with the material matching the rhythm.
§1.1.3Par erat inferior versus: risisse Cupido §1.1.4Dicitur atque unum surripuisse pedem.
The lower verse was equal; Cupid is said to have laughed and to have stolen away one foot.
§1.1.5'Quis tibi, saeve puer, dedit hoc in carmina iuris?
'Who gave you, cruel boy, this right over poetry?
§1.1.6Pieridum vates, non tua turba sumus.
We are the bards of the Pierides, not your crowd.
§1.1.7Quid, si praeripiat flavae Venus arma Minervae, §1.1.8Ventilet accensas flava Minerva faces?
What if Venus should snatch away the arms of golden-haired Minerva, while golden-haired Minerva fanned the kindled torches?
§1.1.9Quis probet in silvis Cererem regnare iugosis, §1.1.10Lege pharetratae virginis arva coli?
Who would approve of Ceres reigning in the mountainous forests, while the fields are cultivated under the law of the quivered maiden?
§1.1.11Crinibus insignem quis acuta cuspide Phoebum §1.1.12Instruat, Aoniam Marte movente lyram?
Who would equip Phoebus, distinguished for his hair, with a sharp spear, while Mars plays the Aonian lyre?
§1.1.13Sunt tibi magna, puer, nimiumque potentia regna; §1.1.14Cur opus adfectas, ambitiose, novum?
Great and too powerful are your realms, boy; why do you aspire to a new task, ambitious one?
§1.1.15An, quod ubique, tuum est? tua sunt Heliconia tempe?
Or is everything everywhere yours? Are the valleys of Helicon yours?
§1.1.16Vix etiam Phoebo iam lyra tuta sua est?
Is his own lyre now scarcely safe even for Phoebus?
§1.1.17Cum bene surrexit versu nova pagina primo, §1.1.18Attenuat nervos proximus ille meos; §1.1.19Nec mihi materia est numeris levioribus apta, §1.1.20Aut puer aut longas compta puella comas. ' §1.1.21Questus eram, pharetra cum protinus ille soluta §1.1.22Legit in exitium spicula facta meum, §1.1.23Lunavitque genu sinuosum fortiter arcum, §1.1.24'Quod' que 'canas, vates, accipe' dixit 'opus!'
When a new page has risen well with the first verse, that next one weakens my strength; nor do I have material suitable for lighter rhythms, either a boy or a girl with her long hair adorned.' I had complained, when straightway he, having loosened his quiver, selected arrows made for my destruction, and stoutly bent the curved bow against his knee, and said: 'Receive, O bard, the work that you may sing!' Ah, wretched me!
§1.1.25Me miserum! certas habuit puer ille sagittas.
That boy had unerring arrows.
§1.1.26Uror, et in vacuo pectore regnat Amor.
I burn, and Love reigns in my empty breast.
§1.1.27Sex mihi surgat opus numeris, in quinque residat: §1.1.28Ferrea cum vestris bella valete modis!
Let my work rise in six feet, and fall back in five: farewell, iron wars, with your meters!
§1.1.29Cingere litorea flaventia tempora myrto, §1.1.30Musa, per undenos emodulanda pedes!
Gird your golden temples with myrtle from the shore, O Muse, to be sung in eleven feet!

Notes

  1. 1.1.5hoc... iuris — The neuter pronoun accusative `hoc` takes the genitive `iuris` as a partitive genitive, meaning 'this much of right' or 'this authority'.
  2. 1.1.20longas compta puella comas — The accusative `comas` is an accusative of specification (or Greek accusative) modifying the perfect passive participle `compta`, meaning 'a girl adorned with respect to her long hair'.
  3. 1.1.21Questus eram, pharetra cum protinus ille soluta — An inverted `cum` clause (cum inversum), where the main clause uses the pluperfect `questus eram` and the `cum` clause introduces the main action with the perfect tense `legit... lunavitque`. `pharetra soluta` is an ablative absolute.
  4. 1.1.24Quod... canas — The subjunctive present `canas` in the relative clause introduced by `quod` (with `opus` as its antecedent) expresses purpose, meaning 'a work for you to sing'.

Cite this passage

Ovid, The Loves §1.1.1-1.1.30. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0959.phi001.humanitext-lat2:1.1.1-1.1.30

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