Humanitext Reader

Ovid · The Loves §2.10.1-2.10.38

Loving Two Women at Once and Yearning for Death in Love

Passage 28 of 53 · Latin

Summary

The poet confesses to his friend Graecinus that, contrary to what was once denied, he is indeed loving two women at the same time, describing his struggle between their charms. He then declares his desire to die from the excessive physical acts of love rather than living a boring, loveless life.

§2.10.1Tu mihi, tu certe, memini, Graecine, negabas §2.10.2Uno posse aliquem tempore amare duas.
You to me, you certainly, I remember, Graecinus, were denying that anyone could love two women at one time.
§2.10.3Per te ego decipior, per te deprensus inermis — §2.10.4Ecce, duas uno tempore turpis amo!
By you I am deceived, by you caught off guard and unarmed — look, to my shame, I love two at one time!
§2.10.5Utraque formosa est, operosae cultibus ambae; §2.10.6Artibus in dubio est haec sit an illa prior.
Each is beautiful, both are elaborate in their styling; in their skills, it is in doubt whether this one or that one is superior.
§2.10.7Pulchrior hac illa est, haec est quoque pulchrior illa; §2.10.8Et magis haec nobis, et magis illa placet!
That one is more beautiful than this, this one is also more beautiful than that; and this one pleases me more, and that one pleases me more!
§2.10.9Erro, velut ventis discordibus acta phaselos, §2.10.10Dividuumque tenent alter et alter amor.
I wander like a swift boat driven by discordant winds, and a divided love, this one and that, holds me.
§2.10.11Quid geminas, Erycina, meos sine fine dolores?
Why do you double my griefs without end, Erycina?
§2.10.12Non erat in curas una puella satis?
Was one girl not enough for my cares?
§2.10.13Quid folia arboribus, quid pleno sidera caelo, §2.10.14In freta collectas alta quid addis aquas?
Why do you add leaves to the trees, stars to the full sky, why do you add collected waters to the deep seas?
§2.10.15Sed tamen hoc melius, quam si sine amore iacerem — §2.10.16Hostibus eveniat vita severa meis!
But yet this is better than if I were lying without love — let a severe life fall to my enemies!
§2.10.17Hostibus eveniat viduo dormire cubili §2.10.18Et medio laxe ponere membra toro!
Let it fall to my enemies to sleep in a companionless bed, and to lay out their limbs loosely in the middle of the couch!
§2.10.19At mihi saevus amor somnos abrumpat inertes, §2.10.20Simque mei lecti non ego solus onus!
But for me, let savage love break off my inactive sleep, and let me not be the sole burden of my bed!
§2.10.21Me mea disperdat nullo prohibente puella — §2.10.22Si satis una potest, si minus una, duae!
Let my girl ruin me with no one forbidding — if one is enough, let it be one; if one is too little, let it be two!
§2.10.23Sufficiam — graciles, non sunt sine viribus artus; §2.10.24Pondere, non nervis corpora nostra carent; §2.10.25Et lateri dabit in vires alimenta voluptas.
I shall suffice — my limbs are slender, but not without strength; our bodies lack weight, not sinews; and pleasure will give nourishment for strength to my loins.
§2.10.26Decepta est opera nulla puella mea; §2.10.27Saepe ego lascive consumpsi tempora noctis, §2.10.28Utilis et forti corpore mane fui.
No girl has been disappointed by my performance; often I have spent the hours of the night playfully, and in the morning I was useful and of strong body.
§2.10.29Felix, quem Veneris certamina mutua perdunt!
Happy is he whom the mutual contests of Venus ruin!
§2.10.30Di faciant, leti causa sit ista mei!
May the gods grant that this be the cause of my death!
§2.10.31Induat adversis contraria pectora telis §2.10.32Miles et aeternum sanguine nomen emat.
Let the soldier present his breast to opposing weapons and buy an eternal name with his blood.
§2.10.33Quaerat avarus opes et, quae lassarit arando, §2.10.34Aequora periuro naufragus ore bibat.
Let the greedy man seek wealth, and shipwrecked, drink with his perjured mouth the seas he has worn out by plowing.
§2.10.35At mihi contingat Veneris languescere motu, §2.10.36Cum moriar, medium solvar et inter opus; §2.10.37Atque aliquis nostro lacrimans in funere dicat: §2.10.38'Conveniens vitae mors fuit ista tuae!'
But let it fall to me to grow weak in the movement of Venus, and when I die, let me fade away in the middle of the work; and let someone, weeping at my funeral, say: 'That death was suited to your life!'

Notes

  1. 2.10.1memini — The verb memini (I remember) is inserted parenthetically into the sentence and does not have a direct syntactic dependency on the main clause.
  2. 2.10.6in dubio est — An impersonal construction meaning 'it is in doubt', followed by the indirect question clause haec sit an illa prior with the subjunctive present sit acting as the subject.
  3. 2.10.17eveniat — Present subjunctive expressing a wish. It is used in an impersonal manner with the dative hostibus, with the following infinitives dormire and ponere functioning as its logical subjects.
  4. 2.10.30Di faciant, leti causa sit ista mei! — The subordinate clause leti causa sit ista mei introduced by Di faciant (may the gods grant) is a noun clause with the conjunction ut omitted, featuring the optative/hortatory subjunctive sit.
  5. 2.10.36medium solvar et inter opus — The preposition inter is placed between medium and opus (hyperbaton), meaning semantically inter medium opus ('in the middle of the work'). solvar is a passive subjunctive meaning 'to be dissolved' or 'to fade away'.

Cite this passage

Ovid, The Loves §2.10.1-2.10.38. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0959.phi001.humanitext-lat2:2.10.1-2.10.38

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

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