Humanitext Reader

Ovid · The Loves §2.9b.25-2.9b.54

Embracing Love's Pain and Submitting to Cupid

Passage 27 of 53 · Latin

Summary

The poet vows to reject any divine offer to abandon love, willingly accepting its uncertainties and pains. He entreats Cupid to maintain eternal dominion over his heart and over all girls.

§2.9b.25'Vive' deus 'posito' siquis mihi dicat 'amore!' §2.9b.26Deprecer — usque adeo dulce puella malum est.
"Live, having laid aside love!" if any god should say to me, I would pray against it — to such an extent is a girl a sweet evil.
§2.9b.27Cum bene pertaesum est, animoque relanguit ardor, §2.9b.28Nescio quo miserae turbine mentis agor.
When I am thoroughly weary, and the passion has grown faint in my mind, I am driven by some tempest of a wretched mind.
§2.9b.29Ut rapit in praeceps dominum spumantia frustra §2.9b.30Frena retentantem durior oris equus; §2.9b.31Ut subitus, prope iam prensa tellure, carinam §2.9b.32Tangentem portus ventus in alta rapit — §2.9b.33Sic me saepe refert incerta Cupidinis aura, §2.9b.34Notaque purpureus tela resumit Amor.
Just as a horse with a hard mouth sweeps its master headlong, who in vain holds back the foaming reins; just as a sudden wind, when the land is now nearly gripped, sweeps back into the deep the ship that is touching the harbor — so the uncertain breeze of Cupid often brings me back, and radiant Love takes up again his familiar weapons.
§2.9b.35Fige, puer! positis nudus tibi praebeor armis; §2.9b.36Hic tibi sunt vires, hac tua dextra facit; §2.9b.37Huc tamquam iussae veniunt iam sponte sagittae — §2.9b.38Vix illis prae me nota pharetra sua est!
Pierce me, boy! Stripped of my weapons, I offer myself naked to you; here is your strength, here your right hand acts; hither your arrows now come of their own accord, as if bidden — their own quiver is scarcely more known to them than I am!
§2.9b.39Infelix, tota quicumque quiescere nocte §2.9b.40Sustinet et somnos praemia magna vocat!
Unhappy is he, whoever can endure to rest the whole night, and calls sleep a great reward!
§2.9b.41Stulte, quid est somnus, gelidae nisi mortis imago!
Fool, what is sleep but the image of cold death!
§2.9b.42Longa quiescendi tempora fata dabunt.
The Fates will give long times for resting.
§2.9b.43Me modo decipiant voces fallacis amicae; §2.9b.44Sperando certe gaudia magna feram.
At one time let the words of a deceitful mistress deceive me; by hoping at least I shall carry away great joys.
§2.9b.45Et modo blanditias dicat, modo iurgia nectat; §2.9b.46Saepe fruar domina, saepe repulsus eam.
And at another let her speak flatteries, at another spin quarrels; often let me enjoy my mistress, often let me go, having been rejected.
§2.9b.47Quod dubius Mars est, per te, privigne Cupido, est; §2.9b.48Et movet exemplo vitricus arma tuo.
That Mars is doubtful in war is because of you, stepson Cupid; and your stepfather moves his weapons after your example.
§2.9b.49Tu levis es multoque tuis ventosior alis, §2.9b.50Gaudiaque ambigua dasque negasque fide.
You are light, and far more windy than your wings, and you give and deny joys with ambiguous faith.
§2.9b.51Si tamen exaudis, pulchra cum matre, Cupido, §2.9b.52Indeserta meo pectore regna gere!
If, however, you listen, Cupid, along with your beautiful mother, exercise in my breast a reign never to be deserted!
§2.9b.53Accedant regno, nimium vaga turba, puellae!
Let girls, a too fickle crowd, join your kingdom!
§2.9b.54Ambobus populis sic venerandus eris.
Thus you will be revered by both peoples.

Notes

  1. §2.9b.25-26deprecer — Formulates a potential subjunctive condition (future less vivid) with `si ... dicat` (line 25, present subjunctive) as the protasis and `deprecer` (line 26, present subjunctive) as the apodosis. Additionally, `deprecari` does not merely mean "to pray", but "to pray against, deprecate, or refuse".
  2. §2.9b.27pertaesum est — Perfect tense of the impersonal verb `pertaedet` (to be thoroughly weary of). Normally, the person feeling the weariness is in the accusative (here `me` is omitted), and the object of weariness is in the genitive, but here it is used absolutely to describe a general state of weariness.
  3. §2.9b.38vix illis prae me nota pharetra sua est — `prae me` expresses comparison, meaning "in comparison with me". For "them" (`illis`, dative, referring to the arrows), "their own quiver (`pharetra sua`) is scarcely known in comparison with me". This is a hyperbolic expression meaning that the arrows spend more time in the poet's body than in their own quiver, making the poet a more familiar target.
  4. §2.9b.43-46decipiant ... dicat ... nectat ... fruar ... eam — These are all present subjunctives used independently as jussive/concessive subjunctives ("let them deceive...", "let me enjoy..."). The third-person forms in lines 43-45 (`decipiant`, `dicat`, `nectat`) indicate acceptance of the mistress's behavior, while the first-person forms in line 46 (`fruar`, `eam`) express the poet's own resolve or resignation.
  5. §2.9b.52indeserta — An adjective derived from a passive participle, meaning "undeserted". Here it modifies `regna` (kingdom, reign) and means "a reign never to be abandoned or permanently maintained". It expresses the poet's vow never to actively escape from the domain of Love.

Cite this passage

Ovid, The Loves §2.9b.25-2.9b.54. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0959.phi001.humanitext-lat2:2.9b.25-2.9b.54

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