Humanitext Reader

Ovid · The Heroines §20.a-20.79

Acontius Reminds Cydippe of the Oath on the Apple

Passage 49 of 54 · Latin

Summary

Acontius writes to Cydippe, claiming that she is bound to marry him because she read aloud the oath written on the apple in Diana's temple. He justifies his deceit as an act of love, praises her beauty, and begs for her forgiveness and reconciliation.

§20.1Pone metum! nihil hic iterum iurabis amanti; §20.2Promissam satis est te semel esse mihi.
Lay aside your fear! Here you will swear nothing again to your lover; it is enough that you have been once promised to me.
§20.3Perlege! discedat sic corpore languor ab isto, §20.4Quod meus est ulla parte dolere dolor!
Read to the end! May the languor depart from that body of yours, for it is my own pain that you should suffer in any part!
§20.5Quid pudor ante subit? nam, sicut in aede Dianae, §20.6Suspicor ingenuas erubuisse genas.
Why does shame rise up beforehand? For, just as in the temple of Diana, I suspect your noble cheeks have blushed.
§20.7Coniugium pactamque fidem, non crimina posco; §20.8Debitus ut coniunx, non ut adulter amo.
I demand marriage and promised faith, not crimes; I love as a destined husband, not as an adulterer.
§20.9Verba licet repetas, quae demptus ab arbore fetus §20.10Pertulit ad castas me iaciente manus; §20.11Invenies illic, id te spondere, quod opto §20.12Te potius, virgo, quam meminisse deam.
You may repeat the words which the fruit, plucked from the tree, carried to your chaste hands as I threw it; you will find there that you promise that which I prefer you, maiden, to remember rather than the goddess.
§20.13Nunc quoque avemus idem, sed idem tamen acrius illud; §20.14Adsumpsit vires auctaque flamma mora est, §20.15Quique fuit numquam parvus, nunc tempore longo §20.16Et spe, quam dederas tu mihi, crevit amor.
Now also we desire the same, but yet that same desire is more fierce; the flame has gathered strength and been increased by delay, and the love which was never small has now grown with long time and with the hope which you had given to me.
§20.17Spem mihi tu dederas, meus hic tibi credidit ardor.
You had given hope to me, and this passion of mine believed you.
§20.18Non potes hoc factum teste negare dea.
You cannot deny this fact with the goddess as witness.
§20.19Adfuit et, praesens ut erat, tua verba notavit §20.20Et visa est mota dicta tulisse coma.
She was present, and, as she was there, she noted your words and seemed, by her stirred hair, to have accepted what was said.
§20.21Deceptam dicas nostra te fraude licebit, §20.22Dum fraudis nostrae causa feratur amor.
You may say that you were deceived by my trickery, provided that love is said to be the cause of our trickery.
§20.23Fraus mea quid petiit, nisi uti tibi iungerer, unum?
What did my trickery seek, except one thing, to be joined to you?
§20.24Id te, quod quereris, conciliare potest.
That very thing which you complain of is able to reconcile you to me.
§20.25Non ego natura nec sum tam callidus usu; §20.26Sollertem tu me, crede, puella, facis.
I am not cunning by nature, nor am I so by practice; believe me, maiden, it is you who make me clever.
§20.27Te mihi conpositis — siquid tamen egimus — a me §20.28Adstrinxit verbis ingeniosus Amor.
With words composed by me — if indeed we have accomplished anything — ingenious Love has bound you to me.
§20.29Dictatis ab eo feci sponsalia verbis, §20.30Consultoque fui iuris Amore vafer.
With words dictated by him I made the betrothal, and I became cunning in law with Love as my counselor.
§20.31Sit fraus huic facto nomen, dicarque dolosus, §20.32Si tamen est, quod ames, velle tenere dolus!
Let deceit be the name for this deed, and let me be called crafty, if indeed to wish to hold what you love is deceit!
§20.33En, iterum scribo mittoque rogantia verba!
Behold, I write again and send pleading words!
§20.34Altera fraus haec est, quodque queraris habes.
This is the second deceit, and you have something to complain of.
§20.35Si noceo, quod amo, fateor, sine fine nocebo, §20.36Teque, peti caveas tu licet, usque petam.
If I do harm because I love, I confess I shall do harm without end, and I shall pursue you continually, though you may guard against being pursued.
§20.37Per gladios alii placitas rapuere puellas; §20.38Scripta mihi caute littera crimen erit?
Others have carried off the girls they fancied through swords; shall a letter cautiously written by me be a crime?
§20.39Di faciant, possim plures inponere nodos, §20.40Ut tua sit nulla libera parte fides!
May the gods grant that I can impose more knots, so that your pledge may be free in no part!
§20.41Mille doli restant — clivo sudamus in imo; §20.42Ardor inexpertum nil sinet esse meus.
A thousand tricks remain — we sweat at the very bottom of the hill; my passion will leave nothing untried.
§20.43Sit dubium, possisne capi; captabere certe.
Let it be doubtful whether you can be caught; you will surely be hunted.
§20.44Exitus in dis est, sed capiere tamen.
The outcome is in the hands of the gods, but you will be caught nevertheless.
§20.45Ut partem effugias, non omnia retia falles, §20.46Quae tibi, quam credis, plura tetendit Amor.
Though you escape a part, you will not elude all the nets, which Love has stretched for you, more in number than you believe.
§20.47Si non proficient artes, veniemus ad arma, §20.48Inque tui cupido rapta ferere sinu.
If arts do not succeed, we shall come to arms, and you will be carried off, snatched into the embrace of him who desires you.
§20.49Non sum, qui soleam Paridis reprehendere factum, §20.50Nec quemquam, qui vir, posset ut esse, fuit.
I am not one to find fault with the deed of Paris, nor anyone who acted so, in order that he might be a man.
§20.51Nos quoque — sed taceo! mors huius poena rapinae §20.52Ut sit, erit, quam te non habuisse, minor.
We too — but I am silent! Even if death should be the punishment for this abduction, it will be less than not having had you.
§20.53Aut esses formosa minus, peterere modeste; §20.54Audaces facie cogimur esse tua.
Either you should be less beautiful, and you would be sought modestly; we are forced to be bold by your face.
§20.55Tu facis hoc oculique tui, quibus ignea cedunt §20.56Sidera, qui flammae causa fuere meae; §20.57Hoc faciunt flavi crines et eburnea cervix, §20.58Quaeque, precor, veniant in mea colla manus, §20.59Et decor et vultus sine rusticitate pudentes, §20.60Et, Thetidis qualis vix rear esse, pedes.
You do this, and your eyes, to which the fiery stars yield, which have been the cause of my flame; your golden hair and ivory neck do this, and the hands which, I pray, may come around my neck do this, and your beauty and modest face without rusticity, and your feet, such as I would scarcely think belong to Thetis, do this.
§20.61Cetera si possem laudare, beatior essem, §20.62Nec dubito, totum quin sibi par sit opus.
If I could praise the rest, I should be happier, nor do I doubt that the whole work is equal to itself.
§20.63Hac ego conpulsus, non est mirabile, forma §20.64Si pignus volui vocis habere tuae.
Driven by this beauty, it is not surprising if I wished to have the pledge of your voice.
§20.65Denique, dum captam tu te cogare fateri, §20.66Insidiis esto capta puella meis.
In short, until you are forced to confess yourself caught, be a girl caught by my snares.
§20.67Invidiam patiar; passo sua praemia dentur.
I will bear the ill-will; let its rewards be given to him who has borne it.
§20.68Cur suus a tanto crimine fructus abest?
Why is its proper fruit lacking from so great a crime?
§20.69Hesionen Telamon, Briseida cepit Achilles; §20.70Utraque victorem nempe secuta virum.
Telamon took Hesione, Achilles took Briseis; each indeed followed her victorious husband.
§20.71Quamlibet accuses et sis irata licebit, §20.72Irata liceat dum mihi posse frui.
You may accuse me as much as you like and be angry, provided that I am allowed to enjoy you even while you are angry.
§20.73Idem, qui facimus, factam tenuabimus iram, §20.74Copia placandi sit modo parva tui.
We, the very same who cause it, will soften the anger we have made, if only there be a small opportunity to appease you.
§20.75Ante tuos liceat flentem consistere vultus §20.76Et liceat lacrimis addere verba suis, §20.77Utque solent famuli, cum verbera saeva verentur, §20.78Tendere submissas ad tua crura manus!
May I be allowed to stand weeping before your face, and may I be allowed to add words to my tears, and, as slaves are wont when they fear cruel lashes, to stretch out submissive hands to your legs!
§20.79Ignoras tua iura;
You do not know your own rights; call me!
voca! cur arguor absens?
Why am I accused in my absence?

Notes

  1. 20.4quod meus est ulla parte dolere dolor — The 'quod' clause either introduces a reason or functions as an appositive explaining 'meus dolor est,' with 'dolere' (subject) meaning 'that you suffer.' It expresses that her suffering in any part is his own pain.
  2. 20.11id te spondere, quod opto / te potius, virgo, quam meminisse deam — The accusative with infinitive clause 'id te spondere' is the object of 'invenies.' Within the 'quod' clause, 'opto' takes 'meminisse' as its complement, with 'te' and 'deam' compared as its subject ('I prefer you yourself, rather than the goddess, to remember').
  3. 20.27Te mihi conpositis — siquid tamen egimus — a me / adstrinxit verbis ingeniosus Amor — Despite the complex word order, the core structure is 'ingeniosus Amor adstrinxit te mihi verbis conpositis a me' (ingenious Love has bound you to me with words composed by me). 'siquid tamen egimus' is a parenthetical clause ('if indeed we have accomplished anything').
  4. 20.50qui vir, posset ut esse, fuit — An inversion of 'qui vir fuit, ut esse posset.' The 'ut' with the imperfect subjunctive 'posset' expresses purpose ('in order that he might be a man') or result, with which Acontius justifies the manliness of the heroes who abducted women.
  5. 20.51mors huius poena rapinae / ut sit, erit, quam te non habuisse, minor — 'ut sit' introduces a concession ('even if it should be'). 'minor' (less/lighter) is a comparative, with 'quam te non habuisse' (than not to have had you) serving as the object of comparison.

Cite this passage

Ovid, The Heroines §20.a-20.79. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0959.phi002.humanitext-lat2:20.a-20.79

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