Humanitext Reader

Ovid · The Cure of Love §226-298

Enduring the Cure and Rejecting Magic

Passage 4 of 11 · Latin

Summary

Ovid emphasizes the necessity of enduring initial hardships, advocating for travel and long absence to cure love. He firmly rejects magical remedies, citing mythical examples like Medea and Circe, and shifts to practical advice for those remaining in the City.

§226Esse; sed ut valeas, multa dolenda feres.
So it is; but that you may be well, you will bear many painful things.
§227Saepe bibi sucos, quamvis invitus, amaros §228Aeger, et oranti mensa negata mihi.
Often being sick I drank bitter juices, although unwilling, and the table was denied to me as I pleaded.
§229Ut corpus redimas, ferrum patieris et ignes, §230Arida nec sitiens ora levabis aqua: §231Ut valeas animo, quicquam tolerare negabis?
To redeem your body, you will endure iron and fires, nor will you, being thirsty, relieve your dry mouth with water: That you may be well in mind, will you refuse to tolerate anything?
§232At pretium pars haec corpore maius habet.
Yet this part has a greater value than the body.
§233Sed tamen est artis tristissima ianua nostrae, §234Et labor est unus tempora prima pati.
But yet very sad is the door of our art, and the only labor is to endure the first times.
§235Aspicis, ut prensos urant iuga prima iuvencos, §236Et nova velocem cingula laedat equum?
Do you see how the first yokes gall the captured young bulls, and the new girth hurts the swift horse?
§237Forsitan a laribus patriis exire pigebit: §238Sed tamen exibis: deinde redire voles; §239Nec te Lar patrius, sed amor revocabit amicae, §240Praetendens culpae splendida verba tuae.
Perhaps it will grieve you to depart from your ancestral hearths: but yet you will depart; then you will wish to return; And not your ancestral hearth, but the love of your mistress will recall you, holding out splendid words for your fault.
§241Cum semel exieris, centum solatia curae §242Et rus et comites et via longa dabit.
Once you have departed, the countryside, companions, and the long journey will give a hundred solaces to your care.
§243Nec satis esse putes discedere; lentus abesto, §244Dum perdat vires sitque sine igne cinis.
Nor should you think it enough to depart; remain away long, until it loses its strength and the ash is without fire.
§245Quod nisi firmata properaris mente reverti, §246Inferet arma tibi saeva rebellis Amor.
But unless you hasten to return with a strengthened mind, rebellious Love will bring cruel arms against you.
§247Quidquid et afueris, avidus sitiensque redibis, §248Et spatium damno cesserit omne tuo.
And however long you have been absent, you will return greedy and thirsty, and all that time will have turned to your loss.
§249Viderit, Haemoniae siquis mala pabula terrae §250Et magicas artes posse iuvare putat.
Let him see to it, if anyone thinks that the harmful herbs of the Haemonian land and magic arts can help.
§251Ista veneficii vetus est via; noster Apollo §252Innocuam sacro carmine monstrat opem.
That is the old way of sorcery; our Apollo shows harmless aid with his sacred song.
§253Me duce non tumulo prodire iubebitur umbra, §254Non anus infami carmine rumpet humum; §255Non seges ex aliis alios transibit in agros, §256Nec subito Phoebi pallidus orbis erit.
With me as guide, the shade will not be ordered to go forth from the tomb, nor will an old woman break the ground with an infamous spell; The crop will not pass from some fields into others, nor will the disc of Phoebus suddenly become pale.
§257Ut solet, aequoreas ibit Tiberinus in undas: §258Ut solet, in niveis Luna vehetur equis.
As is its custom, Tiberinus will go into the sea waves; as is her custom, the Moon will be carried on snowy horses.
§259Nulla recantatas deponent pectora curas, §260Nec fugiet vivo sulpure victus amor.
No hearts will lay down their cares through chanted spells, nor will conquered love flee because of live sulfur.
§261Quid te Phasiacae iuverunt gramina terrae, §262Cum cuperes patria, Colchi, manere domo?
How did the herbs of the Phasian land help you, Colchian woman, when you desired to remain in your father's house?
§263Quid tibi profuerunt, Circe, Perseïdes herbae, §264Cum sua Neritias abstulit aura rates?
What did the herbs of Perseis profit you, Circe, when a favorable breeze carried away the Neritian ships?
§265Omnia fecisti, ne callidus hospes abiret: §266Ille dedit certae lintea plena fugae.
You did everything lest your clever guest should depart; he gave full sails to a certain flight.
§267Omnia fecisti, ne te ferus ureret ignis: §268Longus in invito pectore sedit amor.
You did everything lest a fierce fire should burn you; a long love sat in your unwilling breast.
§269Vertere tu poteras homines in mille figuras, §270Non poteras animi vertere iura tui.
You were able to turn men into a thousand shapes; you were not able to turn the laws of your own mind.
§271Diceris his etiam, cum iam discedere vellet, §272Dulichium verbis detinuisse ducem: §273'Non ego, quod primo, memini, sperare solebam, §274Iam precor, ut coniunx tu meus esse velis; §275Et tamen, ut coniunx essem tua, digna videbar, §276Quod dea, quod magni filia Solis eram.
You are said also, when he already wished to depart, to have detained the Dulichian leader with these words: 'I do not now pray, that you should wish to be my husband, which at first, I remember, I was accustomed to hope; And yet, I seemed worthy to be your wife, because I was a goddess, because I was the daughter of the great Sun.
§277Ne properes, oro; spatium pro munere posco: §278Quid minus optari per mea vota potest?
Do not hasten, I pray; I ask for time instead of a gift: what less can be hoped for through my prayers?
§279Et freta mota vides, et debes illa timere: §280Utilior velis postmodo ventus erit.
And you see the seas are stirred, and you ought to fear them: later a more useful wind will be for your sails.
§281Quae tibi causa fugae? non hic nova Troia resurgit,
What is your cause of flight?
§282Non aliquis socios rursus ad arma vocat.
No new Troy rises here, no one calls companions back to arms.
§283Hic amor et pax est, in qua male vulneror una, §284Tutaque sub regno terra futura tuo est. ' §285Illa loquebatur, navem solvebat Ulixes: §286Inrita cum velis verba tulere noti.
Hic is love and peace, in which I alone am badly wounded, and the land is destined to be safe under your reign.' She was speaking, Ulysses was untying his ship: the south winds carried away her empty words together with the sails.
§287Ardet et adsuetas Circe decurrit ad artes, §288Nec tamen est illis adtenuatus amor.
Circe burns and runs to her accustomed arts, yet love was not diminished by them.
§289Ergo quisquis opem nostra tibi poscis ab arte, §290Deme veneficiis carminibusque fidem.
Therefore, whoever you are that ask for aid for yourself from our art, take away your faith in sorceries and spells.
§291Si te causa potens domina retinebit in Urbe, §292Accipe, consilium quod sit in Urbe meum.
If a powerful cause detains you in the mistress's City, receive what my counsel is in the City.
§293Optimus ille sui vindex, laedentia pectus §294Vincula qui rupit, dedoluitque semel.
The best champion of himself is he who has broken the bonds hurting his breast, and has ceased to grieve once and for all.
§295Sed cui tantum animi est, illum mirabor et ipse, §296Et dicam 'monitis non eget iste meis. ' §297Tu mihi, qui, quod amas, aegre dediscis amare, §298Nec potes, et velles posse, docendus eris.
But if anyone has so much spirit, I myself will admire him, and will say, 'that man does not need my warnings.' You, who with difficulty unlearn to love what you love, and are not able, yet wish you were able, will have to be taught by me.

Notes

  1. §226Esse — The infinitive `Esse` continues the construction from the preceding line (§225: `dura fatemur`), forming an accusative-and-infinitive clause with an implied subject accusative `praecepta` governed by `fatemur` ('we confess that they are harsh').
  2. §227oranti mihi — The dative singular present active participle `oranti` (from `orare`, to plead) modifies the dative pronoun `mihi`. It functions as the indirect object to the passive verb `negata [est]` ('was denied to me as I pleaded/begged').
  3. §245Quod nisi — The pronoun `Quod` is a linking relative (relative connection) in the neuter accusative, which, when combined with `nisi`, means 'and unless' or 'but if not'. It connects the new sentence logically to the preceding context rather than referring to a specific noun.
  4. §271Diceris detinuisse — A personal construction of the passive verb of saying (`diceris` instead of the impersonal `dicitur te...`). With the perfect active infinitive `detinuisse`, it translates as 'you are said to have detained' (referring to Circe as the subject).
  5. §297Tu mihi docendus eris — A passive periphrastic construction indicating obligation or necessity, composed of the gerundive `docendus` and the future form `eris`. The pronoun `mihi` is a dative of agent ('you will have to be taught by me'). The subject `Tu` is heavily modified by the relative clause starting with `qui` in lines 297-298.

Cite this passage

Ovid, The Cure of Love §226-298. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0959.phi005.humanitext-lat2:226-298

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