§1Tempus ad hoc; lustris bis iam mihi quinque peractis, §2Omne fuit Musae carmen inerme meae; §3Nullaque; quae possit; scriptis tot milibus, extat
Up to this time, although twice five lustres have already been completed by me, every song of my Muse has been unarmed; and there exists, among so many thousands of writings, no letter of Naso that can be read stained with blood.
§4Littera Nasonis sanguinolenta legi: §5Nec quemquam nostri nisi me laesere libelli, §6Artificis periit cum caput Arte sua.
Nor did my little books injure anyone except myself, even when the life of their creator perished by his own Art.
One person alone—and this itself is a great injustice—does not allow the everlasting reputation of my integrity to remain.
Whoever he is—for I shall still keep his name silent somehow— he forces my unaccustomed hands to take up weapons.
§11Ille relegatum gelidos aquilonis ad ortus §12Non sinit exilio delituisse meo; §13Vulneraque inmitis requiem quaerentia vexat, §14Iactat et in toto nomina nostra foro; §15Perpetuoque mihi sociatam foedere lecti §16Non patitur vivi funera flere viri.
He does not allow me, banished to the cold rising-place of the north wind, to lie hidden in my exile; and, cruel as he is, he harasses the wounds that seek rest, and tosses my name about in the entire forum; and he does not suffer my wife, joined to me by the eternal covenant of marriage, to weep for the funeral of her living husband.
§17Cumque ego quassa meae complectar membra carinae, §18Naufragii tabulas pugnat habere mei: §19Et qui debuerat subitas extinguere flammas, §20Hic praedam medio raptor ab igne petit.
And while I embrace the shattered timbers of my bark, he fights to possess the very planks of my shipwreck; and he who ought to have extinguished the sudden flames here, as a plunderer, seeks booty from the midst of the fire.
§21Nititur, ut profugae desint alimenta senectae.
He strives so that sustenance may be lacking for my exiled old age.
§22Heu! quanto est nostris dignior ipse malis!
Alas! how much more worthy is he himself of our misfortunes!
§23Di melius;
May the gods grant better things!
quorum longe mihi maximus ille est, §24Qui nostras inopes noluit esse vias.
Of whom by far the greatest to me is he who did not wish our journeys to be destitute.
To him, therefore, wherever it shall be permitted, for so gentle a heart, I will always render well-deserved thanks.
Let Pontus hear this; perhaps he too will do the same, so that a land closer to me may be made a witness to my gratitude.
But to you, violent man, who trampled on me as I lay low, as far as is permitted—alas, wretched me!—I shall be a destined enemy.
§31Desinet esse prius contrarius ignibus umor, §32Iunctaque cum luna lumina solis erunt; §33Parsque eadem caeli zephyros emittet et euros, §34Et tepidus gelido flabit ab axe notus; §35Et nova fraterno veniet concordia fumo, §36Quem vetus accensa separat ira pyra; §37Et ver autumno, brumae miscebitur aestas, §38Atque eadem regio vesper et ortus erit: §39Quam mihi sit tecum positis, quae sumpsimus, armis §40Gratia, commissis, improbe, rupta tuis.
Water will sooner cease to be contrary to fire, and the light of the sun will be joined with the moon; and the same part of heaven will send forth both west and east winds, and the warm south wind will blow from the icy pole; and a new harmony will come to the brotherly smoke, which the ancient wrath separates on the kindled pyre; and spring will be mixed with autumn, summer with winter, and the same region will be both evening and dawn; before there shall be peace between me and you, with the weapons we took up laid down, a peace, wicked man, shattered by your offences.
This peace we shall have, as long as life remains to me, which is accustomed to exist between wolves and the weak flock.
First, indeed, I shall join battle with the verse I have begun, although wars are not accustomed to be waged with this foot.
§47Utque petit primo plenum flaventis harenae §48Nondum calfacti militis hasta solum, §49Sic ego te nondum ferro iaculabor acuto, §50Protinus invisum nec petet hasta caput; §51Et neque nomen in hoc, nec dicam facta libello, §52Teque brevi, qui sis, dissimulare sinam.
And just as the spear of a soldier who is not yet warmed up first strikes the ground full of yellow sand, so I shall not yet hurl sharp iron at you, nor will my spear immediately seek your hated head; and in this little book I shall speak neither of your name nor of your deeds, and for a short time I shall allow you to conceal who you are.
Afterward, if you persist, free iambic verse will give me weapons stained with Lycambean blood against you.
Now, in the manner with which the son of Battus curses his enemy Ibis, by this manner I curse both you and yours.
And like him, I will shroud my songs in obscure legends, although I myself am not accustomed to follow this genre.
Imitating his riddles in "Ibis," I shall be said to have forgotten my own custom and judgment.
§61Et quoniam; qui sis, nondum quaerentibus edo, §62Ibidis interea tu quoque nomen habe; §63Utque mei versus aliquantum noctis habebunt, §64Sic vitae series tota sit atra tuae.
And since I do not yet reveal to those who ask who you are, in the meantime, you too shall have the name of Ibis; and as my verses shall have some degree of darkness, so let the whole course of your life be black.
Make sure that anyone reads these words to you on your birthday and on the Kalends of Janus with a mouth that will not speak falsely.
§67Di maris et terrae, quique his meliora tenetis §68Inter diversos cum Iove regna polos, §69Huc, precor, huc vestras omnes advertite mentes, §70Et sinite optatis pondus inesse meis:
Gods of the sea and land, and you who hold better realms than these between the opposite poles together with Jupiter, hither, I pray, hither turn all your minds, and grant that weight may be present in my wishes.
§71Ipsaque tu Tellus, ipsum cum fluctibus aequor, §72Ipse meas aether accipe summe preces; §73Sideraque et radiis circumdata solis imago, §74Lunaque, quae numquam quo prius, orbe micas, §75Noxque tenebrarum specie reverenda tuarum; §76Quaeque ratum triplici pollice netis opus, §77Quique per infernas horrendo murmure valles §78Inperiuratae laberis amnis aquae, §79Quasque ferunt torto vittatis angue capillis §80Carceris obscuras ante sedere fores; §81Vos quoque, plebs superum, fauni satyrique laresque §82Fluminaque et nymphae semideumque genus:
And you yourself, Earth, and the sea itself with its waves, and you, highest Aether, receive my prayers; and you, stars, and the image of the sun surrounded by rays, and Moon, who never shine with the same disc as before, and Night, revered for the appearance of your shadows; and you who spin the destined work with triple thumb, and you, river of unperjurable water, who glide with a terrible murmur through the infernal valleys, and you who, they say, sit before the dark doors of the prison with your hair bound with twisted snakes; you too, the common crowd of the gods above, Fauns, Satyrs, and Lares, and rivers, and nymphs, and the race of demigods—