liber exulis: phrase in apposition with the subject of venio, with an ironic pun on the noun liber (book) and the adjective liber (free). Ovid was not technically an exile; his banishment was the milder relegatio, meaning that he kept his property and Roman citizenship and could correspond with his friends in Rome. However, an exile was free to move about as long as he did not come within a prescribed distance from Rome, while Ovid was confined to one place, the dismal outpost of Tomis.
fessus, -a, -um
weary, used here
as a substantive, with a word like traveler understood
reformido (1)
shrink from (in
fear): imperative, with me understood as object
ne sim: a subjunctive clause of fearing dependent upon reformida
tibi: dative of reference
pudor, -oris, m.
shame: dative of
purpose with sim, "be a cause of shame"
charta, -ae, f..
page, sheet of
papyrus
amare docet: a reference to Ovid's claim to be the praeceptor amoris (Ars Amatoria 1.1.17)
domini: the poem refers to Ovid here as his master, later as his father
debeo, -ere, -ui, -itum
ought,
should, must + complementary infinitive; subjunctive in a result clause; an
adjective like tantus or talis modifying fortuna (here
clearly misfortune) is understood.
dissimulo (1).
conceal,
disguise
iocus, -i, m.
joke, jest. Do you
agree that Ovid has given up his usual playfulness in this poem, or is this
claim itself another jest?
id: modifies opus, referring to the three books of the Ars Amatoria, which so irritated Augustus
viridis, -e, adjective
green,
used figuratively here with aevum, -i, n. age, time of life
male, adverb
unfortunately, wrongly
(Ovid would never claim that he wrote "badly")
ludo, -dere, -si, -sum
play; play
at; here the word is used in a specialized sense, write (love
poems). The erotic elegists liked to use the verb with this meaning, since its
other uses included playing games, having fun, jesting, and making love.
sero, adverb
late, too late
inspicio, -icere, -exi,
-ectum
examine, inspect
porto (1)
carry, bring; quid
portem: subjunctive in an indirect question, dependent upon
inspice
tristis, tristis, triste
sad, used
as a noun, like an abstract noun, obviously referring to the title of the
collection.
tempus, -oris, n.
time,
circumstance. Ovid may be implying both meanings--the sad poem is suited to
its circumstances as "the book of an exile," but also to the repressive climate
of "the times"
convenio, -enire, -eni, -entum
fit,
suit + dative: ablative absolute construction
claudus, -a, -um
lame, limping,
modifies carmina
quod: This conjunction is used in lines 11, 13, and 15 to introduce quod-clauses of respect: as to the fact that. In each case the pentameter line explains the reason for the statement in the quod-clause.
subsido, -idere, -edi, -essum
sink
down, fall away. The rhythm of elegiac poety can be called "halting"
because every second line is a pentameter, one foot shorter than the previous
hexameter line, and also because the elegiac poets (especially Ovid) tended to
treat each two lines as a couplet, closing a thought with the pentameter
line.
ratio, -onis, f.
reckoning; relation;
reason. In poetry, ratio pedis is a technical term for a rule of
meter, but in this context the phrase could also refer to the (lack of)
proportion of (physical) feet that would cause lameness. Ovid's punning
language simultaneously characterizes his poem as a literary work and a limping
traveler.
cedrus, -i, f.
cedar-oil; papyrus
scrolls were treated with cedar-oil to protect them from worms (a serious
problem in libraries since papyrus was a plant substance); the oil also
imparted a golden color to the scrolls.
pumex, -icis, m.
pumice-stone; the
highest quality papyrus sheets were polished with a pumice-stone to give them a
smooth finish. Adjectives like levis, smooth, and tenuis,
fine-spun, refined, were often used by the elegiac poets to describe the
qualities of their poetry.
erubesco, -escere, -ui, ---
blush,
feel ashamed
cultior, -ius, comparative
adjective
more well-dressed; more refined; more cultured.
Cultus is a favorite adjective of Ovid, who constantly praises
refinement in appearance, manner, and literary style, hence the tragedy of his
confinement to a place where everything and everyone is incultus
littera, -ae, f.
writing; piece of
writing, with the singular used instead of the more common plural.
suffundo, -undere, -udi,
-usum
overspread, suffuse, fill
maculosus, -a -um
stained,
spotted
litura, -ae, f.
blot. Ovid plays
with the similarity of sound between this word and littera.
laedo, -dere, -si, -sum
harm, hurt.
siquis, -qua, -quid
if any one, if
anything, neuter plural nominative modifying dicta.
casus, -us, f.
chance, event,
accident: casu is used adverbially, by chance.
gravis, -e
offensive; heavy;
serious.
qua adverb
where; which way.
eo, ire, ivi/ii, itum
go; sit
eundum is a passive periphrastic construction, used impersonally because
ire does not have a passive voice ("one must go"). This and the
following clause are indirect questions.
hospes, -itis, m
stranger, foreigner;
guest, used in apposition with liber, and both are in apposition
with the subject of petam.
titubo (1)
stammer.
furtim adverb
stealthily;
secretly.
monstro (1)
show, point out,
subjunctive in a relative clause of characteristic.
vix adverb
hardly, scarcely.
do, dare, dedi, datum
grant, permit;
give, optative subjunctive expressing a wish or prayer.
quod: The antecedent is id understood, the object of dent; the infinitive posse is used like a verbal noun, in apposition with id ("namely, the ability to . . .").
tribuo, -uere, -ui, -utum
allow;
bestow.
molliter adverb
pleasantly;
calmly.
longinquus, -a, -um
distant,
far-off; foreign.
refero, -ferre, -ttuli, -latum
bring
back; this verb is used with pedem to mean return (or in this
case come).
lassus, -a, -um
tired,
exhausted.
orbis, -is, m.
globe; world; Ovid
describes Tomis not only as far distant, but as a different world from
Rome.
pareo, -ere, -ui, -itum
obey; the
subject is the one bystander who agreed to guide the poem through Rome and who
now begins speaking.
fora Caesaris: The speaker first points out the Forum of Julius Caesar, begun by the dictator in 54 BCE and completed by Augustus. Ovid's use of the plural may obliquely include the Forum of Augustus, which was adjacent to the Forum of Julius Caesar and dedicated in 2 BCE.
sacrum, -i, n.
holy thing; ritual;
religion (pl.). The Sacra Via was the oldest and most revered street in
Rome; its name may have come from the many religious processions that used this
route, or from the temples and shrines along its length.
Vesta, -ae, f.
Vesta, goddess of
the hearth whose sacred, undying fire symbolized the safety of the city of
Rome.
Pallas, -dis, f.
Athena, Minerva,
here referring to the Palladium, the protective statue of Athena stolen from
Troy and supposedly brought to Rome by Aeneas (in pre-Vergilian legends), who
deposited it in the Temple of Vesta; this is a Greek accusative form.
regia, -ae, f.
palace, here
referring to the Regia, a consecrated building on the Sacra Via that was the
headquarters of the Pontifex Maximus. Originally it was supposedly the dwelling
of Numa, second king of Rome.
peto, -ere, -ivi, -itum
make for, go
to, with the accusative of direction (place to which).
Palatium, -i, m.
Palatine Hill,
with the genitive singular in -i as often in proper nouns. The gate Ovid
mentions is the Porta Mugionia or Cattle-gate, allegedly from the original
fortifications of the city.
Stator, -oris, m.
the Stayer, an
epithet of Jupiter. The Temple of Jupiter Stator at the entrance to the
Palatine was originally vowed by Romulus and built by the consul Regulus at the
beginning of the third century BCE.
condo, -ere, -idi, -itum
found,
build.
singuli, -ae, -a
one each, every
single. The poem and its guide have walked through the Area Palatina and
now catch sight of the Domus Augusti.
fulgeo, -gere, -si, ---
gleam, shine,
flash.
postis, -is, m.
door-post, door.
Trophies displaying the weapons of conquered enemies were set up outside the
door of the residence of Augustus.
tectum, -i, n.
house, dwelling
(literally, roof), poetic plural, perhaps also alluding to the fact that
the residence of Augustus was part of a complex of buildings centered upon the
magnificant Temple of Palatine Apollo.
qui, quae, quod: relative
pronoun
which, used here where English would use a determinative
adjective (this). Thus quod modifies augurium and refers
back to the book's idea that this is the house of a god.
puto (1)
think, suppose, subjunctive
in a clause of result, "so that I thought it was [the house of a god]."
augurium, -i, n.
interpretation,
idea (literally augury, omen).
quernus, -a -um
oak. The crown of
oak leaves, known as the corona civica, was one of the highest military
honors, bestowed upon a soldier who had saved the life of a comrade in battle.
Here querna corona is the subject of dabat: since oak trees were
sacred to Jupiter, the book deduces that this is the god's home.
qui, quae, quod: relative
pronoun
which, used here where English would use a determinative
adjective (this) with domus understood.
accipio, -ipere, -epi,
-eptum
receive; hear, learn. Here ut introduces a temporal
clause.
fallo, fallere, fefelli,
felsum
deceive; passive, be mistaken, make a
mistake.
oppositus, -a, -um (perfect participle of
oppono)
opposite; facing.
velo (1)
cover up, conceal.
laurus, -i, f.
laurel, bay-tree.
The laurel tree and its leaves were sacred to the god Apollo. Augustus claimed
that he was under the special protection of this god, especially during the
Battle of Actium when Cleopatra and Antony were defeated, and two laurel trees
flanked the doors of his residence .
cingo, -gere, -xi, -ctum
surround;
enclose.
opacus, -a, -um
shady.
coma, -ae, f.
leaf, foliage
(literally, hair). The branches of the laurel trees shade the leaves of
the oak-crown above the door. The oak leaves are called augustas,
revered, because they are sacred to Jupiter, but of course this is also
a pun on the title Augustus chose for himself.
num interrogative particle
Usually suggests
doubt or surprise. Through a series of questions, at first introduced by causal
conjunctions (quia . . . quia, ll. 41-42, quod . . .
quod, l. 43), the book considers alternative reasons for the presence of
the laurels.
triumphus, -i, m.
triumphal
procession. A crown of laurel leaves was worn by the victorious general
during triumphal processions.
Leucadius, -a, -um
Leucadian,
referring to Leucas, a Greek island in the Ionian sea; here used as an epithet
of Apollo. The island had high steep cliffs with a temple of Apollo at the
summit. Domus ista is also the subject of amata est.
ipse, -a, -um
self, itself,
modifying domus (understood), the subject of est and
facit. The enclitic -ne introduces another question.
festus, -a, -um
festive,
joyous.
qui, quae, quod: relative
pronoun
which, the antecedent is pacis.
tribuo, -uere, -ui, -utum
give,
bestow. The subject is domus (understood), but of course in all
these questions the house is a stand-in for Augustus himself.
nota, -ae, f.
sign, token, symbol;
ista modifies arbor (understood), the subject of est.
vireo, -ere, -ui, ----
be green;
flourish, be fresh; ut is an adverb working with sic to make
a comparison, "just as . . . so"
caducus, -a, -um
falling,
fallen.
frons, -dis, f.
foliage, leaf.
carpo, -pere, -psi, -ptum
weaken, make
bare (literally, pluck); the subject is laurus. Since the
laurel tree is an evergreen, it was a symbol of the ever-youthful Apollo.
decus, -oris, n.
glory, honor; the
subject of habet is illa [domus].
superpono, -ere, -ui, -situm
place
above.
testor (1)
affirm, testify to;
although this is a deponent verb, the perfect participle is frequently used in
a passive sense, as it is here.
servo, (1)
save, rescue; supply
esse with servatos, perfect passive infinitive in indirect
statement.
civis, -is, m.
citizen,
fellow-citizen; civis is an alternative form of the accusative
plural. The actual inscription over Augustus' doors read ob civis
servatos, "for saving all the citizens," to distinguish it from the typical
civic crown, awarded for saving the life of one fellow soldier.
indico (1)
point out; the subject
is scriptum, understood from the previous line.
ops, opis, f.
strength; aid, help.
Near the end of the public list of his achievements, Augustus calls attention
to the same symbols that Ovid has mentioned here: Because he had ended the
civil war and "handed over the state to the Senate and Roman People", Augustus
states, in 27 BCE "by decree of the Senate I was given the title Augustus, and
the doors of my residence were publicly clothed with laurels and a civic crown
was fixed above my door" (Res Gestae 34).
adicio, -icere, -ieci, -iectum
add;
throw into. The book now switches to imperative mood in a prayer to
Augustus, there is one citizen who has not been saved, indeed whom the emperor
himself has condemned. Augustus is addressed as pater optime, referring
to the title pater patriae granted to him by the Senate in 2 BCE. The
superlative optimus offers another connection with Jupiter, whose title
in his temple on the Capitoline was Iuppiter Optimus Maximus. Does
pater optime seem appropriate here, given what Augustus has done to
Ovid?
procul, adverb
far away.
pello, -ere, pepuli, pulsum
drive
off; the perfect passive particple modifies the relative pronoun
qui, whose antecedent is unum civem.
orbis, -is, m.
land (literally,
globe, world); by using this word, Ovid suggests that Tomis is so
different from Rome as to be another world.
lateo, -ere, -ui, ----
lie
hidden
poena, -ae, f.
punishment,
penalty.
mereo, -ere, -ui, ----
deserve,
infinitive in indirect statement.
fateor, -eri, fassus sum
confess,
admit
facinus, -oris, n.
crime; deed,
subject of habet causam ( be a cause of). Ovid claims that he was
banished because of a poem (Ars Amatoria) and a mistake, which he never
explains.
vereor, -eri, veritus sum
fear, be
afraid of
potens, -entis,
adjective
powerful, used as a noun, an obvious reference to the
master of the house, Augustus. The book has been flirting with criticism of
Augustus, and he stops himself before he goes too far.
quatio, -tere, quassus sum
shake;
the passive is used in a middle sense, "begins to shake."
trepidus, -a, -um
alarmed,
anxious. In this and the following lines Ovid employs exaggeration and
humor to defuse the implied criticism of the previous section. He returns to
the personification of the book as simultaneously timid traveler, papyrus
scroll, and elegiac poem.
metus, -us, m.
fear, alarm.
aspicio, -icere, -exi, -ectum
look
at, see; the addressee is nominally the friendly Roman travel guide, but by
extension the reader.
exsanguis, -e
bloodless. The
joke, of course, is that a papyrus scroll has no blood and is a pale color.
palleo, -ere, -ui, ----
be pale,
infinitive in indirect statement.
alternus, -a, -um
one after the
other; alternate, commonly used of elegiac poetry, especially with
versus or pedes.
intremo, -ere, -ui, ----
tremble,
infinitive in indirect statement.
quandocumque, adverb
someday.
precor (1)
pray, beg.
placo (1)
reconcile with + dative;
placere = placeris, 2nd person singular present passive
subjunctive, optative subjunctive expressing a wish or prayer. The addressee is
domus in l. 58; the book again focuses on the house, as a safer
addressee than its master.
idem, eadem, idem
the same; the book
prays that Ovid may be allowed to see the house while Augustus and his family
still live in it.
aspicio, -icere, -exi, -ectum
look
at, see, aspiciare = aspiciaris, 2nd person singular present
passive subjunctive, optative subjunctive expressing a wish or prayer.
inde, adverb
from there. The book
resumes its journey, as the guide conducts it to the Temple of Palatine Apollo,
the first major monument built by the new emperor Augustus, dedicated in 28 BCE
to the god who purportedly gave Augustus his victory over Cleopatra and Antony
at Actium.
tenor, -oris, m.
steady course;
ablative of manner.
par, paris, adjective
equal. Since
tenor already includes the idea of a steady pace, this adjective is not
necessary, but it emphasizes the contrast with the previous references to the
book's "halting" or "limping" gait, suggesting a movement to the steady, equal
hexameter lines of epic poetry, reinforced by the "lofty" words sublimia
and celsis.
gradus, -us, m.
stair; steps.
sublimis, -e
high; raised high,
elevated, modifies templa in l. 60. Gradibus celsis is
ablative of respect with this adjective, literally "elevated with its steep
stairs," referring to the fact that the podium of the Temple of Palatine Apollo
was 10 ft. high, reached by a tall flight of stairs.
celsus, -a, -um
steep; high.
intonsus, -a, -um
unshorn. This
epithet was regularly applied to Apollo, whose long hair was an indication of
his perpetual youth; the adjective here also recalls Ovid's references to the
evergreen laurel in ll. 45-46.
candidus, -a, -um
white; shining,
radiant. The Temple of Apollo was built of Carrara marble, which is
strikingly white.
templum, -i, n.
temple; sanctuary,
sacred space, plural used in singular sense.
signum, -i, n.
statue; mark, sign.
In between each column (alterna) of the large portico surrounding the
temple precinct were statues of the 50 Danaids plus a statue of their father,
Danaus, who had ordered his daughters to kill their husbands on their wedding
night to get revenge on his brother Aegyptus, who was father of the 50
bridegrooms.
peregrinus, -a, -um
foreign.
The columns of the portico were made of a yellow, speckled marble from northern
Africa (giallo antico).
Belides, -um. f. pl.
female
descendants of Belus, referring to the Danaids. Belus, king of Egypt, was
the father of Danaus and Aegyptus, and thus grandfather of the Danaids.
Belides and pater are in apposition with signa.
stringo, -ngere, -nxi, -ctum
draw
tightly together; draw (a sword).
ensis, -is, m.
sword.
qui, quae, quod, relative
pronoun
which + the enclitic -que (and); the antecedent
is understood ("all things"; "all books"). Augustus had built a great public
library in the portico of this temple, so the book has at last found a possible
home.
capio, -ere, cepi, captum
conceive;
cepere = ceperunt.
pectus, -oris, n.
mind
(literarlly, chest, heart).
doctus, -a. -um
learned.
lego, -ere, legi, lectum
read;
lecturis is the future active particple used as a noun, with the sense
"readers" (literally, those about to read, those who wish to read). It
is dative of agent with the future passive participle inspicienda.
inspicio, -icere, -exi,
-ectum
examine, inspect; the future passive particple here expresses
purpose ("to be examined") after the verb patent.
pateo, -ere, -ui, ----
lie open, be
accessible; by using this verb, Ovid is stressing the public nature
of the library.
quaero, -rere, -sivi, -situm
seek,
search for. The book naturally expects to find his "brothers." Ovid's
earlier poems, in this great library.
excipio, -ipere, -epi, -eptum
remove,
take out, modifying illis; ablative absolutes using this verb mean
with the exception of.
scilicet, adverb
of course.
opto (1)
wish, subjunctive in a
relative clause of characteristic.
gigno, -ere, genui, genitum
beget;
produce, indirect statement after optaret with the subject se
understood.
frustra, adverb
in vain;
fruitlessly; the book did not expect to find the Ars Amatoria in the
library but was surprised to realize that Augustus had banned all of
Ovid's works. Quaerentem modifies me understoon, the object of
iussit.
custos, -odis, m.
protector;
guard, referring to the chief librarian, Gaius Julius Hyginus, appointed by
Augustus, and ironically also a friend of Ovid, making the rejection of the
took all the more harsh.
sedes, -is, f.
home, abode;
dwelling, plural used in singular sense.
praepono, -onere, -osui,
-ositum
appoint; put in charge of + dative (sancto loco).
iubeo, -ere, iussi, iussum
command,
order.
abeo, -ire, -ii, -itum
go away;
depart.
vicinus, -a, -um
neighboring,
nearby.
iungo, -ere, iunxi, iunctum
connect,
join. The book now seeks out another public library established by Augustus
(here called templa), this one in the Portico of Octavia, built for his
sister. The Porticus Octaviae (a colonnade containing temples, a library and an
art gallery) was right next to the Theater of Marcellus, built in honor of her
dead son, Augustus's nephew and son-in-law Marcellus.
hic, haec, hoc, pronoun
this,
referring to templa (hence the plural verb); that is, the library in the
Porticus Octaviae.
adeo, -ire, -ii, -itum
approach;
enter; adeunda erant is passive periphrastic, conveying the idea of
compulsion or necessity--the book was not allowed even to enter this library.
Pedibus is dative of agent and suggests again Ovid's pun on physical
feet and metrical verses.
libellus, -i, m
small book; the
diminuitive is often used by the elegiac poets as a form of praise to emphasize
that their poetry was carefully wrought, exquisite, and learned rather than
large and sprawling.
atrium, -i, n.
hall, plural used
in singular sense, object of tangere. The book now seeks a third
library, the Atrium Libertatis, the former office of the censors which
contained the first public library in Rome (prima, line 71), founded by
Gaius Asinius Pollio in 39 BCE. Instead of naming the building directly, Ovid
makes Libertas the subject of the verb passa est, in order to
emphasize the irony of the goddess Liberty refusing to allow a harmless book
admission to a great free library.
tango, -ere, tetigi, tactum
touch.
Note the climactic progression of the book's rejections--he is summarily
ejected from the first library, not permitted to enter the second, and not even
allowed to touch the third.
patior, pati, passus sum
allow,
permit + infinitive; also suffer, experience.
genus, -eris, n.
offspring,
progeny.
auctor, -oris, m.
progenitor;
author; note that both meanings are appropriate here, since Ovid has been
presented as the father of the books that he has written.
redundo (1)
redound, recoil upon
+ in with accusative. The subject is fortuna, again meaning
misfortune.
natus, -i, m.
son.
fuga, -ae, f.
banishment.
fero, ferre, tuli, latum
endure,
suffer.
forsitan, adverb
perhaps.
olim, adverb
one day, someday.
minus, comparative adverb
less.
asper, aspera, asperum
harsh; violent;
unkind; the datives with this adjective refer to Ovid's works
(nobis) and to the poet himself (illi)
evinco, -incere, -ici,
-ictum
overcome; win over, perfect passive participle modifying
Caesar, referring to Augustus; longo tempore is ablative of
means.
atque adeo, conjunction and adverb
or
rather; the book, who has begun to pray to the gods, abruptly changes
course and invokes only one god, Augustus , who has the real power in
this situation.
turba, -ae, f.
mob, a deliberately
shocking term to apply to the gods.
rogo (1)
ask, beg; pray; roganda
est is passive periphrastic conveying necessity (negated by neque),
and mihi is dative of agent.
adsum, -esse, -fui, ----
support;
listen to (a prayer). One would normally expect an optative subjunctive
here, as in lines 56-57; perhaps Ovid uses the indicative here to underline the
mocking nature of this invocation.
votum, -i, n.
prayer; vow.
divus, -a, -um
divine; deified,
used here as a noun in the vocative, modified by maxime (usually applied
only to Jupiter). Of course, Augustus had not yet been deified, though he liked
to refer to himself as Divi filius (son of the deified Julius
Caesar).
interea, -adverb
meanwhile.
quoniam, conjunction
since.
statio, -onis, f.
residence,
modified by publica.
claudo, -dere, -si, -sum
close; cut
off.
licet, -ere, -uit & licitum est
it
is permitted, optative subjunctive expressing a wish or prayer, with
mihi understood ("may I be allowed").
delitesco, -escere, -ui, ----
hide;
take shelter, complementary infinitive after liceat.
fas est
it is lawful; it is
right.
confusus, -a, -um
confused;
troubled, modifies carmina.
repulsa, -ae, f.
rejection.
sumo, -ere, -psi, -ptum
take.
plebeius, -a, -um
plebeian; of the
common people, modifies manus (plural), phrase in apposition with
vos. The book now appeals to the people rather than the emperor for a
home and a kindly reception. Manus echoes manum in line 2, when
the book asks the reader to "give him a hand." Note that
you, by translating this poem, have given the desolate traveler Tristia
Tresunus a home in your mind.