Saturday, July 30, 2011

lente currite, noctis equi


Iam super oceanum venit a seniore marito
flava pruinoso quae vehit axe diem.
'Quo properas, Aurora? ...
nunc iuvat in teneris dominae iacuisse lacertis;
si quando, lateri nunc bene iuncta meo est.
nunc etiam somni pingues et frigidus aer,
et liquidum tenui gutture cantat avis.
quo properas, ingrata viris, ingrata puellis?
roscida purpurea supprime lora manu!

Now she rises over the ocean, come from her aged husband,
the golden girl, who brings day to the frozen sky.
‘Why hurry, Aurora?...
Now I delight to lie in my girl’s soft arms:
now she’s so sweetly joined to my side.
now sleep’s still easy, and the air is cool,
and the birds sing in full flow from a clear throat.
Why hurry, unwelcome to men, unwelcome to girls?
Restrain those dewy reins with rosy fingers!
(Ovid, Amores I.13)
[The cartoon is from here]

1 comment:

Mike Salter said...

Ovid has a lot of fun later in that poem:

"num me nupsisti conciliante seni?"

"...quod erat tibi filius ater,/materni fuerat pectoris ille color."

Cheeky and brilliant, as always.