10

I am criticized for using pseudonyms to refer to the two slave boys (1-2). But many great poets have done the same (2-3). Lucilius did not use pseudonyms in his satires but should have; Vergil in the Eclogues used pseudonyms for real slave boys he admired (4-5). Aemilianus wrongly asserts this kind of poetry is not appropriate for philosophers, but Plato himself wrote only this kind of poetry (6-7). I will give a few examples of poems by Plato similar to mine (8-10). 

(1)

crimen meum: "this charge against me," i.e., the poem just recited.

quasi: "like."

improbī cōmīsātōris ... compositum: "the work of a shameless reveler" (Jones). The comisātiō was a drinking-bout following the cena, frequently spilling into the streets and prolonged into the night. The noun comisātor denotes a hard-drinking party animal, and carries negative associations of nocturnal drunkenness and noise. Cicero (ad Att. 1.16) calls the supporters of Catiline's conspiracy comisatores coniurationis.

dē sertīs et canticīs: garlands and serenades were typical elements of the comisātiō. Apuleius implies that his own poetry is at a higher artistic level than the songs sung by drunk comisatorēs.

(2)

Hīc: "at this point," i.e., in the speech of his accusers: while they were discussing his love poetry, they also brought up the following point. OLD hīc 6.

illud ... quod: "the fact that," subject of the infinitive reprehendi, in indirect statement after animadvertistī.

cum: concessive: "although."

aliīs nōminibus: this remark brings up the subject of literary pseudonyms, a point at which the opponents had taken offense. They seem to have suspected the poet of deliberately hiding something, and therefore, probably, of intending to achieve some magical effect. Magic, however, seems to have very little to do with the use of pseudonyms; on the contrary, the correct use of real names was considered to be crucial in magical practice (Hunink).

puerī: a key word in this passage (6 occurrences). OLD (puer 6) takes it to mean "a boy favorite; esp. a catamite" in this passage, citing also Martial 9.11.6, 11.8.12, and 11.78.4.

appellitārim: appellitāverim.

(3)

eādem operā: "by the same token," "in the same manner" (LS opera II.A.3). 

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Probably the most famous passage of the Apol., the locus classicus on literary pseudonyms in Latin love poetry. Apuleius mentions Catullus, Ticidas, Propertius, and Tibullus; the pseudonyms they use for their mistresses; and, most importantly, the real names of the women. Nowadays, much of Apuleius' information is questioned by scholars. Only the identification of Lesbia as Clodia seems reasonably sure. Delia, however, remains unidentifiable, while the identification of both Cynthia and Perilla is still a matter of dispute .... It has been noticed that in all four cases the pseudonyms and the real names scan alike, which seems to have been the ancient practice (Hunink).

igitur ... accūsent: "then they should (also) accuse." The logic is that if using pseudonyms in love poetry is a crime, Aemilianus will have a long list of defendants to get through.

nōminārit: nōmināverit.

quae Metella erat: supply eam as an antecedent and direct object of scrīpserit, "(the person) who was (actually named) Metella."

scrīpserit: "designated in his writings as," + acc.

Cynthiam dīcat, Hostiam dissimulet: asyndeton.

eī: dative of possession with both animō and versū: "in his mind ... in his poetry."

(4)

quidem: "for that matter," "what is more," adding a reinforcement or afterthought (OLD quidem 5). Apuleius not only won't blame the aforementioned poets for using pseudonyms for their lovers in their verse, but he will blame a poet for using a subject's actual name.

quanquam: the concessive quanquam reflects the larger freedom of speech commonly granted in antiquity to satirical poets. Lucilius directed his satire even against mighty contemporaries; on his libertas, see Horace, Satires 2.1.62–79 (Hunink).

iambicus: “a satirist.” There is no reference to the meter, which in this case is hexameter. See Diomedes, p. 485 Keil: iambus est carmen maledicum plerumque trimetro versu et epodo sequente compositum . . . apud Romanos Lucilius et Catullus et Horatius et Bibaculus (B/O).

improbārim: improbāverim.

prōstituerit: "shamed," "dishonored," see OLD prostituo 2.

(5)

Quantō modestius: exclamatory, "how much more modestly!"

Mantuānus poēta: the reference is to Vergil's famous second Eclogue, which was commonly explained as based on autobiographical facts: there was an ancient tradition (attested as early as in Martial, Epigrams 5.16) that Vergil had fallen in love with the young Alexander, a slave of his patron Pollio (or in another version: Maecenas), and was given the boy as a present (Hunink).

itidem ut ego: "in the same way as I (have)." Apuleius puts himself in the best of the best company.

amīcī: "patron," LS amicus2 A ad fin.

būcolicō lūdicrō: "piece of light bucolic verse," OLD ludicrum 1.c. 

abstinēns nōminum: abstineo can take the genitive in a calque of the Greek verb ἀπέχεσθαί (LS abstineo II.ε).

quidem ... vērō: "on the one hand ... on the other hand."

(6)

vir ultrā ... rūsticānus: "a man rustic beyond the level of" + acc., "a man more rustic (even) than."

ut putat: "as he thinks," "in his own opinion."

Serrānīs et Curiīs et Fābriciīs: the references are to C. Atilius Regulus, M'. Curius Dentatus, and C. Fabricius Luscinus, consuls and generals of the early Republic (3rd cent. BC), who became proverbial examples of frugality. As exempla their names occur combined elsewhere, too, e.g., Vergil, Aeneid 6.844; Valerius Maxiumus, Memorable Deeds and Sayings 4.4.11 (Hunink).

id genus: "of this kind."

competere: "to be appropriate for" + dat., see note on chapter 7.6.

(7)

Etiamne ... sī: "(Would you) still (press this accusation about the love poems) if ...?"

exemplō: "in accordance with the the example set by," + gen.

doceō ... factōs: supply tālēs versūs esse to complete the indirect statement, "I prove that such poems were written."

crēdō quod: parenthetical: "(I presume due to the fact that ... )."

lepida: "charming," "witty," "amusing," the key quality of light poetry since at least Catullus.

(8)

disce ... discere: Apuleius adopts the condescending tone of a school-master.

tantus nātū: "at your advanced age."

ἀστὴρ … φθιμένοις: “You used to shine as the morning star upon the living; now, having died, you shine as the evening star upon the dead.” 

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This is poem is in the Greek Anthology, number 669 in Book 7, attributed to Plato the philosopher. It was translated by Shelley (Poems, 1895, iii. 361)—

Thou wert the morning star

Among the living,

Ere thy fair light had fled;

Now having died, thou art as

Hesperus, giving

New splendour to the dead.

(9)

Item: supply disce versūs.

Phaedrum: the Phaedrus of the eponymous Platonic dialogue was about twenty years older than Plato, and can hardly have been Plato's eromenos (Hunink).

coniūnctō carmine: "in a joint poem," i.e., about both of them together, presumably brought up as an example for its parallels to Apuleius's poem about the two boys.

(10)

Nē plūrēs commemorem: supply versūs. Apuleius states his intention to make this his final citation so as not to go on all day—the implication is that he certainly could do so in providing precedents to his amatory works.

novissimum versum: "this last line," i.e., the last that Apuleius will cite in defense of his love poetry, not, presumably, the last one written by Plato.

eius: "of his," i.e., of Plato.

ὦ ἐμὸν ἐκμήνας θυμὸν ἔρωτι Δίων: "Oh Dion, who drove my heart mad with love."