Haec ait et liquidum ambrosiae dēfundit odōrem,415

quō tōtum nātī corpus perdūxit; at illī

dulcis compositīs spīrāvit crīnibus aura

atque habilis membrīs vēnit vigor. Est specus ingēns

exēsī latere in montis, quō plūrima ventō

cōgitur inque sinūs scindit sēsē unda reductōs,420

dēprēnsīs ōlim statiō tūtissima nautīs;

intus sē vastī Prōteus tegit ōbice saxī.

Hīs iuvenem in latebrīs āversum ā lūmine Nympha

conlocat, ipsa procul nebulīs obscūra resistit.

Iam rapidus torrēns sitientēs Sīrius Indōs425

ārdēbat caelō et medium sōl igneus orbem

hauserat, ārēbant herbae et cava flūmina siccīs

faucibus ad līmum radiī tepefacta coquēbant,

cum Prōteus consuēta petēns ē flūctibus antra

ībat; eum vastī circum gēns ūmida pontī430

exsultāns rōrem lātē dispergit amārum.

Sternunt sē somnō dīversae in lītore phōcae;

ipse, velut stabulī cūstōs in montibus ōlim,

Vesper ubi ē pāstū vitulōs ad tecta redūcit

audītīsque lupōs acuunt bālātibus agnī,435

consēdit scopulō medius numerumque recēnset.

    Cyrene prepares Aristaeus to subdue Proteus. 

    Cyrene smears ambrosia, a divine substance, on Aristaeus to give him strength. There is a cave in the side of a mountain, and in it a secluded area, safe from the sea, where Proteus is accustomed to shelter. Cyrene places Aristaeus in the shadows there, while she stands apart, covered in mist. At noon, Proteus seeks his accustomed refuge, where his herd of seals rejoices to see him. They distribute themselves within the cave for their midday nap, and Proteus settles in their midst.

    415  ait: Cyrene is the subject. 

    415  ambrosiae: while Eidothea anoints Menelaus at Odyssey 4.445, so that he is able to withstand the smell of the seals, here ambrosia appears to be a cream that gives Aristaeus strength for his upcoming wrestling match.  

    416  quō: introduces a relative clause. quō is an ablative singular (ablative of means, AG 409) referring to odōrem

    416  perdūxit: “coated” or “smeared,” an unusual meaning of perdūco

    416  illī: dative of advantage, referring to Aristaeus (AG 376).

    417  dulcis…spīrāvit…aura: “a sweet scent exhaled.” spiro is intransitive. After being anointed, the scent of the ambrosia permeates Aristaeus’s entire body. 

    417  compositīs…crīnibus: most likely an ablative absolute, though some commentators read this as an ablative of place from which (AG 419, 428g). Notice the chiasmus in this golden line (AG 641). See discussion at line 302.

    418  membrīs: dative of advantage (AG 376).

    418-419  est…montis = est ingēns specus in latere exēsī montis.

    418  est: “there is.” See line 387.

    419-420  quō: “to where,” referring back to the cave; the relative adverb is often used to show a relationship to a place instead of using a relative pronoun (AG 308g).

    419–420 plūrima…unda: “many a wave.” 

    420  inque sinūs scindit sēsē unda reductōs: reductōs modifies sinūs. Commentators have struggled to understand precisely what is going on here, and they frequently disagree. The wave, after being forced into the cave, splits. Some think that the reductos sinus are ripples of water that flow back or inlets of water deep in the cave. Mynors suggests that the cave has various arms that are divided by the water when it runs into the curving recesses. 

    421  dēprēnsīs: “caught” or “overtaken” by bad weather; dative plural masculine, modifying nautīs

    421  ōlim: “sometimes” or “long ago.” Take closely with dēprēnsīs

    421  statiō: in apposition to specus (line 418).

    422  sē...tegit: “concealed himself,” “hid,” vivid historical present tense.

    422  vastī…ōbice saxī: ōbice (“barrier,” OLD obex 2) is an ablative of means (AG 409); vastī saxī a genitive of material (AG 344).

    423  iuvenem…Nympha: the iuvenis is Aristeaeus, the Nympha Cyrene. 

    423  āversum ā lūmine: so, in a dark nook.

    424  nebulīs obscūra: take nebulīs (an ablative of means, AG 409) closely with obscūra, which modifies ipsa (Cyrene). Gods commonly disguise their presence (or that of others) with an enveloping mist or cloud.

    424  resistit: “took up a position,” vivid historical present tense.

    425–428: Vergil specifies that this episode takes place during the hottest time of the year, and the hottest time of day. The Dog Star, Sirius, brings the “dog days” of summer, when Sirius rises just before dawn. For the Romans the “dog days” spanned late July to late August. In addition, this takes place at high noon (mediumorbem).

    425  rapidus: “violent” or “scorching.” 

    425  sitientēs…Indōs:Indōs are Indians, about whom the Romans knew; direct object of torrēns

    425  Sīrius:the Dog Star, which gave rise to and constituted the hottest days of the year. This is, indeed, a terrible time of year to lose one’s honeybees, for a new hive will have difficulty producing enough honey so late in the summer to feed itself through the winter. 

    426  caelō: ablative of place where without a preposition, as is common in poetry (AG 429.4). 

    426  medium…orbem: “the middle of its course,” that is, just after noon.

    427  hauserat: = exhauserat, “had finished” (OLD exhaurio 7). Vergil and other poets sometimes use a non-compound verb in place of a related compound one, a device known as simplex pro composito. See Eclogues 1.3, dulcia linquimus arva (for dulcia relinquimus arva), “we are leaving the delightful lands.” 

    427-428  et cava…coquēbant = et radiī <sōlis> coquēbant cava flūmina tepefacta ad līmum siccīs faucibus. cava is another indicator of the time of year, since the rivers are “hollow” from a low water level. ad līmum indicates that the heat went all the way to the mud in the riverbed. siccīs faucibus is a subject of debate: an ablative of place where (AG 429.4), an ablative of quality with flūmina (AG 415), or an ablative absolute (AG 419a). The faucibus are channels (OLD fauces 4).

    429-430  cum…ībat: temporal cum clause (AG 545).

    430  circum: preposition with eum

    430  gēns ūmida: Proteus’s seals; perhaps a humorously elevated way to describe his flock.

    431  rōrem…amārum: rōs usually indicates dew, but here refers to the foam of the crashing waves, which is amārum because it is salt water. The seals act like dogs, leaping in excitement to see their master when he returns. Lines 431 and 432 are heavily spondaic. Perhaps we are to hear the slap of the seals’ flippers on rock?

    432  somnō: dative of purpose (AG 382).

    432  dīversae in lītore: “in different places on the shore.”

    433-435  velut…agnī:simile, likening Proteus to a shepherd. 

    433  ōlim: “sometimes.” 

    434  Vesper: the evening star; in actuality, the planet Venus in the evening. tecta: as tecta refers to anything roofed, here it is not a house (as we have seen earlier in Georgics 4) or a hive, but instead a barn for the calves. 

    434  audītīsque…agnī = agnī acuunt lupōs, bālātibus audītīs. bālātibus audītīs is an ablative absolute (AG 419). acuunt means “rouse” emotionally, “stir,” OLD acuo 3.

    436  consēdit: subject is ipse (Proteus) in line 433. 

    436  medius: the outcropping Proteus sits on is in the midst of his “herd.” 

    436  scopulo: ablative of place where without a preposition, as is common in poetry (AG 429.4).

    liquidus –a –um: liquid

    ambrosia ambrosiae f.: ambrosia, the food of the gods

    dēfundō –ere –fūdī –fūsus: pour round about, pour forth

    odor –ōris m.: scent

    perdūcō perdūcere perdūxī perductum: drench, spread over, smear, coat

    compositus –a –um: well-ordered

    spīrō spīrāre spīrāvī spīrātus: breathe, give off a smell

    crīnis crīnis m.: hair

    habilis –e: light, nimble

    vigor vigōris m.: vigor, liveliness

    specus –ūs m./f.: cave

    exedō –ere –ēdī –ēsus: devour, hollow out

    scindō scindere scidī scissus: cut, split, divide420

    reductus –a –um: drawn back

    dēprehendō dēprehendere dēprehendī dēprehensus: catch, overtake

    statiō statiōnis f.: station, resting place

    nauta nautae m.: sailor

    intus: within, inside

    vāstus –a –um: empty, vast

    Prōteus –eī or –eos m.: Proteus, the Old Man of the Sea

    ōbex –icis m./f.: obstacle, barrier, wall

    iuvenis iuvenis m.: youth, young man

    latebra –ae f.: hiding place, recess, retreat

    āversus –a –um: turned away

    nympha –ae f.: Nymph

    conlocō -locāre -locāvī -locātus: arrange, station, place

    nebula –ae f.: mist, cloud

    obscūrus –a –um: covered, dark

    resistō resistere restitī: stand back, stop, stay behiind

    rapidus –a –um: violent, scorching425

    torreō –ēre –uī tostus: burn

    sitiō sitīre sitīvī: be thirsty, be dry

    Sīrius –iī m.: Sirius (star)

    Indus –a –um: inhabitant of India, Indian

    igneus –a –um: fiery

    hauriō haurīre hausī hastus: accomplish; exhaust, draw

    āreō –ēre –uī: be dry, wither

    herba herbae f.: grass, herb

    cavus –a –um: hollow

    siccus –a –um: dry

    faux faucis f.: mouth, channel

    līmus –ī m.: mud, slime

    radius radi(ī) m.: ray, beam

    tepefaciō –ere –fēcī –factus: make tepid or warm

    coquō coquere coxī coctus: cook

    Prōteus –eī or –eos m.: Proteus, the Old Man of the Sea

    consuētus –a –um: accustomed, usual

    antrum –ī n.: cave

    vāstus –a –um: empty, vast430

    circum: around, prep. (+acc.)

    ūmidus –a –um: moist, damp

    exsultō (exultō) –are –āvī –ātus: be ecstatic, leap, spring

    rōs rōris m.: dew, foam

    dispergō –ere –spersī –spersus: sprinkle

    amārus –a –um: bitter, harsh

    sternō sternere strāvī strātus: spread out, stretch out

    phōca –ae f.: seal

    stabulum –ī n.: stable

    Vesper –erī m.: the Evening Star, evening

    pāstus –ūs m.: pasture, pasturing

    vitulus –ī m.: calf, bullock

    redūcō redūcere redūxī reductus: bring back

    lupus lupī m.: wolf435

    acuō –ere –uī –ūtus: sharpen; incite, rouse

    bālātus –ūs m.: bleating (of sheep)

    agnus agnī m.: lamb

    cōnsīdō cōnsīdere cōnsēdī cōnsessus: sit down, to settle

    scopulus –ī m.: cliff, rock, ledge

    recēnseō –ēre –uī –us (–itus): count

    article Nav
    Previous