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.
notes
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 (medium…orbem).
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: a 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).
vocabulary
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