Hoc etiam tibi tūtē interdum dīcere possīs.

lūmina sīs oculīs etiam bonus Ancus relīquit,1025

quī melior multīs quam tū fuit, improbe, rēbus.

inde aliī multī rēgēs rērumque potentēs

occīdērunt, magnīs quī gentibus imperitārunt.

ille quoque ipse, viam quī quondam per mare magnum

strāvit iterque dedit legiōnibus īre per altum1030

ac pedibus salsās docuit super īre lucūnās

et contempsit equīs īnsultāns murmura pontī,

lūmine adēmptō animam moribundō corpore fūdit.

Scīpiadās, bellī fulmen, Carthāginis horror,

ossa dedit terrae proinde ac famul īnfimus esset.1035

adde repertōrēs doctrīnārum atque lepōrum,

adde Helicōniadum comitēs; quōrum ūnus Homērus

scēptra potītus eādem aliīs sōpītus quiētest.

dēnique Dēmocritum post quam mātūra vetustās

admonuit memorēs mōtus languēscere mentīs,1040

sponte suā lētō caput obvius optulit ipse.

ipse Epicūrus obit dēcursō lūmine vītae,

quī genus hūmānum ingeniō superāvit et omnis

restīnxit stēllās exortus ut aetherius sōl.

tū vērō dubitābis et indignābere obīre?1045

mortua cui vīta est prope iam vīvō atque videntī,

quī somnō partem maiōrem conteris aevī,

et viligāns stertis nec somnia cernere cessās

sollicitamque geris cassā formīdine mentem

nec reperīre potes tibi quid sit saepe malī, cum1050

ēbrius urgēris multīs miser undique cūrīs

atque animō incertō fluitāns errōre vagāris.'

    1024-1052. Even the best men have died.

    1025: sis = suis. Ancus is Ancus Marcius, the fourth of the traditional kings of Rome. According to Paulus (Diaconus) - (Sextus Pompeius) Festus, Ennius had a similar line in the Annales: Postquam lumina sis oculis bonus Ancus reliquit.

    1027: rerum- genitive with the notion of power in potentes. Lucr. has a similar phrase at 2.50 rerumque potentis.

    1028: imperitarunt syncopated (= imperitaverunt)

    1029: ille Xerxes of Persia, who famously bridged the Hellespont. Xerxes was certainly no hero to a philhellene like Lucr., and perhaps for this reason is not named.

    1030: ire can be construed as an infinitive of purpose, or as the object of dedit with the complement iter, i.e., "permitted them to cross a route ...". do + present inf. often means "permit [a person] to do [a thing]."

    1034: Scipiadas, called 'Africanus', the victor at Zama. The patronymic is used in place of Scīpĭo, -ōnis (m.), which, being a cretic, is not admissible in the hexameter.

    1035: pronide ac "just as if."   

    1037: Heliconiadum (gen. pl.) the Heliconiades are the muses, with their home on mount Helicon. The Latin patronymic is used only by Lucr., although Hesiod has Μούσῃσι Ἑλικωνιάδεσσι (Works and Days 658). unus here "uniquely."

    1038: sceptra potitus "having control of the power [sc. of verse]." aliis is dative with the idea of similarity in eadem.

    1039: matura vetustas is personified.

    1041: optulit = obtulit < offero.            

    1042: Epicurus mentioned only in this passage by Lucr. decurso lumine vitae ablative absolute. The phrase, found only here, seems to combine the notion of running a race (decurso) and extinguishing a lamp (lumine).

    1045: mortua cui vita est prope "for whom life is nearly dead."

    1050: mali partitive genitive with interrogative quid, as with indefinite pronouns, etc.

    interdum: sometimes, now and then

    1025

    Ancus –ī m.: Ancus Martius, the fourth king of Rome

    improbus –a –um: wicked/flagrant; morally unsound; greedy/rude; immoderate; disloyal; shameless

    imperitō imperitāre imperitāvī imperitātus: to command, govern, rule (> impero)

    1030

    sternō sternere strāvī strātus: to spread, strew, scatter; lay out

    altum altī n.: deep sea; height

    saliō salīre saluī saltus: to leap, spring, bound, jump, hop; mount for sexual intercourse

    lacuna, -ae f.: a ditch, pit, hole, pool, pond

    īnsultō īnsultāre īnsultāvī īnsultātus: to (w. dat.), to leap upon, bound upon, gallop over, trample on; (w. acc.), bound, dance, rush through; absol., prance,; insult, be insolent, mock; exult (> insilio, leap upon)

    murmur murmuris n.: murmur

    adimō adimere adēmī adēmptus: to withdraw, take away, carry off; castrate; deprive, steal, seize; annul; rescue

    moribundus –a –um: in a dying condition; ready to die, dying; lifeless; mortal (> morior)

    Scīpiadēs –ae m.: one of the Scipios, a Scipio (> Scipio)

    fulmen fulminis n.: lightening, thunderbolt

    Carthāgō Carthāginis f.: Carthage

    horror –ōris m.: a roughening or bristling; (fig.), a shuddering; terror, dread, horror, dismay; clashing din (> horreo)

    1035

    proinde: just as, therefore

    famulus –ī m.: pertaining to the house; a house servant or slave; manservant; attendant

    repertor –ōris m.: discoverer, inventor

    doctrīna –ae f.: teaching, doctrine

    lepor lepōris m.: pleasantness, agreeableness, attractiveness, charm

    Helicōn –ōnis m.: Helicon, a mountain in Boeotia, and favorite resort of Apollo and the Muses

    comitō comitāre comitāvī comitātus: to accompany, follow

    Homērus –ī m.: Homer

    scēptrum –ī n.: a royal staff; scepter; freq.; (meton.), rule, sway, power, royal court, realm; authority

    potior potiri potitus sum: to obtain, acquire; grasp; attain, reach (goal); come by (experiences); seize, capture; control; have/possess; reign over; win sexually; be/become master of (+ gen./abl.), get possession/submission/hold of

    sōpiō sōpīre sōpīvī sōpītum: to put to sleep, lull to sleep

    Democritus, -i m.: a celebrated philosopher born at Adera, an adherent of the Eleatic school, and the originator of the atomic theory

    mātūrus –a –um: early, speedy; ripe; mature, mellow; timely, seasonable

    vetustās vetustātis f.: age, antiquity

    1040

    admoneō admonēre admonuī admonitus: to admonish, remind, prompt; suggest, advise, raise; persuade, urge; warn, caution

    memorō memorāre memorāvī memorātus: to remember; be mindful of (+ gen./acc.); mention/recount/relate, remind/speak of

    mōtus mōtūs m.: motion, movement; disturbance

    languēscō –ere –languī: to become faint, grow weak, droop (> langueo)

    sponte: of one's own will; voluntarily; for one's own sake

    leto, -avi, -atum: to kill, slay

    obvius obvia obvium: in the way, easy; hostile; exposed (to)

    Epicurus, -I m.: the famous Greek philosopher of Gargettus, in Attica, the author of Epicurean philosophy, so called after him, which assumed pleasure to be the highest good

    1045

    obeō obīre obiī/obīvī obitum: to go to, meet, die

    dēcurrō –ere –cucurrī or currī –cursus: to run down, hasten down; descend; run completely round; sail over, sweep over

    restinguō –ere –stīnxī –stīnctus: to put out, quench

    exorior exorīrī exortus sum: to rise up, proceed

    aetherius –a –um: pertaining to the upper air; ethereal, heavenly; airy (> aether)

    indīgnor –ātus sum: to deem unworthy; to fret, chafe, be impatient; resent; scorn; be angry, indignant

    mortuus –a –um: dead

    conterō –terere –trīvī –trītum: to grind, pound; to bruise, crush, smash; defeat, oppress

    sterto, -ui: to snore

    cessō cessāre cessāvī cessātus: to cease, be idle; hold back, lay off, delay; rest; be free of

    sollicitus –a –um: concerned, worried; upset, troubled, disturbed, anxious, apprehensive

    cassus –a –um: void; deprived of; fruitless, vain

    formīdō formīdinis f.: fear

    1050

    ēbrius –a –um: drunk, intoxicated; riotous

    urgeō urgēre ursī: to press/squeeze/bear hard/down; tread/traverse continually; push/shove/thrust; spur on, urge; press hard in attack/pursuit, beset, follow hard on heels of; hem in; threaten by proximity; press verbally/argument/point; follow up

    animō animāre: to enliven, quicken, animate; to endow with, to give,

    incertus –a –um: unsure, uncertain, unreliable

    fluitō fluitāre fluitāvī fluitātus: to float (> fluo)

    vagor –ārī –ātus sum: to wander about; ride to and fro, career about; to be rumored round, spread (> vagus, wandering)

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