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Carmen 64.207-245
Carmen 64.207-245
ipse autem caecā mentem cālīgine Thēseus
consitus oblītō dīmīsit pectore cuncta
quae mandāta prius constantī mente tenēbat,
dulcia nec maestō sustollēns signa parentī 210
sospitem Erechtheum sē ostendit vīsere portum.
namque ferunt ōlim, classī cum moenia dīvae
linquentem gnātum ventīs concrēderet Aegeus,
tālia complexum iuvenī mandāta dedisse:
“gnāte mihī longē iucundior ūnice vīta, 215
gnāte, ego quem in dubiōs cōgor dīmittere cāsūs,
reddite in extremā nūper mihi fīne senectae,
quando quidem fortūna mea ac tua fervida virtus
ēripit invītō mihi tē, cuī languida nōndum
lūmina sunt gnātī cārā saturāta figūrā, 220
nōn ego tē gaudēns laetantī pectore mittam,
nec tē ferre sinam fortūnae signa secundae,
sed prīmum multās exprōmam mente querellās
cānitiem terrā atque infūsō pulvere foedāns,
inde infecta vāgō suspendam lintea mālō, 225
nostrōs ut luctūs nostraeque incendia mentis
carbasus obscūrāta decet ferrūgine Hibērā.
quod tibi sī sanctī concesserit incola Itōnī,
quae nostrum genus ac sēdēs defendere Erechtheī
annuit, ut taurī respergās sanguine dextram, 230
tum vērō facitō ut memorī tibi condita corde
haec vigeant mandāta, nec ūlla oblitteret aetas,
ut simul ac nostrōs invīsent lūmina collēs,
fūnestam antennae deponant undique vestem
candidaque intortī sustollant vēla rudentes, 235
quam prīmum cernēns ut laetā gaudia mente
agnōscam, cum tē reducem aetās prospera sistet.”
haec mandāta prius constantī mente tenentem
Thēsea ceu pulsae ventōrum flāmine nūbēs
āerium niveī montis līquēre cacūmen. 240
at pater, ut summā prōspectum ex arce petēbat
anxia in assiduōs absumēns lūmina flētūs,
cum prīmum inflātī conspexit lintea vēlī,
praecipitem sēsē scopulōrum ē vertice iēcit
āmissum crēdēns immītī Thēsea fātō. 245
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Notes
Meter: dactylic hexameters
208 consitus, -a, -um, from consero, conserere, consēvī, consitum, “to sow”consitus has the sense of ‘overgrown’ or ‘choked’, as by a profusion of weedsmentem in 207 is an adverbial use of the accusative, borrowed from Greek,modifying consitus: ‘his mind rank with …’.caecā is proleptic in force (i.e., it states the anticipated result),and hence = ‘blinding’.oblīviscor, oblīviscī, oblītus sum: to forget; perfect participle with present activeforce = “forgetful”210 dulcia signa are the white sails; the present participle expresses manner211 sospes, sospitis (adj.): safe, unharmed.vīsere is present infinitive of vīsō, vīsere, vīsī, vīsum: to view, beholdErechtheus, -a, -um = “Athenian; of Athens”, so-called after her putative firstking, Erechtheus212 ferunt = “they say”.dīvae = deae, i.e., Athena; moenia dīvae is Athens.classī is comitative ablative: “with the fleet”213 concrēdō, concrēdere, concredidī, concreditum: to entrust, consign 214 complexum = “having embraced (him)”:Perfect participles of deponent verbs (see chapter 36) are active in sense.The accusative is with eum understood, subject of the indirect statement — ferunt<eum> dedisse etc.215 ūnicus, -a, -um: only, sole, unique; gnātus = nātus217 reddite, vocative of the perfect passive participle: “given back …”Notice that fīnis is here feminine, as elsewhere in early Latinsenecta, -ae, f.: old age (= senectūs, -tūtis)218 fervidus, -a, -um: fiery, burning, glowing, passionateperago, peragere, perēgī, peractum: to carry out, finishperage addressed to herself – understand vindictam219 nōndum languida in the sense that Theseus has reinvigorated him220 lūmina = oculī, as often; saturō, saturāre, saturāvī, saturātum: to fill, glut221 laetor, laetārī, laetātus sum: to rejoice, be glad222 exprōmō, exprōmere, exprompsī, expromptum: to exhibit, express, display224 cānitiēs, -eī, f.: grey hair. foedāns – “befouling”, a sign of mourning225 infecta (from inficio): stained, dyed. vāgus, -a, -um: wandering, traveling226 ut with the indicative = “as”.luctus, -ūs, m.: mourning. incendium, -ī, n.: fire, conflagration227 carbasus, -ī, f.: fine linen, i.e. the sailsobscurātus, -a, -um: darkened.Hibērus, -a, -um: Iberian, Spanish; Spanish rust, dark blue-black of rotted iron228 The incola Itōnī, ‘the inhabitant of holy Itonus’, is Athena; she had a shrine at Itonus in Thessaly229 sēdēs Erechthēī = Athens; see 211 above230 annuō, annuere, annuī: to nod to > to assent, agree, give approvalut – anticipated by quod in 228: ‘If Athena grants this thing …, that you …’rēspergo, rēspergere, rēspersī, rēspersum: to splatter, sprinkle; the taurus is the Minotaur231 facito (future imperative) ut = “see to it that …”; facitō is the apodosis of the conditional232 vigeō, vigēre: to thrive, flourish, blossomoblitterō, oblitterāre, oblitterāvī, oblitterātum: to wipe away, erase233 invīsō, invīsere, invīsī, invīsum: to look upon, visit; lūmina = oculīsimul ac = “as soon as”. ut etc. expresses the contents of the mandāta234 fūnestus, -a, -um: mournful, dismal, sad. antenna, -ae, f.: yardarm (of a ship), crossbeam for supporting the sails235 intortī rudentēs are ‘twisted ropes’; rudens, -entis, m. = “rigging, cordage”236 ut … agnōscam states the reason for the mandāta: “so that I might…”quam prīmum: “as soon as possible”. gaudia – plural for singular237 tē reducem sistet = tē redūcet239 ceu = “just as”. Thēsea is accusative240 āërius, -a, -um: airylīquēre = līquērunt, perfect of linquō241 prōspectus, -ūs, m.: a view, a lookout, prospect242 absūmō, absūmere, absumpsī, absumptum: to take away; ruin, corrupt243 inflātī, i.e., ‘wind-blown’ 244 sēsē = sē
George Frederick Watts, Minotaur
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