Reft of her senses she hurries, as we are wont to hear The Thracian Mænads pass along with hair flowing wild. 40 As its mother lows, her calf having been snatched from the udder, And seeks her offspring through the whole grove : So the goddess: nor does she restrain her moans, and hastening in her course She passes on, and starts from the plains of Henna. Wherever she enters, she fills the whole place with her sad plaints, As when the bird bewails the lost Itys. 45 And by turns she cries, now "Persephone," now "Daughter;" She cries, and awakens each name by turns. But neither Persephone hears Ceres, nor the daughter her mother, And by turns each name dies away. 50 MEMORANDA ET IMITANDA. 1. The following nouns may be used either in Singular or Plural with the same meaning-cervix, collum, neck, cor, heart, frigus, cold, ignis, fire, limen, threshold, litus, shore, numen, power of a god, os, face, pectus, breast, robur, strength, sinus, fold of garment, mel, honey, far, corn, ortus, rising, tempus, time, flos, flower, frons, leaf. 2. The following are Plurals-sata, corn-fields, fides, lute, verbera, stripes, preces, prayers, fores, door, crepuscula, dawn, silentia, silence. 3. An English Substantive may often be rendered by a Latin Adjective in agreement, as "The cruelty of Juno," saeva Juno. And vice versa, as The weary war," taedia belli. 4. Unwillingly, invitus. Gladly, libens or libenter. 5. An Adjective may be negatived with non, haud, male, non bene, parum: strengthened with bene. Male fidus, faithless; bene fidus, very faithful. 6. A Superlative may be often expressed by a Comparative, and vice versa: as, "most beautiful," quo non pulcrior; 66 more beautiful," omnes praestat pulcerrimus. Or thus, ante omnes pulcer. Magis gratus gratior. = 7. "Former" may be rendered qui fuit ante; "all," "every," by quot: as, "all Nature's colours," quot habet natura colores, or by quotquot: as, "every hour," quotquot eunt horae; also by tot: as, "all those tears," tot lacrimae; so, "that great city," tanta urbs. 8 "Many roses," multae (plurimae) rosae, or multa (plurima) rosa, as we say, "many a rose." 9. "Like" (adj.) may be rendered by the verb imitari: as, apples like roses," mala imitata rosas. (See also 22.) 10. Distributive Numerals may be used for Cardinals. Combinations with numeral adverbs are useful, as bis seni for twelve. Lustrum is used for a space of five years. "She was ninety years old " is in Ovid "Addiderat lustris altera lustra novem." 11. "O thrice happy," O terque quaterque beati! Non unus, "Several." 12. The first personal and possessive pronouns are often in the Plural for Singular: as, "My love," Noster amor; “I love war," Nobis bella placent. 13. Repetition of Pronouns is forcible and elegant: "He sang of thee at dawn and at sunset," Te surgente die, te decedente canebat. So with the relative; e.g. "Which spring and summer afforded," Quae ver, quae praebuit aestas. So with other words, especially non: as, "O Torquatus, neither pedigree nor eloquence nor piety will restore thee," "Non, Torquate, genus, non te facundia, non te HORACE, Od. IV. 7. 23. 14. Remember quă from quis indefinite: as, "My beauty, if I had any, deserts my cheeks," Formaque, si qua fuit, deserit illa genas. Quisque, each, generally goes with suus, or a superlative adjective. 15. Various ways of expressing a prohibition are by an Infinitive following noli-parce-mitte; or cave with subj. 16. A question may be asked thus, "When shall I see my sons?" Quando erit ut natos videam? An indignant question by the Accusative and Infinitive: as, "What, I yield and give up my purpose?" Mene incepto desistere victam? VIRG. Aen. I. 37. 17. Be prepared to avail yourself of the variations and contractions in verbs: the occasional shortening of the penult in the 3rd Pers. Plur. Perf. Indic., as steterunt, desiĕrunt: the resolving of vi into -ui, as soluisse for solvisse. 18. Impersonals such as "one would think" will be rendered by the 2nd Pers. Singular, as credideris. 19. Where in Prose a subjunctive would follow indirect interrogatives, as quam, quot, etc., in Verse the two sentences may stand separately: as, "Aspice! quam rapidis volvitur amnis aquis!" where in Prose volvatur would be necessary. 20. A metaphor is generally to be resolved into a simile: as, "Fleecy clouds of brightness," Nubes pura ceu vellera lana. 21. Similes are introduced by ut, sicut, ceu, or qualis. Qualis may be in an oblique case: as, Qualem prendit ovem tigris, "As a tiger seizes a sheep." The second member of the simile may be introduced by sic, ita, haud (non) aliter, haud (non) secus, haud (non) secius. 22. More, modo, ritu with a genitive can be used in making a comparison: as, Eunt anni more fluentis aquae. (See also 9.) 23. A conditional sentence is forcibly rendered by two separate sentences, the first Imperative, or Future Indicative, the second Future Indicative, or Present Indicative: thus, "If you describe Tigellinus, you will blaze at that stake," etc., Pone Tigellinum: taeda lucebis in illa, etc., or Aetheriam servate deam; servabitis urbem, or Merses profundo; pulcrior evenit. 24. "The gifts of Ceres," Tua dona, Ceres. 25. Ovid is fond of ending a pentameter with the words with which he began the preceding hexameter: thus "Nullus erat: referoque manus, iterumque retento; 26. Syncopated forms, e.g. periclum, poclum, will often scan where the full form of the word will not. 27. The omission of a Conjunction (asyndeton) is often very effective. N.B. The elaborate subordination of clauses to a main sentence, which is a marked feature of Latin Prose, is not at all desirable in Latin verse. Short, simple and terse sentences on the whole are most suited to Latin poetry. |