Fasti. OvidЧитать онлайн книгу.
Spica Cilissa, the saffron from Mount Corycus in Cilicia.– Spica, the chives or filaments of the saffron.—Sonet, when the saffron was good it crackled in the fire.
77. Aurum, the gilded roof of the temple.
79, 80. Vest, intact. with new or white garments, the Roman toga was white.—Concolor, a festal or happy day was metaphorically termed white.—Tarp. Arces, the Capitol. It was the practice ever since A.U.C. 601 for the consuls elect, followed by the people, to go in procession to the Capitol and offer a sacrifice to Jupiter.
81, 82. The consuls entered on their office on this day.—Purpura, the toga praetexta or trabea, worn by magistrates.—Ebur, the curule chair.
83. Rudis operum, that had never been worked.
84. Herba Fal. &c., the land of Falerii in Etruria, whence the animals for sacrifice were chiefly brought, the water of the Clitumnus, in Umbria, was supposed to make them white, Virg. G. II. 146.
85. Arce, either the Capitol, or the dome of Heaven, see Met. I. 163. Virg aen. I. 223.
88. Pop. rer. pol. the Romanos rerum dominos of Virgil.
89. The poet here commences his enquiry into the mythology of Janus.
90. There was no deity worshipped in Greece whose attributes were the same as those of Janus. A curious similarity has been traced out between him and the Ganesa of India.
93. Tabellis, his writing-tables.
94. A usual sign of the presence of a Deity.
100. Ore priore, his front face. See his image.
101. Vat. oper. dier. Poet engaged on the days.
103. First opinion, Janus was the World.
105-110. Compare Met. I. init.
113, 114. His back and front figure were the same, a memorial of the time when the world was in a chaotic state of confusion, all its parts being alike. This is a very silly explanation.
115. Second opinion, see below v. 135-140.
116. His office of door-keeper (Janitor) of heaven and earth.
120. The cardines of heaven, if they are meant, are the cardinal points, where according to the poetic creed of the Augustan age there were doors for the gods to go in and out of heaven. Stat. Theb. i. 158, vii. 35. x. 1. See Mythology, p. 39.
121. He represents Peace and War as persons in the custody of Janus.– Placidis as being the abode of Peace.
122. Perpetuas, long.
125. See Hom. II. v. 749, et seq. Mythology p. 150.
127. Janus à janua.
127, 128. Cereale libum, the Janual, a kind of cake offered to Janus. Festus sub. voc.—Imponit on the altar.—Far mix. sal. the Mola salsa.
129, 130. Patulcius (à pateo) the Opener, Clusius (à claudo) the Shutter; sacrifical names of Janus.
133. Vis i.e. officium.
134. From what I have said you already in part perceive it.
137. Primi tecti, the first part of the house, i.e. the entrance.
141, 142. The three-faced Hecate, (see her figure Mythology, Plate III. 2.) was placed at the triviae, or the point where a road branched off (like the Greek capital Y) so that a face looked down each road.
149, 150. The poet naturally asks why the year began in the middle of winter and not in the spring. This gives him an opportunity of introducing the following lovely description with which compare, Virg. G. II. 324, et seq. Lucret I. 5, et seq. and below III. 236 et seq. IV. 87 et seq.
153. Oper. frond. Heinsius, Burmann and Gierig on the authority of nine MSS. read amicitur vitibus; four MSS. have amicitur frondibus which I should feel disposed to prefer.
154. Seminis herba appears to be the corn which had been sown and was now coming up; one MS. reads graminis.
157. Ignota, the stranger, as the swallow returns in spring.
158. Lut. fing. opus. her clay-built nest: Fingere is the proper term when speaking of pottery any work in clay.
163. Bruma, the winter solstice after which the days begin to lenghten.
165-170. It was usual with all classes of the people to practice a little at their respective trades, or occupations on the Kalends of January by way of omen and not for payment. Thus the shoe-maker or the fuller did some little job or another, the peasant some rural work, pleaders skirmished a little in the forum, &c,—Delibat, i.e. leviter attingit.
171-174. The reason is here required and given, why the Romans when about to sacrifice to any other of the gods, first made offerings to Janus. The old historian, Fabius Pictor, said it was because Janus first taught to use spelt (far) and wine in sacrifice. Macrobius says because he was the first who erected temples to the gods in Italy. Others give other reasons equally unsatisfactory.
175-182. In our own custom of wishing each other a happy new year, &c. may still be witnessed, the practice of which the poet here asks the reason. The bona verba were used for the sake of omen.—Ulla lingua, any tongue which then utters a prayer.—Caducas, unavailing.
186, 187. The strenae (Fr. étrennes) or New Year's gift—Palma, dates, the fruit of the palm, (caryotae) covered with gold leaf, were a part of the strenae.—Carica the [Greek: ischas] or dried fig.– Cado, some MSS. read favo.
189. Stipis, pieces of money were then as now, a part of the New-year's gift. Augustus himself, as inscriptions shew, did not scruple to receive money as his strenae on the Kalends of January, See Suet. Aug. 91.
191-218. The praises of ancient simplicity, and censure of the vices of his own times,—a common place with Ovid and the other poets.
191. Quam te fallunt, etc. How little you know the character of your own times.
193, 194. Such was hardly the case even in the golden age.
Pris. tem. an. In the years of the olden time.
199. Martigena, Mars-begotten, like terrigena, etc.
201. Angusta aede, either the temple of Jupiter Feretrius, built by Romulus on the Capitol, and which was not quite fifteen feet long, or that built by Numa, or rather any temple of those ancient times.—Vix totus stabat seems to mean that the statue was in a sitting posture, and the roof of the temple so low, that it would not admit of its being placed erect in it.
202. Fictile fulmen. The images of the gods at Rome, in those times, were of baked clay, manufactured in Etruria. Even the four-horse chariot which was placed on the Capitoline temple, when first built, was of baked clay. Niebuhr, Rom. Hist. I. 491.
208. Levis lamina is employed to express more strongly the simplicity of those days, as if the possession of even the smallest quantity of the precious metals was a crime. Fabricius, when censor, A.U.C. 478, put out of the senate Cornel. Rufinus, who had been twice consul and dictator, for having ten pounds weight of wrought silver.
210. Rome would appear to be personified in this place.
212, 213. The union of luxury and avarice, Sallust Cat. 5 and 12. They vie in gaining what they may consume, in regaining, what they have consumed, and these very alternations (of avarice and luxury) are the aliment (or support) of (these) vices.
215, 216. The usual comparison of avarice to the dropsy. See Hor. Carm. II. 2. 13.
217, 218. In pret. pret. a play on words.—Dat census, etc. Hor. Epist. I. 6.
219. cur sit. Heinsius, Burmann and Gierig, read si sit.—Quaeris, means you will probably