Vengeance on the Vainglorious

Ausonius, Epigrammata de diversis rebus 42 “Ex Graeco traductum de statua Nemesis” Once the Persians brought me As a stone, to make me A trophy for their war; Now I am Nemesis. And just as I stand a trophy For the Greeks who conquered, So I punish the Persians Vain of boast – I, Nemesis. Me lapidem quondam Persae advexere, tropaeum     ut fierem bello; nunc ego sum Nemesis. ac sicut Graecis victoribus adsto tropaeum,     punio sic Persas vaniloquos Nemesis.

Marble statue of the goddess Nemesis dedicated by one Ptollanubis.  Artist unknown; 2nd cent. CE.  From Egypt; now in the Louvre.  Photo credit: Marie-Lan Nguyen/Wikimedia Commons.

An Epitaph for Polyxena

Ausonius, Epitaphia heroum qui bello Troico interfuerunt 26 “Polyxenae” I, Polyxena of Troy, conjoined With Achilles’ pyre, would have preferred, When I expired, to be covered By no turf at all.  Achaeans, You did wrong to mix together Tombs at odds with one another- This was to violate me, Rather than to bury me. Troas Achilleo coniuncta Polyxena busto     malueram nullo caespite functa tegi. non bene discordes tumulos miscetis, Achivi;     hoc violare magis, quam sepelire fuit.

The Sacrifice of Polyxena, Giovanni Battista Pittoni (1687-1767)

An Epitaph for Agamemnon

Ausonius, Epitaphia heroum qui bello Troico interfuerunt I: “Agamemnoni” I – the king of kings, Atreus’ son, Avenger of my brother’s wife – I met My death myself at my own wife’s hands. What profit does it give me to have punished, In my pain, the theft of Helen – when I, who sought to make adulterers pay, Lie slain by the hand of Clytemnestra? Rex regum Atrides, fraternae coniugis ultor,     oppetii manibus coniugis ipse meae. quid prodest Helenes raptum punisse dolentem,     vindicem adulterii cum Clytemestra necet?

Clytemnestra and Agamemnon, Pierre-Narcisse Guérin, ca. 1822

The Transformation of Daphne

Ausonius, Epigrammata de diversis rebus 105 “De Daphne tecta cortice” You jealous bark, why are you rushing to cover the maiden up? Laurel, at least, is owed to Phoebus, if the maiden is denied him. Invide, cur properas, cortex, operire puellam? laurea debetur Phoebo, si virgo negatur.

Metamorphosis of Daphne, Carlo Cignani, 1680

How Do I Love Me? Let Me Count the Ways

Ausonius, Epigrammata de diversis rebus 99 “Ad Narcissum qui sui ipsius amore captus erat” If you desired another, Narcissus, you could have him. But as things stand, you have a surfeit of love, yet none of its fruits. Si cuperes alium, posses, Narcisse, potiri.     nunc tibi amoris adest copia, fructus abest.

Narcissus, Jan Cossiers (1600-1671)

The Torture of Passion

Ausonius, Epigrammata de diversis rebus 91

Note: Dione = the mother of Aphrodite/Venus.

Either quench this fire in which I burn, Mother Dione, or order it to pass To someone else; or cause the flame to be No less severe on her side than on mine. Aut restingue ignem, quo torreor, alma Dione,     aut transire iube: vel fac utrimque parem.

In Love, Marcus Stone (1840-1921)

An Epitaph for Achilles’ Son

Ausonius, Epitaphia heroum qui bello Troico interfuerunt 9 “Pyrrho”

Notes: “the middle of the world”: Orestes killed Pyrrhus/Neoptolemus at Delphi, where a stone known as the omphalos marked what was thought to be the geographic center of the world.  “the spoils of a king”: Priam.

I am buried at the middle of the world- I who showed greater valor Than my father did, for I, Pyrrhus, still a boy, Won the spoils of a king. Wicked Orestes slew me Before the altars, by trickery- But why be shocked? Already He was mad from his mother’s murder. Orbe tegor medio, maior virtute paterna,     quod puer et regis Pyrrhus opima tuli. Impius ante aras quem fraude peremit Orestes-     quid mirum? caesa iam genetrice furens.

Pyrrhus and Andromache before Hector’s Tomb, Johan Ludwig Lund, between 1807 and 1811

A Man Content in Death

Ausonius, Epigrammata 31 “In tumulo hominis felicis” Sprinkle on my ashes pure wine And the sweet-smelling oil of spikenard, o stranger, And add to that balsam and deep red roses. My urn spends its days in endless spring, Knowing no tears; and I have merely Swapped out my lifespan, not ended it. None of the joys of my life of old Have perished, whether you suppose That I recall everything or nothing at all.  Sparge mero cineres bene olentis et unguine nardi,     hospes, et adde rosis balsama puniceis. perpetuum mihi ver agit inlacrimabilis urna     et commutavi saecula, non obii. nulla mihi veteris perierunt gaudia vitae,     seu meminisse putes omnia, sive nihil.

Funeral pithos from the Greek Protogeometric B Period (ca. 850-800 BCE), depicting a goddess with upraised arms, thought to be the Potnia theron (Mistress of Beasts).  Found at the necropolis of Fortetsa, near Knossos, Crete; now in the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion.  Photo credit: Zde/Wikimedia Commons.

How To Be a Benefactor

Ausonius, Epigrammata de diversis rebus 17 If you do a good turn, do it quickly. For what’s done quickly will curry favor, But a favor done sluggishly breeds an ingrate. Si bene quid facias, facias cito.  nam cito factum     gratum erit.  ingratum gratia tarda facit.

The Hunter’s Gift, Gabriël Metsu, ca. 1650-60

An Epitaph for Troilus

Ausonius, Epitaphia Heroum Qui Bello Troico Interfuerunt 18 “Troilo” Note: “The grandson of Aeacus” = Achilles.  When Hector had been laid low, I, Troilus, clashed with the savage Grandson of Aeacus, Although we were unequal In gods and strength alike. I was carried away by my chariot, And so am joined in the honor My brother received; and thanks To the example that he set, My pain is easy to bear. Hectore prostrato nec dis nec viribus aequis     congressus saevo Troilus Aeacidae, raptatus bigis fratris coniungor honori,     cuius ob exemplum nec mihi poena gravis.

Achilles pursues Troilus.  Detail from side A of an Etruscan amphora of the Pontic group; ca. 540-530 BCE.  Found at Vulci; now in the Louvre.

An Epitaph for Diomedes

Ausonius, Epitaphia Heroum Qui Bello Troico Interfuerunt 6 “Diomedi” Here Diomedes is buried,      Born of a fine father, yet better than he. Because of his wife’s wrong      He was driven out of Argos, which was his dowry, But founded Argyripa      And Arpi, a city famed for its fine menfolk. More renown has Diomedes      From his new city than his ancient seat at home. Conditur hic genitore bono melior Diomedes, crimen ob uxoris pulsus dotalibus Argis, Argyripam clarosque viris qui condidit Arpos, clarior urbe nova patriae quam sede vetusta.

The Combat of Diomedes, Jacques-Louis David, 1776

An Epitaph for Mighty Sarpedon

Ausonius, Epitaphia heroum qui bello Troico interfuerunt 16 “Sarpedoni” I, Sarpedon of Lycia, born of Jove, Hoped to reach heaven through my father’s godhead; Instead, I am covered by this mound of earth And bewept with tears of blood.  O iron Fates! He too feels grief who had the power to prevent it. Sarpedon Lycius, genitus Iove, numine patris     sperabam caelum, set tegor hoc tumulo sanguineis fletus lacrimis: pro ferrea fata,     et patitur luctum, qui prohibere potest.

Sarpedon is slain by Patroclus (right) while Glaucus tries in vain to protect him.  Protolucanian red-figure hydria, attributed to the Policoro Painter; ca. 400 BCE.  Found in the so-called “Tomb of the Policoro Painter,” Heraclea; now in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Policoro.

Well Begun Is Half Done

Ausonius, Epigrammata de diversis rebus 15 “Ex Graeco ἀρχὴ δέ τοι ἥμισυ παντός” Begin: for to begin is half the deed. So now a half remains: begin this too And you shall bring the whole thing to completion. Incipe: dimidium facti est coepisse.  Superfit     dimidium: rursum hoc incipe et efficies.

Departure of an Oriental Entourage, Jan Baptist Weenix, between 1647 and 1650

A Weaver-Poet’s Boast

Ausonius, Epigrams 55 Those there are who weave lengths of yarn, And those there are who weave lines of poetry; The latter bestow their poems on the Muses, The former their yarn on you, chaste Minerva. But I, Sabina, will not split up Arts that are meant by nature as allies- I, who’ve inscribed my robes with my verses. Licia qui texunt et carmina, carmina Musis,     licia contribuunt, casta Minerva, tibi. ast ego rem sociam non dissociabo Sabina,     versibus inscripsi quae mea texta meis.    

A Woman at a Loom, Charles Joseph Grips, ca. 1879

The Brief Career of Caesar

Ausonius, The Twelve Caesars I (“Julius Caesar”)  The power that custom had once vested In two consuls each year, Julius Caesar obtained. But briefly indeed did he reign as a king - He wielded his power for only three years, Then was struck down by a savage conspiracy Of citizens who’d taken up arms. Imperium, binis fuerat sollemne quod olim     consulibus, Caesar Iulius optinuit. set breve ius regni, sola trieteride gestum:     perculit armatae factio saeva togae.

Julius Caesar, Peter Paul Rubens, 1619

The Judgment of Paris, Round Two

Ausonius, Epigrammata de diversis rebus 64

Notes: the “armed Venus [Aphrodite]” was a statue at Sparta.  Pallas = Minerva (Athena).

At Sparta, Pallas saw Venus armed. “Now,” she crowed, “let us contend – Yes, even with Paris as our judge!” Venus answered her: “Do you scorn me, then, O rash one, now that I am armed - When, the day I defeated you, I was naked?” Armatam vidit Venerem Lacedaemone Pallas.     “Nunc certemus,” ait, “iudice vel Paride.” cui Venus: “Armatam tu me, temeraria, temnis,     quae, quo te vici tempore, nuda fui?”

The Judgment of Paris, Claude Lorrain, 1645-46

A Terrible Physician’s Touch

Ausonius, Epigrammata 81

Note: effertur, here translated “carried off” (lit. “carried out”), is often used of dead bodies being brought out for burial.

Yesterday Alcon touched the statue of Jove; And he, made of marble though he is, now feels The physician’s power.  For, behold! Today, Having been ordered to be moved from his ancient spot, He is carried off, though a god and made of stone. Alcon hesterno signum Iovis attigit.  Ille   quamvis marmoreus vim patitur medici. ecce hodie iussus transferri e sede vetusta   effertur, quamvis sit deus atque lapis.

The Doctor and His Patient (aka The Sick Woman), Jan Steen, ca. 1663-66