"Rura valete iterum, tuque optima Lydia salve, 95 sive eris et si non, mecum morieris utrumque." Extremum carmen revocemus, Battare, avena: "Dulcia amara prius fient et mollia dura, candida nigra oculi cernent et dextera laeva, migrabunt casus aliena in corpora rerum, quam tua de nostris emigret cura medullis. quamvis ignis eris, quamvis aqua, semper amabo: gaudia semper enim tua me meminisse licebit.” 98 fient It.: fiant. 99 cernent It.: cernant ML. 102 quamvis nix aderit ub (Ellis). 100 "Once more, ye fields, farewell, and fare thee well, good Lydia; whether thou wilt live, or not, in either case thou wilt die with me!" 97 Our last strain, O Battarus, let us recall on the reed! "Sweet shall become bitter, and soft hard; eyes shall see white as black, and right as left; atoms of things shall pass into bodies of other kinds, ere regard for thee pass from my heart.1 Though fire, though water thou shalt be, ever will I love thee, for ever will it be permitted to think upon thy joys!" 1 By casus rerum he means the dissolution of things; hence the atoms of a body, which, when reunited, form objects of a different kind. This is therefore a reference to the atomic theory of the Epicureans. LYDIA* INVIDEO Vobis, agri formosaque prata, hoc formosa magis, mea quod formosa puella O fortunati nimium multumque beati, 3 est vobis] in vobis Heinsius: ex vobis Ellis. 12 dulci H: dulcia. 10 15 13 veneris H: venerem . stipendia SL: spumantia M: dispendia or stipantia It. 14 declinarit. 15 narrabis. 18 sistite ub: currite commonly read: lapsantes gurgite Ellis. *The MSS. give the Lydia in sequence to the Dirae without separate title. Jacobs first separated the two. LYDIA1 I ENVY you, ye fields and lovely meads, for this more lovely that my lovely girl is yours: in silence she sighs for my love. You it is she now sees, with you my Lydia plays, to you she now makes speech, on you she now smiles with those dear eyes, and cons my songs with voice subdued, and sings the while those strains she was wont to sing into my ear. 8 I envy you, ye fields; ye will learn to love. O fields, too happy, yea, much blest, in which she will set her snowy footsteps, or with rosy fingers will pluck the green grape (for not yet swells the little vine with sweet juice), or amid varied flowers, tribute to Venus, she will lay down her limbs and crush the tender grass, and apart by herself will stealthily recount the tale of my love. The woods will rejoice, the soft meadows and cool springs will rejoice, and the birds will make a silence. The gliding brooks will pause (stay, ye waters!) till my heart sets forth its sweet complaints. 1 This sentimental lament is independent of the Dirae, but came to be associated with that poem because the name Lydia" is common to both compositions. Invideo vobis, agri: mea gaudia habetis, et vobis nunc est mea quae fuit ante voluptas. 20 at mihi tabescunt morientia membra dolore, et calor infuso decedit frigore mortis, quod mea non mecum domina est. non ulla puella doctior in terris fuit aut formosior; ac si 25 fabula non vana est, tauro Iove digna vel auro (Iuppiter avertas aurem) mea sola puella est. Felix taure, pater magni gregis et decus, a te vaccula non umquam secreta cubilia captans frustra te patitur silvis mugire dolorem. et pater haedorum felix semperque beate, sive petis montis praeruptos, saxa pererrans, sive tibi silvis nova pabula fastidire 30 sive libet campis: tecum tua laeta capella est. et mas quacumque est, illi sua femina iuncta 35 Sidera per viridem redeunt cum pallida mundum, inque vicem Phoebi currens abit aureus orbis, Luna, tuus tecum est: cur non est et mea mecum ? Luna, dolor nosti quid sit: miserere dolentis. Phoebe, gerens nam laurus celebravit amorem ; et quae pompa deum, non silvis fama, locuta est? (omnia vos estis) secum sua gaudia gestat 40 45 22 mihi Aldine edition 1517: male (mala). tabescunt It. : tabescant. 24 ulla H: illa. 33 silvis L: silvas S: si vis M. 35 quacumque Ellis: quocumque (quicunque It.). 37 fuisti Salmasius: fuisset. 40 currens abit Eskuché: currens atque: coiens atque Ellis. 41 tuus b: tui. |