These have made girls faithless, thus key feels door and guard at entrance now becomes a dog. But if you bring great money, the guard’s subdued, the keys do not impede and dog grows dumb. Alas, whatever god gave avaricious woman beauty, what good he’s added to the other evils. Hence weeping and brawls resound, these truly have created Love to be an infamous god. But you, who shut out lovers beaten in their bribery, may wind and fire tear out the wealth amassed. Indeed, may young men gaze with joy at goods ablaze and no one diligent cast water on flames. Death will, alas, come for you, but none who’ll mourn or give an offering to a grievous burial. But she who’s kind and generous, can a hundred years live on, lamented by the funeral pyre. And some old man, venerating a former love affaire, will set a yearly wreath on heaped up grave, then “Agreeably” he’ll say on leaving, “and soundly sleep, and earth be light on your untroubled bones.” True prophesy I warn, but what are truths that profit me? For her and us devoted Love’s by law. Why even if she order me to sell my ancestral home, go in subjection and bill of sale, Lares. Whatever Circe will have, whatever poisons Medea, whatever herbs on Thessaly’s earth do sprout, and what, when mighty Venus blows longing on herds, horse fluid drips from groin of a mare in heat, if Nemesis would gaze in peace upon my kindly face, and brewed a thousand other herbs, I’d drink.
II.4
Hic mihi seruitium uideo dominamque paratam:
iam mihi, libertas illa paterna, uale.
seruitium sed triste datur, teneorque catenis,
et numquam misero uincla remittit Amor,
et seu quid merui seu nil peccauimus, urit.
uror, io, remoue, saeua puella, faces.
o ego ne possim tales sentire dolores,
quam mallem in gelidis montibus esse lapis,
stare uel insanis cautes obnoxia uentis,
naufraga quam uasti tunderet unda maris!
nunc et amara dies et noctis amarior umbra est:
omnia nam tristi tempora felle madent.
nec prosunt elegi nec carminis auctor Apollo:
illa caua pretium flagitat usque manu.
ite procul, Musae, si non prodestis amanti:
non ego uos, ut sint bella canenda, colo,
nec refero Solisque uias et qualis, ubi orbem
compleuit, uersis Luna recurrit equis.
ad dominam faciles aditus per carmina quaero:
ite procul, Musae, si nihil ista ualent.
at mihi per caedem et facinus sunt dona paranda,
ne iaceam clausam flebilis ante domum:
aut rapiam suspensa sacris insignia fanis:
sed Venus ante alios est uiolanda mihi.
illa malum facinus suadet dominamque rapacem
dat mihi: sacrilegas sentiat illa manus.
o pereat quicumque legit uiridesque smaragdos
et niueam Tyrio murice tingit ouem.
addit auaritiae causas et Coa puellis
uestis et e Rubro lucida concha mari.
haec fecere malas: hinc clauim ianua sensit
et coepit custos liminis esse canis.
sed pretium si grande feras, custodia uicta est
nec prohibent claues et canis ipse tacet.
heu quicumque dedit fomlam caelestis auarae,
quale bonum multis attulit ille malis!
hinc fletus rixaeque sonant, haec denique causa
fecit ut infamis nunc deus erret Amor.
at tibi, quae pretio uictos excludis amantes,
eripiant partas uentus et ignis opes:
quin tua tunc iuuenes spectent incendia laeti,
nec quisquam flammae sedulus addat aquam.
seu ueniet tibi mors, nec erit qui lugeat ullus
nec qui det maestas munus in exsequias.
at bona quae nec auara fuit, centum licet annos
uixerit, ardentem flebitur ante rogum:
atque aliquis senior ueteres ueneratus amores
annua constructo serta dabit tumulo
et ‘bene’ discedens dicet ‘placideque quiescas,
terraque securae sit super ossa leuis.’
uera quidem moneo, sed prosunt quid mihi uera?
illius est nobis lege colendus amor.
quin etiam sedes iubeat si uendere auitas,
ite sub imperium sub titulumque, Lares.
quidquid habet Circe, quidquid Medea ueneni,
quidquid et herbarum Thessala terra gerit,
et quod, ubi indomitis gregibus Venus adflat amores,
hippomanes cupidae stillat ab inguine equae,
si modo me placido uideat Nemesis mea uultu,
mille alias herbas misceat illa, bibam.
