Ovid’s scorned Dido responds to the poor treatment she received
from Aeneas in Book IV of the Aeneid, just before she kills herself.
Sic ubi / fata / uocant
/, udis / abiectus / in herbis
/
(1)
ad uada / Maeandri
/ concinit / albus / olor.
nec quia / te / nostra
/ sperem / prece / posse
/ moueri,
alloquor (aduerso
/ mouimus / ista / deo);
sed merita / et famam / corpusque
/ animumque / pudicum (5)
cum male / perdiderim,
perdere
/ uerba / leue / est.
certus / es / ire
/ tamen / miseramque / relinquere / Dido,
atque idem / uenti
/ uela / fidemque / ferent?
certus / es, Aenea,
cum foedere / soluere / naues,
quaeque / ubi sint
/ nescis, Itala / regna
/ sequi?
(10)
nec noua / Carthago nec te
/ surgentia / tangunt /
moenia nec sceptro
/ tradita / summa / tuo?
facta / fugis, facienda
/ petis; quaerenda per orbem
/
altera, quaesita
/ est / altera / terra
/ tibi.
(1) Thus when the fates call, the white swan, having
been thrown down on the wet blades
(of grass) into the shallows of Maeander, sings.
And not because I should hope that you are able to be moved by my prayer,
do I address (you) (I have set these very things in motion because of an
opposed god);
(5) But when I will have ruined,
badly, (my) merit(s) and reputation and (my) virtuous
body and soul, to lose words is (an) unsubstantial (thing).
Are you resolved to go nevertheless and to leave unhappy Dido,
and do the same winds carry away (your) sails and (your) faith?
Are you resolved, Aeneas, to free your ships with your promise,
(10) and to follow (search
for) the Italian kingdoms, each which you are ignorant of
where (the kingdoms) are?
And does neither this new Carthage nor (the city’s) rising walls touch
you,
nor does the highest (city) having been surrendered to your authority (touch
you)?
You flee the having been done (things), you seek (those things) which must
be done,
one (land) has to be sought by you, the other land sought for the world.
fata: fatum, -i—neuter nominative plural, nominative subject in ubi clause (w/ uocant); this is an example of personification.
uocant (vocant): voco (1)—third
person plural present active indicative, main verb; uocant is an
example of onomatopoeia, which is the use of a word in which
the sound suggests the meaning of the word.
udis: udus, -a, -um—feminine ablative plural adjective, adjective modifying herbis, ablative of place at which (w/ in)
abiectus: abicio, abicere—perfect passive participle, masculine nominative singular, modifying olor in line (2)
herbis: herba, -ae—feminine ablative plural, ablative of place at which (w/ in)
uada (vada): vadum, -i—neuter accusative singular, accusative of place to which (w/ ad)
Maeandri: Maeander (-dros, -drus), -i—masculine genitive singular, possessive genitive. Maeander was a river in Asia Minor, well-known for its winding route.
concinit: concino, -cinere, cinui—third person singular present active indicative, main verb.
albus: albus, -a, -um—masculine nominative singular, nominative adjective modifying olor
olor: olor, -oris—masculine nominative singular, nominative subject with concinit
te: masculine accusative singular pronoun, accusative subject in an indirect statement introduced by sperem
nostra: feminine ablative singular, possessive pronoun modifying prece. The noun represents a single possessor (Dido), despite its plural form.
sperem: spero (1)—first person singular present active subjunctive, potential subjunctive.
prece: prex, -ecis—feminine ablative singular, ablative of means
posse: possum, posse—present active infinitive, infinitive as the main verb in an indirect statement
moueri (moveri): moveo, movere—present passive infinitive, complimentary infinitive with posse
alloquor: adloquor, -loqui, -locutus—first person singular present deponent indicative, indicative main verb in sentence (passive form with active meaning)
aduerso (adverso): adverto -vertere -verti –versus–perfect passive participle; masculine ablative singular; "opposed," participle modifying deo, ablative of cause
mouimus (movimus): moveo, movere—third
person plural perfect active indicative, main verb in the clause; again,
although this verb is plural, it is translated as
singular
ista: iste, -a, -ud—neuter accusative plural, accusative direct object of mouimus
deo: deus, -i—masculine ablative singular, ablative of cause
merita: meritus, -a, -um—neuter accusative plural, accusative direct object of perdiderim on line 6 (parallel to famam, corpus, & animum).
famam: fama, -ae—feminine accusative singular, accusative direct object of perdiderim on line 6 (parallel to merita, corpus, & animum)
corpus: corpus, -i—neuter accusative singular, accusative direct object of perdiderim on line 6 (parallel to merita, famam, & animum)
animum: animus, -i—masculine accusative singular, accusative direct object of perdiderim on line 6 (parallel to merita, famam, & corpus)
pudicum: pudicus, -a, -um—neuter accusative singular, adjective modifying animum and corpus, accusative direct object of perdiderim on line 6.
perdiderim: perdo, -dere, didi—first
person singular future perfect active indicative, indicative main verb
in cum temporal clause; perdiderim...perdere is an
example of anaphora, which is the repetition of a word or words
at the beginning of successive clauses.
perdere: perdo, -dere—present active infinitive (neuter), gerund functioning as a subject.
uerba (verba): verbum, -a—neuter accusative plural, direct object of perdere
leve: levis, -e—neuter nominative singular, predicate adjective w/ est modifying perdere, as gerunds are considered neuter
est: sum, esse—third person singular present active indicative, indicative main verb in clause.
certus: certus, -a, -um—masculine nominative singular, adjective modifying implied res as subject
es: sum, esse—second person singular present active indicative, indicative main verb in sentence
ire: eo, ire—present active infinitive, complementary infinitive with es (parallel to relinquere)
miseram: miser, misera, miserum—feminine accusative singular, adjective modifying direct object Dido
relinquere: relinquo, relinquere—present active infinitive, complementary infinitive with es (parallel to ire)
Dido: Dido, Didonis—feminine accusative
singular, accusative direct object of relinquere; although Dido is speaking,
she refers to herself in the third person.
“miseram Dido” is a commonly seen phrase in Book IV of The Aeneid,
and Ovid is alluding to the text with this phraseology
idem: idem, eadem, idem—masculine nominative plural, pronoun modifying venti
uenti (venti): ventus, -i—masculine nominative plural, nominative subject
uela (vela): velum, -a—neuter accusative plural, accusative direct object of ferent (parallel to fidem)
fidem: fides, -ei—feminine accusative singular, accusative direct object of ferent (parallel to vela)
ferent: fero, ferre—third person plural future active indicative, indicative as the main verb in the sentence.
certus: certus, -a, -um—masculine nominative
singular, adjective modifying implied res as subject. Line
(9) contain the introduction certus es, which is
parallel to line (7). The repetition is used to emphasize Dido’s
disbelief as her lover abandons her. An example of anaphora,
which is the repetition of a word or words at the beginning of successive
clauses.
es: sum, esse—second person singular present active indicative, indicative main verb in sentence.
Aenea: Aeneas, Aeneae—masculine vocative singular, vocative as Dido addresses Aeneas
foedere: foedus, foederis—neuter ablative singular, ablative of accompaniment
soluere (solvere): solvo, solvere—present active infinitive, complementary infinitive w/ es
naues (naves): navis, navis— feminine accusative plural, accusative direct object of solvere
quaeque: quisque, quaeque, quodque—indefinite pronoun introducing relative clause referring to regna
sint: sum, esse—third person plural present active subjunctive, subjunctive in an indirect question introduced by nescis and ubi
nescis: nescio, nescire—second person singular present active indicative, main verb in clause introduced by quaeque
Itala: Italus, -a, -um—neuter accusative plural, adjective modifying accusative direct object regna
regna: regnum, -a—neuter accusative plural, direct object of sequi
sequi: sequor, sequi—present passive (deponent) infinitive, complementary infinitive w/ es
nova: novus, -a, -um—feminine nominative singular, adjective modifying nominative subject Carthago
Carthago: Carthago, -inis—feminine nominative singular, nominative subject
te: masculine accusative singular, pronoun for Aeneas, whom Dido is questioning
surgentia: surgo, surgere—neuter accusative plural, present active participle modifying moenia, direct object of tangunt
tangunt: tango, -ere—third person plural present active indicative, indicative main verb
moenia: moenia, -ium, pl.—neuter accusative plural, accusative direct object of tangunt.
sceptro: sceptrum, -i—neuter dative singular, indirect object of tradita
tradita: trado, -ere, didi, ditum—perfect passive participle, substantive feminine nominative singular modifying an implied subject urbs/Carthago
summa: summus, -a, -um—feminine nominative subject, substantive adjective modifying an implied subject urbs/Carthago
tuo: tuus, -a, -um—neuter dative singular, adjective dative indirect object modifying sceptro
facta: facio, -ere—perfect passive participle, neuter accusative plural, substantive accusative direct object of fugis, modifying an implied res
fugis: fugio, -ere—second person singular present active indicative, indicative main verb w/ implied subject tu
facienda: facio, -ere—future passive participle, neuter accusative plural, substantive accusative direct object of fugis, modifying an implied res. Facta…facienda is the third example of anaphora in Ovid’s Heroides VII, which is the repetition of a word or words at the beginning of successive clauses; both facta and facienda share the root word facio
petis: peto, -ere—second person singular present active indicative, indicative main verb w/ implied subject tu
quaerenda: quaero, quaerere—present passive periphrastic with est, neuter nominative plural modifying an implied terra
orbem: orbis, orbis—masculine accusative singular, accusative with per
altera: alter, -tera, -terum—feminine nominative singular, adjective modifying implied nominative subject terra
quaesita: quaero, quaerere, quaesivi, quaesitum—third
person plural present passive indicative with est, modifying terra.
quaerenda...quaesita is the fourth
example of anaphora in Ovid’s Heroides VII, which is the repetition
of a word or words at the beginning of successive clauses; both quaerenda
and quaesita share the root word quaero
est: sum, esse—third person singular, to be taken with quaerenda and quaesita
altera: alter, -tera, -terum—feminine nominative singular, adjective modifying nominative subject terra
terra: terra, -ae—feminine nominative
singular, nominative subject. "Altera terra" is an example of euphony,
a combination of sounds which are pleasing to the
ear.
tibi: tu, tui—masculine dative singular,
dative of agent with passive periphrastic quaerenda…est