Ovid says love is a battlefield
Love is a battlefield, says Ovid.Bella mihi, video, bella parantur.Wars against me, I see, wars are being prepared.Bella: warsMihi: for me, against meVideo: I seeParantur: are being prepared
15 Apr 20251min
Ausonius on passion ungoverned
Ausonius plays on passion ungoverned. Nymphis quae Hylam merserunt furtim: Naides amore saevo et irrito: ephebus iste flos erit.To the nymphs who secretly drowned Hylas, the Naiads’ with savage and...
14 Apr 20254min
Seneca's theatre for two
One friend is a stage, for Seneca.Satis enim magnum alter alteri theatrum sumus.Indeed, we are a large enough stage for one another.Satis: enough, quiteEnim: for, indeedMagnum: great, large, impressiv...
13 Apr 20252min
Ovid on daring to love
Ovid speaks of the daring love requires.Per Styga detur, Stygias transabimus undas; sunt mihi naturae iura novanda meae.If passage be granted through the Styx, we will cross over Stygian waves; the la...
10 Apr 20254min
Seneca walks the walk
Seneca emphasises that philosophy is to be livedZenonem Cleanthes non expressisset, si tantummodo audisset.Cleanthes would not have imitated Zeno if he had merely heard himZenonem: Zeno (accusative si...
9 Apr 20252min
Statius on the trauma of war
Statius shows the trauma of war. Tydea consumpsi! Quanam hoc ego morte piabo?I have destroyed Tydeus! By what kind of death will I atone this?Tydea: Tydeus (the person) in the accusative singularConsu...
8 Apr 20252min
Juvenal satirises insatiable ambition
Juvenal satirises insatiable ambition.‘Acti,’ inquit, ‘nihil est, nisi Poeno milite portas frangimus et media vexillum pono Subura.’‘Nothing is achieved’, he said, ‘unless we break the gates with a Ca...
7 Apr 20254min
Martial laments Vesuvius
Martial laments VesuviusHic est pampineis viridis modo Vesbius umbrisHere is Vesuvius, recently green with the shadows of vine leaves.Hic: this, here is (nominative singular)Est: isPapineis: with vine...
6 Apr 20252min
