Litura
Ovid · P. Ovidius Naso · Latin text with translation

Ars Amatoria, Liber Tertius

The scandalous didactic poem instructing women in the arts of love.

400 lines. Every word carries its dictionary form, its parsing and what it is doing in the line, with literal, student and literary translations.

  1. 1Arma dedi Danais in Amazonas; arma supersunt,I have given the Greeks arms against the Amazons; arms remain,
  2. 2quae tibi dem et turmae, Penthesilea, tuae.to give to you, Penthesilea, and your troop.
  3. 3Ite in bella pares; vincant, quibus alma DioneGo into battle equal; let them win, whom nourishing Dione
  4. 4faverit et, toto qui volat orbe, puer.favors, and the boy who flies over the whole world.
  5. 5Non erat armatis aequum concurrere nudas;It was not fair for armed men to clash with naked girls;
  6. 6sic etiam vobis vincere turpe, viri.so too, for you men, to win would be shameful.
  7. 7Dixerit e multis aliquis 'quid virus in anguesSomeone out of the many might say, 'Why add poison to snakes,
  8. 8adicis, et rabidae tradis ovile lupae?'and hand the sheepfold to the rabid she-wolf?'
  9. 9Parcite paucarum diffundere crimen in omnes;Stop spreading the crime of a few onto all women;
  10. 10spectetur meritis quaeque puella suis.let each girl be judged by her own merits.
  11. 11Si minor Atrides Helenen, Helenesque sororemIf the younger son of Atreus has Helen, and the older son of Atreus
  12. 12quo premat Atrides crimine maior habet,has the sister of Helen for a crime with which he may press her,
  13. 13si scelere Oeclides Talaioniae Eriphylaeif by the wickedness of Talaionian Eriphyle the son of Oicles
  14. 14vivus et in vivis ad Styga venit equis,went alive, and on living horses, to the Styx,
  15. 15est pia Penelope lustris errante duobusyet Penelope is loyal while her husband wanders for two lustra
  16. 16et totidem lustris bella gerente viro.and wages war for as many lustra.
  17. 17Respice Phylaciden et quae comes isse maritoLook at the wife of Protesilaus, who is said to have gone as a companion
  18. 18fertur et ante annos occubuisse suos.to her husband, and to have died before her years.
  19. 19Fata Pheretiadae coniunx Pagasaea redemit:The Pagasaean wife redeemed the fate of the son of Pheres,
  20. 20proque viro est uxor funere lata viri.and the wife was carried to the funereal pyre instead of the husband.

Lines 21–400 continue in the reader. More texts in the library