ovid baucis et philemon lines 25-35 translation and style

OCR Latin GCSE Verse Literature

interea medias fallunt sermonibus horas

sentirique moram prohibent.

Meanwhile, they while away the intervening hours with conversations and prevent the delay from being realised.

erat alveus illic

fagineus dura clavo suspensus ab ansa;

There was a bathtub there made of beech, suspended from a nail by a sturdy handle;

is tepidis impletur aquis artusque fovendos

accipit.

this is filled with warmwater and receives limbs which need warming.

in medio torus est de mollibus ulvis

impositus lecto sponda pedibusque salignis;

In the middle of the house is a mattress of soft sedge placed on a bed with a frame and feet made of willow;

vestibus hunc velant quas non nisi tempore festo

sernere consuerant,

they cover this with a coverlet which they were not accustomed to strew over it except at holiday time,

sed et haec vilisque vetusque

vestis erat, lecto non indignanda saligno.

but even this coverlet was both cheap and ancient, not to be deemed unworthy of the willow couch

accubuere dei.

The gods reclined on it.

‘medias…horas’ line 26

‘in the intervening hours’ - enclosing word order and internal rhyme - actions literally happening in between - more vivid

‘horas’ line 26

‘hours’ - hyperbole - impressive of B and P to try and fool gods

‘fallunt…prohibent…accipit.’ line 26,27,30

‘while away (decieve)’ ‘prevent’ ‘receives’ - lots of verbs - action of B and P - trying to pass time; negative verbs - intention implied that isn’t there - suggests long gap of time

‘illic / fagineus’ line 27/8

‘there made of beech’ - enjambment stresses the material that the bathtub is made of - rustic - can’t afford metal - poverty

‘tepidus… aquis artusque fovendos’ - line 29

‘warm water…limbs which need warming’ - anna - chiasmus - links water and limbs - juxtaposition - mimicing limbs in water - more vivid picture

‘salignis…saligno’ lines 31/34

‘made of willow’ ’willow’ - polyptoton emphasises it was made of willow and thus a cheap material - not ideal - poverty, unfit for gods - B and P trying as hard as they can - surprising gods are going to sit on it

‘vestibus’ line 32

‘coverlet’ - emphatic position - precedes three lines of description - shows how it will be the focus - unworthy of gods - poverty, surprising gods stayed there - stressing importance of xenia even if unworthy

‘vestibus…vestis’ line 32, 34

‘coverlet’ - polyptoton - emphasises that it is the focus

‘vilisque vetusque / vestis’ lines 33/4

‘this coverlet (was) both cheap and ancient’ - alliteration of v and repetition of que links the adjectives and coverlet together - emphasises its qualities - negative, unpleasant

‘vilisque vetusque’ line 33

‘both cheap and ancient’ - polysyndeton emphasises the number of negative qualities of the coverlet - unworthy

‘non indignanda’ line 34

‘not to be deemed unworthy’ - litotes - even the best stuff is cheap - snide comment, mockery, overturning usual positive phrase - used in negative context; emphasises how it’s unworthy of the gods - importance of xenia in all circumstances

‘accubuere dei’ line 35

‘the gods reclined on it’ - very short final phrase - tiredness of gods, emphatic, shocking - coverlet unworthy, gods didn’t care - xenia needed in all circumstances

word order reversed - importance of gods to phrase and story