Penelope to Odysseus, part 3 (Ovid, Heroides 1.75-116)

This is the third and last episode on Heroides 1. If you love Ovid’s Heroides , consider joining Chun Liu (Professor of Comparative Literature at Peking University) and me at the Dickinson Summer Latin Workshop (online this year), July 15-20, 2020. Penelope imagines that Odysseus, who has the same desires as most men, might have taken up with another woman and is now describing Penelope to this other woman in unflattering terms. haec ego dum stultē metuō, quae vestra libīdō est, 75 esse peregrīnō captus amōre potes. forsitan et nārrēs, quam sit tibi rūstica coniūnx, quae tantum lānās nōn sinat esse rudēs. fallar, et hoc crīmen tenuēs vānēscat in aurās, nēve, revertendī līber, abesse velīs! 80 Mē pater Īcarius viduō discēdere lectō cōgit et immēnsās increpat usque morās. increpet usque licet—tua sum, tua dīcar oportet; Pēnelope coniūnx semper Ulixis erō. ille tamen pietāte meā precibusque pudīcīs 85 frangitur et vīrēs temperat ipse suās. Only now does she get around to mentioning the suitors, whose dining and carrying in the home of Odysseus is the major cause of the crisis in the Odyssey. Dūlichiī Samiīque et quōs tulit alta Zacynthōs, turba ruunt in mē luxuriōsa procī, inque tuā rēgnant nūllīs prohibentibus aulā; vīscera nostra, tuae dīlacerantur opēs. 90 quid tibi Pīsandrum Polybumque Medontaque dīrum Eurymachīque avidās Antinoīque manūs atque aliōs referam, quōs omnēs turpiter absēns ipse tuō partīs sanguine rēbus ālis? Īrus egēns pecorisque Melanthius āctor [1] edendī 95 ultimus accēdunt in tua damna pudor. The letter ends with anxiety: first that Odysseus’ loyal family and servants are unequal to the task of fending off the suitors, and then, at the very last line as a surprise, worry that she is growing old in his absence. Trēs sumus inbellēs numerō, sine vīribus uxor Lāertēsque senex Tēlemachusque puer. ille per īnsidiās paene est mihi nūper adēmptus, dum parat invītīs omnibus īre Pylon. 100 dī, precor, hoc iubeant, ut euntibus ōrdine fātīs ille meōs oculōs conprimat, ille tuōs! hāc [2] faciunt cūstōsque boum longaevaque nūtrīx, tertius inmundae cūra fidēlis harae; sed neque Lāertēs, ut quī sit inūtilis armīs, 105 hostibus in mediīs rēgna tenēre valet [3] — Tēlemachō veniet, vīvat modo, fortior aetās; nunc erat auxiliīs illa tuenda patris— nec mihi sunt vīrēs inimīcōs pellere tēctīs. tū citius veniās, portus et ara tuīs! 110 est tibi sitque, precor, nātus, quī mollibus annīs in patriās artēs ērudiendus erat. respice Lāertēn; ut tū sua lūmina condās, extrēmum fātī sustinet ille diem. Certē ego, quae fueram tē discēdente puella, 115 prōtinus ut veniās, facta vidēbor anus. [1] actor G ς edd. : auctor E ω [2] hac Tyrrel Knox Loeb : haec Eg ς : hoc ς [3] valet E ς Plan. Knox : potest G ω Loeb

You can listen to Penelope to Odysseus, part 3 (Ovid, Heroides 1.75-116) online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Penelope to Odysseus, part 3 (Ovid, Heroides 1.75-116) is an episode from Latin Poetry Podcast by Latin Poetry Podcast.

This episode is 19:06 long.

This episode was published on Jun 3, 2020.

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