Nice to be reminded. I had a drink in the poet's honour. May I draw attention to an interesting attempt to commemorate V which is found in Norman Davies' 'Europe'? ND comments that V's verses 'sing in inimitable tone, serene, sustained, subtle, sad' and supports this judgement by quoting the following disconnected line five lines: felix qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas
sed fugit interea, fugit inreparabile tempus omnia vincit amor, et nos cedamus amori et penitus toto divisos orbe Britannos sunt lacrimae rerum et mentem mortalia tangunt. I would say that, if one was to convey V's tone in this way, the choice of one-liners is very good. But I think that 'sunt lacrimae' is rather seriously misrepresented by its lack of context and that if I had to choose a few lines I would include one of a lighter tone, like 'formosam resonare doces Amaryllida silvas'. The one-liner method almost by definition fails to convey the 'sustained' nature of V's cadences and of his thought. Still, a really praiseworthy attempt to raise interest in V among general readers. - Martin Hughes On Thu, 15 Oct 1998, David Wilson-Okamura wrote: > In honor of the poet's birthday, and the second anniversary of this > discussion group, I submit the following account of Virgil's birth, from > the vita attributed to Aelius Donatus: > > Publius Vergilius Maro was a Mantuan of humble parents, especially with > regard to his father: some have reported that he was an artisan potter, > others that he was employed by a wandering Magus, who soon became a > son-in-law on account of his industry, and that he built up a fortune of no > mean substance by buying up woodlands and tending bees. > [The poet] was born on the ides of October, during the first consulship > of > Gnaeus Pompeius the Great and Marcus Licinius Crassus [i.e., 15 October > 70], in a region called Andes, not far from Mantua. While she was pregnant > with him, his mother dreamed that she gave birth to a laurel branch, which > struck root when it touched the earth and sprang up on the spot, so that it > looked like a full-grown tree, stuffed with diverse fruits and flowers. And > the following day, while she was making for the neighboring fields with her > husband, she turned aside from the path, threw herself into a ditch, and > disburdened herself by delivering the child. In this manner they say that > the child was born, and did not cry, so mild was his countenance; that even > then, he gave men no small reason to hope that his birth would prove to be > auspicious. Another presage was added to this, when the poplar sprout that > is immediately planted in the same place by women who have given birth > (according to the custom of the region) actually grew up so fast that it > stood level with the poplars sown long before. It is called on that account > the "tree of Virgil," and prayers for childbirth and safe delivery are > still offered with the greatest reverence there by pregnant women and new > mothers. > > > http://www.virgil.org/vitae/a-donatus.htm > > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > David Wilson-Okamura http://www.virgil.org [EMAIL PROTECTED] > University of Chicago Online Virgil discussion, bibliography & links > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > To leave the Mantovano mailing list at any time, do NOT hit reply. > Instead, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message > "unsubscribe mantovano" in the body (omitting the quotation marks). You > can also unsubscribe at http://virgil.org/mantovano/mantovano.htm#unsub > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- To leave the Mantovano mailing list at any time, do NOT hit reply. Instead, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message "unsubscribe mantovano" in the body (omitting the quotation marks). You can also unsubscribe at http://virgil.org/mantovano/mantovano.htm#unsub
