Notes to Martial, Epigrammata 5.37

senex, -is
old, elderly; ablative after the comparative dulcior.
cycnus, -i m.
swan; the Romans believed swans were a favorable omen in augury (the SPQR shows a swan carved in the decorative motif of Augustus' Ara Pacis).
agnus, -i m.
lamb.
Galaesus, -i m.
the Galaesus river, located in southern Italy.
mollis, -e
soft, tender, gentle; the comparative form of the adjective.
Phalantinus, -a, -um
Phalantine, of Phalantus, a Spartan who founded Tarentum, famous for its wool; Tarentum is a city in southeastern Italy.
concha, -ae f.
sea-shell, mussel; pearl oyster;scansion reveals this to be in the ablative case.
Lucrinus, -a, -um
Lucrine; Lake Lucrinus was a lagoon near Baiae famous for its oysters.
stagnum, -i n.
pond, marsh; pool.
lapillus, -i m.
little stone; here, pearl.
praefero, -ferre, -tuli, -latum
give preference to; value; place before. Note the direct address to the reader; the potential subjunctive is followed by the dative (cui) and the accusative.
Erythraeus, -a, -um
of or pertaining to the Arabian sea; the Red Sea was noted for the quality of its pearls.
modo adverb
recently, just now; it modifies politum.
politus, -a, -um
smoothed; polished; newly polished ivory is white, discoloring with age.
pecus, -udis f.
animal (farm or wild); given the description, the beast is an elephant.
Indicus, -a, -um
of India, Indian. Note the gold coin in the SPQR: (obverse) the head of Alexander wearing a tusked helmet, (reverse) an Indian elephant.
dens, -ntis m.
tooth; tusk, the source of precious ivory.
nix, nivis f.
snow; with primas the poet describes snow that has just fallen.
tactus, -a, -um
touched, defiled; like the snow, the lily is also pristine, suggestive of female chastity. Note the interlocking nouns and defining adjectives.
crinis, -is m.
hair; lock. Ablative of respect after vicit; the antecedent of quae is puella in l 1.
Baeticus, -a, -um
Baetic, of Baetica; a wealthy province in southern Spain noted for its production of high quality oil and wool of a natural shade that needed no dye.
grex, -is m.
herd, flock.
vellus, -eris n.
fleece; shorn wool.
Rhenus, -i m.
the Rhine river; by metonomy the river stands for the people living there.
nodus, -i m.
knot, i.e., strands of hair bound into a knot (Tacitus, Germania 38, so describes the Suebi). Wigs made of yellow German hair were highly prized by Roman women.
nitella, -ae f.
dormouse; a small hazel-colored rodent with a furry tail that resembled and behaved like a squirrel and so was perhaps a pet (CIL 6.35887 is dedicated to a 13 year old girl affectionaly named Mus).
fragro (I)
emit a (sweet) scent; the verb is intransitive.
os, oris n.
mouth; i.e., of Erotion. An ablative of respect.
quod conjunction
as; = similiter. In ll. 9-11, each item is introduced by quod, another triad of comparisons (ll. 1-3, 4-6, 7-8) celebrating the person of Erotion.
rosarium, -i n.
rose bed, rose garden.
Paestum, -i n.
Paestum, a town in Lucania praised by the poets for its flowers, especially roses, which bloomed twice a year.
mella, -ae f.
honey; the honey of Mt. Hymettus was famed in the ancient world.
cera, -ae f.
beeswax; honey combs (pl.).
sucinum, -i m.
amber; when warmed in the hand, amber gave off a fresh scent of pine and camphor. The SPQR has an image of a necklace of amber beads.
gleba, -ae f.
lump; piece; translate sucinorum gleba.
comparo (I)
match; set beside; comparatus = the conditional si compararetur. It is followed by the dative cui (i.e., Erotion).
indecens, -entis
unattractive, unseemly. Martial concludes his celebration of his as yet unnamed puella with this triad of excessive claims.
pavo, -onis m.
peacock. This bird sacred to Juno and the women of the imperial house was prized for its appearance (click on the SPQR for an ancient fresco) and as a delicacy for the table.
inamabilis, -e
unlovely; hateful.
sciurus, -i m.
squirrel; a Greek word, the ancients appear to have seen them as cute, as we do.
frequens, -entis
common, usual; in fact, the phoenix has never been seen.
phoenix, phoenicis m.
phoenix; in Greek myth a long-lived bird that dies in flames and is reborn from its own ashes, a symbol of eternity. The SPQR contains a coin image of the phoenix with a nimbus behind its head, a sign of glory or power associated with the sun god Sol.
recens, -entis
recent, fresh.
tepeo, -ere, -- intransitive
be warm, tepid.
bustum, -i n.
funeral pyre.
amarus, -a, -um
bitter; unpleasant, disagreeable.
pessimus, , -a, -um (superlative of malus)
worst; unkindest; most unfavorable; it is conventional to blame the Fates for early death. Note how the meter, vowel sounds, rhyme and word order of the line convey sadness. The SPQR has the three Fates in action.
perago, , -ere, -egi, -actum
end the life of, finish off.
hiems, hiemis f.
winter; winter as marking a year; ablative of time when. The poet adds the qualification nec . . . tota because Erotion died just six days before her sixth birthday (see Martial 5.34.5-6).
tamen adverb
however; nevertheless.
amor, -oris m.
object of love, beloved (usually plural); in apposition with quam.
lusus, -us m.
amusement; in apposition with quam, together with amores and gaudium.
veto, -are, vetui, vetitum
forbid, prohibit; protest.
pulso (I)
beat, strike.
pariter adverb
equally, alike; note the plosive alliteration and the ictus which imitate Paetus' breast beating and stock displays of grief.
coma, -ae f.
hair.
vello, -ere, velli
pluck, pull.
defleo, -ere, -flevi, -fletum
weep for; mourn, bewail.
vernula, -ae f.
little homeborn slave. Note the central emphatic placement of vernula; strictly speaking the diminutive suggests Erotium's size, but Paetus uses the term to belittle Martial's loss in comparison with his own, of his wife.
pudet, -ere, puduit (impersonal)
be ashamed of; disgrace.
effero, -ere, extuli, elatum
carry out (for burial).
coniunx, -iugis f. m.
wife, husband; consort. Note the word order and juxtaposition of ego coniugem.
notus, -a, um
well-known.
superbus, -a, um
proud, haughty; splendid.
nobilis, -e
high-born; famous; excellent; he measures his loss by his wife's social standing.
locuples, -etis
wealthy, rich. Note his lack of affection and moral praise of his wife so traditional on tombstones.
fortis -e
brave, resolute, strong; a Stoic virtue and so used ironically here. The comparative of the adjective, followed by the ablative of comparison, modifies quid.
ducentiens adverb
two hundred times; understand centena milia sestertium = twenty million sesterces, an inheritance to console Paetus in his grief.


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