So rich are the allusions to other versions (including those by Ovid himself and especially Catullus in poem 64) that H. Next day (8th) the Crown of Cnossos appears in the night sky, and that serves to bring Ariadne back to the shore where she had been abandoned by Theseus, to renew her laments, this time because of Dionysus’ perceived preference for a girl from the East. mella and milia, from honey to hornets!) and effects of word order.ĭue attention is paid to the astronomical phenomena, as in the progress of Pegasus across the sky. But that response is enhanced by H.’s notes which draw attention to such features as plotting, verbal echoes (e.g. The reactions are in chiastic order satyri … rident, ridet et ipse deus with the verbs beginning consecutive lines, emphatically conditioning the audience’s response. In what might be described as a satyr playlet (741-760), Silenus attempts to get honey only to be attacked by thousands of hornets who sting his bald head and flattened nose, then as he falls, his ass steps on him, making him limp off stage.

In the introduction this is ‘a laughable understatement’ but in the commentary it is ‘a shocking understatement’-though it seems entirely Ovidian to provoke such different reactions. On line 70 where the walls of Rome are as yet small, Remus’ leap across them is described non tamen expediit transiluisse Remo.

is alive to Ovid’s wit and not beyond indulging in some wry humour himself: on the Golden Ram he remarks, ‘As a vehicle for escape over land and sea, a sheep does not seem an obvious choice.’ There follows some discussion of clouds and sheep. Even so, a grim revenge was exacted at Philippi where the ground is white with scattered bones. After all Caesar was pontifex maximus and she stakes her claim ( meus fuit ille sacerdos), then reveals that she snatched him away ( ipsa virum rapui) to heaven. Ovid with his usual teasing wit tells us in line 697 that he was going to skip the murder of JC ( praeteriturus eram gladios in principe fixos) until Vesta spoke up. The assassination of Julius Caesar, however is overshadowed by the well known description of the festival of Anna Perenna, also on March 15th.

Fasti by ovid