Love According to Ovid

Valentine’s Day is coming up and one of my favorite love poems came to mind. So, I thought I’d share it with you now. Enjoy my 11th grade AP Latin translation of Ovid’s Amores 1.9, a metaphor on war and love.

Every lover serves as a solder, and Cupid has his own camp;
Atticus, believe me, every lover serves as a soldier.
The age that is useful for war is also suited for Venus:
An old man is a disgusting soldier, an old man is a disgusting lover.
The spirit that leaders look for in a brave soldier,
a beautiful girl looks for in a male companion:
Both stay up all night, and both sleep on the earth;
The lover guards the doorstep of his mistress, the soldier of his leader.
The duty of a soldier is a long march: send the girl forth,
a hearty lover will follow without end;
he will climb daunting mountains and ford streams divided by
rain, he will wear down the accumulated snows,
and about to sail, he will not plead as an excuse the violent east winds
nor will he seek stars suited for sweeping the sea.
Who except a soldier or a lover will endure both the chills of the night
and the snows mixed with the heavy rain?
The one is sent as a spy against the hostile enemy,
the other holds his eyes on his rival, as his enemy.
That one besieges mighty cities, this one besieges the doorstep of his stern girlfriend;
This one breaks down city gates, that one doors.
Often it is beneficial to attack the enemy while asleep
and to strike an unarmed crowd with an armed band.
Thus the fierce army of the Thracian Rhesis fell,
and you, captured horses, deserted your masters.
Of course lovers use the sleep of husbands
and the brandish their own weapons while the enemy sleeps.
To go across the bands of guards and the crowds of sentries
is always the task of a miserable lover and a poor soldier.
Mars is doubtful, Venus is not certain; both have risen again,
and those who you would say could never lie in defeat, they fall.
Therefore, whoever calls love leisure,
stop talking: Love has an enterprising nature.
Great Achilles burns over his abducted Brises
(while you can, break Greek defenses, Troy);
Hector left the embrace of Andromache to arm himself,
and the wife placed his helmet on his head;
The greatest of leaders, the son of Atrides having seen the daughter of Prium
is said to been amazed by her flowing Maenad hair.
Mars, also having been caught, felt the blacksmith’s chains:
no story was more famous in heaven.
I myself was lazy and born into easygoing leisure;
My shaded couch had weakened my spirit;
Love of a beautiful girl motivated my lazy self,
and ordered me to earn my pay in its camp.
Then you see me active and waging nighttime wars:
let he who does not wish to become lazy, love.

Fiesta Bowl

Don't have time to write a full blog, but I do want to get it out there that my pick in tonight's Fiesta Bowl is TCU. The Horned Frogs have beat 6 bowl-winning teams this year... Alabama, Texas, Florida all cannot claim the same. Plus, if Boise State wins, they are the first team to go 14-0 since the '02 Buckeyes - I just don't see that happening. I think this one's going to be a great game and I think TCU will come out on top.