In My Review of R. J. Tarrant's Edition (OCT 2004) of Ovid's Masterpiece
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BIBLID [1699-3225 (2008) 12, 49-67] NOTES O N THE TEXT OF OVID ’S META M ORPHOSES 1 In my review of R. J. Tarrant’s edition (OCT 2004) of Ovid’s masterpiece (Exemplaria Classica 9, 2005, 249-71) and in a few pieces published elsewhere, I have tried to show that the corruption of the text is deeper and more extensive than the more recent editors seem to realize. They thought it feasible to build the text on a seemingly solid foundation provided by a few codices optimi et antiquissimi, looking for additional help only when their trusted witnesses were obviously wrong. They do cite selected deteriores et recentiores, and they adopt conjectures, but not often enough, in my opinion. Their position is essentially that of the German editors of the 19th century, and they do not pay enough attention to the invaluable legacy left to us by Heinsius and Burman, to mention only those two. Even though it is very important to collate witnesses that have been neglected so far, including the editiones veteres, no way leads around those heavy, ornate 18th century volumes. The following notes should be considered as specimina intended to show how much more work remains to be done2. 1.190-1 cuncta prius temptanda, sed immedicabile corpus ense recidendum est, ne pars sincera trahatur. First, we ought to read temptata (Bern., Nac, Lac, Plan., edd. multi). A. G. Lee (1953, 149-50) defended temptanda, but Jupiter 1 I wish to thank Gauthier Liberman, Paris, and Antonio Ramírez de Verger, Huelva, for a critical reading of this article. Their advice has been invaluable to me. I am also grateful to three anonymous readers for their very perceptive comments. 2 The sigla for the manuscripts are those used by Tarrant. ExClass 12, 2008, 49-67 ISSN: 1699-3225 50 GEOR G LUCK actually has tried everything, even walking among mortals. The ending was, perhaps, assimilated to perdendum (188) or recidendum (191). Second, corpus cannot be right, because the body as a whole is not incurable, and T.’s (= Tarrant’s) explanation (‘sc. caro’) seems far-fetched. Vulnus, the reading of most manuscripts is probably right. It could be = pars uulnerata, as G. Liberman points out to me. The concept is the same as in 2.285-6 utque malum late solet immedicabile cancer/ serpere et inlaesas uitiatis addere partes where immedicabile belongs to malum. Corpore and uulnere are variant readings in 2.606. 4.669 Aethiopum populos Cepheaque conspicit arua Read Cepheia (Heins. ex v aliisque), without -que. Aethiopia is the kingdom of Cepheus. The apposition was misunderstood3, an 3 One of the anonymous readers of ExClass writes that a brief explanation of this type of apposition would be useful. Originally, I just referred to Burman’s note on am. 3. 10. 20, but I agree that this stylistic device deserves a comment. Let me begin with a type that is easy to spot, the ‘parenthetical apposition’, e. g. met. 5. 74 ecce Syenites, genitus Metione, Phorbas. In this case, editors regularly place commas before and after the apposition (T. omits them). A well-known example is Verg. ecl. 1. 57 raucae, tua cura, palumbes (s. W. V. Clausen’s commentary, Oxford 1994, ad loc.; O. Skutsch named this type ‘schema Cornelianum’, after Cornelius Gallus). A less obvious type is the ‘mannered apposition’, e. g. Verg. ecl. 2. 11 alia serpyllumque herbas contundit olentis (see Clausen ad loc.). In this case, a comma (after serpyllumque) is more or less an editorial decision. Other examples are Verg. Aen. 6. 7-8 densa ferarum/ tecta ... silvas (with Norden’s note) or Hor. Carm. 1. 3. 20 infamis scopulos Acroceraunia (see Nisbet-Hubbard ad loc.). Here, a comma after scopulos would be optional. The point is that the infames scopuli are the Acroceraunia. Following Heinsius, I believe that this is the type of apposition we have in our passage, met. 4. 669, a type that is sometimes misunderstood in the paradosis of the met., especially when names are involved, because the scribes were not sure whether the poet was speaking of the same place or person or of two different ones. Assuming that it was another one (because, in a way, the perpetuum carmen in itself is a sequence of events, episodes, people, places) ExClass 12, 2008, 49-67. NOTES O N THE TEXT OF OVID ’S META M ORPHOSES 51 –i- disappeared from the name, and –que was added to restore the metre, a type of interpolation which is not uncommon in the Met. According to Ehwald (1915, 114), E M N have ci(y)pheiaque. This information is lacking in A. (= Anderson) and T. who print, like Ehwald, Cepheaque. We should write Cepheius etc. everywhere, e. g. am. 3.3.17 (see the Teubner edition of A. Ramírez de Verger), in analogy to Cythereia (Met. 4.190). 4.760-2 sertaque dependent tectis et ubique lyraeque tibiaque et cantus, animi felicia laeti argumenta, sonant. Et ubique is meaningless; read lotique (Gronovius, Obs. 4.15; Heinsius [I 477-8 Notae] on Rem. 753). The emendation occurred to both scholars independently, it seems (to Heinsius when he was still adulescens). Cf. Rem. 753 citharaeque lotosque lyraeque, where the emendation is due to Scaliger and Salmasius. 5.440-1 illam non udis ueniens Aurora capillis cessantem uidit, non Hesperus G. Liberman (“Observations sur le texte des Métamorphoses d’Ovide”, RPh 78, 2004, 70) accepted udis, but the variant readings nitidis and rutilis reported by T. seem to be early conjectures to replace a word that was felt to be wrong. For a while, I thought of croceis (cf. am. 2.4.43; ars 1.530), but Liberman now findsnitidis attractive. He points out to me that nudus is a frequent mistake for nitidus, and this might also apply to udus. The proper word could have been contracted into a shorter one that made sense. they tend to introduce a connection, such as et or –que. Sometimes, they try to fit the apposition syntactically into the period, as inmet. 15. 802-10 cernes illic molimine vasto/ ex aere et solido rerum tabularia ferro, where we should read with G. Liberman (RPhil 78, 2004, 88-9) molimina vasta. This kind of misunderstanding is the cause of quite a few textual corruptions and would be worth a study. ExClass 12, 2008, 49-67. 52 GEOR G LUCK After having read an anonymous reader’s report, I must retract this note, but I will let it stand as a warning example and because the reader admirably illustrates the transmitted text. He (she) feels strongly that udis is fine and that nitidis would be a trivialization. The paradosis is practically guaranteed by Stat. Theb. 2.135-6 impulerat caelo gelidas Aurora tenebras/ rorantes excussa comas. Her hair is wet because of her son, Memnon, cuius mortem mater Aurora hodieque matutino rore flere dicitur(Serv. on Aen. 1.489). Ovid himself explains the dew of the early morning as the tears of Aurora in met. 13.621-2 luctibus est Aurora suis intenta piasque/ nunc quoque dat lacrimas et toto rorat in orbe. 5.524-6 sed si modo nomina rebus addere uera placet, non hoc iniuria factum, uerum amor est. Read honor (Schepper, ap. Burm. II 363-4). We need a contrast to iniuria, and amor does not provide it. Proserpina did not fall in love with Dis; he fell in love with her, because this suited Venus. We have here a typical case of an arranged marriage, a ‘dynastic alliance’ in the very highest circles. Love is not important; it is the honor that counts, though this could also be a burden or a pain (2.98; 634; Casali on her. 9.31). Amor and (h)onor look very much alike in certain scripts. In Prop. 1.7.26 saepe uenit magno fenore tardus amor we should read honor (Rossberg) or Honos (Heyworth [honos in his recent Oxonian edition], accepted by Giardina, in his edition, 2005); cf. 3.1.22. Liberman remarks (per litt.): “The confusion AMOR/HONOR is very frequent, but I don’t agree as far as Propertius is concerned. See my note : 25-26 transposés après le v. 14 par Fischer 1863 et Otto 1885. Ainsi hic (v. 15) a son indispensable référent, Amor v. 26. La fonction de ce distique est d’assurer la transition entre a) la profession de foi du locuteur, ses vœux pour le succès et l’utilité de son œuvre destinée aux amants malheureux et b) la vengeance d’Amour méprisé qui transformera Ponticus en amant et poète érotique (amour et poésie érotique sont pratiquement confondus). ExClass 12, 2008, 49-67. NOTES O N THE TEXT OF OVID ’S META M ORPHOSES 53 Placé à la fin du poème, notre distique est si peu adéquat après la prophétie du locuteur sur sa gloire future que certains érudits (Rossberg 1877, Heyworth cité et suivi par Giardina 2005) y substituent Honor/Honos d’après 3,1,22. Remarquer les séries antithétiques Hic mihi… Me laudent… Me legat (v. 9-14)/ Tu caue… Te quoque… Longe castra tibi (v. 25-26-15 ss.). Burman 1780 critique la répétition nostro v. 23/nostri v. 24/nostra v. 25, que ne justifie pas l’expressivité manifeste dans les répétitions qui viennent d’être évoquées : talem certe stribliginem nemo ferret in artis poeticae tyrone. Observer que le v. 24 fait une fin excellente. Un copiste sera, par parablepsie, passé de Tu à Te (homéoarchon), omettant ainsi les v. 25-26 qui, écrits à la fin, ne furent pas remis à leur place.