Thursday, July 24th, 2008...10:46 amfrancese

Constantine Squared: Optatianus 2 (ed. Mueller)

Jump to Comments [audio:http://blogs.dickinson.edu/archive/images/optatianus-21.mp3]

Sancte tui vatis Caesar miserere serenus!
Auguste omnipotens, almo mortalia cuncta
Numine laetificans, nobis ad gaudia nomen,
Constantine, tuum fecundi carminis ex hoc
Te duce det Musas. nam tristis cura recusat
Egregios actus. iam sedent crimina Parcae.
Tunc melius dominum te vox secura sonabit,
Virtutum rector! potuit vix pangere versu
Ista modo, et maesto sic saltim dicere vati
Vix mihi Calliope pavitanti conscia nutu
Adnuit, ausa precem vatisque edicere fata
Tristia, signato partes ut limite claudat
Iure pari carmen, mediis ut consona in omni
Sit nota prima sui et sit pars extima talis,
Ceu media e primis, occurrens aptius istic;
Ac laterum fines et pars, quae dividit orsa
E medio, caput esse queat versuque referre.
Sancte tui vatis Caesar miserere serenus!
Alme, salus orbis, Romae decus, inclyte fama,
Re melior, pietate parens, ad Martia victor,
mitior ad veniam, permulcens aspera legum
Iustitia, aeternae vires et gloria saecli,
Spes data plena bonis et felix copia rebus,
Eximium columen veterum virtute fideque,
Romae magne parens, armis civilibus ultor,
Et summi laus grata dei, mens clara, superne
Rebus missa salus, per te pax, optime ductor,
Et bellis secura quies, sancta omnia per te.
Solis iura suis fidissima dextra maritis
Et sociale iugum praebet, consortia vitae.
Respice me falso de crimine, maxime rector,
Exulis afflictum poena; nam cetera causae
Nunc obiecta mihi venia, venerabile numen,
Vince pia et solito superans fatalia nutu
Sancte tui vatis Caesar miserere serenus!

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2 Comments

  • happy to see–& hear–this!

    i think those who, if they bother to notice Porfyrius at all, dismiss the poetic, non-verbal engineering side of his work as negligible, might be moved to reconsider: given this sensitive reading, which brings, even to one whose Latin is as rusty as mine, a delightful music.

    m.

  •   Chris Francese
    May 9th, 2013 at 10:49 pm

    Thank you so much!

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