Book I: Elegy the Third: Sickness and Absence

Tibullus (55 BC–19 BC), translated by Theodore Chickering Williams · 1905

iambic pentameter · ABAB · 96 lines · from The Elegies

Am I abandoned? Does Messala sweepYon wide Aegean wave, not any moreHe, nor my mates, remembering where I weep,Struck down by fever on this alien shore?

Spare me, dark death! I have no mother here,To clasp my relics to her widowed breast;No sister, to pour forth with hallowing tearAssyrian incense where my ashes rest.

Nor Delia, who, before she said adieu,Asked omens fair at every potent shrine.Thrice did the ministrants give blessings true,The thrice-cast lot returned the lucky sign.

All promised safe return; but she had fearsAnd doubting sorrows, which implored my stay;While I, though all was ready, dried her tears,And found fresh pretext for one more delay.

An evil bird, I cried, did near me flit,Or luckless portent thrust my plans aside;Or Saturn's day, unhallowed and unfit,Forbade a journey from my Delia's side.

Full oft, when starting on the fatal track,My stumbling feet foretold unhappy hours:Ah! he who journeys when love calls him back,Should know he disobeys celestial powers!

Help me, great Goddess! For thy healing powerThe votive tablets on thy shrine display.See Delia there outwatch the midnight hour,Sitting, white-stoled, until the dawn of day!

Each day her tresses twice she doth unbind,And sings, the loveliest of the Pharian band.O that my fathers' gods this prayer could find!Gods of my hearth and of my native land!

How happily men lived when Saturn reigned!Ere weary highways crossed the fair young world,Ere lofty ships the purple seas disdained,Their swelling canvas to the winds unfurled!

No roving seaman, from a distant course,Filled full of far-fetched wares his frail ship's hold:At home, the strong bull stood unyoked; the horseEndured no bridle in the age of gold.

Men's houses had no doors? No firm-set rockMarked field from field by niggard masters held.The very oaks ran honey; the mild flockBrought home its swelling udders, uncompelled.

Nor wrath nor war did that blest kingdom know;No craft was taught in old Saturnian time,By which the frowning smith, with blow on blow,Could forge the furious sword and so much crime.

Now Jove is king! Now have we carnage foul,And wreckful seas, and countless ways to die.Nay! spare me, Father Jove, for on my soulNor perjury, nor words blaspheming lie.

If longer life I ask of Fate in vain,O'er my frail dust this superscription be:--"Here Death's dark hand TIBULLUS doth detain,Messala's follower over land and sea!"

Then, since my soul to love did always yield,Let Venus guide it the immortal way,Where dance and song fill all th' Elysian field,And music that will never die away.

There many a song-bird with his fellow sails,And cheerly carols on the cloudless air;Each grove breathes incense; all the happy valesO'er-run with roses, numberless and fair.

Bright bands of youth with tender maidens stray,Led by the love-god all delights to share;And each fond lover death once snatched awayWinds an immortal myrtle in his hair.

Far, far from such, the dreadful realms of gloomBy those black streams of Hades circled round,Where viper-tressed, fierce ministers of doom,--The Furies drive lost souls from bound to bound.

The doors of brass, and dragon-gate of Hell,Grim Cerberus guards, and frights the phantoms back:Ixion, who by Juno's beauty fell,Gives his frail body to the whirling rack.

Stretched o'er nine roods, lies Tityos accursed,The vulture at his vitals feeding slow;There Tantalus, whose bitter, burning thirstThe fleeting waters madden as they flow.

There Danaus' daughters Venus' anger feel,Filling their urns at Lethe all in vain;--And there's the wretch who would my Delia steal,And wish me absent on a long campaign!

O chaste and true! In thy still house shall sitThe careful crone who guards thy virtuous bed;She tells thee tales, and when the lamps are lit,Reels from her distaff the unending thread.

Some evening, after tasks too closely plied,My Delia, drowsing near the harmless dame,All sweet surprise, will find me at her side,Unheralded, as if from heaven I came.

Then to my arms, in lovely disarray,With welcome kiss, thy darling feet will fly!O happy dream and prayer! O blissful day!What golden dawn, at last, shall bring thee nigh?

Words in this poem 33

pretext n.: Ostensible reason or motive assigned or assumed as a color or cover for the real reason or motive; pretense; disguise. [F. prétexte, L. praetextum, fr. praetextus, p. p. of praetexere to weave before, allege as an excuse; prae before + texere to weave. See Text.]
flit a.: Nimble; quick; swift. See Fleet.
luckless a.: Being without luck; unpropitious; unfortunate; unlucky; meeting with ill success or bad fortune; as, a luckless gamester; a luckless maid.
portent n.: That which portends, or foretoken; esp., that which portends evil; a sign of coming calamity; an omen; a sign. [L. portentum. See Portend.]
unhallowed a.: Not consecrated; hence, profane; unholy; impious; wicked. [Pref. un- not + hallowed.]
votive a.: Given by vow, or in fulfillment of a vow; consecrated by a vow; devoted; as, votive offerings; a votive tablet. [L. votivus, fr. votum a vow: cf. F. votif. See Vow.]
outwatch v. t.: To exceed in watching.
happily adv.: By chance; peradventure; haply. Piers Plowman. [From Happy.]
unyoked a.: Not yet yoked; not having worn the yoke. [In sense 1 pref. un- not + yoked; in senses 2 and 3 properly p. p. of unyoke.]
craft n.: Strength; might; secret power. [AS. cr strength, skill, art, cunning; akin to OS., G., Sw., & Dan. kraft strength, D. kracht, Icel. kraptr; perh. originally, a drawing together, stretching, fr]
saturnian a.: Of or pertaining to Saturn, whose age or reign, from the mildness and wisdom of his government, is called the golden age. [L. Saturnius.]
jove n.: The chief divinity of the ancient Romans; Jupiter. [L. Jupiter, gen. Jovis, OL. Jovis, nom. & gen. for Djovis; akin to E. Tuesday. See Tuesday, and cf. Jupiter.]
carnage n.: Flesh of slain animals or men. [F. carnage, LL. carnaticum tribute of animals, flesh of animals, fr. L. caro, carnis, flesh. See Carnal.]
wreckful a.: Causing wreck; involving ruin; destructive.
countless a.: Incapable of being counted; not ascertainable; innumerable.
superscription n.: The act of superscribing. [L. superscriptio. See Superscribe.]
elysian a.: Pertaining, or the abode of the blessed after death; hence, yielding the highest pleasures; exceedingly delightful; beatific. [L. Elysius, fr. Elysium.]
cloudless a.: Without a cloud; clear; bright.
numberless a.: Innumerable; countless.
dreadful a.: Full of dread or terror; fearful.
circled a.: Having the form of a circle; round.
cerberus n.: A monster, in the shape, of a three-headed dog, guarding the entrance into the infernal regions, Hence: Any vigilant custodian or guardian, esp. if surly.
vitals n.: Organs that are necessary for life; more especially, the heart, lungs, and brain.
madden v. t.: To make mad; to drive to madness; to craze; to excite violently with passion; to make very angry; to enrage.
lethe n.: A river of Hades whose waters when drunk caused forgetfulness of the past.
campaign n.: An open field; a large, open plain without considerable hills. [F. campagne, It. campagna, fr. L. Campania the level country about Naples, fr. campus field. See Camp, and cf. Champaign, Champagne.]
shall v. i.: To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
crone n.: An old ewe. Tusser. [OD. kronie, karonie, an old sheep, OF. carogne, F. charogne, carrion (also F. carogne illnatured woman.). See Carrion, and Crony.]
virtuous a.: Possessing or exhibiting virtue. Specifically: -- (a) Exhibiting manly courage and strength; valorous; valiant; brave. [OE. vertuous, OF. vertuos, vertuous, F. vertueux, fr. L. Virtuous. See Virtue, and cf. Virtuoso.]
distaff n.: The staff for holding a bunch of flax, tow, or wool, from which the thread is drawn in spinning by hand. [OE. distaf, dysestafe, AS. distaef; cf. LG. diesse the bunch of flax on a distaff, and E. dizen. See Staff.]
dame n.: A mistress of a family, who is a lady; a womam in authority; especially, a lady. [F. dame, LL. domna, fr. L. domina mistress, lady, fem. of dominus master, ruler, lord; akin to domare to tame, subdue. See Tame, and cf. Dam mother, Dan, Danger]
disarray v. t.: To throw into disorder; to break the array of. [Pref. dis- + array, v.: cf. OF. desarroyer, desarreier.]
blissful a.: Full of, characterized by, or causing, joy and felicity; happy in the highest degree.

Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.

About this text

Book I: Elegy the Third: Sickness and Absence is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Elegies, Project Gutenberg ebook #9610, the Theodore Chickering Williams translation; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.

Cite as: Tibullus, Book I: Elegy the Third: Sickness and Absence, in The Elegies (1905), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #9610, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/tibullus-elegies/book-i-elegy-the-third-sickness-and-absence.html, id L14415.

Form and metre

Book I: Elegy the Third: Sickness and Absence is 96 lines in 24 stanzas of 4 lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABAB, complete in 22 of its 24 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 90%). 98% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.1 syllables. 3 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 15% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.

See other poems in iambic pentameter.

Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.

Rhyme words, stanza by stanza

The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.

1 ABAB sweep^A · more^B · weep^A · shore^B
2 ABAB here^A · breast^B · tear^A · rest^B
3 ABAB adieu^A · shrine^B · true^A · sign^B
4 ABAB fears^A · stay^B · tears^A · delay^B
5 ABAB flit^A · aside^B · unfit^A · side^B
6 ABAB track^A · hours^B · back^A · powers^B
7 ABAB power^A · display^B · hour^A · day^B
8 AAAA unbind^A · band^A · find^A · land^A
9 ABAB reigned^A · world^B · disdained^A · unfurled^B
10 ABAB course^A · hold^B · horse^A · gold^B
11 ABAB rock^A · held^B · flock^A · uncompelled^B
12 ABAB know^A · time^B · blow^A · crime^B
13 -A-A foul · die^A · soul · lie^A
14 ABAB vain^A · be^B · detain^A · sea^B
15 ABAB yield^A · way^B · field^A · away^B
16 ABAB sails^A · air^B · vales^A · fair^B
17 ABAB stray^A · share^B · away^A · hair^B
18 ABAB gloom^A · round^B · doom^A · bound^B
19 ABAB hell^A · back^B · fell^A · rack^B
20 ABAB accursed^A · slow^B · thirst^A · flow^B
21 ABAB feel^A · vain^B · steal^A · campaign^B
22 ABAB sit^A · bed^B · lit^A · thread^B
23 ABAB plied^A · dame^B · side^A · came^B
24 ABAB disarray^A · fly^B · day^A · nigh^B

Scansion, line by line

Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic pentameter. How this is done.

Line	Syl.	Stress
Am I abandoned? Does Messala sweep	10	··˘/˘·····
Yon wide Aegean wave, not any more	10	··˘/˘··/˘·
He, nor my mates, remembering where I weep,	10	····˘/˘···
Struck down by fever on this alien shore?	10	···/˘··/˘·
Spare me, dark death! I have no mother here,	10	·······/˘·
To clasp my relics to her widowed breast;	10	···/˘··/˘·
No sister, to pour forth with hallowing tear	10	·/˘····/˘·
Assyrian incense where my ashes rest.	10	˘/˘/···/˘·
Nor Delia, who, before she said adieu,	10	·/˘·····˘/
Asked omens fair at every potent shrine.	10	·/˘··/˘/˘·
Thrice did the ministrants give blessings true,	10	·······/˘·
The thrice-cast lot returned the lucky sign.	10	····˘/·/˘·
All promised safe return; but she had fears	10	·/˘·˘/····
And doubting sorrows, which implored my stay;	10	·/˘/˘·˘/··
While I, though all was ready, dried her tears,	10	·····/˘···
And found fresh pretext for one more delay.	10	···/····˘/
An evil bird, I cried, did near me flit,	10	·/˘·······
Or luckless portent thrust my plans aside;	10	·/˘/˘···˘/
Or Saturn's day, unhallowed and unfit,	10	·/˘·˘/˘·˘/
Forbade a journey from my Delia's side.	10	˘/·/˘··/˘·
Full oft, when starting on the fatal track,	10	···/˘··/˘·
My stumbling feet foretold unhappy hours:	10	·/˘·˘/˘/˘/
Ah! he who journeys when love calls him back,	10	···/˘·····
Should know he disobeys celestial powers!	11	····˘/˘/˘/˘
Help me, great Goddess! For thy healing power	11	···/˘··/˘/˘
The votive tablets on thy shrine display.	10	·/˘/˘···˘/
See Delia there outwatch the midnight hour,	11	·/˘·˘/·/·/˘
Sitting, white-stoled, until the dawn of day!	10	/˘········
Each day her tresses twice she doth unbind,	10	···/˘···˘/
And sings, the loveliest of the Pharian band.	11	···········
O that my fathers' gods this prayer could find!	10	···/˘·····
Gods of my hearth and of my native land!	10	·······/˘·
How happily men lived when Saturn reigned!	10	·/˘˘···/˘·
Ere weary highways crossed the fair young world,	10	·/˘/······
Ere lofty ships the purple seas disdained,	10	·/˘··/˘·˘/
Their swelling canvas to the winds unfurled!	10	·/˘/˘···˘/
No roving seaman, from a distant course,	10	·/˘/˘··/˘·
Filled full of far-fetched wares his frail ship's hold:	10	··········
At home, the strong bull stood unyoked; the horse	10	······˘/··
Endured no bridle in the age of gold.	10	˘/·/˘·····
Men's houses had no doors? No firm-set rock	10	·/˘·······
Marked field from field by niggard masters held.	10	·····/˘/˘·
The very oaks ran honey; the mild flock	10	·/˘··/˘···
Brought home its swelling udders, uncompelled.	10	···/˘·····
Nor wrath nor war did that blest kingdom know;	10	·······/˘·
No craft was taught in old Saturnian time,	11	······˘/˘˘·
By which the frowning smith, with blow on blow,	10	···/˘·····
Could forge the furious sword and so much crime.	10	···/˘·····
Now Jove is king! Now have we carnage foul,	10	·······/˘·
And wreckful seas, and countless ways to die.	10	·/˘··/˘···
Nay! spare me, Father Jove, for on my soul	10	···/˘·····
Nor perjury, nor words blaspheming lie.	10	·/˘˘······
If longer life I ask of Fate in vain,	10	·/˘·······
O'er my frail dust this superscription be:--	10	··········
"Here Death's dark hand TIBULLUS doth detain,	10	········˘/
Messala's follower over land and sea!"	10	···/˘·····
Then, since my soul to love did always yield,	10	·······/··
Let Venus guide it the immortal way,	10	·/˘···˘/˘·
Where dance and song fill all th' Elysian field,	10	······˘/˘·
And music that will never die away.	10	·/˘··/˘·˘/
There many a song-bird with his fellow sails,	10	·/·····/˘·
And cheerly carols on the cloudless air;	10	·/˘/˘··/˘·
Each grove breathes incense; all the happy vales	10	···/···/˘·
O'er-run with roses, numberless and fair.	10	···/˘/˘˘··
Bright bands of youth with tender maidens stray,	10	·····/˘/˘·
Led by the love-god all delights to share;	10	······˘/··
And each fond lover death once snatched away	10	···/˘···˘/
Winds an immortal myrtle in his hair.	10	··˘/˘/˘···
Far, far from such, the dreadful realms of gloom	10	·····/˘···
By those black streams of Hades circled round,	10	·····/˘/˘·
Where viper-tressed, fierce ministers of doom,--	10	·/˘··/˘˘··
The Furies drive lost souls from bound to bound.	10	·/˘·······
The doors of brass, and dragon-gate of Hell,	10	·····/˘···
Grim Cerberus guards, and frights the phantoms back:	11	·/˘˘····/˘·
Ixion, who by Juno's beauty fell,	10	˘/˘··/˘/˘·
Gives his frail body to the whirling rack.	10	···/˘··/˘·
Stretched o'er nine roods, lies Tityos accursed,	10	·˘········
The vulture at his vitals feeding slow;	10	·/˘··/˘/˘·
There Tantalus, whose bitter, burning thirst	10	·/˘˘·/˘/˘·
The fleeting waters madden as they flow.	10	·/˘/˘/˘···
There Danaus' daughters Venus' anger feel,	10	···/˘/˘/˘·
Filling their urns at Lethe all in vain;--	10	/˘···/˘···
And there's the wretch who would my Delia steal,	10	·······/˘·
And wish me absent on a long campaign!	10	···/˘···˘/
O chaste and true! In thy still house shall sit	10	··········
The careful crone who guards thy virtuous bed;	10	·/˘····/˘·
She tells thee tales, and when the lamps are lit,	10	··········
Reels from her distaff the unending thread.	10	···/˘·˘/˘·
Some evening, after tasks too closely plied,	10	·/˘····/˘·
My Delia, drowsing near the harmless dame,	10	·/˘····/˘·
All sweet surprise, will find me at her side,	10	··˘/······
Unheralded, as if from heaven I came.	10	˘/˘˘···/··
Then to my arms, in lovely disarray,	10	·····/˘·˘/
With welcome kiss, thy darling feet will fly!	10	·/˘··/˘···
O happy dream and prayer! O blissful day!	10	·/˘····/˘·
What golden dawn, at last, shall bring thee nigh?	10	·/˘·······

The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.

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