Ovid, Meta. 1, starting at 89, scanning

[hlawson38]

Because I'm finding Ovid hard to scan, I'll scan the first line of these two, and carry on after correction, which I respectfully request. I cannot yet scan with facility, so it takes me quite a while to complete a trial effort.

Aurea prima sata est aetas, quae vindice nullo,
sponte sua, sine lege fidem rectumque colebat.

Au re a: LSS. This bothers me, because the final a might be long by position, due to the following pr.

pri ma sa: LSS

ta est ae: LL, eliding ta est.

tas quae: LL

vindice: LSS

nullo: LX

[Qimmik]

You got it right.

Aurea prima -- consonant clusters consisting of a mute [p, t, c/k] + a liquid [l, r], i.e., pl, cl, pr, tr and cr, are usually, or at least often, treated as a single consonant and don't "make position." I believe the frequency with which this occurs varies with individual poets.

You should always note the main caesura(s) in the lines you scan. In the following line there is a "feminine" caesura (after the first short syllable of a dactylic third foot), or, alternatively, two caesuras, one in the second foot and one in the fourth foot, instead of a single caesura in the third foot.

By the way, sata est should be read sata' st, not sat' est. This is limited to instances of final vowel + est and es (and perhaps other forms of esse) and is known as prodelision. Texts, especially of Lucretius and older poets, are sometimes printed this way.

[Qimmik]

A better way to represent the scansion would be to use _ for a long syllable and u or v for a short syllable, marking elisions by //. You can mark off the individual feet if you prefer, but I think it might be better not to do so, in order to get into the habit of thinking of the line as composed of two or three segments, instead of the superficial scheme of feet (though you have to begin with the division into feet).

Examples:

Aurea prima sata est aetas, quae vindice nullo,
sponte sua, sine lege fidem rectumque colebat.

89: _ u u _ u u _ // _ _ _ _ u u _ x

Line 90 can be viewed as divided into two segments by a feminine caesura (after the first short syllable of the third foot):

90: _ u u _ u u _ u // u _ _ _ u u _ x

Alternatively, line 90 could be analyzed divided into two segments by caesuras in the second and fourth foot, a pattern that is less frequent than a single masculine or feminine caesura in the third foot:

90: _ u u _ // u u _ u u _ // _ _ u u _ x

Two segments with a feminine caesura seems like the better analysis, keeping the adverbials sponte sua sine lege together in the first segment, and fidem rectumque together in the second.

[Qimmik]

Also, make sure you read scanned lines aloud. Roman poetry was written for recitation more than reading, and some scholars think that the Romans did not, and perhaps even could not, read silently.

You would have one of your slaves read poetry to you as you sat in a chair or reclined on a couch, and if he made too many mistakes, you could have him beaten.

[hlawson38]

Thanks for the replies Qimmik. This will take a while to learn. I'll try to change my way of representing the long and short vowels, before posting again. I'll have to go back over your posts to make sure I get it.