A little Boethius

Latin Learning Latin
1

Consolatio Philosophia 4.7.23:

Fronte turpatus Achelous amnis
Ora demersit pudibunda ripis

Stewart, Rand, and Tester (Loeb) translation:

The river Achelous, in shame for his hornless brow,
Disgraced, did bury in his banks his face.

Mine:

Disgraced for his hornless brow, the river Achelous,
in shame, buried his face in his banks.

Question: Would my translation work? I find the Steward-Rand-Tester trans. awkward and turpatus is in the first line, not the second. Is “shame” the best translation of “pudibunda”?

2

Certainly acceptable. but do you see how the Latin actually works?

  1. Where is the word for hornless?

  2. What does putibunda actually modify?

3

No word for “hornless” that I see, just implied by the start of the larger passage Herculem duri celebrant labores / “Harsh labours make the fame of Hercules” so we know he’s talking about the match against Herakles where he lost his horn, and presumably Boethius was aware of Ovid’s account in which Acheloios hides his broken horn (but there with leaves and branches).

I do not really understand how the Latin works (I’d love to learn). Presumably putibunda modifies Achelous?

4

James O’Donnell has an online commentary on the Consolation, here:

https://faculty.georgetown.edu/jod/boethius/jkok/list_n.htm

5

No, actually ora, but that sounds distinctly odd in English, so the translations tend to treat as a kind of transferred epithet or adverb.

6

Oh, I thought that was indicating “there” with reference to the banks. But I’m glad my rewording works with the Latin because it sounds better.

Latin is a lot of fun, isn’t it? Thanks for helping me understand better.

7

The significant thing is that this is verse (aeolic hendecasyllables). That’s what makes it fun.