The Amatory Elegies of Johannes Secundus

by Janus Secundus, Paul Murgatroyd

This volume contains the first translation into English of all the major love poetry of the Renaissance neo-Latin poet Johannes Secundus and the first detailed critical appreciation of the first two books of his Elegies and the Elegiae Sollemnes. The book consists of an introduction (on the poet's life and works, characters in and dating of the amatory elegies, literary background etc.), facing Latin text and English translation of the Elegies, brief explanatory notes and full essays of appreciation, an appendix with a translation into English of the "Basia" and "Epithalamium," and an index. This work contains extensive amounts of valuable information about Secundus' models, wit, style, sound, diction, placement, structure, manipulation of characters and themes, generic innovation etc. and facilitates a complete reappraisal of this major Renaissance love poet.

218 pages, Leather Bound

First published April 1, 2000

Reviews

[Roman Clodia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have no taste for any special kind
Of kisses; all are charming to my mind.
I like them wet; but dry delight me too,
They make my veins with burning passion glow.
To press your lips upon your lady's eyes
And with a kiss their radiance to surprise
Is most delicious; so they are repaid
For all the havoc they on you have made.
(Basiam 10, 1-8)

Johannes Secundus, 1511-36

[Unknown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just be a lover for life—you won’t grow tired of love . . .
. . . Without love there’s no pleasure . . . 1.2.71,83

A hundred times a hundred kisses,
a thousand times a hundred kisses,
a thousand times a thousand kisses,
and as many thousand thousands
as there are drops of water in the Sicilian Sea,
as there are stars in the sky
would I give to your glowing cheeks,
to your lovely swelling lips,
to your lovely loquacious eyes . . . Basia, 7.1-9
__________
Poetry far better than the ancient shows:
in time they vanished; verse survives for ever. 1.3.75-76

The one who burned with the most intense passion of all . . . 2.1.55

__________
I have Robert Burton to thank to introducing me to all these Renaissance poets, and J has quickly become one of my favourite love poets of all time.

Beautiful lines and passages in the ancient elegiacal tradition. Highly recommended.

N.B.: This particular volume from Brill includes books I & II of his elegies, The Ceremonial Elegies, and also includes his Basia/Kisses and his Epitalamium in the appendix.
__________
Elegies - Book I
But while I look at you, and regard more closely your eyes,
your beaming eyes which vie with Phoebus’ beams,
my gaze can’t support that face of out that shoots out arrows,
and my brain falters, it’s numb, it’s no longer aware that it knows
any art, and it even forgets it exists. 1.6.13-18

She’s gone. I hurt. What do I do? Her traces remain
and the places which used to yield us prolonged pleasure. 1.9.31-32

Julia, I’m holding you; gods above, you can keep your Olympus.
What am I saying? Am I really holding you, Julia?
Am I asleep? Or awake? Is this real? Or is this a dream?
Whether dream or real, come on, let’s enjoy ourselves.
If this is a dream, may this dream last a long time,
and don’t let daylight wake me up, please. 1.10.23-30
__________
Ceremonial Elegies
In the very centre rampaging Cupid, radiant in saffron
clothes, strikes the grass with his tender feet. 1.1.9-10

Let there be a dusky girl beside me,
a real beauty with dark eyes and dark hair,
to make me remember my previous love. 1.2.12-14

. . . as the one who conquered and captured me first with those eyes of hers . . . 1.2.17

. . . the first to set me on fire deep inside . . . 1.3.8

His temples will be fragrant with garlands for ever . . . 1.3.29

In the meantime let’s give rose May His Poetry,
so He will return and flower for me frequently.
May nurtures flowers, in May the spring seasons at its loveliest,
May nurtures also the delights of Acidalian Venus . . . 1.3.41-44

May, glory of the months, May, delight of the shepherds . . .
. . . look—red roses for you, strewn on the altar,
and amid solemn applause I’m reciting a new poem,
offered to you, little Boy, and to you, May. 1.3.53,56-58
__________
Elegies - Book II
Soon, when she is languorously slumbering the night away,
and sleep has closed those two stars of hers,
secretly make her blaze up unawares deep inside
and absorb a lasting pain in her smouldering heart. 2.3.17-20

Beautiful Justina, worthy of Jupiter’s bedroom, but better
suited to me, set my soul on fire.
Her skin was as fair as the white floor of Venus is,
if it floats on top of Bacchus’ crimson wine.
She has sparkling eyes comparable to the glittering jewels
that the dusky Indian collects from the eastern sea.
From her pupils Cupid shot new arrows and said:
“These weapons are more maddening than mine.”
The god’s warning was true, but because nobody was worthier
than her of having the distinction of destroying me,
I faced the fierce flames, turning my chest towards them:
I was wounded so badly that I was almost senseless. 2.7.15-26

While we exchanged wet kisses with intertwined tongues,
while our shameless hands flew here and there,
and our wanton eyes were whirling out of control . . . 2.7.89-91

She spoke, and the god suddenly sliced through the air on vermillion
wings, gliding into the girl’s bedroom,
selected a shaft, extracted it from his Cnossian quiver
and transfixed her tense heart with an arrow of devotion. 2.10.33-36
__________
Basia (Kisses)
When Venus had carried Ascanius up to the heights of Cythera,
she set him down, lulled to sleep, on tender violets,
she cured around him clouds of white roses
and sprinkled the whole area with perfume. 1.1-4

. . . speaks with skill soft words in Latin. 1.26

Neaera doesn’t give kisses, Neaera gives nectar . . . 4.1

. . . breathing out that delicious wafting breath that is
soft, moist, sweet-sounding and the sustenance
of my love-sick life . . . 5.9-11

Cupid is the god of gods,
and no god is mightier than Cupid. 5.18-19

. . . and this is the one that called you my salvation,
called you my life,
the flower of my soul,
and my love,
and my grace,
and my Venus,
and my dove,
and my dear white turtle-dove,
while Venus looked on in envy? 8.28-36

So, come on, fasten your lips tightly to my lips
and let one person’s breath go on and on keeping two alive
until (when we’ve finally wearied of our insatiable passion)
a single life flows away from out two bodies. 13.19-22

Why are you offering me your fiery lips?
(I don’t want to kiss you, I don’t hard
Neaera, harder than hard marble.)
Is it, you arrogant girl, to make me
so taken with those spiritless kisses of yours
that I repeatedly bore a hole through my clothes
and yours with my rigid erection
And in a frenzy of frustrated desire
miserably pine away, with my penis burning?
Where are you running off to? Stay, don’t
deny me those eyes or your fiery lips.
Now I want to kiss you, you soft girl,
softer than soft goose-liver. 14.1-13

He ran and hurled himself boyishly into your arms,
and pressed on you a thousand kisses of a thousand different types
that breathed juice of myrtle and scents of Cyprus. 15.7-9

It came to pass. I’m on fire in the depths of my marrow
and my heart is melting in the parching blaze;
while your breast is fortified with fierce frost
and rock like that pounded by the raging waves . . . 18.20-23

Come, all of you, to my mistress’ lips
They on their own give off the aroma of all roses and all thyme
and the nectar-like juice of spring violets,
from them the sweet cent of dill spreads far and wide,
they are wet with the real tears of Narcissus,
and wet with the fragrant blood of Spartan Hyacinthus,
just as each liquid was when it fell
and, medicated with heavenly nectar and pure air,
impregnated the earth with varicoloured flowers. 19.4-12
__________
Epithalamium
Fortunate groom, the one you're on fire for and long for
will repose in both your arms right now,
that girl who is blessed with a heavenly beauty
that mighty Venus and Juno would want. 18-21

Fortunate bride, the one you burn for and long for
will soon throw himself down on the blessed bed
and clasp your neck with his clinging arms,
that handsome young man with the remarkable face,
who affected by those rosy lips of yours,
by those snowy breasts of yours,
by that glowing hair of yours,
and overwhelmed by those expressive eyes of yours,
has long been consumed by a secret fire
and curses the loitering sun over and over again
and summons the lingering moon over and over again. 30-40

So, when the fortunate bed caresses
that attractive virgin’s white body . . . 66-67

Let your lascivious hand nimbly leap and wind
now all over her white neck, now all over those
breasts that rival ivory’s radiance,
then all over her soft legs and all over her stomach
and the parts adjoining her stomach and legs,
and giver her as many thousand kisses
as there are stars glowing in the sky. 88-94

Lips, delighting her eager lover
with a sensual draught of her fragrant breath. 115-116