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Optatian: Epistula ad Constantinum

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Publilius Optatianus Porfyrius, a Roman aristocrat exiled under Constantine, won his recall by sending the emperor a collection of elaborate poems. This prose letter is addressed to Constantine, “greatest, unconquered, and venerable,” and thanks him for his kindness: Optatian confesses that his hopes had been surpassed by the emperor’s clemency, which had graciously received the poem composed under the strict constraints of his verse.

The letter, together with the emperor’s reply transmitted in the manuscripts, is a rare document of the relationship between poet and ruler under Constantine, and of the value the emperor placed on literary display. Optatian later held the urban prefecture of Rome.

About this edition. The Latin text comes from digilibLT, the Digital Library of Late-Antique Latin Texts (edition: Publilii Optatiani Porfyrii, Carmina, I: textus; adiectio indice uerborum; recensuit Iohannes Polara, Torino 1973, pp. 1-3, (Corpus scriptorum Latinorum…), licensed CC BY-NC. Every word has been analyzed with LatinCy, a neural language model for Latin — click or tap any word for its dictionary form, part of speech, and complete morphology, together with the full entry from Lewis & Short’s A Latin Dictionary.

Latin · Letters
Epistula ad Constantinum
Optatian · every word parsed
pr.1
DOMINO CONSTANTINO MAXIMO PIO INUICTO ET UENERABILI SEMPER AUGUSTO.
pr
Fateor, domine Constantine, maxime, inuicte et non minus pietate quam uirtute praecipue, quamuis auara atque ultra meritum cupida paruitatis meae uota infatigabilis clementiae tuae dignatione superata, quippe cui satis abundeque suffecerat carmen quod artioribus Musarum ligaueram uinculis, quod plus mihi sincerae deuotionis studium quam ingenii mei paruitas praestitit, in tuas, Augustissime imperator, manus uenisse uictrices, legendum serenis oculis tuis. In quo mihi pro Heliconii uerticis nemore, pro Castalii fontis haustu uersifico, pro Apollinis lyrae Musarum concinentibus choris ceterisque quae poetis mos est carmen pangentibus inuocare, tui mihi nominis aeterna felicitas et eius multiformis cum sua ueneratione praefatio incentiuum cecinit ad audendum, et ad expediendum pariter ingenium tribuit et effectum. Romanae Musae antistes nobilis Mantuanus, serena lux uatum et fons puri nectaris fecundus, in carmina exultat ac se plurimum iactat et iterum ac saepius Maecenatis testimonio gloriatur. Quid ego faciam tenui pauper ingenio, meriti nunc usque perparui? Caelestis iudicii dignatione inmensum pondus impositum est eius imperatoris testimonio, qui inter belli pacisque uirtutes, inter triumphos et laureas, inter legum sanctiones et iura etiam Musis tibi familiaribus plaudis, ut inter tot diuinae maiestatis insignia, quibus et inuictus semper et primus es, huius etiam studii in te micet splendor egregius. Nimirum agere gratias audebo, cuius exilis sermo ne pro minimis quidem referre digne possit et ⟨cui⟩ tu, pie imperator, tanta praestiteris, ut istud pro benefactis tuis ne a facundissimis quidem possit impleri? Etenim si, ita ut sapientibus placuit, maxime imperator, aestimanda sunt, non numeranda iudicia, qui huiusmodi testimonium consecutus sum pietatis tuae dignatione caelesti, iam licet Parnasi iuga securus ingrediar et ab ipsis Aonii uerticis adytis deducere audeam Musas, tutus, quacumque mens ibit in carmina, et diuina iudiciorum tuorum auctoritate munitus atque in mea blandimenta plus credulus uniuerso me orbi placuisse contendam, qui placere potui totius orbis imperatori. Denique oratus, Augustissime domine, temeritati meae da ueniam, et quae nunc quoque pietatis tuae fauore ausus sum inligare, dignanter admitte: audaciae meae fomitem aeternitatis tuae clementia suscitauit.
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Text: Perseus Digital Library, licensed CC BY-SA. Dictionary: Lewis & Short (Perseus, CC BY-SA). Morphology: LatinCy — machine parsing, corrected against the AGDT & PROIEL treebanks and Morpheus.
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