P. Ovidius Naso, Medicamina faciei femineae, 1

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Discite quae faciem commendet cura, puellae,

Et quo sit vobis forma tuenda modo.

Cultus humum sterilem Cerealia pendere iussit

Munera, mordaces interiere rubi.

Cultus et in pomis sucos emendat acerbos,

Fissaque adoptivas accipit arbor opes.

Culta placent. auro sublimia tecta linuntur,

Nigra sub imposito marmore terra latet:

Vellera saepe eadem Tyrio medicantur aëno:

Sectile deliciis India praebet ebur.

Forsitan antiquae Tatio sub rege Sabinae

Maluerint, quam se, rura paterna coli:

Cum matrona, premens altum rubicunda sedile,

Assiduum duro pollice nebat opus,

Ipsaque claudebat quos filia paverat agnos,

Ipsa dabat virgas caesaque ligna foco.

At vestrae matres teneras peperere puellas.

Vultis inaurata corpora veste tegi,

Vultis odoratos positu variare capillos,

Conspicuam gemmis vultis habere manum:

Induitis collo lapides oriente petitos,

Et quantos onus est aure tulisse duos.

Nec tamen indignum: sit vobis cura placendi,

Cum comptos habeant saecula nostra viros.

Feminea vestri poliuntur lege mariti,

Et vix ad cultus nupta, quod addat, habet.

Se sibi quaeque parant, nec quos venentur amores

Refert; munditia crimina nulla merent.

Rure latent finguntque comas; licet arduus illas

Celet Athos, cultas altus habebit Athos.

Est etiam placuisse sibi cuicumque voluptas;

Virginibus cordi grataque forma sua est.

Laudatas homini volucris Iunonia pennas

Explicat, et forma multa superbit avis.

Sic potius vos urget amor quam fortibus herbis,

Quas maga terribili subsecat arte manus.

Nec vos graminibus nec mixto credite suco,

Nec temptate nocens virus amantis equae;

Nec mediae Marsis finduntur cantibus angues,

Nec redit in fontes unda supina suos;

Et quamvis aliquis Temesaea removerit aera,

Numquam Luna suis excutietur equis.

Prima sit in vobis morum tutela, puellae.

Ingenio facies conciliante placet.

Certus amor morum est: formam populabitur aetas,

Et placitus rugis vultus aratus erit.

Tempus erit, quo vos speculum vidisse pigebit,

Et veniet rugis altera causa dolor.

Sufficit et longum probitas perdurat in aevum,

Perque suos annos hinc bene pendet amor. 50

Dic age, cum teneros somnus dimiserit artus,

Candida quo possint ora nitere modo.

Hordea, quae Libyci ratibus misere coloni,

Exue de palea tegminibusque suis.

Par ervi mensura decem madefiat ab ovis:

Sed cumulent libras hordea nuda duas.

Haec ubi ventosas fuerint siccata per auras,

Lenta iube scabra frangat asella mola:

Et quae prima cadent vivaci cornua cervo,

Contere in haec (solidi sexta fac assis eat).

Iamque ubi pulvereae fuerint confusa farinae,

Protinus in cumeris omnia cerne cavis.

Adice narcissi bis sex sine cortice bulbos,

Strenua quos puro marmore dextra terat.

Sextantemque trahat gummi cum semine Tusco:

Huc novies tanto plus tibi mellis eat.

Quaecumque afficiet tali medicamine vultum

Fulgebit speculo levior ipsa suo.

Nec tu pallentes dubita torrere lupinos,

Et simul inflantes corpora frige fabas;

Utraque sex habeant aequo discrimine libras,

Utraque da nigris comminuenda molis.

Nec cerussa tibi nec nitri spuma rubentis

Desit et Illyrica quae venit iris humo.

Da validis iuvenum pariter subigenda lacertis:

Sed iustum tritis uncia pondus erit.

Addita de querulo volucrum medicamina nido

Ore fugant maculas: alcyonea vocant.

Pondere, si quaeris, quo sim contentus in illis,

Quod trahit in partes uncia secta duas.

Ut coeant apteque lini per corpora possint,

Adice de flavis Attica mella favis.

Quamvis tura deos irataque numina placent,

Non tamen accensis omnia danda focis.

Tus ubi miscueris radenti tubera nitro,

Ponderibus iustis fac sit utrimque triens.

Parte minus quarta dereptum cortice gummi,

Et modicum e myrrhis pinguibus adde cubum.

Haec ubi contrieris, per densa foramina cerne:

Pulvis ab infuso melle premendus erit.

Profuit et marathros bene olentibus addere myrrhis,

(Quinque trahant marathri scrupula, myrrha novem)

Arentisque rosae quantum manus una prehendat,

Cumque Ammoniaco mascula tura sale.

Hordea quem faciunt, illis affunde cremorem:

Aequent expensas cum sale tura rosas.

Tempore sint parvo molli licet illita vultu,

Haerebit toto multus in ore color.

Vidi quae gelida madefacta papavera lympha

Contereret, teneris illineretque genis.

100

Medicamina faciei femineae. P. Ovidius Naso. Leipzig. 1907.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education.

Current edition Perseus

Medicamina faciei femineae (Latin) (Ovid. P. Ovidius Naso, Volume 1: Amores, Epistulae, Medicamina faciei femineae, Ars amatoria, Remedia amoris. Ehwald, Rudolf; Merkel, Rudolph; editors. Leipzig: B. G. Teubner, 1907.)

Translations (1)

The Art of Beauty Perseus (Ovid. Ovid's Art of Love (in three Books), the Remedy of Love, the Art of Beauty, the Court of Love, the History of Love, and Amours. Anonymous, translator. New York: Calvin Blanchard, 1855.) — 1 focus

Once more, ye fair, attend your master's song,

And learn what method will your charms prolong;

What happy heart best recommends a face;

What heightens beauty; what preserves a grace.

Art improves nature; 'twas by art we found

The vast advantages of furrow'd ground:

The soil manur'd, a fruitful harvest bore,

Where thorns and hungry brambles grew before.

By art the gard'ner grafts his trees, to bear

A kinder fruit, and recompense his care.

A gilded roof delights our captive eyes,

And stately monuments the sight surprise,

Tho' sordid earth beneath the polish'd marble lies.

The fleece may be with royal purple died,

And India precious ivory provide,

To please your fancies and supply your pride.

When Tatius rul'd the ancient Sabine race,

Then, rough and careless of a handsome face,

The women took more pains to earn their bread

At plough and cart, than how to dress the head;

All day their task the busy matrons plied,

Or spinning sat, as to their distaffs tied.

The mother then at night would fold the sheep

Her little daughter us'd by day to keep;

And when at home, would cleave out logs of wood,

Or kindle up a fire to boil their food.

But you, by nature form'd in finer moulds,

Must wrap your tender limbs in silken folds;

Wear lawns and tissue, sleep in damask beds,

And with gay knots and wires adorn your heads:

Your ears with pendants, lockets on your arms,

Besides a thousand other nameless charms.

Nor needs this care to please a blush create;

The men themselves have learned to dress of late.

You are not now particular in clothes,

The husband and the bridegroom both are beaux;

Dress then, and 'tis no sin to dress with art,

For that's the way to wound the lover's heart.

E'en those that live remote in country towns,

Will dress their hair with flowers and daisy crowns,

And deck and prank themselves, to please the clowns.

Besides, all women take a secret pride

In being fine, or else they are belied;

For when the conscious maid her glass explores,

And finds she's handsome, she herself adores.

Thus Juno's bird with silent pride will raise

And spread his starry plumes, whene'er he meets with praise.

This method will oblige our sex to love,

And more than magic herbs their passions move.

Trust not to philtres; all such stuff forbear;

Nor try the venom of the lustful mare.

'Tis all a jest; no snakes by such a force

Enchanted burst, no rivers change their course;

Nor can they make the moon from heaven descent

Whate'er some superstitious fools pretend.

First learn good breeding; that I first advise;

Good carriage oft the other wants supplies.

For when ill-natur'd age shall rudely plough

Injurious furrows on your wrinkled brow,

You then perhaps may chide the tell-tale glass,

That shews the frightful ruins of your face;

But if good humour to the last remain,

E'en age may please, and love his force retain.

Now on, my muse, and tell 'em, when they rise,

When downy sleep forsakes their tender eyes,

How they may look as fair as morning skies.

Vetches, and beaten barley, let 'em take,

And with the whites of eggs a mixture make;

Then dry the precious paste with sun and wind

And into powder very gently grind.

Get hart's-horn next (but let it be the first

That creature sheds), and beat it well to dust.

Six pound in all; then mix and sift 'em well,

And think the while how fond Narcissus fell;

Six roots to you that pensive flower must yield

To mingle with the rest, well bruis'd and cleanly pill'd.

Two ounces next of gum, and thural seed,

That for the gracious gods does incense breed,

And let a double share of honey last succeed.

With this whatever damsel paints her face,

Will need no flattering glass to show a grace.

P. Ovidius Naso Medicamina faciei femineae 1

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