Minor Latin poets; with introductions and English translations

PHOENIXprey. Then Aeolus imprisons the winds in overarchinggrottoes, lest their blasts harass the brightgleamingair, or the cloud-wrack from the Southbanish the sunrays throughout the empty tracts ofheaven and do harm to the bird. Thereafter shebuilds herself a cradle or sepulchre " —which youwill—for she dies to live and yet begets herself.She gathers for it from the rich forest juicy scentedherbs such as the Assyrian gathers or the wealthyArabian, such as either the Pygmaean races orIndia ^ '^culls or the Sabaean land produces in itssoft bosom. Here she heaps together cinnamon andeffluence of the aromatic shrub that sends its breathafar and balsam with its blended leaf. Nor is therelacking a slip of mild casia or fragrant acanthus orthe rich dropping tears of frankincense. Theretoshe adds the tender ears ^ of downy spikenard,joining as its ally the potency of thy myrrh, Panachaea.^Forthwith in the nest she has furnishedshe sets her body that awaits its change—^^^theredlimbs on a life-gi\-ing couch : thereafter with herbeak she casts the scents on her limbs, around themand above, being appointed to die in her own funeral./Then she commends her soul ^ amid the variedfragrances without a fear for the trustworthiness of* The usual form is Panchaia, a fabled island east of Arabia,famous for precious stones and myrrh. Cf. Virg. Georg. II.139 : Plin. X.H. X. 4.f This paradoxical idea is introduced by the preceding lineswhich picture the bird as laying out her own body, and, bythrowing perfumes on herself, performing a ritual usuallyassigned to mourners : immoritura is echoed in 95, corpusgenitali morte peremptum.9 One of the Christian notes in the poem : cf. 64, huncorbem mors uhi regna tenet. With 94 cf. 2 Timothy I. 12,657u u