45. lacrimis: with genas maduisse, IND. STATE. depending on fama est.
carmine: with victarum.
46. Eumenidum: Eumenides, Eumenides, Furies, three winged demons with snaky hair who relentlessly harassed men for their crimes, both in life and beyond the grave; this was the first time they had ever wept.
47. sustinet…negare: endure to deny = have the power to say no (to).
oranti: sc. Orpheo (dat.).
ima: sc. loca.
48. Eurydicen: acc. sg.
recentes: with umbras, obj. of inter; ANASTROPHE, reversal of the normal word order, especially in a prep. phrase, was common in poetry.
49. passu: passus, step, pace.
50. simul et: at the same time as = together with.
51. ne flectat: JUSSIVE NOUN CL. dependent on legem, the stipulation (that).
lumina: lumen,light, eye.
donec: conj., until, + subjunct. denoting anticipation or purpose.
Avernas:of Avernus (Hades).
52. exierit: here transitive with a dir. obj.
valles: vallis,valley.
irrita:void, invalid, in vain.
futura: sc. esse, IND. STATE. depending on the idea of speech in legem.
53. acclivis: ascending, sloping upward.
trames:path, trail.
54. caligine: caligo, fog.
55. afuerunt: vowels normally long, like the -e- here, are sometimes shortened in poetry (SYSTOLE), when the syllable was not under the ictus.
telluris…summae:the highest part of the earth = the upper world.
56. hic: adv.
deficeret: sc. Eurydice.
avidus videndi:eager for seeing, eager to see.
58. bracchia: bracchium, arm.
prendi: prendere,to grasp, seize.
certans: certare,to struggle, strive.
59. cedentes: yielding, retreating.
“Orpheus and Eurydice” Peter Paul Rubens, 17th century Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain
Art Resource, NY.
Carpitur acclivis per muta silentia trames, arduus, obscurus, caligine densus opaca. 55 Nec procul afuerunt telluris margine summae; hic, ne deficeret metuens avidusque videndi, flexit amans oculos, et protinus illa relapsa est; bracchiaque intendens, prendique et prendere certans, nil nisi cedentes infelix arripit auras. 60 Iamque iterum moriens, non est de coniuge quicquam questa suo (quid enim nisi se quereretur amatam?), supremumque “Vale,” quod iam vix auribus ille acciperet, dixit revolutaque rursus eodem est.
61. se…amatam: sc. esse; IND. STATE. with the POTENTIAL SUBJUNCT. quereretur, what complaint was she to make except that….
62. supremum…“Vale”: a last farewell.
63. quod…acciperet: REL. CL. OF CHARACTERISTIC.
revoluta…est: revolvere,to roll back.
rursus: adv., again.
eodem: adv., to the same place.
