At regina gravi iamdudum saucia cura vulnus alit venis, et caeco carpitur igni
But the Queen, already for some time wounded by the serious pain of love, nourishes the wound in her veins and is consumed by a blind fire.
There are several obvious correspondences in the texts, namely: The image of fire is not only present in both, but also located in the same place: SapphoÊs  χρῷ πῦρ ὐπαδεδρόμηκεν’ and, in variation, VirgilÊs wound (of fire) is in ÂvenisÊ; ÂcaecoÊ also corresponds to ‘ὀππάτεσσι δ' οὐδ' ἒν ὄρημμ'’ . This perhaps helps us understand that ÂcaecoÊ does not mean that the fire is ÂblindÊ but that it is ÂblindingÊ. That is to say that Dido will become oblivious to anything other than her lust (as she does, for example the building of her city stops and she abandons her chaste sense of duty to Sychaeus). Furthermore, just as Sappho describes the destructive power of passionÊs flame, that she feels like she is Âa step away from deathÊ, so too will DidoÊs love for Aeneas be the death of her. It may be argued that there is a significant difference between the above extracts: the imagery of love as a ÂwoundÊ (as used by Virgil) is not literally present in Sappho. VirgilÊs ÂvulnusÊ may be understood as the wound left by ErosÊ arrows, a popular image throughout classical literature, including in particular, ApolloniusÊ frequent references to ErosÊ arrows and the wounds left by them. 15 Indeed, it has been extensively argued that Virgil Aeneid 4, and in particular his characterization of Dido within it, are modelled on ApolloniusÊ Book 4 and his depiction of Medea. 16 I would like to suggest that Apollonius is not the only Âfurther voiceÊ 17 echoing in this text. The wound may also refer back to Sappho, if one understands the physical pain that Sappho describes to be the result of a mortal injury such as VirgilÊs wound. Like VirgilÊs wound, it is not a normal physical wound, there is no blood drawn by the arrow. Dido ÂalitÊ nurtures and feeds the wound, like an insidious fetus, ÂvenisÊ within her veins. So too are the effects from within Sappho: her ears ring, her eyes lose their sight and sweat pours out. With this understanding, Virgil seems merely to be more concisely summarizing Sappho 31, packing a more loaded allusion into as few words as possible. It has also been argued that Virgil drew heavily from the Roman love poets, such as Catullus, and perhaps they would invoke Catullus 51 as the Âfurther voiceÊ in the first two lines of Aeneid Book 4 on account of the literary similarities: 18
Catullus 51 lines 9 – 16:
lingua sed torpet, tenuis sub artus flamma demanat, sonitu suopte tintinant aures gemina, teguntur lumina nocte. otium, Catulle, tibi molestum est:
15 The Theoi website article on Eros cites many references to ErosÊ archery and the wounds they cause in the Argonautica, (for example 3. 25 ff; 3. 28 ff ff; 3. 82 ff etc.) but also earlier, in Eurip. Iphig. Aul. 548 ( Ἔρως ὁ χρυσοκόμας = τόξ᾽ ἐντείνεται Ê - Golden haired Eros stretches his bow), though the arrows have metaphorical rather than physical effects in Euripides, – one aimed at either  εὐαίωνι’ lifeÊs happiness, the other at  συγχύσει Ê confusion. 16 OÊHara 2011 page 7, footnote 31 17 Lyne 1983 18 OÊHara 2011 page 7.
142
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker