Wilgefortis, Protected By The Beard of Christ [from Acta Sanctorum Mensis Julius]

Hail, Wilgefortis, holy servant of Christ!

You loved Christ with all of your heart

and, when you rejected a marriage to the king of Sicily,

you proved your faith on the Cross.

By your own earthly father’s decree

You endured the tortures of imprisonment,

You grew a beard on your face,

Which you obtained from Christ as a gift

Because you wanted to stop others from wanting to marry you.

Seeing this, your heathen father raised you up

High up on a cross, still wearing your beard

And ready [to die].

Since you had both grace as well as virtue,

As soon as you could,

Your soul fled to Christ’s protection.

O lady,

Because we cherish your memory with solemn praises,

O blessed Wilgefortis,

We beg you to pray on our behalf!

 

--Acta Sanctorum Mensis Julius,  Volume 7, Issue 5 (1748) p. 64 ; (Originally published in Enchiridion praeclarae ecclesiae Sarisburensis, 1533)

 

Ave sancta famula,Wilgefortis,Christi,

quae ex tota anima Christum dilexisti;

dum regis Siciliae nuptias sprevisti;

Crucifixo Domino fidem praebuisti.

Jussu patris carceris tormenta subisti,

crevit barba facie, quod obtinuisti

a Christo pro munere, quod sibi voluisti

te volente nubere sibi confudisti.

videns pater impius te sic deformatam

elevavit arius in cruce paratam.

Ubi cum virtutibus reddidisti gratam

animamque quantocius,Christo commendatam.

Quia devotis laudibus tuam memoriam, virgo, recolimus,

o beata Wilgefortis, ora pro nobis quaesumus.

M/M: Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder: Cicero, de Natura Deorum I1.79

Name:  Cicero Date:  106 – 43 BCE Region:  Rome [modern Italy] Citation:  On the Nature of the Gods, 1.79

For those of us who, following in the footsteps of ancient philosophers, are delighted by young men,* we often even think that their imperfections are cute. Alcaeus was delighted by the birthmark on his boyfriend’s finger. Although a birthmark is a blemish on the body, to Alcaeus, it seemed to be the boy’s best feature. Q. Catulus, the father of a friend and co-worker of mine, loved his fellow citizen Roscius, and composed the following poem about him:

“I stood, welcoming the rising sun

When suddenly Roscius came into view from the left.

Heaven forgive me! I confess

That he, a mortal, seemed prettier than a god.”

Roscius was “prettier than a god,” although he had (and even today, still has) a very bad squint. Why does that matter, if he seemed charming and beautiful in the eyes of his admirer?

* Adulescentulus is used for men in their mid-twenties to early thirties 

Deinde nobis, qui concedentibus philosophis antiquis adulescentulis delectamur, etiam vitia saepe iucunda sunt. Naevos in articulo pueri delectat Alcaeum; at est corporis macula naevos; illi tamen hoc lumen videbatur. Q. Catulus, huius collegae et familiaris nostri pater, dilexit municipem tuum Roscium, in quem etiam illud est eius:

"constiteram exorientem Auroram forte salutans,
    cum subito a laeva Roscius exoritur.
pace mihi liceat caelestes dicere vestra:
    mortalis visus pulchrior esse deo."

Huic deo pulchrior; at erat, sicuti hodie est, perversissimis oculis: Quid refert, si hoc ipsum salsum illi et venustum videbatur?

 

 Cicero [Marcus Tullius Cicero; 106 – 43 BCE, modern Italy] was an Italian-born Roman statesman and author who lived during the complexities of Rome’s transition from Republic to monarchy. Cicero spent most of his life in service of his country, serving as both a lawyer, senator, and even consul [Roman equivalent of president]. He is known for his suppression of the failed governmental coup in 63 BCE known as the Catilinarian conspiracy that occurred during his consulship. After the rise of Octavian [later known as the first Roman emperor Augustus], his views fell out of favor and he was eventually put to death during the proscriptions under the Second Triumvirate [Octavian, Marc Antony and Lepidus]. He was a prolific author in a wide range in genres, and his literary style was adopted by Petrarch as the default model for the Latin language.

Quintus Lutatius Catulus was a prominent figure in the wars against the Cimbri and the Teutones in the 2^nd century BCE. Although he was a prolific author, only fragments remain of his works. 

Androgynous Beauty: Codex Vass. 4.430

O godlike face, worthy of Bacchus or Apollo

Which no man or woman can see without succumbing to your charms!

O fingers, the sort that you’d think

Would belong to a boy

Or a girl

Or—even a goddess!

Blessed is the woman who turns your head with her kisses,

Blessed is the woman who makes your lips red with kisses,

Whichever girl that can hold you, cheek-to-cheek

And wear out your tongue with kisses!

--Attributed falsely to Seneca,  Codex Vassiani 4.430

O sacros vultus Baccho vel Apolline dignos,

Quos vir, quos tuto femina nulla videt!

O digitos, quales pueri vel virginis esse

vel potius credas virginis esse dei!

Felix, si qua tuum conrodit femina collum,

Felix, quae labris livida labra facit,

Quaeque puella tuo cum pectore pectora ponit

et linguam tenero lassat in ore suam.

 

  The Codex Vassianus is a manuscript of Latin poetry that preserves poetry from 13^th century CE and earlier.   

Androgyonous Beauty: Ausonius Epig. 107

Name:  Ausonius Date:  310 – 395 CE Region:  Aquitania, Gaul [modern France] Citation: Epigram 107

While Nature wonders if she made a boy or a girl,

O lovely one, you were made a pretty--almost a girl--boy.

Dum dubitat Natura marem faceretne puellam,

Factus es, O pulcher, paene puella, puer.

--Ausonius, Epig. 107

 Ausonius [Decimus Magnus Ausonius; 310 – 395 CE, modern France] was a Roman poet from Aquitania, Gaul who lived during the 4th century CE. He is best known for his epic poem Mosella, which describes the Moselle River, and his Epistles, a series of literary poems between himself and the Christian poet Paulinus.

Dangerous Beauty: the Punishment of Narcissus, Conon Narr. 24

Narcissus, Punished for his Asexuality

Name:   Conon Date:    1st century BCE – 1st century CE Region:   Cappadocia [modern Turkey] Citation:  Narrations 24

The myth of Narcissus has numerous forms. In some versions, he is punished for not loving the nymph Echo. In others, he is punished for not loving Aminias. This version shows his punishment for never being romantically interested in anyone.

Narcissus was born in Thespia, a town in Boeotia not far from Helicon. He was exceptionally pretty, but he despised love and boyfriends. Many of his suitors fell into despair; Amainas was particularly eager and lovesick. But when Narcissus didn’t pay attention to him...Amainas begged that the gods would avenge him. Then Narcissus, having caught sight of his own face as it was reflected in the water, became the first and only lover of himself. Finally, in despair, he realized he was being punished for rejecting his lovers, he ended his life. From that time on, Thespians especially honor and revere love, not only in public, but they also make sacrifices in private to love, too. The Thespians also think that the Narcissus flower first rose up in the place where Narcissus’ blood fell.

ἐν Θεσπείᾳ τῆς Βοιωτίας ἔστι δ’ ἡ πόλις οὐχ ἑκὰς τοὺς Ἑλικῶνος παῖς ἔφυ Νάρκισσος πάνυ καλὸς καὶ ὑπερόπτης  Ἔρωτός τε καὶ ἐραστῶν. Καὶ οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι τῶν ἐραστῶν ἐρῶντες ἀπηγόρευσαν, Ἀμεινίας δὲ πολὺς ἦν ἐπιμένων καὶ δεόμενος. ὡς δ’ οὐ προσίετο ἀλλὰ καὶ ξίφος προσέπεμψεν, ἑαυτὸν πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν Ναρκίσσου διαχειρίζεται πολλὰ καθικετεύσας τιμωρόν οἱ γενέσθαι τὸν θεόν. Ὁ δὲ Νάρκισσος ἰδὼν αὐτοῦ τὴν ὄψιν καὶ τὴν μορφὴν ἐπὶ κρήνης ἐνδαλλομένην τῷ ὕδατι, καὶ μόνος καὶ πρῶτ τος ἑαυτοῦ γίνεται ἄτοπος ἐραστής. Τέλος ἀμηχανῶν καὶ δίκαια πάσχειν οἰηθεὶς ἀνθ ὧν Ἀμεινίου ἐξύβρισε τοὺς ἔρωτας, ἑαυτὸν διαχρᾶται. Καὶ ἐξ ἐκείνου Θεσπιεῖς μᾶλλον τιμᾶν καὶ γεραίρειν τὸν Ἔρωτα καὶ πρὸς ταῖς κοιναῖς θεραπείαις καὶ ἰδίᾳ θύειν ἔγνωσαν. Δοκοῦσι δ’ οἱ ἐπιχώριοι τὸν νάρκισσον τὸ ἄνθος ἐξ ἐκείνης πρῶτον τῆς γῆς ἀνασχεῖν εἰς ἣν ἐξεχύθη τὸ τοῦ Ναρκίσσου αἷμα.

In Boetia civitate Thespeia, quae non longe ab Helicone sita est, puer natus Narissus, pulcher admodum, sed amoris amatorumque contemptor. Quare alii quidem despondere animum amantes coeperunt: Aminiasque tantum assiduus erat, & pertinax precator. At cum neque hunc audiret ille...deum vehementer precatus, ultor sibi ut fieret. Narcissus igitur vultum aliquando suum contemplatus, formaeque simulacrum in aqua fontis apparens, & solus & primus incipit caeco sui amore flagrare. Ergo consilii tandem inops, & iustas sese dare poenas arbitratus, quod Aminiam amatorem iniuria laesisset, mortem sibi conscivit. Ex eo, responso dato, ut amor magis honoraretur, colereturque, praeter communem cultum, privatim quoque sacrificare decreverunt. Ea autem incolarum opinio est, primum ex illa terra extitisse Narcissum florem, in quam effusus Narcissi sanguis fuisset. Translated into Latin by  Thomas Gale

Conon [1^st century BCE – 1^st century CE, Cappadocia, modern Turkey] was a Greek mythographer who lived during the reign of Augustus. Although his work, the Narrations, is lost, a summary of it was preserved by the Greek author Photius.

The Vanity of Athena, Athenaeus, 14.7

The Vanity of Athena

Name:   Athenaeus Date:   2nd century CE Region:   Naucratis [modern Egypt] Citation:    Deipnosophists  14.7

But Selinuntius Telestes, refuting Melanippus’ statement, said the following about Athena in his Argive History: “I don’t reckon that Athena, the wisest of minds, took up a musical instrument in the tree-topped mountains, and then, being afraid it would make her look ugly and shameful, threw it away. Instead, the flute gave fame to Marsyas, the noisy nymph-born satyr. Why should she care about being beautiful, since Clotho fated her to be asexual, unmarried, and childless?”

‘ ἀλλ᾽ ὅ γε Σελινούντιος Τελέστης τῷ Μελανιππίδῃ ἀντικορυσσόμενος ἐν Ἀργοῖ ἔφη—ὁ δὲ λόγος ἐστὶ περὶ τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς: ὃν σοφὸν σοφὰν λαβοῦσαν οὐκ ἐπέλπομαι νόῳ δρυμοῖς ὀρείοις ὄργανον δῖαν Ἀθάνᾶν, δυσόφθαλμον αἶσχος ἐκφοβηθεῖσαν αὖθις ἐκ χερῶν βαλεῖν νυμφαγενεῖ χειροκτύπῳ φηρὶ Μαρσύᾳ κλέος. τί γαρ νιν εὐηράτοιο κάλλεος ὀξὺς ἔρως ἔτειρεν, ᾇ γὰρ παρθενίαν ἄγαμον καὶ ἄπαιδ᾽ ἀπένειμε Κλωθώ;”

At Selinuntius Telestes, repugnans Melanippidi, in Argo dixit: (agitur autem de Minerva:) “Non mihi credibile videtur, unum omnium sapientissimum instrumentum acceptum Divam sapientem Athenen in montium nemoribus, verentem oris deformitatem adspectu turpem, rursus e manibus proiecisse, Nympha—genito manibus—perstrepenti Sileno Marsyae gloriam. Qui enim illam optabilis pulcritudinis vehemens amor vexasset, cui virginitatem absque nuptiis liberisque tribuit Clotho?” Translated into Latin by Johann Schweighäuser

Athenaeus of Naucratis [2nd century CE, modern Egypt] was a scholar who lived in Naucratis during the reign of the Antonines. His fifteen volume work, the Deipnosophists, are invaluable for the amount of quotations that preserve otherwise lost authors, including the poetry of Sappho.

Girlfriend, be merciful to my boyfriend: Tibullus, Carm.1.8.27-28, 47-51, 67-78

Name: Tibullus [Albius Tibullus] Date:  55 - 19 BCE  Region:  [modern Italy] Citation:  Elegies 1.8.27-28,47-51,67-78

Tibullus offers love advice to his ex-lover Marathus and Marathus' new love interest Pholoe:



Pholoe, remember to not be so hard on the poor boy (puero),

Or Venus, the goddess of love herself, will smite you for your wretched deeds.

But remember to use your beauty while it’s in bloom; it does not last for long.

Stop torturing my boyfriend Marathus: what good in there in gloating over a defeated lover?

It’s totally ok to be mean to creepy old men, but go easy on this tender teen.



And you, Marathus, stop crying: her mind’s made up, her behavior won’t change, she’s just making your eyes all puffy and swollen from crying.



But I warn you, Pholoe, the gods hate the hard-hearted, and they won’t listen to your lip service.

Marathus used to play these games with his wretched partners (amantes), not knowing that the love god had a bounty on his head. He often used to laugh at his lover’s tears, and stand up his dates with made-up excuses. And now he hates the dating game, now he hates excuses and games.

Learn from his mistakes, don’t be as hard-hearted as him, or you’ll rue the day you acted this way!
Nec tu difficilis puero tamen esse memento:
     Persequitur poenis tristia facta Venus....
At tu, dum primi floret tibi temporis aetas,
     Utere: non tardo labitur illa pede.
Neu Marathum torque: puero quae gloria victo est?
     In veteres esto dura, puella, senes.    
Parce precor tenero:...
Desistas lacrimare, puer: non frangitur illa,
     Et tua iam fletu lumina fessa tument.
Oderunt, Pholoe, moneo, fastidia divi,
     Nec prodest sanctis tura dedisse focis.      
Hic Marathus quondam miseros ludebat amantes,
     Nescius ultorem post caput esse deum;
Saepe etiam lacrimas fertur risisse dolentis
     Et cupidum ficta detinuisse mora:
Nunc omnes odit fastus, nunc displicet illi            
     Quaecumque obposita est ianua dura sera.
At te poena manet, ni desinis esse superba.
     Quam cupies votis hunc revocare diem! 

Tibullus [Albius Tibullus, 55-19 BCE] was an Italian born equestrian Roman who lived during the tumultuous transition of Roman government from republic to monarchy.

His volumes of elegies provide insight into the lives and customs of Roman aristocrats. Like Catullus and Propertius, Tibullus used a pseudonym for the objects of his attention; many of his love poems were addressed to either “Delia” or “Marathus."