Ad Patrem
P. 35. 1. Pieria’s: used for Pierian, from Pierus, a mountain of Thessaly sacred to the muses.
P. 36. 18. Clio: the Muse of History, ‘inasmuch,’ says Masson, ‘as what he is to say about his Father is strictly true.’
P. 36. 22. Promethean fire: the fire which Prometheus brought down from heaven.
P. 37. 44. Ophiuchus: i.e. a serpent holder (ὄφις + ἔχειν); a constellation in the northern hemisphere, the outline of which is imagined to be a man holding a serpent; called also Anguitenens and Serpentarius, which have the same meaning; Ophiuchus is the translator’s word; the original is sibila serpens, the hissing serpent.
P. 37. 45. Orion: a constellation with sword, belt, and club; ‘Orion arm’d.’—P. L., i. 305.
P. 37. 50. Lyæus: an epithet of Bacchus as the deliverer from care (Gk. λυαίος).
P. 37. 53. proposed: set forth.
P. 37. 55. to imitation: i.e. for imitation, to be imitated, i.e. the character of heroes and their deeds.
P. 38. 92. Streams Aonian: so called as if the resort of the muses.
P. 39. 120. the boy: Phaëthon.
P. 40. 141-148. Ye too,... my voluntary numbers: it does not seem to me improbable that these six lines [115-120 of the original] were added to the poem just before its publication in the volume of 1645. The phrase ‘juvenilia carmina’ seems to refer to that volume as containing this piece among others. Anyhow, it was a beautiful ending and prophetic.—Masson.