Day 41 was yesterday, August 7, 2012.
Students have begun reciting passages of Aeneid 4 from memory, taking careful pains with their elision, pausing at their principal caesurae, and showcasing the coincidence of ictus and accent after the caesura. Mirablile visu.
TODAY IN AENEID BOOK 4 (388-473): After cursing Aeneas and all his race, Dido hurries from his presence and falls fainting into the arms of her attendants. Her own efforts proving unavailing, Dido sends her sister Anna, hoping that she may persuade Aeneas; but he is deaf to all entreaties. Terrified by omens and disturbed by dreams, Dido determines to die.
After lunch, we had our final poetry survey reading of the summer, the description of Pygmalion and the statue from Ovid’s Metamorphoses.
Later in the afternoon, we resumed our electives, with some students reading Tacitus’ Annals, others reading Augustine’s Confessions, and still others reading Vergil’s Eclogues.
Does all of this sound too good to be true? Tell your friends. Tell your students. Just think—You could be doing this next summer!
More soon…
Note: The opinions expressed in this blog entry are those of the blogger, and do not represent the opinions of the CUNY Latin/Greek Institute, its students, faculty, or administration.