vincit omnia

Jag försöker mig på immersion i det amerikanska, och har föresatsen att undvika det mesta av svenska medier, men emellanåt trillar man dit. Något som väckte visst intresse är den rapportering som varit om den poesibok som var tänkt att sammanställas till det kungliga bröllopet i sommar, men inte kommer bli av. Jag erkänner att jag tycker det är lite trist, då hela genren av epithalamium är skoj, och än mer så ju högre samhällsskikt den riktar sig till.

Claudianus skrev en sådan då den unge kejsar Honorius äktade dottern till Stilicho (en ytterst fascinerande gestalt, han lät bl.a. bränna de Sibyllinska böckerna), och visst är det synd att ingen sätter sig ner och författar något av denna kaliber vid vigslar av vikt. Man kan förresten återanvända stycken härur, om Liljevalchs nu ändå vill smycka allén med dikt:

Adstitit et blande Mariam Cytherea salutat:
"salve sidereae prole augusta Serenae,
magnorum suboles regum parituraque reges.
te propter Paphias sedes Cyprumque reliqui,
te propter libuit tantos explere labores
et tantum transnare maris, ne vilior ultra
privatos paterere lares neu tempore longo
dilatos iuvenis nutriret Honorius ignes.
accipe fortunam generis, diadema resume,
quod tribuas natis, et in haec penetralia rursus,
unde parens progressa, redi. fac nulla subesse
vincula cognatae: quamvis aliena fuisses
principibus, regnum poteras hoc ore mereri.
quae propior sceptris facies? qui dignior aula
vultus erit? non labra rosae, non colla pruinae,
non crines aequant violae, non lumina flammae.
quam iuncti leviter sese discrimine confert
umbra supercilii! miscet quam iusta pudorem
temperies nimio nec sanguine candor abundat!
p262 Aurorae vincis digitos umerosque Dianae;
ipsam iam superas matrem. si Bacchus amator
dotali potuit caelum signare corona,
cur nullis virgo redimitur pulchrior astris?
iam tibi molitur stellantia serta Bootes
inque decus Mariae iam sidera parturit aether.
i, digno nectenda viro tantique per orbem
consors imperii! iam te venerabitur Hister;
nomen adorabunt populi; iam Rhenus et Albis
serviet; in medios ibis regina Sygambros.
quid numerem gentes Atlanteosque recessus
Oceani? toto pariter donabere mundo."

I Loeb-tolkning från 1922:

"Venus stood and addressed Maria with these gentle words: "All hail! revered daughter of divine Serena, scion of great kings and destined to be the mother of kings. For thy sake have I left my home in Paphos' isle and Cyprus; for thy sake was I pleased to face so many labours and cross so many seas lest thou shouldst continue to live a private life little befitting thy true worth and lest young Honorius should still feed in his heart the flame of unrequited love. Take the rank thy birth demands, resume the crown to bequeath it to thy children and re-enter the palace whence thy mother sprang. E'en though no ties of blood united thee to the royal house, though thou wert in no way related thereto, yet would thy beauty render thee worthy of a kingdom. What face could rather win a sceptre? What countenance better adorn a palace? Redder than roses thy lips, whiter than the hoar-frost thy neck, cowslips are not more yellow than thine hair, fire not more bright than thine eyes. With how fine an interspace do the delicate eyebrows meet upon thy forehead! How just the blend that makes thy blush, thy fairness not o'ermantled with too much red! Pinker thy fingers than Aurora's, firmer thy shoulders than Diana's; even thy mother dost thou surpass. If Bacchus, Ariadne's lover, could transform his mistress' garland into a constellation how comes it that a more beauteous maid has no crown of stars? Even now Boötes is weaving for thee a starry crown, even now heaven brings new stars to birth to do thee honour. Go, mate with one who is worthy of thee and share with him an empire co-extensive with the world. Ister now shall do thee homage; all nations shall adore thy name. Now Rhine and Elbe shall be thy slaves; thou shalt be queen among the Sygambri. Why should I number the peoples and the Atlantic's distant shores? The whole world alike shall be thy dowry."