Magnes Reads Claudian’s Magnes
In the search for my origins, I must do without pictures. Not because I do not find any, no, what I find is not right, or suitable or authentic. I find no pictures of the time when people started to talk about me and to write it down. I only find pictures in central perspective, the centralizing perspective. Pictures framed by the tradition of the Western eye, framed by perceptions guided by reason, to then be judged through lenses (photography, video) or on monitors. Pictures like this record something that must have looked different at the time when one started to write about me. I believe it is important to highlight this difference. Differences suggest latitude, give an idea of degrees of freedom.
I turn first to words. Words that were used two or two and a half thousand years ago to describe something concerning me, words that were then written down. There is for example a poem about me, written around 400 AD, which makes it 1,600 years ago. The poem is called ‘Magnes’. It was written by Claudian. I am starting to disband this poem into passages and words that made it possible at first. Here the poem copied from Penelope:
Hac in pagina telari legitur unum ex Carminibus Minoribus C. Claudiani
a Loeb Classical Library editum MCMXXII cuius textus in dominio publico est. Quem diligentissime perscrutavi et recensui — sed si quemlibet errorem invenies, mihi, quaeso, scribe.
C. Claudiani: Magnes
XXIX (XLVIII)
Quisquis sollicita mundum ratione secutus
semina rimatur rerum, quo luna laborat
defectu, quae causa iubet pallescere solem,
unde rubescentes ferali crine cometae,
unde fluant venti, trepidae quis viscera terrae
concutiat motus, quis fulgura ducat hiatus,
unde tonent nubes, quo lumine floreat arcus,
hoc mihi quaerenti, si quid deprendere veri
mens valet, expediat.
Lapis est cognomine magnes
decolor obscurus vilis. non ille repexam
caesariem regum, non candida virginis ornat
colla nec insigni splendet per cingula morsu;
sed nova si nigri videas miracula saxi,
tunc pulchros superat cultus et quidquid Eois
Indus litoribus Rubra scrutatur in alga.
nam ferro meruit vitam ferrique rigore
vescitur; hoc dulces epulas, hoc pabula novit;
hinc proprias renovat vires; hinc fusa per artus
aspera secretum servant alimenta vigorem;
hoc absente perit: tristi morientia torpent
membra fame, venasque sitis consumit apertas.
Mavors, sanguinea qui cuspide verberat urbes,
et Venus, humanas quae laxat in otia curas,
aurati delubra tenent communia templi.
effigies non una deis: sed ferrea Martis
forma nitet, Venerem magnetica gemma figurat.
illis conubium celebrat de more sacerdos.
ducit flamma choros; festa frondentia myrto
limina cinguntur, roseisque cubilia surgunt
floribus, et thalamum dotalis purpura velat.
hic mirum consurgit opus: Cytherea maritum
sponte rapit caelique toros imitata priores
pectora lascivo flatu Mavortia nectit
et tantum suspendit onus galeaeque lacertos
implicat et vivis totum complexibus ambit.
ille lacessitus longo spiraminis actu
arcanis trahitur gemma de coniuge nodis.
pronuba fit Natura deis ferrumque maritat
aura tenax: subitis sociantur numina furtis.
Quis calor infudit geminis alterna metallis
foedera? quae duras iungit concordia mentes?
flagrat anhela silex et amicam saucia sentit
materiem placidosque chalybs cognoscit amores.
sic Venus horrificum belli compescere regem
et vultum mollire solet, cum sanguine praeceps
aestuat et strictis mucronibus asperat iras.
sola feris occurrit equis solvitque tumorem
pectoris et blando praecordia temperat igni.
pax animo tranquilla datur, pugnasque calentes
deserit et rutilas declinat in oscula cristas.
Quae tibi, saeve puer, non est permissa potestas?
tu magnum superas fulmen caeloque relicto
fluctibus in mediis cogis mugire Tonantem.
iam gelidas rupes vivoque carentia sensu
membra feris, iam saxa tuis obnoxia telis,
et lapides suus ardor agit, ferrumque tenetur
inlecebris; rigido regnant in marmore flammae.