Historically, this little poem has puzzled some commentators, especially the strait-laced ones. Why is Glycera’s a suitable place to summon Venus to? And why is Mercury there at the end? As the god of speech and persuasion, perhaps? It’s probably simpler than that: Romans often used “Venus” just to mean “sex”, and Mercury was the patron god of commerce. If Glycera’s house has sex for sale, other details – like why Cupid is so eager and why the nymphs and graces should come with their girdles undone – fall into place. This Victorian translation by John Conington catches the mood nicely:
Come, Cnidian, Paphian Venus, come,
Thy well-beloved Cyprus spurn,
Haste, where for thee in Glycera’s home
Sweet odours burn.
Bring too thy Cupid, glowing warm,
Graces and Nymphs, unzoned and free,
And Youth, that lacking thee lacks charm,
And Mercury.
See the illustrated blog post here.
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