Waltharius75

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The Aquitainians under Alphere surrender to Attila, giving Walther as a hostage (75–92)

Postquam complevit pactum statuitque tributum, 75  SSSDDS 
Attila in occiduas promoverat agmina partes.  DDSDDS
Elision: Attila in
 
Namque Aquitanorum tunc Alphere regna tenebat,  Aquitanorum: The region of Aquitaine is in present-day south-western France.
Alphere: Apparently legendary.

 

 Aeneid 7.735: . . .Teleboum Capreas cum regna teneret. ‘. . .When he reigned over Teleboan Capreae.’

 

 
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 DSSDDS
Elision: namque Aquitanorum
 
Quem sobolem sexus narrant habuisse virilis,  DSSDDS 
Nomine Waltharium, primaevo flore nitentem.  Waltharium: The protagonist of the epic; apparently legendary.

 

 Aeineid 7.162: primaevo flore iuventus. . . ‘Youths in their early bloom. . .’ Statius, Silvae 5.1.183: vidi omni pridem te flore nitentem. ‘I have seen thee in the full splendour of they fame.’

 

 DDSSDS   Youth is equated several times in the poem with the blooming of a flower, most notably when Hagan accuses Walter of having committed an unpardonable offense by killing his nephew, whom he describes as a blooming flower at lines 1273-4.

'Here as in the other passage, the phrase is used as a means of eliciting pathos, in this case a feeling of pity for Walter who has to go into exile at such a young age. [JJTY] "nitentem": one of many instances in which the Waltharius-poet uses words describing Walther or Hildegund as "glittering" or "shining." Combining the image of light with the image of the flower is particularly striking. MCD 

Nam iusiurandum Heriricus et Alphere reges 80  SSDDDS
Hiatus: iusiurandum Heriricus
 
Inter se dederant, pueros quod consociarent,  Pueros quod consociarent: “that they would unite their children,” i.e., Waltharius and Hiltgunt, in marriage. Quod + subjunctive here replaces, as often, the Classical accusative + infinitive construction.

 

 SDDSDS 
Cum primum tempus nubendi venerit illis.  SSSSDS   The heavily spondaic nature of the line (5 spondees) could reflect a sense in which the two children cannot grow up soon enough--in which the time for their marriage seems like it will never come. 
Hic ubi cognovit gentes has esse domatas,  DSSSDS 
Coeperat ingenti cordis trepidare pavore,  Aeneid 6.491: ingenti trepidare metu. ‘They trembled with a mighty fear.’ 2.685: nos pavidi trepidare metu. . . ‘We, trembling with alarm. . .’ 7.458: olli somnum ingens rumpit pavor. ‘A monstrous terror broke his sleep.’ Lucan, De Bello Civili 5.530: nullo trepidare tumultu. . . ‘To thrill with no alarm. . .’

 

 DSSDDS 
Nec iam spes fuerat saevis defendier armis. 85  Aeneid 8.492-493.: ille inter caedem Rutulorum elapsus in agros/ confugere et Turni defendier hospitis armis. ‘Amid the carnage, he flees for refuge to Rutulian soil and find shelter among the weapons of Turnus his friend.’ 12.890: saevis certandum est comminus armis. ‘We must contend hand to hand with savage weapons.’

 

 SDSSDS 
'Quid cessemus', ait, 'si bella movere nequimus?  Aeneid 6.820: nova bella moventis. . . ‘Stirring up revolt. . .’ 12.332-333.: sanguineus Mavors clipeo increpat atque furentis/ bella movens immittit equos. ‘Blood-stained Mavors, stirred to fury, thunders with his shield and, rousing war, gives rein to his frenzied steeds.’

 

 SDSDDS   "movere": The Aquitanians seem to lack both the means and the will after the surrenders of the Burgundians and the Franks even to 'stir up' a war, let alone to 'wage' a war ("bellum gerere"). 
Exemplum nobis Burgundia, Francia donant.  
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 SSSDDS 
Non incusamur, si talibus aequiperamur.  SSSDDS 
Legatos mitto foedusque ferire iubebo  Aeineid 10.154: foedusque ferit. ‘He strikes a treaty.’

 

 SSSDDS 
Obsidis inque vicem dilectum porrigo natum 90  Obsidis in vicem equiv. to pro obside

 

 DDSSDS 
Et iam nunc Hunis censum persolvo futurum.'  
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 SSSSDS   The spondaic nature of the line - SSSDS - could reflect Alphere's sadness at having to hand over his son to Attila. 
Sed quid plus remorer? dictum compleverat actis.  Aeineid 2.102: quidve moror? ‘Why do I delay?’ Liber Numerorum 11.23: iam nunc videbis utrum meus sermo opere conpleatur. ‘Thou shalt presently se whether my word shall come to pass or no.’

 

 SDSSDS   The poet uses a common narratological tool to speed up the course of the story by avoiding needless repetition. 

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