1. carmen — Lewis & Short
carmen, ĭnis, n. (old form cas-men,
Varr. L. L. p. 86 Bip.) [Sanscr. çasto declaim, praise; cf.: camilla, censeo],I a tune, song; poem, verse; an oracular response, a prophecy; a form of incantation (cf.: cano, cantus, and canto).
I In gen., a tune, song, air, lay, strain, note, sound, both vocal and instrumental (mostly poet.; in prose, instead of it, cantus; cf.
also versus, numeri, modi): carmen tuba ista peregit ( = sonus),Enn. Ann. 508 Vahl.:
carmine vocali clarus citharāque Philammon,Ov. M. 11, 317; cf.
vocum,id. ib. 12, 157:
per me (sc. Apollinem) concordant carmina nervis,id. ib. 1, 518; cf. id. ib. 11, 5;
5, 340: solaque culminibus ferali carmine bubo Saepe queri,Verg. A. 4, 462; so id. G. 4, 514; Ov. M. 10, 453:
cygnorum,id. ib. 5, 387; cf. id. ib. 14, 430; Mart. 13, 77:
citharae liquidum carmen,Lucr. 4, 981; cf. id. 2, 506; Hor. C. 1, 15, 15:
lyrae carmen,Prop. 2, 1, 9 Hertzb.:
canere miserabile carmen,Ov. M. 5, 118:
harundineum,id. Tr. 4, 1, 12:
socialia carmina,id. H. 12, 139:
barbaricum,id. M. 11, 163.—With allusion to playing on the cithara:
hoc carmen hic tribunus plebis non vobis sed sibi intus canit,Cic. Agr. 2, 26, 68; cf. Aspendius.—Also the sound of waves, Claud. Cons. Mall. Th. 319; cf. Auct. Aetn. 295.—
II Esp., a composition in verse, a poem; poetry, verse, song, whether in a broader sense, of every kind of poetic production, epic, dramatic, lyric (opp. to prose and to cantus, the melody), or, in a more restricted sense, for lyric poetry.
A Cum hanc felicitatem non prosa modo multi sint consecuti sed etiam carmine, Quint. 10, 7, 19; cf. id. 1, 8, 2; 8, 6, 27; 10, 1, 95:
perspicuum est, et cantus (melodies) tum fuisse rescriptos vocum sonis et carmina (words),Cic. Tusc. 4, 2, 3; id. de Or. 2, 8, 34; 3, 51, 197:
carminibus cum res gestas coepere poetae Tradere,Lucr. 5, 1444:
Maeonii carminis alite,Hor. C. 1, 6, 2:
epicum carmen,Quint. 10, 1, 62:
heroici sublimitas,id. 1, 8, 5; cf. Prop. 3 (4), 3, 16.
Iliacum,Hor. A. P. 129:
historia quodammodo carmen solutum,Quint. 10, 1, 31:
Pierium,Lucr. 1, 946; 4, 21:
tragicum,Hor. A. P. 220:
carmina Livi,id. Ep. 2, 1, 69; cf. Tac. A. 11, 13:
Saliorum carmina,Varr. L. L. 3, 26; 9, 61; Quint. 1, 6, 40; Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 86 Schmid.; cf. Liv. 1, 20, 4 al.:
lyricorum carmina,Quint. 9, 4, 53; Prop. 4 (5), 6, 32.
Aeolium,Hor. C. 3, 30, 13:
Lydis remixto carmine tibiis,id. ib. 4, 15, 30; cf. id. Epod. 9, 5:
carmen funebre proprie Naenia,Quint. 8, 2, 8:
carmina quae in Phaeacum epulis canuntur,Cic. Brut. 18, 71; cf. id. ib. 19, 75:
lascivum,Quint. 9, 4, 108:
obscena,satirical, abusive poems, libels, Prop. 1, 16, 10;
the same: famosum,Hor. Ep. 1, 19, 31 Schmid.:
malum,id. ib. 2, 1, 153; id. S. 2, 1. 82 Heind.:
obliquum,Stat. S. 1, 2, 27:
probrosum,Tac. A. 4, 31; cf.:
si quis carmen condidisset quod infamiam faceret flagitiumve alteri,Cic. Rep. 4, 10, 12; and Fragm. XII. Tab. 8, 1, ap. Wordsw. Fragm. and Spec. p. 259 sq.; Fischer ad Cic. Tusc. 4, 2, 4.—Phrases:
canere,Cic. Brut. 18, 71; Liv. 1, 20, 4 al.:
cantare cui,Hor. C. 3, 1, 4:
cantitare,Cic. Brut. 19, 75: CONDERE, XII. Tab. ap. Cic. Rep. 4, 10, 12; Lucr. 5, 1; Hor. S. 2, 1, 82; id. A. P. 436:
contexere,Cic. Cael. 8, 18:
disponere,Lucr. 3, 420:
pangere,id. 1, 934; 4, 9:
fingere,Hor. C. 4, 2, 32; id. Ep. 2, 1, 227; id. A. P. 331:
dicere,id. C. 4, 12, 10; id. C. S. 8:
dictare,id. S. 1, 10, 75; id. Ep. 2, 1, 110:
docere,id. C. 2, 19, 1:
ad umbilicum adducere,id. Epod. 14, 7:
deducere ad sua tempora,Ov. M. 1, 4:
fundere,Cic. Tusc. 1, 26, 64:
componere ad lyram,Quint. 1, 10, 29; cf. id. 11, 2, 11.—
B Esp.
1 In a restricted sense for lyric or epic poetry:
carmine tu gaudes, hic delectatur iambis,Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 59 Schmid.; cf.:
carmina compono, hic elegos,id. ib. 2, 2, 91: amabile carmen, i. e. a love poem or song, id. ib. 1, 3, 24.—And opp. to the drama for an epic or lyric poem:
fabula, quae versatur in tragoediis atque carminibus,Quint. 2, 4, 2.—
2 A part of a great epic poem, a book, canto:
in primo carmine,Lucr. 6, 937. —
3 A poetic inscription:
et tumulum facite et tumulo superaddite carmen: Daphnis ego, etc.,Verg. E. 5, 42; id. A. 3, 287; Ov. M. 14, 442; id. F. 3, 547 al.—
4 A response of an oracle, a prophecy, prediction:
ultima Cumaei venit jam carminis aetas,Verg. E. 4, 4; so Ov. M. 6, 582; Liv. 1, 45, 5; 23, 11, 4; 25, 12, 4; 29, 10, 6; 38, 45, 3; Tac. A. 3, 63; 4, 43; 6, 12 al.—
5 A magic formula, an incantation: MALVM, Fragm. XII. Tab. ap. Plin. 28, 2, 4, § 17; cf.
Fragm. XII. Tab. 8, 1, a. ap. Wordsw. Fragm. and Spec. p. 260: polleantne aliquid verba et incantamenta carminum,Plin. 28, 2, 3, § 10: carmina vel caelo possunt deducere lunam;
Carminibus Circe socios mutavit Ulixi,Verg. E. 8, 69 sq.; so id. A. 4, 487; Hor. Epod. 5, 72; 17, 4; id. S. 1, 8, 19; Prop. 2 (3), 28, 35; Ov. M. 7, 137; 14, 58; Quint. 7, 3, 7; Tac. A. 2, 69; 4, 22 al.—
6 On account of the very ancient practice of composing forms of religion and law in Saturnian verse, also a formula in religion or law, a form:
diro quodam carmine jurare,Liv. 10, 38, 10; 10, 41, 3; 31, 17, 9; 1, 24, 6 and 9; Plin. 28, 2, 3, § 12:
cruciatus carmina,Cic. Rab. Perd. 4, 13; cf. id. Mur. 12, 26:
lex horrendi carminis erat: duumviri perduellionem judicent, etc.,of a dreadful form, Liv. 1, 26, 6:
rogationis carmen,id. 3, 64, 10.—
7 Moral sentences composed in verses:
Appii Caeci carmen,Cic. Tusc. 4, 2, 4; cf.:
liber Catonis qui inscriptus est Carmen de moribus,Gell. 11, 2, 2:
ut totum illud, VTI. LINGVA. NVNCVPASSIT., non in XII. tabulis, sed in magistri carmine scriptum videretur,Cic. de Or. 1, 57, 245:
necessarium,id. Leg. 2, 23, 59.