On Lucan

Extract

1. 151-7 qualiter expressum ventis per nubila fulmen
aetheris impulsi sonitu mundique fragore
emicuit rupitque diem populosque paventes
terruit obliqua praestringens lumina flamma:
in sua templa furit, nullaque exire vetante
materia magnamque cadens magnamque revertens
dat stragem late sparsosque recolligit ignes.

Of the rival interpretations of templa in 155, ‘temples’ and ‘quarters of the sky’ Housman espoused the latter; but he did not explain sua, which Weise explained as ‘loca aut regna, in quibus oritur et quasi habitat et regnat fulmen’ (‘the quarter of the sky whence it came’ Haskins). Such in fact seems the only possible interpretation, given the chosen sense of templa, despite Duff's ‘it rushes to its appointed quarter of the sky’ or Bourgery's ‘elle fond sur les lieux qu'elle consacre.’ But why should Lucan tell us this (Weise's ‘habitat et regnat’ is only his own embroidery), and so spoil his sequel? How a Roman reader would understand templa should be obvious to anyone who has read Pease's note on Cic. Div. 1.19 ipse suos quondam tumulos aut templa petivit/et Capitolinis iniecit sedibus ignis.