XI. Bacchus. – André Chénier

This piece is imitated from Ovid, Met. iv. II ff. It also contains
reminiscences of Ovid, De Arte Am. i. 541; Catullus, lxiv. 225.

L. 1. Thyonée Thyoneus, i.e. son of Thyone, another name of Semele.

L. 2. Dionysius, Evan, Iacchus, Lenaeus, names of Bacchus. The origin
of the first three is obscure, while Lenaeus is from [Greek: lêmos], a
wine-press.

L. 9. étoilé. The fur of the lynx is spotted.

L. 11. aux axes de tes chars. Lat. axis (Fr. axe) is properly
Fr. essieu (from Lat. axiculus), Eng. axle which has also been
sometimes replaced by axis. (The O. E. word was ax (æx), related
to Lat. axis.) But here axe is used, as in Latin, for roue, i.e.
‘wheel.’ See also note p. 65, XI, l. 2.

L. 17. Et le rauque tambour. Et does duty for ainsi que.

L. 18. Les hautbois tortueux–‘tibia curva’ Tibul, ii. I. 86.–les
doubles crotales:, crotals, or crotala, are a sort of castanets.
They are called doubles because they consisted of two little brass
plates, or rods.