[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.
XII. LE CHÈNE DE CÉRÈS.
This short fragment is taken from Ovid, Met. viii. 743.
[L. 3.] porte un immense ombrage. I am under the impression that this happy use of porter has been suggested to Chénier by the term used in painting of ombre portée, defined by Littré (s.v. porté), 'ombre qu'un corps projette sur une surface.' Chénier frequented painters, and himself painted.
[L. 5.] bandeaux, fillets. See vittae in Rich, Dict. of Roman and Greek Antiq.