Pages

Friday, April 29, 2011

Plautus, Epidicus

Titus Maccius Plautus {Plautus}
254-185 BC
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Republican Era)


 T. MACCI PLAVTI EPIDICVS

PERSONAE [Characters]

EPIDICVS SERVVS [Epidicus the slave]
THESPRIO SERVVS [Thresprio the slave]
STRATIPPOCLES ADVLESCENS [Stratippocles the young man]
CHAERIBVLVS ADVLESCENS [Chaeribulus the young man]
PERIPHANES SENEX [Periphanes the old man]
APOECIDES SENEX [Apoicides the old man]
FIDICINA
MILES [Soldier]
PHILIPPA MVLIER [Philippa a woman]
ACROPOLISTIS FIDICINA [Acropolistis the flute player]
DANISTA
TELESTIS VIRGO [Telestis the maiden]

ARGVMENTVM
Emit fidicinam, filiam credens, senex
Persuasu servi,
[An old man, through the persuasion of his slave, and through the confidence of his daughter, bought a flute-player, ]

 atque conductam
Iterum pro amica ei subiecit filii.
[and he traded her back again in exchange for his son's girlfriend.]

Dat erili argentum.
[He gives the owner, just a boy, some money.]

 eo sororem destinat
Imprudens iuvenis.
[The reckless young man directs his sister to him.]

compressae ac militis
Cognoscit opera sibi senex os sublitum —
[The old man recognizes the covered-up face of the girl and the tricks of a soldier--]

Vt ille amicam, haec quaerebat filiam —
[What happens is that the later begins to request his girlfriend , and she, her daughter--]

Sed inventa gnata servolum emittit manu.
[The daughter, once she's been discovered, frees the little slave boy.]

ACTVS I

I.i
EPIDICVS Heus, adulescens.
[EP Hallo there, young man!]

THESPRIO Quis properantem me
                                           reprehendit pallio?
[TH Who's that holding me back by my cloak while I trying to hurry on?]

EP. Familiaris.
[EP A relative.]

TH. Fateor, nam odio es nimium familiariter.
[TH Then I confess you're right, because you are much too familiar in becoming a thorn in my side.]

EP. Respice vero, THESPRIO.
[Now really, look behind you, Thesprio.]

 TH. Oh,
Epidicumne ego conspicor?
[TH Oh, now is that Epidicus that I gaze up now?]

EP. Satis recte oculis uteris.                                        5
[EP, Yessiree, that's correct by either eye.]

TH. Salve.
[TH Good day.]

EP. Di dent quae velis.
[EP May the gods grant whatever you wish for.]

venire salvom gaudeo.
[I'm happy to come in a good day fashion.]

 TH. Quid ceterum?
[TH But why so?]

 EP. Quod eo adsolet:
[EP Because this happens to be case:]

cena tibi dabitur.
[You will be given a supper.]

 TH. Spondeo.
[I promise!]

 EP. Quid?
[EP Why's that?]

 TH. Me accepturum, si dabis.
[TH I'll no doubt accept, if you will give it.]

EP. Quid tu agis?
[EP So how you are?]

 ut vales?
[Are you ok?]

 exemplum adesse intellego.
[I now take you for a good example that's walked up.]

euge,
corpulentior videre atque habitior.
[That's awesome, you seem fatter, and more well-adjusted.]

TH. Huic gratia. 
[Thanks to this.]
                                     10
EP. Quam quidem te iam diu
perdidisse oportuit.
[Really now, you needed to have gotten rid of that long ago.]
                                   11a
T. Minus iam furtificus sum quam antehac.
[I'm no less a scoundrel now than I was before.]

E. Quid ita?
[Why's that?]

T. Rapio propalam.
[I steal out in the open.]

EP. Di immortales te infelicent,
[Good gods, let them make you miserable]

ut tu es gradibus grandibus.
[as you are like hailstones on stairways.]

nam ut apud portum te conspexi,
[You see, as soon as I saw you standing by the gate,]

 curriculo occepi sequi:
[I took upon to follow you in a tiny wagon.]

vix adipiscendi potestas modo fuit.
[Bearly did I have the power to even acquire one of these.]

 TH. Scurra es.
[You're a buffoon.]

EP. Scio                                15
te esse equidem hominem militarem.
[And really now, I know you are a man of the army.]

 TH. Audacter quam vis dicito.
[Let it be said as boldly as you wish.]

quid ais?
[What are you saying?]

 perpetuen valuisti?
[And have you fared well so far?]

 EP. Varie.
[So so.]