Lucius Annaeus Seneca [Seneca the Younger]
1BC-65 AD *executed by Emperor Nero
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Period)
L. ANNAEI SENECAE HERCVLES [OETAEVS]
Hercvles Sator deorum,
[This is Hercules speaking, o sire of the gods,]
cuius excussum manu
utraeque Phoebi sentiunt fulmen domus,
[you whose house feel the lightning bolt on both sides of Phoebus, once hammered out in your hand, ]
secure regna:
[assure the safety of your reign:]
protuli pacem tibi,
[I've brought you peace,]
quacumque Nereus porrigi terras uetat.
[everywhere Nereus forbids the lands to reach any further.]
non est tonandum;
[You must not thunder;]
perfidi reges iacent,
[treacherous kings now lie dead,]
5
saeui tyranni.
[and savage tyrants too.]
fregimus quidquid fuit
tibi fulminandum.
[I've shattered whatever reason you've had to thunder about.]
sed mihi caelum, parens,
adhuc negatur?
[But, my father, do you still deny me access to heaven?]
parui certe Ioue
ubique dignus teque testata est meum
patrem nouerca.
[IEverywhere, I've proved myself worthy of being a son of Jove, and even my stepmother once testified that you are my father.]
quid tamen nectis moras?
[And yet, why do you delay my right to divine nectar?]
10
numquid timemur?
[It can't be that I'm afraid!]
numquid impositum sibi
non poterit Atlas ferre cum caelo Herculem?
[Can Atlas really manage to bear me, Hercules, and the sky too upon himself?]
quid astra, genitor, quid negas?
[What is it, my sire, why do you refuse?]
mors me tibi
certe remisit,
[In truth, death reunited me with you,]
omne concessit malum
quod terra genuit, pontus aer inferi: 15
[Every wicked being that the earth produced, yield to my power, in air and sea:]
nullus per urbes errat Argolicas leo,
[No lion wanders through the towns of Argos,]
Stymphalis icta est,
[I've struck down the Stymphalian creatures,]
Maenali nulla est fera;
[Maenalus no longer claims its monstrous beast;]
sparsit peremptus aureum serpens nemus
[The serpent fell dead, and splattered its golden forest]
et hydra uires posuit
[and the Hydra split its lifeblood out]
et notos Hebro
cruore pingues hospitum fregi greges 20
[and I broke fat flocks of guests, famous for Hebrus' blood]
hostique traxi spolia Thermodontiae.
[and I dragged my plunder to Thermodon's foe.]
uici regentem fata nec tantum redi,
[I defeated the one who rules our destinies, and I not only returned, ]
sed trepidus atrum Cerberum uidit dies
et ille solem.
[but he saw black Cerberus dragged out to daylight, and even he saw the sun.]
nullus Antaeus Libys
animam resumit,
[No Antaeus of Libus regains his life force,]
I N F I N I T A
