Lucius Annaeus Seneca [Seneca the Younger]
1BC-65 AD *executed by Emperor Nero
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Period)
L. ANNAEI SENECAE PHAEDRA
Hippolytvs Ite, umbrosas cingite siluas
summaque montis iuga Cecropii!
[Hippolytus, go, bind the shady forests and the highest peaks of Cecrop's cliff!]
celeri planta lustrate uagi
quae saxoso loca Parnetho
subiecta iacent,
[Wander your soles upon a quick gait, ones to press upon the places lying below the rocky Parthenon,]
quae Thriasiis uallibus amnis 5
rapida currens uerberat unda;
[whose river, rushing with its swift waves, lashes against the Thriasian valleys;]
scandite colles semper canos
niue Riphaea.
[Climb the hills that are always snowy from Riphaean snow.]
Hac, hac alii qua nemus alta
texitur alno,
[Over here, and over there, where the tall grove is covered by the elder tree,]
qua prata patent 10
[where the meadows stretch]
quae rorifera mulcens aura
Zephyrus uernas euocat herbas,
[whose budding grasses the soothing west wind calls out with its dewy breeze,]
ubi per graciles breuis Ilisos
labitur agros piger
[where there lazy Ilisus glades through the gracile fields, briefly,]
et steriles
amne maligno radit harenas. 15
[and grazes the sterile sands with its ill-starred river.]
Vos qua Marathon tramite laeuo
saltus aperit,
[Wherever Marathon reveals you to meadows along its leftward path,]
qua comitatae gregibus paruis
nocturna petunt pabula fetae;
[where bands of colts from small flocks seek the meadowlands at night;]
uos qua tepidis subditus austris 20
frigora mollit durus Acharneus.
[and where the harsh Acharneus softens the cold spells, as it lies open to the warm southerlies.]
Alius rupem dulcis Hymetti,
~paruas alius calcet Aphidnas;
[the first treads Hymettus' cliff, the other, the small Aphidnae;]
pars illa diu uacat immunis,
[that region lies open, and unwalled, for a long time,]
qua curuati litora ponti 25
Sunion urget.
[that is, where Sunion pushes upon the shores of its curved sea.]
si quem tangit gloria siluae,
uocat hunc ~flius:
[And he is one whom, if fame of the woods touches him, one callls him ??? <suggestions>]
hic uersatur, metus agricolis,
uulnere multo iam notus aper. 30
[Here is where he runs around, the terror to our farmers, the boar already famous for inflicting so many wounds.]
At uos laxas canibus tacitis
mittite habenas;
[But, for your sakes, set down the reins that you've loosened from your silent dogs;]
teneant acres lora Molossos
[let your straps hold snarling Molossian hounds]
et pugnaces tendant Cretes
fortia trito uincula collo.
[and let the pugnacious Cretan dogs pull upon study chains along their well-worn necks.]
at Spartanos (genus est audax 35
auidumque ferae) nodo cautus
propiore liga:
[but be cautious when you tie your Spartan hounds with a tighter knot: this is a bold breed, one eager for wild game;]
ueniet tempus, cum latratu
caua saxa sonent.
[let the time come, as soon as hollow stones echo from barking.]
I N F I N I T A
Showing posts with label Seneca Minor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seneca Minor. Show all posts
Friday, May 20, 2011
Seneca the Younger, Soliloquoy of Oedipus
Lucius Annaeus Seneca [Seneca the Younger]
1BC-65 AD *executed by Emperor Nero
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Period)
L. ANNAEI SENECAE OEDIPVS
Oedipvs Iam nocte Titan dubius expulsa redit
[This is Oedipus, already the titanic Sun returns more doubtfully, as the night has been cast away,]
et nube maestum squalida exoritur iubar,
[and its gloomy pyre arises from a squalid cloud,]
lumenque flamma triste luctifica gerens
[and carrying a sad light from its mournful flame,]
prospiciet auida peste solatas domos,
[let him gaze upon the halls of his home that have grown accustomed to a virulent plague,]
stragemque quam nox fecit ostendet dies. 5
[and let daylight show the destruction that the night has wrought.]
Quisquamne regno gaudet?
[Whoever finds happiness in his own reign?]
o fallax bonum,
[O you deceitful blessing,]
quantum malorum fronte quam blanda tegis!
[how many evils have you covered with a charming veneer!]
ut alta uentos semper excipiunt iuga
[As the lofty peaks of mountains snatch the winds,]
rupemque saxis uasta dirimentem freta
quamuis quieti uerberat fluctus maris, 10
[and so long as the waves of the quiet sea beat the shore cliff that breaks the vast swells upon its rocks]
imperia sic excelsa Fortunae obiacent.
[the Goddesses of Fortune shall thusly engage in their heavenly-bethrothed powers.]
Quam bene parentis sceptra Polybi fugeram!
[How well had I done to flee the scepter of my father Polybius!]
curis solutus exul,
[As an exile, I was free from worries,]
intrepidus uagans
[a bold and fearless wanderer]
(caelum deosque testor)
[I swear to the heavens and gods!]
in regnum incidi;
[then I fell upon a kingdom;]
infanda timeo:
[I fear to speak things that must not be uttered:]
ne mea genitor manu 15
perimatur;
[lest my father should be slaughtered by my own hand;]
hoc me Delphicae laurus monent,
[the laurel branches of Delphi warned me about this,]
aliudque nobis maius indicunt scelus.
[and they informed me of another, even greater crime.]
est maius aliquod patre mactato nefas?
[What is more unspeakable than to have murdered one's father?]
pro misera pietas (eloqui fatum pudet),
[Mercy, for my woe, for it brings me shame to reveal in destiny in speech,]
thalamos parentis Phoebus et diros toros 20
gnato minatur impia incestos face.
[Apollo set to threaten the wedding chamber of my father, and the gloomy marriage bed that lay sullied by a son's impious torchlight.]
hic me paternis expulit regnis timor,
[And at that point, fear cast me right out of my father's kingdom,]
hoc ego penates profugus excessi meos:
[and it is I who, as a fugitive, destroyed my own family's gods, by this action:]
parum ipse fidens mihimet in tuto tua,
natura, posui iura.
[I, yes I, entrusting so little of myself in what was assured by you, Nature, I accepted the oaths you swore.]
cum magna horreas, 25
[Then you shall shudder greatly,]
quod posse fieri non putes metuas tamen:
[and still you should fear whatever you suspect can never be able to, to come about:]
cuncta expauesco
[I completely exhausted myself with panic]
meque non credo mihi.
[I could not believe that I was indeed who was I.]
Iam iam aliquid in nos fata moliri parant.
[And now already the Fates prepare something else for me to suffer.]
1BC-65 AD *executed by Emperor Nero
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Period)
L. ANNAEI SENECAE OEDIPVS
Oedipvs Iam nocte Titan dubius expulsa redit
[This is Oedipus, already the titanic Sun returns more doubtfully, as the night has been cast away,]
et nube maestum squalida exoritur iubar,
[and its gloomy pyre arises from a squalid cloud,]
lumenque flamma triste luctifica gerens
[and carrying a sad light from its mournful flame,]
prospiciet auida peste solatas domos,
[let him gaze upon the halls of his home that have grown accustomed to a virulent plague,]
stragemque quam nox fecit ostendet dies. 5
[and let daylight show the destruction that the night has wrought.]
Quisquamne regno gaudet?
[Whoever finds happiness in his own reign?]
o fallax bonum,
[O you deceitful blessing,]
quantum malorum fronte quam blanda tegis!
[how many evils have you covered with a charming veneer!]
ut alta uentos semper excipiunt iuga
[As the lofty peaks of mountains snatch the winds,]
rupemque saxis uasta dirimentem freta
quamuis quieti uerberat fluctus maris, 10
[and so long as the waves of the quiet sea beat the shore cliff that breaks the vast swells upon its rocks]
imperia sic excelsa Fortunae obiacent.
[the Goddesses of Fortune shall thusly engage in their heavenly-bethrothed powers.]
Quam bene parentis sceptra Polybi fugeram!
[How well had I done to flee the scepter of my father Polybius!]
curis solutus exul,
[As an exile, I was free from worries,]
intrepidus uagans
[a bold and fearless wanderer]
(caelum deosque testor)
[I swear to the heavens and gods!]
in regnum incidi;
[then I fell upon a kingdom;]
infanda timeo:
[I fear to speak things that must not be uttered:]
ne mea genitor manu 15
perimatur;
[lest my father should be slaughtered by my own hand;]
hoc me Delphicae laurus monent,
[the laurel branches of Delphi warned me about this,]
aliudque nobis maius indicunt scelus.
[and they informed me of another, even greater crime.]
est maius aliquod patre mactato nefas?
[What is more unspeakable than to have murdered one's father?]
pro misera pietas (eloqui fatum pudet),
[Mercy, for my woe, for it brings me shame to reveal in destiny in speech,]
thalamos parentis Phoebus et diros toros 20
gnato minatur impia incestos face.
[Apollo set to threaten the wedding chamber of my father, and the gloomy marriage bed that lay sullied by a son's impious torchlight.]
hic me paternis expulit regnis timor,
[And at that point, fear cast me right out of my father's kingdom,]
hoc ego penates profugus excessi meos:
[and it is I who, as a fugitive, destroyed my own family's gods, by this action:]
parum ipse fidens mihimet in tuto tua,
natura, posui iura.
[I, yes I, entrusting so little of myself in what was assured by you, Nature, I accepted the oaths you swore.]
cum magna horreas, 25
[Then you shall shudder greatly,]
quod posse fieri non putes metuas tamen:
[and still you should fear whatever you suspect can never be able to, to come about:]
cuncta expauesco
[I completely exhausted myself with panic]
meque non credo mihi.
[I could not believe that I was indeed who was I.]
Iam iam aliquid in nos fata moliri parant.
[And now already the Fates prepare something else for me to suffer.]
Seneca the Younger, Soliloquoy of Hercules
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,]
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,]
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Seneca the Younger, Soliloquoy of Octavia
Lucius Annaeus Seneca [Seneca the Younger]
1BC-65 AD *executed by Emperor Nero
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Period)
L. ANNAEI SENECAE OCTAVIA
Octavia Iam uaga caelo sidera fulgens
Aurora fugat,
[This is Octavia now speaking, shining Dawn puts to flight the wavering stars, away from the sky,]
surgit Titan radiante coma
[the sun, Titan, rises with his shining hair]
mundoque diem reddit clarum.
[and returns the clear sky of day to the world.]
Age, tot tantis onerata malis,
[Come you, who are burdened so often with so great evils, ]
5
repete assuetos iam tibi questus
[seek again the journeys that you've grown used to]
atque aequoreas uince Alcyonas,
[and prevail over the watery Alcyonae,]
uince et uolucres Pandionias:
[and prevail over the birds of Pandionia too:]
grauior namque his fortuna tua est.
[on that matter, your own fortune is graver than these.]
Semper genetrix deflenda mihi, 10
[Always are you a mother who causes me to weep,]
prima meorum causa malorum,
[and the first reason for my troubles,]
tristes questus natae exaudi,
[as I heard in length of about the tragic accounts of your daughter,]
si quis remanet sensus in umbris.
[if any feeling remains in among the shades.]
utinam ante manu grandaeua sua
mea rupisset stamina Clotho, 15
[If only Clotho had broken the long string of my life in her hand, before,]
tua quam maerens uulnera uidi
oraque foedo sparsa cruore!
[than I had to see look upon your wounds, in grief, and your face spattered in messy blood!]
o nox semper funesta mihi;
[O, how night is ever a matter of life and death for me;]
tempore ab illo lux est tenebris
inuisa magis:
[from that very moment in time, daylight became more odious than darkness: ]
20
tulimus saeuae iussa nouercae,
[I suffered the orders of a cruel stepmother]
hostilem animum uultusque truces.
[and her hostile attitude, and her fierce scowls.]
1BC-65 AD *executed by Emperor Nero
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Period)
L. ANNAEI SENECAE OCTAVIA
Octavia Iam uaga caelo sidera fulgens
Aurora fugat,
[This is Octavia now speaking, shining Dawn puts to flight the wavering stars, away from the sky,]
surgit Titan radiante coma
[the sun, Titan, rises with his shining hair]
mundoque diem reddit clarum.
[and returns the clear sky of day to the world.]
Age, tot tantis onerata malis,
[Come you, who are burdened so often with so great evils, ]
5
repete assuetos iam tibi questus
[seek again the journeys that you've grown used to]
atque aequoreas uince Alcyonas,
[and prevail over the watery Alcyonae,]
uince et uolucres Pandionias:
[and prevail over the birds of Pandionia too:]
grauior namque his fortuna tua est.
[on that matter, your own fortune is graver than these.]
Semper genetrix deflenda mihi, 10
[Always are you a mother who causes me to weep,]
prima meorum causa malorum,
[and the first reason for my troubles,]
tristes questus natae exaudi,
[as I heard in length of about the tragic accounts of your daughter,]
si quis remanet sensus in umbris.
[if any feeling remains in among the shades.]
utinam ante manu grandaeua sua
mea rupisset stamina Clotho, 15
[If only Clotho had broken the long string of my life in her hand, before,]
tua quam maerens uulnera uidi
oraque foedo sparsa cruore!
[than I had to see look upon your wounds, in grief, and your face spattered in messy blood!]
o nox semper funesta mihi;
[O, how night is ever a matter of life and death for me;]
tempore ab illo lux est tenebris
inuisa magis:
[from that very moment in time, daylight became more odious than darkness: ]
20
tulimus saeuae iussa nouercae,
[I suffered the orders of a cruel stepmother]
hostilem animum uultusque truces.
[and her hostile attitude, and her fierce scowls.]
Seneca the Younger, Apocolocyntosis (Pumpkinification of Divine Claudius)
Lucius Annaeus Seneca [Seneca the Younger]
1BC-65 AD *executed by Emperor Nero
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Period)
[1] Quid actum sit in caelo ante diem III idus Octobris anno novo,initio saeculi felicissimi, volo memoriae tradere.
[I wish to related to you, from memory, what I think took place in heaven, the day before the 3rd Ides of October, in a strange year, and at the start of a most happily-starred age in time.]
Nihil nec offensae nec gratiae dabitur.
[Nothing will be the cause of offense, or favor.]
Haec ita vera si quis quaesiverit unde sciam,
[If someone shall've ask me how I know the following things are thusly true,]
primum, si noluero, non respondebo.
[I will not give a reply, at least if I shall not've wished in the beginning.]
Quis coacturus est?
[Who should be forced to do anything?]
Ego scio me liberum factum, ex quo suum diem obiit ille,
[I know that I was born a free man, from the very time that our protagonist died that day,]
qui verum proverbium fecerat,
[who had once made the saying true,]
aut regem aut fatuum nasci oportere.
["that either one is born a king, or a fool."]
Si libuerit respondere,
[If I feel like responding,]
dicam quod mihi in buccam venerit.
[I'll say whatever shall come to my mouth.]
Quis unquam ab historico iuratores exegit?
[What jurors ever demanded penalties from a historical writer?]
Tamen si necesse fuerit auctorem producere,
[Still, if it shall've become necessary to bring out the author,]
quaerito ab eo qui Drusillam euntem in caelum vidit:
[let him be sought from that man who once saw Drusilla flying up to heaven:]
idem Claudium vidisse se dicet iter facientem "non passibus aequis."
[and likewise, I hope he says he had seen Claudius making his way "upon no even gait".]
Velit nolit,
[Whether he wants it or not,]
necesse est illi omnia videre,
[it's not necessary for him to see everything,]
quae in caelo aguntur:
[that goes on in heaven:]
Appiae viae curator est,
[he is the caretaker of the Appian Way,]
qua scis et divum Augustum et Tiberium Caesarem ad deos isse.
[the place you know where Divine Augustus, and Tiberius Caesar had left to join the gods.]
Hunc si interrogaveris,
[If you shall asked him:]
soli narrabit:
[he will tell only a single person:]
coram pluribus nunquam verbum faciet.
[he will never speak in the presence of more than one person.]
Nam ex quo in senatu iuravit se Drusillam vidisse caelum ascendentem
[You see, from the very moment he swore, in the Senate, that he had witnissed Drusilla ascending to heaven,]
et illi pro tam bono nuntio nemo credidit,
[and not a man believed him to be so faithful a messenger,]
quod viderit,
[whatever he shall've witnessed,]
verbis conceptis affirmavit se non indicaturum,
[he asserted that he would not prove with any words he could conceive,]
etiam si in medio foro hominem occisum vidisset.
[not even if he had been witnessing a man murdered in the middle of the Forum.]
Ab hoc ego quae tum audivi,
[I can say that the things I heard from him,]
certa clara affero,
[I assert to be clear and certain,]
ita illum salvum et felicem habeam.
[and so let me consider that man blessed and fortunate.]
[2] Iam Phoebus breviore via contraxerat arcum
lucis,
[Already now, Phoebus had drawn his bow of light upon a short path,]
et obscuri crescebant tempora somni,
[and the time when muddy dreams happen was beginning to arise,]
iamque suum victrix augebat Cynthia regnum,
[and already was victorious Cynthia beginning to expand her kingdom,]
et deformis hiemps gratos carpebat honores
divitis autumni,
[and the winter beginning to seize the honors of a rich fall,]
iussoque senescere Baccho
carpebat raras serus vindemitor uvas.
[and the sluggish harvester seizing upon the scarce grapes, once Wine was allowed to reach old age.]
Puto magis intellegi, si dixero:
[I think one more easily understand, if I declare:]
mensis erat October, dies III idus Octobris.
[It was the month of October; the day was the 3rd Ides of October.]
Horam non possum certam tibi dicere,
[I cannot tell you the exact hour,]
facilius inter philosophos quam inter horologia conveniet,
[it would be an easier matter to solve among philosophers than among chronologists,]
tamen inter sextam et septimam erat.
[but in any event, was between the 6th and 7th one.]
Nimis rustice!
[O, how uncouth of me!]
<Adeo his> adquiescunt omnes poetae,
[All our poets grow silent when they reach this point in the story,]
non contenti ortus et occasus describere ut etiam medium diem inquietent,
[they unhappily find it difficult to describe the time of the sunrise, and sunsets, why even noontime as well,]
tu sic transibis horam tam bonam?
[so why is it you who will trespass such a fine hour of the day?]
Iam medium curru Phoebus diviserat orbem:
[Phoebus Apollo had already cut the middle of the world through upon his chariot:]
et propior nocti fessas quatiebat habenas
obliquo flexam deducens tramite lucem:
[and now close to nightfall, he began to rattle his wearisome reins, as he led down his light from its slanting path:]
Claudius animam agere coepit nec invenire exitum poterat.
[Claudius began to give up the ghost, yet he could not find his way out.]
[3] Tum Mercurius, qui semper ingenio eius delectatus esset, unam e tribus Parcis seducit et ait:
[Then Mercury, who ever had delighted in the genius of this man, led away one of the Three Fates, and declared:]
"Quid, femina crudelissima, hominem miserum torqueri pateris?
["How, you most cruel woman, can you stand a poor fellow being tortured?]
Nec unquam tam diu cruciatus cesset?
[Will he ever cease to be racked for so long a time?]
Annus sexagesimus [et] quartus est,
[This is his 64th year,]
ex quo cum anima luctatur.
[from the time he was burdened with a living soul.]
Quid huic et rei publicae invides?
[Why do you cast an evil eye upon him, and his republic?]
Patere mathematicos aliquando verum dicere,
[At least allow men of wisdom to speak the truth,]
qui illum, ex quo princeps factus est, omnibus annis, omnibus mensibus efferunt.
[I mean those men who borne that man up out all the years and months, since the time he was declared emperor.]
Et tamen non est mirum si errant
[And yet, it's no surprise if they rove around,]
et horam eius nemo novit;
[and no one knows the hour of this man;]
nemo enim unquam illum natum putavit.
[you see, no one ever considered that that man was born.]
Fac quod faciendum est:
[Do whatever must be done:]
'Dede neci, melior vacua sine regnet in aula.'"
[Allow him to be killed, grant that he might rule better in an empty court."]
Sed Clotho "ego mehercules "inquit" pusillum temporis adicere illi volebam,
[But Clotho said, "Well jeez, for my own sake, I just wanted to slap on a tiny bit of extra time for the fellow,]
dum hos pauculos, qui supersunt, civitate donaret
[until such time that he could bequeath these tiny folk, I mean the living ones, with a city,]
(constituerat enim omnes Graecos, Gallos, Hispanos, Britannos togatos videre),
[(you see, he had previously decided to behold all men, Greeks, Gauls, Spaniards, and Brits, clad in togas,]
sed quoniam placet aliquos peregrinos in semen relinqui
[but since the idea of only pilgrims being left to the grain is a good one,]
et tu ita iubes fieri, fiat."
[and it is you who orders that it come to pass thusly, let it be so."]
Aperit tum capsulam et tres fusos profert:
[She then opened her box and pulled out three spools:]
unus erat Augurini, alter Babae, tertius Claudii.
[the first belong to Augurinus, the second, Baba's, and the third was Claudius'.]
"Hos" inquit "tres uno anno exiguis intervallis temporum divisos mori iubebo,
[She said, "I will now order that these three, as they are separated by no important spans of time, will die in a single year,]
nec illum incomitatum dimittam.
[and so I will not send that man away unaccompanied.]
Non oportet enim eum, qui modo se tot milia hominum sequentia videbat, tot praecedentia, tot circumfusa, subito solum destitui.
[I mean, it's not right for him, a man who saw so many thousands of people following after him, and so many preceding him, and so many surrounding him, just a moment ago, to suddenly be abandoned all by his lonesome.]
Contentus erit his interim convictoribus."
[In the meantime, he will be content in the presence of his fellow comrades in arms."]
[4] Haec ait
[She spoke]
et turpi convolvens stamina fuso
abrupit stolidae regalia tempora vitae.
[and rolling the threat around its grimy bobbin, she cut off the regal span of his clumsy life.]
At Lachesis redimita comas, ornata capillos,
Pieria crinem lauro frontemque coronans,
candida de niveo subtemina vellere sumit
felici moderanda manu,
[But Lachesis, whose full head of hair reflected light, each strand ornately decorated, as she crowned her locks and brow with the laurel leaves of Pieria, began to pluck pure-white threads, holding the ones she intending to use in her happy hand,]
quae ducta colorem
assumpsere novum.
[I mean those that, once lead out, assumed a new color.]
Mirantur pensa sorores:
[The sisters wonder amazed at their tasks:]
mutatur vilis pretioso lana metallo,
[their worthless wool transforms into precious metal,]
aurea formoso descendunt saecula filo.
[and golden centuries descend upon wondrous thread.]
Nec modus est illis,
[There is no pause for those women,]
felicia vellera ducunt
[they lead away their blessed fleeces,]
et gaudent implere manus,
[and grow excited to fill their hands,]
sunt dulcia pensa.
[their tasks are sweet ones.]
Sponte sua festinat opus
[The endeavor speeds along by its own will,]
nulloque labore
mollia contorto descendunt stamina fuso.
[and with no struggle, the soft thread falls down from its wound-up spindle.]
Vincunt Tithoni, vincunt et Nestoris annos.
[They surpass all the years lived by Tithon, they surpass even those of Nestor.]
Phoebus adest
[Apollo attends them]
cantuque iuvat gaudetque futuris,
[and he spurs them on with songs, and grows joyful for the future,]
et laetus nunc plectra movet,
[and now thrilled, he strums his harp,]
nunc pensa ministrat.
[and now he begins to the oversee their task.]
1BC-65 AD *executed by Emperor Nero
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial Period)
[1] Quid actum sit in caelo ante diem III idus Octobris anno novo,initio saeculi felicissimi, volo memoriae tradere.
[I wish to related to you, from memory, what I think took place in heaven, the day before the 3rd Ides of October, in a strange year, and at the start of a most happily-starred age in time.]
Nihil nec offensae nec gratiae dabitur.
[Nothing will be the cause of offense, or favor.]
Haec ita vera si quis quaesiverit unde sciam,
[If someone shall've ask me how I know the following things are thusly true,]
primum, si noluero, non respondebo.
[I will not give a reply, at least if I shall not've wished in the beginning.]
Quis coacturus est?
[Who should be forced to do anything?]
Ego scio me liberum factum, ex quo suum diem obiit ille,
[I know that I was born a free man, from the very time that our protagonist died that day,]
qui verum proverbium fecerat,
[who had once made the saying true,]
aut regem aut fatuum nasci oportere.
["that either one is born a king, or a fool."]
Si libuerit respondere,
[If I feel like responding,]
dicam quod mihi in buccam venerit.
[I'll say whatever shall come to my mouth.]
Quis unquam ab historico iuratores exegit?
[What jurors ever demanded penalties from a historical writer?]
Tamen si necesse fuerit auctorem producere,
[Still, if it shall've become necessary to bring out the author,]
quaerito ab eo qui Drusillam euntem in caelum vidit:
[let him be sought from that man who once saw Drusilla flying up to heaven:]
idem Claudium vidisse se dicet iter facientem "non passibus aequis."
[and likewise, I hope he says he had seen Claudius making his way "upon no even gait".]
Velit nolit,
[Whether he wants it or not,]
necesse est illi omnia videre,
[it's not necessary for him to see everything,]
quae in caelo aguntur:
[that goes on in heaven:]
Appiae viae curator est,
[he is the caretaker of the Appian Way,]
qua scis et divum Augustum et Tiberium Caesarem ad deos isse.
[the place you know where Divine Augustus, and Tiberius Caesar had left to join the gods.]
Hunc si interrogaveris,
[If you shall asked him:]
soli narrabit:
[he will tell only a single person:]
coram pluribus nunquam verbum faciet.
[he will never speak in the presence of more than one person.]
Nam ex quo in senatu iuravit se Drusillam vidisse caelum ascendentem
[You see, from the very moment he swore, in the Senate, that he had witnissed Drusilla ascending to heaven,]
et illi pro tam bono nuntio nemo credidit,
[and not a man believed him to be so faithful a messenger,]
quod viderit,
[whatever he shall've witnessed,]
verbis conceptis affirmavit se non indicaturum,
[he asserted that he would not prove with any words he could conceive,]
etiam si in medio foro hominem occisum vidisset.
[not even if he had been witnessing a man murdered in the middle of the Forum.]
Ab hoc ego quae tum audivi,
[I can say that the things I heard from him,]
certa clara affero,
[I assert to be clear and certain,]
ita illum salvum et felicem habeam.
[and so let me consider that man blessed and fortunate.]
[2] Iam Phoebus breviore via contraxerat arcum
lucis,
[Already now, Phoebus had drawn his bow of light upon a short path,]
et obscuri crescebant tempora somni,
[and the time when muddy dreams happen was beginning to arise,]
iamque suum victrix augebat Cynthia regnum,
[and already was victorious Cynthia beginning to expand her kingdom,]
et deformis hiemps gratos carpebat honores
divitis autumni,
[and the winter beginning to seize the honors of a rich fall,]
iussoque senescere Baccho
carpebat raras serus vindemitor uvas.
[and the sluggish harvester seizing upon the scarce grapes, once Wine was allowed to reach old age.]
Puto magis intellegi, si dixero:
[I think one more easily understand, if I declare:]
mensis erat October, dies III idus Octobris.
[It was the month of October; the day was the 3rd Ides of October.]
Horam non possum certam tibi dicere,
[I cannot tell you the exact hour,]
facilius inter philosophos quam inter horologia conveniet,
[it would be an easier matter to solve among philosophers than among chronologists,]
tamen inter sextam et septimam erat.
[but in any event, was between the 6th and 7th one.]
Nimis rustice!
[O, how uncouth of me!]
<Adeo his> adquiescunt omnes poetae,
[All our poets grow silent when they reach this point in the story,]
non contenti ortus et occasus describere ut etiam medium diem inquietent,
[they unhappily find it difficult to describe the time of the sunrise, and sunsets, why even noontime as well,]
tu sic transibis horam tam bonam?
[so why is it you who will trespass such a fine hour of the day?]
Iam medium curru Phoebus diviserat orbem:
[Phoebus Apollo had already cut the middle of the world through upon his chariot:]
et propior nocti fessas quatiebat habenas
obliquo flexam deducens tramite lucem:
[and now close to nightfall, he began to rattle his wearisome reins, as he led down his light from its slanting path:]
Claudius animam agere coepit nec invenire exitum poterat.
[Claudius began to give up the ghost, yet he could not find his way out.]
[3] Tum Mercurius, qui semper ingenio eius delectatus esset, unam e tribus Parcis seducit et ait:
[Then Mercury, who ever had delighted in the genius of this man, led away one of the Three Fates, and declared:]
"Quid, femina crudelissima, hominem miserum torqueri pateris?
["How, you most cruel woman, can you stand a poor fellow being tortured?]
Nec unquam tam diu cruciatus cesset?
[Will he ever cease to be racked for so long a time?]
Annus sexagesimus [et] quartus est,
[This is his 64th year,]
ex quo cum anima luctatur.
[from the time he was burdened with a living soul.]
Quid huic et rei publicae invides?
[Why do you cast an evil eye upon him, and his republic?]
Patere mathematicos aliquando verum dicere,
[At least allow men of wisdom to speak the truth,]
qui illum, ex quo princeps factus est, omnibus annis, omnibus mensibus efferunt.
[I mean those men who borne that man up out all the years and months, since the time he was declared emperor.]
Et tamen non est mirum si errant
[And yet, it's no surprise if they rove around,]
et horam eius nemo novit;
[and no one knows the hour of this man;]
nemo enim unquam illum natum putavit.
[you see, no one ever considered that that man was born.]
Fac quod faciendum est:
[Do whatever must be done:]
'Dede neci, melior vacua sine regnet in aula.'"
[Allow him to be killed, grant that he might rule better in an empty court."]
Sed Clotho "ego mehercules "inquit" pusillum temporis adicere illi volebam,
[But Clotho said, "Well jeez, for my own sake, I just wanted to slap on a tiny bit of extra time for the fellow,]
dum hos pauculos, qui supersunt, civitate donaret
[until such time that he could bequeath these tiny folk, I mean the living ones, with a city,]
(constituerat enim omnes Graecos, Gallos, Hispanos, Britannos togatos videre),
[(you see, he had previously decided to behold all men, Greeks, Gauls, Spaniards, and Brits, clad in togas,]
sed quoniam placet aliquos peregrinos in semen relinqui
[but since the idea of only pilgrims being left to the grain is a good one,]
et tu ita iubes fieri, fiat."
[and it is you who orders that it come to pass thusly, let it be so."]
Aperit tum capsulam et tres fusos profert:
[She then opened her box and pulled out three spools:]
unus erat Augurini, alter Babae, tertius Claudii.
[the first belong to Augurinus, the second, Baba's, and the third was Claudius'.]
"Hos" inquit "tres uno anno exiguis intervallis temporum divisos mori iubebo,
[She said, "I will now order that these three, as they are separated by no important spans of time, will die in a single year,]
nec illum incomitatum dimittam.
[and so I will not send that man away unaccompanied.]
Non oportet enim eum, qui modo se tot milia hominum sequentia videbat, tot praecedentia, tot circumfusa, subito solum destitui.
[I mean, it's not right for him, a man who saw so many thousands of people following after him, and so many preceding him, and so many surrounding him, just a moment ago, to suddenly be abandoned all by his lonesome.]
Contentus erit his interim convictoribus."
[In the meantime, he will be content in the presence of his fellow comrades in arms."]
[4] Haec ait
[She spoke]
et turpi convolvens stamina fuso
abrupit stolidae regalia tempora vitae.
[and rolling the threat around its grimy bobbin, she cut off the regal span of his clumsy life.]
At Lachesis redimita comas, ornata capillos,
Pieria crinem lauro frontemque coronans,
candida de niveo subtemina vellere sumit
felici moderanda manu,
[But Lachesis, whose full head of hair reflected light, each strand ornately decorated, as she crowned her locks and brow with the laurel leaves of Pieria, began to pluck pure-white threads, holding the ones she intending to use in her happy hand,]
quae ducta colorem
assumpsere novum.
[I mean those that, once lead out, assumed a new color.]
Mirantur pensa sorores:
[The sisters wonder amazed at their tasks:]
mutatur vilis pretioso lana metallo,
[their worthless wool transforms into precious metal,]
aurea formoso descendunt saecula filo.
[and golden centuries descend upon wondrous thread.]
Nec modus est illis,
[There is no pause for those women,]
felicia vellera ducunt
[they lead away their blessed fleeces,]
et gaudent implere manus,
[and grow excited to fill their hands,]
sunt dulcia pensa.
[their tasks are sweet ones.]
Sponte sua festinat opus
[The endeavor speeds along by its own will,]
nulloque labore
mollia contorto descendunt stamina fuso.
[and with no struggle, the soft thread falls down from its wound-up spindle.]
Vincunt Tithoni, vincunt et Nestoris annos.
[They surpass all the years lived by Tithon, they surpass even those of Nestor.]
Phoebus adest
[Apollo attends them]
cantuque iuvat gaudetque futuris,
[and he spurs them on with songs, and grows joyful for the future,]
et laetus nunc plectra movet,
[and now thrilled, he strums his harp,]
nunc pensa ministrat.
[and now he begins to the oversee their task.]
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Seneca the Younger, Morals
Lucius Annaeus Seneca [Seneca the Younger]
1BC-65 AD *executed by Emperor Nero
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial period)
L. ANNAEI SENECAE
EPISTULARUM MORALIUM AD LUCILIUM LIBER PRIMUS
I. SENECA LUCILIO SUO SALUTEM
[1] Ita fac, mi Lucili:
[Do this, Lucilius, my friend:]
vindica te tibi,
[redeem yourself, for your sake,]
et tempus quod adhuc aut auferebatur aut subripiebatur aut excidebat collige et serva.
[both gather and preserve the time that has yet to be taken away, stolen out from under, or cut off suddenly.]
Persuade tibi hoc sic esse ut scribo:
[Convince yourself that this is the case as I write it:]
quaedam tempora eripiuntur nobis, quaedam subducuntur, quaedam effluunt.
[our limited time here is stolen away from us, it is taken out from under us, it flows away.]
Turpissima tamen est iactura quae per neglegentiam fit.
[In any event, it's a damn shame if happens out of negligence.]
Et si volueris attendere, magna pars vitae elabitur male agentibus, maxima nihil agentibus, tota vita aliud agentibus.
[and if you will've wished to do some service, a great part of life will slip away from men who act badly; most of it for those who do nothing; and the entireity of life for those doing something their not supposed to.]
[2] Quem mihi dabis qui aliquod pretium tempori ponat, qui diem aestimet, qui intellegat se cotidie mori?
[Whom can you show me who can assign some price for our time, and ration out the day, and understand how to be patient each day?]
In hoc enim fallimur, quod mortem prospicimus:
[You see, I don't know how to do this, since I look forward to death:]
magna pars eius iam praeterit;
[The largest part of this will already pass by;]
quidquid aetatis retro est mors tenet.
[Death holds back whatever there is of life.]
Fac ergo, mi Lucili, quod facere te scribis, omnes horas complectere;
[There, Lucilius my friend, make sure to do you write yourself, "embrace all the time you have;"]
sic fiet ut minus ex crastino pendeas, si hodierno manum inieceris.
[so let it happen that you delay less for tomorrow, if you could throw your hands upon today.]
[3] Dum differtur vita transcurrit.
[As soon as it is dispersed, life takes it course.]
Omnia, Lucili, aliena sunt, tempus tantum nostrum est;
[Lucilius, all things are strange, only time is our own;]
in huius rei unius fugacis ac lubricae possessionem natura nos misit, ex qua expellit quicumque vult.
[Nature grants us the possession of the one single thing, fleeting and difficult to grasp, from where each man desires, it takes it away.]
Et tanta stultitia mortalium est
[And so great is the stupidity of mortal beings,]
ut quae minima et vilissima sunt, certe reparabilia, imputari sibi cum impetravere patiantur,
[that whatever is the least and cheapest, and clearly reparable, are able to reckoned for themselves when sought,]
1BC-65 AD *executed by Emperor Nero
Trans RMBullard
Latin (Imperial period)
L. ANNAEI SENECAE
EPISTULARUM MORALIUM AD LUCILIUM LIBER PRIMUS
I. SENECA LUCILIO SUO SALUTEM
[1] Ita fac, mi Lucili:
[Do this, Lucilius, my friend:]
vindica te tibi,
[redeem yourself, for your sake,]
et tempus quod adhuc aut auferebatur aut subripiebatur aut excidebat collige et serva.
[both gather and preserve the time that has yet to be taken away, stolen out from under, or cut off suddenly.]
Persuade tibi hoc sic esse ut scribo:
[Convince yourself that this is the case as I write it:]
quaedam tempora eripiuntur nobis, quaedam subducuntur, quaedam effluunt.
[our limited time here is stolen away from us, it is taken out from under us, it flows away.]
Turpissima tamen est iactura quae per neglegentiam fit.
[In any event, it's a damn shame if happens out of negligence.]
Et si volueris attendere, magna pars vitae elabitur male agentibus, maxima nihil agentibus, tota vita aliud agentibus.
[and if you will've wished to do some service, a great part of life will slip away from men who act badly; most of it for those who do nothing; and the entireity of life for those doing something their not supposed to.]
[2] Quem mihi dabis qui aliquod pretium tempori ponat, qui diem aestimet, qui intellegat se cotidie mori?
[Whom can you show me who can assign some price for our time, and ration out the day, and understand how to be patient each day?]
In hoc enim fallimur, quod mortem prospicimus:
[You see, I don't know how to do this, since I look forward to death:]
magna pars eius iam praeterit;
[The largest part of this will already pass by;]
quidquid aetatis retro est mors tenet.
[Death holds back whatever there is of life.]
Fac ergo, mi Lucili, quod facere te scribis, omnes horas complectere;
[There, Lucilius my friend, make sure to do you write yourself, "embrace all the time you have;"]
sic fiet ut minus ex crastino pendeas, si hodierno manum inieceris.
[so let it happen that you delay less for tomorrow, if you could throw your hands upon today.]
[3] Dum differtur vita transcurrit.
[As soon as it is dispersed, life takes it course.]
Omnia, Lucili, aliena sunt, tempus tantum nostrum est;
[Lucilius, all things are strange, only time is our own;]
in huius rei unius fugacis ac lubricae possessionem natura nos misit, ex qua expellit quicumque vult.
[Nature grants us the possession of the one single thing, fleeting and difficult to grasp, from where each man desires, it takes it away.]
Et tanta stultitia mortalium est
[And so great is the stupidity of mortal beings,]
ut quae minima et vilissima sunt, certe reparabilia, imputari sibi cum impetravere patiantur,
[that whatever is the least and cheapest, and clearly reparable, are able to reckoned for themselves when sought,]
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