Amphitryo, Asinaria, Aulularia, Bacchides, Captivi: Amphitryon, The Comedy of Asses, The Pot of Gold, The Two; Bacchises, The CaptivesPlautus, Titus Maccius
General
Amphitryo, Asinaria, Aulularia, Bacchides, Captivi: Amphitryon, The Comedy of Asses, The Pot of Gold, The Two; Bacchises, The Captives
Plautus, Titus Maccius
Latin drama (Comedy); Latin drama (Comedy) -- Translations into English
(_turning away with a start_) “What you have now!” I don’t
like that phrase! He knows I have this money just as well as
I do! The old hag’s been blabbing!
_Mega._
Quid tu te solus e senatu sevocas?
(_pleasantly_) Why that secret session over there?
_Eucl._
Pol ego ut te accusem merito meditabar.
(_taken aback_) I was--damme sir,--I was framing the
complaint against you that you deserve.
_Mega._
Quid est? 550
What for?
_Eucl._
Quid sit me rogitas? qui mihi omnis angulos
furum implevisti in aedibus misero mihi,
qui mi intro misti in aedis quingentos coquos,
cum senis manibus, genere Geryonaceo;
What for, eh? When you’ve filled every corner of my house
with thieves, confound it! When you’ve sent cooks into my
house by the hundred and every one of ’em a Geryonian[C]
with six hands apiece!
quos si Argus servet qui oculeus totus fuit,
quem quondam Ioni Iuno custodem addidit,
is numquam servet. praeterea tibicinam,
quae mi interbibere sola, si vino scatat,
Corinthiensem fontem Pirenam potest.
tum obsonium autem--
Why, Argus, who had eyes all over him and was set to
guarding Io once by Juno, couldn’t ever keep watch on those
fellows, not if he tried. And that music girl besides! She
could take the fountain of Pirene at Corinth and drink it
dry, all by herself, she could,--if it ran wine. Then as
for the provisions--
[Footnote C: Geryon was a giant with three heads and
bodies.]
_Mega._
Pol vel legioni sat est. 560
etiam agnum misi.
Bless my soul! Why, there’s enough for a regiment. I sent
you a lamb, too.
_Eucl._
Quo quidem agno sat scio
magis curiosam[12] nusquam esse ullam beluam.
Yes, and a more shearable beast than that same lamb doesn’t
exist, I know that.
_Mega._
Volo ego ex te scire qui sit agnus curio.
I wish you would tell me how the lamb is shearable.
_Eucl._
Quia ossa ac pellis totust, ita cura macet.
quin exta inspicere in sole ei vivo licet:
ita is pellucet quasi lanterna Punica.
Because it’s mere skin and bones, wasted away till it’s
perfectly--(_tittering_) sheer. Why, why, you put that
lamb in the sun and you can watch its inwards work: it’s as
transparent as a Punic[D] lantern.
[Footnote D: Perhaps of glass, of which the Phoenicians
were reputedly the inventors.]
_Mega._
Caedundum conduxi ego illum.
(_protestingly_) I got that lamb in myself to be slaughtered.
_Eucl._
Tum tu idem optumumst
loces efferendum; nam iam, credo, mortuost.
(_dryly_) Then you’d best put it out yourself to be buried,
for I do believe it’s dead already.
_Mega._
Potare ego hodie, Euclio, tecum volo.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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