translations
Translations from my get weird with it project. I'm trying to be braver about making fun translation choices, so I'm practicing on randomly selected passages from a variety of Greek and Latin texts.
Original posts are linked through the dates in the upper right hand corner of each card; follow for further discussion of the passages.
September 2024
Aeschylus, Agamemnon 1090–92
{Κα.} μισόθεον μὲν οὖν· πολλὰ συνίστορα,
αὐτόφονα, κακὰ καρτάναι
ἀνδρὸς σφαγεῖον καὶ πέδον ῥαντήριον.
CASSANDRA: No, not at all! It is profane: witness
to many crimes, self-bloodying, evil
tearing of flesh—a bowl to catch the blood
of men, and ground sprinkled with water pure.
Vergil, Eclogues 1.1–10
{M.} Tityre, tu patulae recubans sub tegmine fagi
silvestrem tenui Musam meditaris avena;
nos patriae finis et dulcia linquimus arva.
nos patriam fugimus; tu, Tityre, lentus in umbra
formosam resonare doces Amaryllida silvas.
{T.} O Meliboee, deus nobis haec otia fecit.
namque erit ille mihi semper deus, illius aram
saepe tener nostris ab ovilibus imbuet agnus.
ille meas errare boves, ut cernis, et ipsum
ludere quae vellem calamo permisit agresti.
[M.] Tityrus, reclining under the cov'ring
of an open beech tree, you reflect on
the sylvan muse, holding your pipe. But I
forsake the border of my fatherland
and my sweet fields. Yes, I flee my father-
land; you, Tityrus, lingering in the
shade teach the woods to resonate with the
name of the beautiful Amaryllis.
[T.] Meliboeus, a god has made this
peace for us. And since he will be always
my god, a tender lamb from my sheepfolds
often stains his altar. He permits cows
to graze, as you see, and me to play what-
ever I wish on my rustic reed-pipe.
Seneca Minor, Thyestes 521–29 (take 2)
..{AT.} A genibus manum
aufer meosque potius amplexus pete.
Vos quoque, senum praesidia, tot iuuenes, meo
pendete collo. Squalidam uestem exue,
oculisque nostris parce, et ornatus cape
pares meis, laetusque fraterni imperi
capesse partem. maior haec laus est mea,
fratri paternum reddere incolumi decus:
habere regnum casus est, uirtus dare.
...[ATREUS] Take thy hand from
my knees and seek instead this mine embrace.
You too, you youths, the comfort of old men;
fall upon my neck. Strip off thy wretched
clothes to spare mine eyes, and take the finest
robes, equal to mine, and seize the portion
of fatherly goods that falleth to thee.
It is meet that I should make merry, and
divide unto thee my living, for I
have received this my brother, safe and sound:
it is chance to possess, virtue to share.
August 2024
Seneca Minor, Phaedra 795–819
Vexent hanc faciem frigora parcius,
haec solem facies rarius appetat:
lucebit Pario marmore clarius.
quam grata est facies torua uiriliter
et pondus ueteris triste supercili!
Phoebo colla licet splendida compares:
illum caesaries nescia colligi
perfundens umeros ornat et integit;
te frons hirta decet, te breuior coma
nulla lege iacens; tu licet asperos
pugnacesque deos uiribus audeas
et uasti spatio uincere corporis:
aequas Herculeos nam iuuenis toros,
Martis belligeri pectore latior.
si dorso libeat cornipedis uehi,
frenis Castorea mobilior manu
Spartanum poteris flectere Cyllaron.
Ammentum digitis tende prioribus
et totis iaculum derige uiribus:
tam longe, dociles spicula figere,
non mittent gracilem Cretes harundinem.
aut si tela modo spargere Parthico
in caelum placeat, nulla sine alite
descendent, tepido uiscere condita
praedam de mediis nubibus afferent.
Winters disquiet your face only a little,
your face craves the sun only rarely:
it will shine brighter than Parian marble.
How appealing is you manly fierce face,
and the severe weight of your aged eyebrow!
You could compare your shining neck to Phoebus:
your hair, never known to be neat, pouring
over your shoulders, adorns and covers;
a shaggy brow is fitting for you, shorter hair
lying without rule; you may venture against
rough and warlike gods by your courage and
conquer them by the size of your vast body:
for as a youth, you match muscular Hercules,
wider than the chest of martial Mars.
If it is pleasing to ride on a horse's back,
you can break the Spartan Cyllaron with reins,
more agile with your hands than Castor.
Stretch the strap with your forefingers
and direct the javelin with all your strength:
the Cretans, skillful in aiming darts,
do not send their slender shafts so far.
Or if you want, like a Parthian, to hurl a spear
into the sky, none will fall without a bird:
after finding a home in warm viscera,
they will bring down loot from the middle sky.
Seneca Minor, Thyestes 521–29
...{AT.} A genibus manum
aufer meosque potius amplexus pete.
Vos quoque, senum praesidia, tot iuuenes, meo
pendete collo. Squalidam uestem exue,
oculisque nostris parce, et ornatus cape
pares meis, laetusque fraterni imperi
capesse partem. maior haec laus est mea,
fratri paternum reddere incolumi decus:
habere regnum casus est, uirtus dare.
...[ATREUS] Remove your hand
from my knees and instead seek my embrace.
Boys, the comfort of old men, you too should
hang from my neck. Strip off your foul clothes,
spare my eyes, and take up finery equal to mine,
and happily take up your part of our
brotherly right. It is my great pleasure,
to return to a prodigal brother paternal splendor:
to have kingship is chance, to share it is virtue.
Homer, Odyssey 11.100–09
ὣς φάτ', ἐγὼ δ' ἀναχασσάμενος ξίφος ἀργυρόηλον
κουλεῷ ἐγκατέπηξ'. ὁ δ' ἐπεὶ πίεν αἷμα κελαινόν,
καὶ τότε δή μ' ἐπέεσσι προσηύδα μάντις ἀμύμων·
’νόστον δίζηαι μελιηδέα, φαίδιμ' Ὀδυσσεῦ·
τὸν δέ τοι ἀργαλέον θήσει θεός. οὐ γὰρ ὀΐω
λήσειν ἐννοσίγαιον, ὅ τοι κότον ἔνθετο θυμῷ,
χωόμενος ὅτι οἱ υἱὸν φίλον ἐξαλάωσας.
ἀλλ' ἔτι μέν κε καὶ ὧς, κακά περ πάσχοντες, ἵκοισθε,
αἴ κ' ἐθέλῃς σὸν θυμὸν ἐρυκακέειν καὶ ἑταίρων,
ὁππότε κεν πρῶτον πελάσῃς εὐεργέα νῆα
Θρινακίῃ νήσῳ, προφυγὼν ἰοειδέα πόντον,
βοσκομένας δ' εὕρητε βόας καὶ ἴφια μῆλα
Ἠελίου, ὃς πάντ' ἐφορᾷ καὶ πάντ' ἐπακούει.
Thus he spoke and, drawing back, I resheathed my silver-studded sword. And after that, he drank the black blood, and then the [static] priest addressed me with these words: "You seek honey-sweet return, shining Odysseus: a god ordained pain for you. For I do not believe you will escape the notice of the earth-shaker, who has vengeance in his heart for you, enraged that you blinded his beloved son. But still, you should reach home, suffering much evil, if you are willing to curb your heart and that of others, when first you bring your well-wrought ship near the island of Thrinakia, fleeing from the violet sea, and you find the grazing cows and fat goats of Helios, who oversees all and overhears all.
Ovid, Metamorphoses 1.89–100
Aurea prima sata est aetas, quae vindice nullo,
sponte sua, sine lege fidem rectumque colebat.
poena metusque aberant, nec verba minantia fixo
aere legebantur, nec supplex turba timebat
iudicis ora sui, sed erant sine vindice tuti.
nondum caesa suis, peregrinum ut viseret orbem,
montibus in liquidas pinus descenderat undas,
nullaque mortales praeter sua litora norant;
nondum praecipites cingebant oppida fossae;
non tuba derecti, non aeris cornua flexi,
non galeae, non ensis erat: sine militis usu
mollia securae peragebant otia gentes.
The Golden Age was first to be established, which (with no defenders,
absent force, lacking laws) cultivated honesty and righteousness.
Punishment and fear were absent, and menacing words weren't
posted in bronze, and the rabble didn't fear the mouth
of their own judge, but were safe without defenders.
Not yet had hewn pines come down from their mountain homes
to behold an alien world on flowing waters,
nor had any mortal known a shore except his own;
not yet had steep ditches encircled now-fortified towns;
nor had trumpets been raised, nor horns of bronze curved,
nor did helmets or swords yet exist: without use for soldiers,
untroubled peoples passed their lives in gentle leisure.
Homer, Odyssey 5.394–99
ὡς δ' ὅτ' ἂν ἀσπάσιος βίοτος παίδεσσι φανήῃ
πατρός, ὃς ἐν νούσῳ κεῖται κρατέρ' ἄλγεα πάσχων,
δηρὸν τηκόμενος, στυγερὸς δέ οἱ ἔχραε δαίμων,
ἀσπάσιον δ' ἄρα τόν γε θεοὶ κακότητος ἔλυσαν,
ὣς Ὀδυσῆ' ἀσπαστὸν ἐείσατο γαῖα καὶ ὕλη,
νῆχε δ' ἐπειγόμενος ποσὶν ἠπείρου ἐπιβῆναι.
And like children welcome the life of their father
who lies in illness suffering enormous pain,
wasting away for too long, assailed by some evil spirit,
and then the gods free him from evil—
so did the earth and the woods seem welcome to Odysseus,
and he swam, longing to set foot on dry land.
Vergil, Aeneid 10.736–46
tum super abiectum posito pede nixus et hasta:
'pars belli haud temnenda, uiri, iacet altus Orodes.'
conclamant socii laetum paeana secuti;
ille autem exspirans: 'non me, quicumque es, inulto,
uictor, nec longum laetabere; te quoque fata
prospectant paria atque eadem mox arua tenebis.'
ad quem subridens mixta Mezentius ira:
'nunc morere. ast de me diuum pater atque hominum rex
uiderit.' hoc dicens eduxit corpore telum.
olli dura quies oculos et ferreus urget
somnus, in aeternam clauduntur lumina noctem.
Then, with foot and spear set upon the one laid low, he said: "A dog of war by no means to be scorned, gentlemen, the noble Orodes lies dead." His comrades called out together, following him in a hymn of joy; but he who was expiring said, "Whoever you may be, my conqueror, I will not be unavenged, nor will your men rejoice long; a commensurate end is looking for you as well, and soon you will reach the same fields." To which Mezentius, nearly laughing with stirred-up anger, replied, "Now you die. But as for me me, the father of gods and the king of men will see." Saying this, he withdrew his spear from the body. Unyielding rest pressed upon its eyes and iron sleep; its sight ended in everlasting night.
Euripides, Hippolytus 555–64
ὦ Θήβας ἱερὸν
τεῖχος, ὦ στόμα Δίρκας,
συνείποιτ' ἂν ἁ Κύπρις οἷον ἕρπει·
βροντᾶι γὰρ ἀμφιπύρωι
τοκάδα τὰν διγόνοιο Βάκ-
χου νυμφευσαμένα πότμωι
φονίωι κατηύνασεν.
δεινὰ γὰρ τὰ πάντ' ἐπιπνεῖ, μέλισσα δ' οἵ-
α τις πεπόταται.
O walled city of Thebes (full of grace), o mouth of Dirce, corroborate my account of the way Cypris walks: by betrothing the bearer of twice-born Bacchus to the thunder which burns at both ends, she put the woman to bed with her bloody lot. For she inspires all things counter, spare, strange—she buzzes about, busy as a bee.