Pardalisca's False Alarm and Lysidamus's Panic — Plautus, Casina, lines 622–699, Latin & English

622

cor metu mortuomst, membra miserae tremunt,

My heart is dead with fear, my wretched limbs are trembling.

nescio unde auxili, praesidi, perfugi

I know not from where a supply of help, protection, refuge,

mi aut opis copiam¹ comparem aut expetam:

or of assistance I should procure for myself or seek;

625

tanta factu modo mira miris modis

so many strange things done in strange ways just now

intus vidi, novam atque integram audaciam.

I saw inside, a new and untouched audacity.

cave tibi, Cleostrata, apscede ab ista, opsecro,

Watch out for yourself, Cleostrata, step away from that woman, I beseech you,

né quid in té mali fáxit² ira pércita.

lest her stirred-up anger do some harm to you.

eripite isti gladium, quae suist impos animi.

Snatch the sword from that woman, who is not master of her own mind.

630

Nam quid est quod haec huc timida atque exanimata exsiluit foras?

For why is it that she has leaped out here in fear and breathless?

Pardalisca.

Pardalisca!

Perii, unde meae usurpant aures sonitum?

I am ruined, from where do my ears catch this sound?

Respice modo ad me.

Just look back at me.

O ere mi—

Oh, my master—

Quid tibi est? quid timida es?

What is the matter with you? Why are you afraid?

Perii.

I am ruined.

Quid, periisti?

What, you are ruined?

Perii, et tu periisti.

I am ruined, and you are ruined too.

A, perii? quid ita?

Ah, I am ruined? How so?

Vae tibi.

Woe to you.

Immo, vae tibi sit.

Rather, let there be woe to you.

Ne cadam, amabo, tene me.

Hold me, please, lest I fall.

635

Quidquid est, eloquere mihi cito.

Whatever it is, tell me quickly.

Contine pectus,

Hold my chest,

face véntum, amabo, pállio.

fan me with your cloak, please.

Timeo hóc negoti quíd siet,

I fear what this business may be,

nisi haéc meraclo se úspiam percússit flore Liberi.

unless she has struck herself somewhere with the undiluted flower of Liber.

Óptine aurís, amabo.

Hold my ears, please.

I ín malam a mé crucem,

Go to the great bad cross away from me,

péctus, aurís, caput téque di pérduint,

may the gods ruin your chest, ears, head, and yourself,

nám nisi ex té scio, quídquid hoc ést, cito, hoc

for unless I know from you quickly whatever this is,

iám tibi istúc cerebrúm dispércutiam, éxcetra tu,

I will now scatter that brain of yours, you viper,

645

ludibrio pessuma adhuc quae me habuisti.

who have held me in mock so far, you worst woman.

Ere mí—

My master—

Quid vis mea me áncilla?

What do you want, my maidservant?

Nimiúm saevis.

You are too savage.

Numeró dicis.

Exactly.

sed hóc quidquid ést eloquere, ín pauca cónfer:

But speak out whatever this is, bring it to a few words:

quid íntus tumúlti fuít?

what tumult was that inside?

Scibis, aúdi.

You shall know, listen.

malúm pessumúmque hic modo intus ápud nos

A bad and most wicked thing just now inside our house—

tua áncilla hoc pácto exordíri coépit,

your maidservant has begun in this manner,

quod haúd Atticám condecét disciplínam.

which does not at all befit Attic discipline.

Quid ést id?

What is that?

Timór praepedít dicta línguae.

Fear prevents the words of my tongue.

Possúm scire ego ístuc ex té quid negótist?

Can I not know from you what that business is?

Dicam.

I will tell you.

655

tua áncilla, quám tu tuó vilicó vis

your maidservant, whom you want to give

dare úxorem, ea íntus—

to your bailiff as wife, she inside—

Quid íntus? quid ést?

What inside? What is it?

Imitátur malárum malám disciplínam,

She imitates the bad discipline of bad women,

viró quae suo ínterminetur: vitam—

who threaten their husband: the life—

Quid érgo?

What then?

Ah—

Quid ést?

What is it?

Interémere ait vélle vitam,

She says she wants to take his life,

660

gladium—

the sword—

Hém.

What?

Gladium—

The sword—

Quid eúm gladium?

What about that sword?

Habet.

She has it.

Eí misero mihi, cúr eum habet?

Ah, wretched me! Why does she have it?

Inséctatur ómnis domí per aedis,

She chases everyone through the house,

nec quémquam prope ád se sínit adire:

nor does she allow anyone to come near her:

ita ómnes sub árcis, sub léctis laténtes

so everyone, hiding under chests and under beds,

665

metú mussitánt.

mutters with fear.

Occidi átque intérii.

I am ruined and destroyed.

quid ílli obiéctumst malí tam repénte?

What evil has been cast upon her so suddenly?

Insánit.

She is mad.

Sceléstissimum me esse crédo.

I believe I am the most accursed man.

Immó si sciás dicta quaé dixit hódie—

Nay, if you knew the words she spoke today—

Istúc expetó scire. quíd dixit?

That is what I want to know. What did she say?

Aúdi.

Listen.

670

per ómnis deós et deás deierávit,

she swore by all the gods and goddesses,

occísurum³ eum hác nocte quícum cubáret.

that she would kill the one with whom she should sleep tonight.

Men óccidet?

Will she kill me?

Án quippiam ád te attinét?

Does it concern you at all?

Vah.

Ah.

Quid cúm ea negóti tibíst?

What business do you have with her?

Peccavi:

I made a mistake:

illúc diceré, vilicúm, volébam.

I meant to say that, the bailiff.

675

Sciéns de via ín semitám degrédere.

Knowingly you step aside from the road into the path.

Numquíd mihi minátur?

Does she threaten me with anything?

Tibi ínfesta solist

She is hostile to you alone

plús quam cuiquam.

more than to anyone else.

Quam ob rem?

Why so?

Quia se dés uxorem Olýmpioni,

Because you give her as wife to Olympio,

neque se tuam nec se suam neque viri vitam sinere in

and she says she will not let either your life, or her own, or her husband’s life

crástinum protólli: id huc míssa sum tibi ut dícerem,

be prolonged into tomorrow: I was sent here to tell you this,

áb ea uti caveás tibi.

so that you may watch out for yourself from her.

Perii hércle egó miser.

By Hercules, wretched me, I am ruined!

Dígnus es.

You deserve it.

Neque ést neque fuít me senéx quisquam amátor

There is not, nor has there been, any old man in love

adaéque misér.

equally wretched as me.

Ludo ego húnc facete;

I am playing this man beautifully;

nam quaé facta díxi omnia huíc falsa díxi:

for all the things I said were done, I said falsely to him:

era átque haec dolum éx proxumo húnc protulérunt,

my mistress and she next door brought forth this trick,

ego húnc missa súm ludere.

I was sent to play him.

Heús Pardalísca.

Hey, Pardalisca.

Quid ést?

What is it?

Est—

There is—

Quid?

What?

Ést quod volo éxquirere éx te.

There is something I want to ask of you.

690

Moram óffers mihi.

You bring delay to me.

Át tu mihi óffers maerórem.

But you are bringing sorrow to me.

sed étiamne habét nunc Cásina gladium?

But does Casina still have the sword now?

Habét, sed duós.

She has it, indeed two.

Quid, duós?

What, two?

Alteró te

With one she says she will

occísurum aít, alteró vilicum hódie.

kill you, and with the other the bailiff today.

Occísissimús⁴ sum omniúm qui vivont.

I am the most utterly slain of all who live.

695

lorícam induám mi optumum ésse opinor.

I think it is best for me to put on a breastplate.

quid úxor mea? nón adiit átque ademit?

What about my wife? Did she not go and take it away?

Nemo aúdet prope áccedere.

No one dares to go near.

Éxoret.

Let her entreat her.

Órat:

She does entreat:

negát ponere álio modo úllo profécto,

she denies she will lay it down in any other way indeed,

nisí se sciát vilicó non datum íri.

unless she knows she is not going to be given to the bailiff.

Syntax notes4 items

623auxili, praesidi, perfugi mi aut opis copiam
"auxili", "praesidi", and "perfugi" are partitive genitives depending on "copiam" (abundance, supply). "opis" is also connected by "aut" and depends on "copiam".
628faxit
"faxit" is an archaic form equivalent to "fecerit" (perfect subjunctive, specifically an s-subjunctive). Combined with "ne", it expresses a negative wish or apprehension ("lest she do").
671occísurum
"occisurum" is a future active infinitive. Although its subject is feminine singular ("Casina", referring to "she"), it appears in the archaic indeclinable form ending in "-urum" instead of the feminine "-uram".
694Occísissimús
A highly comic superlative form coined by Plautus by adding the superlative suffix "-issimus" to the perfect participle "occisus" (slain, ruined).

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0119.phi006.humanitext-lat2:622-699