Olympio and Lysidamus Escort the Fake Bride Chalinus — Plautus, Casina, lines 784–860, Latin & English

784

ne quis eam abripiat. facite vostro animo volup.¹

so that no one snatches her. Make things agreeable to your heart.

785

sed properate istum atque istam actutum emittere,

But hurry to send out that man and that woman immediately,

tandem ut † veniamus luci;² égo cras hic ero.

so that we may finally arrive in daylight; I will be here tomorrow.

cras habuero, uxor, ego tamen convivium.

Tomorrow, wife, I shall nevertheless have a banquet.

Fit quod futurum dixi: incenatum senem

What I said would happen is happening: the unfed old man

foras extrudunt mulieres.

the women are thrusting outdoors.

Quid tu hic agis?

What are you doing here?

790

Ego eo quo me ipsa misit.

I am going where she herself sent me.

Veron?

Really?

Serio.

Seriously.

Quid hic speculare?

What are you spying here for?

Nil equidem speculor.

I indeed am not spying on anything.

Abi:

Go away:

tu hic cunctas, intus alii festinant.

you delay here, inside others are hurrying.

Eo.—

I am going. —

Abi hinc sis ergo, pessumarum pessuma.

Go away from here then, if you please, worst of the worst.

iamne abiit illaec? dicere hic quidvis licet.

Has she gone now? One can say anything here.

795

qui amat, tamen hercle, si esurit, nullum esurit.

He who loves, nevertheless, by Hercules, if he is hungry, is not hungry at all.

sed eccúm progreditur cum corona et lampade

But look, there he comes forward with a wreath and a torch,

meus socius, compar, commaritus vilicus.

my ally, equal, fellow-husband bailiff.

Áge tibicen, dum íllam educunt húc novam nuptám foras,

Come, flute-player, while they lead out this new bride here outdoors,

suavi cantu concelebra omnem hanc plateam hymenaeo.

celebrate all this street with a sweet song, with the wedding hymn.

800

hymen hymenaee o hymen.

Hymen Hymenaeus, oh Hymen.

Quid agis, mea salus?

How are you doing, my salvation?

Esurio hercle, atque adeo hau salubriter.

By Hercules, I am hungry, and indeed not at all wholesomely.

At ego amó.

But I am in love.

At ego hercle nihili facio. tibi amor pro cibost,

But I, by Hercules, care nothing for it. For you, love is in place of food,

mihi ieiunitate iam dudum intestina murmurant.

for me, from hunger my intestines have been rumbling for a long time.

Nam quid illaéc nunc tam diu intus remorantur remeligines?

For why are those delaying women staying inside so long now?

805

quasi ob industriam, quanto ego plus propero, procedit minus.

as if on purpose, the more I hurry, the less it goes forward.

Quid si etiam suffundam hymenaeum, si qui citius prodeant?

What if I also pour in a wedding song, to see if they might come out more quickly?

Censeo, et ego te adiutabo in nuptiis communibus.

I think so, and I will help you in our common nuptials.

Hymen hymenaee o hymen.

Hymen Hymenaeus, oh Hymen.

Perii hercle ego miser, dirumpi hymenaeum cantando licet:

By Hercules, I am lost, wretched me, the wedding song may burst from singing:

810

illo morbo quo dirumpi cupio, non est copia.

there is no opportunity for that disease by which I desire to burst.

Edepol ne tu, sí equos esses, esses indomabilis.

By Pollux, indeed, if you were a horse, you would be untamable.

Quo argumento?

By what proof?

Nimis tenax³ es.

You are too stubborn.

Num me expertu's uspiam?

Have you tested me anywhere?

Di melius faciant. sed crepuit ostium, exitur foras.

May the gods do better! But the door creaked, they are coming outdoors.

Di hercle me cupiunt servatum. iam oboluit Casinus procul.

By Hercules, the gods desire me saved. I have already smelled Casina from afar.

815

Sensim supera tolle limen pedes, mea nova nupta;

Gently lift your feet over the threshold, my new bride;

sospes iter incipe hoc, uti viro tuo

begin this journey safe, so that to your husband

sémper sis superstes,

you may always be a survivor,

tuaque út potior polléntia sit vincásque virum victríxque sies,

and that your power may be more powerful, and you may conquer your husband and be a victress,

tua vóx superet tuomque imperium: vir te vestiat, tu virum despolies.

and your voice prevail, and your command: let your husband clothe you, you despoil your husband.

820

noctúque et diu ut viro súbdola sis,

and that by night and by day you may be deceitful to your husband,

ópsecro, memento.

I beseech you, remember.

Malo máxumo suo hercle ílico, ubi tántillum peccássit.

To his greatest misfortune, by Hercules, immediately, when he commits the slightest fault.

Tace.

Be silent.

Nón taceo.

I will not be silent.

Quae rés?

What is the matter?

Mala malaé male monstrat.

A bad woman is showing bad things to a bad woman.

Faciés tu hanc rém mi ex paráta imparátam.

You will make this matter unprepared for me from prepared.

id quaérunt volúnt, haec ut ínfecta fáciant.

They seek and want this, to make these things undone.

Age Olýmpio, quando vís, uxorem

Come, Olympio, since you wish, the wife

830

áccipe hanc ab nobis.

receive this one from us.

Date érgo, datúrae si umquam éstis hodie.

Give her then, if you are ever going to give her today.

Abíte intro.

Go inside.

Amábo, integrae átque imperítae huic

Please, to this untouched and inexperienced girl

impército.

be gentle.

Futurum est.

It shall be done.

Valéte.

Farewell.

Ite iám.

Go now.

Ite.

Go.

Iám valete.

Now farewell.

835

Iamne ábscessit úxor?

Has my wife gone now?

Domíst, ne time.

She is at home, do not fear.

Eúax,

Hurrah,

nunc pól demum ego sum líber.

now by Pollux at last I am free.

meúm corculúm, melculúm, verculum.

my little heart, my little honey, my little spring.

Heús tu,

Hey you,

malo, sí sapies, cavébis;

you will beware of trouble, if you are wise;

meást haec.

she is mine.

Sció, sed meus fructus est prior.

I know, but my enjoyment comes first.

840

Tene hánc lampadem.

Hold this torch.

Ímmo ego hánc tenebo.

Nay, I will hold this one.

Venus múltipotens, bona múlta mihi

Mighty Venus, many good things to me

dedísti, huius cúm copiám mihi dedísti.

you have given, since you have given me abundance of this one.

Oh,

corpúsculum malaculum,

delicate little body,

mea uxórcula. quae res?

my little wife. What’s the matter?

845

Quid est?

What is it?

Ínstitit plantam

She stepped on my foot

quasi lúca bos.⁴

like a Lucanian cow.

Tacé sis,

Be silent, please,

nebula haúd est mollis aeque atque huius pectus est.

a cloud is not equally soft as her breast is.

Edepol papillam bellulam—ei misero mihi.

By Pollux, what a pretty little breast—oh, wretched me!

Quid est?

What is it?

Péctus mi icit non cubito, verum ariete.

She struck my chest, not with an elbow, but with a battering ram.

850

Quid tu ergo hanc, quaeso, tractas tam dura manu?

Why then, I ask, do you handle her with so rough a hand?

at mihi, qui belle hanc tracto, non bellum facit.

but to me, who handle her nicely, she does not do anything un-nice.

Vah.

Ah!

Quid negotist?c Opsecro, ut valentulast,

What’s the matter?

paene exposivit cubito.

I beseech you, how strong she is,

Cubitum⁵ ergo ire volt.

she almost knocked me out with her elbow. Therefore she wants to go to bed.

+ extra markers: 853c (translation introduced markers absent in the source; merged into this section)

Quin imus ergo?

Why don’t we go then?

I, belle belliatula.—

Go, pretty little pretty one. —

855

Accéptae bene ét commode éximus íntus

Well and comfortably received, we come out from inside

ludós visere húc in viam nuptiális.

to watch the wedding games here in the street.

numquam écastor úllo dié risi adaéque,

By Castor, never on any day have I laughed so much,

neque hóc quod relícuom est plus rísuram opínor.

nor in what is left of my life do I think I shall laugh more.

Lúbet Chalinum quíd agat scire, nóvom nuptum cum nóvo marito.

It pleases me to know what Chalinus is doing, the new bride with his new husband.

860

Nec fállaciam ástutiórem ullus fécit

Nor has anyone made a craftier trick...

Syntax notes5 items

784volup
An archaic shortened form of the adverb volupe, functioning as an object or predicatively to mean 'agreeably' or 'pleasantly.'
786luci
An archaic form of the ablative (or locative) singular of lux, functioning adverbially to mean 'in daylight' or 'by day.'
812btenax
Beyond its primary meaning of 'stubborn' or 'clinging,' it carries a double entendre of being 'lustful' or 'physically clasping.'
846luca bos
Literally 'Lucanian cow,' this is a famous archaic/classical designation for an elephant, which the Romans first encountered in Lucania during the Pyrrhic War.
853bcubitum
A wordplay (pun) linking the preceding ablative cubito (from cubitus, 'elbow') with the supine of purpose cubitum (from cubo, 'to lie down/go to bed') in the phrase cubitum ire.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-22)

2026-09-22 AI review — source 1

urn:cts:latinLit:phi0119.phi006.humanitext-lat2:784-860