- Source
- Plautus. Plauti Comoediae, Volume 1. Leo, Friedrich, editor. Berlin: Weidmann, 1895.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:latinLit:phi0119.phi011.humanitext-lat2:467-523
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
Charinus despairs and speaks of death, but his friend Eutychus promises to buy back his mistress at the harbor in his stead and calms him down. Meanwhile, Lysimachus purchases the maidservant Pasicompsa on behalf of Demipho and discusses her future duties with her.
sed Lysimacho amico mandabo. is se ad portum dixerat
(to himself) but I will commission my friend Lysimachus. He said a while ago that he was going to the harbor.
ire dudum. me moror quom hic asto.—
I delay myself by standing here.
Nullus sum, occidi.
I am nothing, I am ruined.
Pentheum diripuisse aiunt Bacchas: nugas maximas
They say the Bacchants tore Pentheus to pieces:
fuisse credo, praeut quo pacto égo divorsus distrahor.
I believe that was the greatest nonsense, compared to how I am being torn apart in different directions.
cur ego vivo? cur non morior? quid mihist in vita boni?
Why do I live? Why do I not die? What good is there for me in life?
certumst, ibo ad medicum atque ibi me toxico morti dabo,
It is resolved, I will go to the doctor and there give myself to death with poison,
quando id mi adimitur, qua causa vitam cupio vivere.
since that is taken away from me, for the sake of which I desire to live my life.
Mane, mane obsecro, Charine.
Eutychus: Stay, stay, I beseech you, Charinus.
Quis me revocat?
Charinus: Who calls me back?
Eutychus,
Eutychus: Eutychus,
tuos amicus et sodalis, simul vicinus proxumus.
your friend and companion, and at the same time your closest neighbor.
Non tu scis, quantum malarum rerum sustineam.
Charinus: You do not know how many evils I am enduring.
Scio;
Eutychus: I know;
omnia ego istaec auscultavi ab ostio, omnem rem scio.
I listened to all those things from the doorway, I know the whole affair.
Quid id est quod scis?
Charinus: What is it that you know?
Tuos pater volt vendere—
Eutychus: Your father wants to sell—
Omnem rem tenes.
Charinus: You have the whole thing.
Tuam amicam.
Eutychus: Your mistress.
Nimium multum scis.
Charinus: You know too much.
Tuis ingratiis.1
Eutychus: In spite of you.
Plurimum tu scis. sed qui scis esse amicam illam meam?
Charinus: You know very much indeed. But how do you know she is my mistress?
Tute heri ipsus mihi narrasti.
Eutychus: You yourself told me yesterday.
Satin ut oblitus fui,
Charinus: How completely I had forgotten
tibi me narravisse?
that I told you?
Hau mirumst factum.
Eutychus: It is no wonder.
Te nunc consulo.
Charinus: I consult you now.
responde: quo leto censes me ut peream potissimum?
answer: by what death do you think it best for me to perish?
Non taces? cave tu istuc dixis.
Eutychus: Won’t you be silent? Take care you do not say that.
Quid vis me igitur dicere?
Charinus: What then do you want me to say?
Vin patri sublinere pulchre me os2 tuo?
Eutychus: Do you want me to trick your father handsomely?
Sane volo.
Charinus: Indeed I do.
Visne eam ad portum—
Eutychus: Do you want me to [go] to the harbor—
Qui potius quam voles?3
Charinus: How could I wish it more?
Atque eximam
Eutychus: And rescue
mulierem pretio?
the woman with a price?
Qui potius quam auro expendas?
Charinus: How rather than that you should weigh it out in gold?
Vnde erit?
Eutychus: Where will it come from?
Achillem orabo, aurum ut mihi det, Hector qui expensus fuit.
Charinus: I will beg Achilles to give me the gold for which Hector was weighed.
Sanun es?
Eutychus: Are you sane?
Pol sanus si sim, non te medicum mi expetam.
Charinus: By Pollux, if I were sane, I would not seek you as my doctor.
Tanti quanti poscit, vin tanti illam emi?
Eutychus: For as much as he demands, do you want her to be bought for that much?
Auctarium
Charinus: An extra amount
adicito vel mille nummum4 plus quam poscet.
add even a thousand coins more than he demands.
Iam tace.
Eutychus: Be silent now.
sed quid ais? unde erit argentum quod des, quom poscet pater?
But tell me, where will the money be for you to give when your father demands it?
Invenietur, exquiretur, aliquid fiet; enicas.
Charinus: It will be found, it will be searched out, something will happen; you are killing me.
Iam istuc 'aliquid fiet' metuo.
Eutychus: I am already afraid of that ‘something will happen’.
Quin taces?
Charinus: Why don’t you be silent?
Muto imperas.
Eutychus: You are commanding a mute.
Satin istuc mandatumst?
Charinus: Is that entrusted enough?
Potin ut aliud cures?
Can you mind something else?
Non potest.
Eutychus: It is not possible.
Bene vale.
Charinus: Farewell.
Non edepol possum prius quam tu ad me redieris.
Eutychus: By Pollux, I cannot, until you return to me.
Melius sanus sis.
Charinus: You had better be sane.
Vale, vince ét me serva.
Farewell, conquer and save me.
Ego fecero.
Eutychus: I will do so.
domi maneto me.
Wait for me at home.
Ergo actutum face cum praeda recipias.—
Charinus: Then make sure you return immediately with the prize.
Amíce amico operam dedi: vicinus quod rogavit,
Lysimachus: I have done a friendly service for a friend: because my neighbor asked,
hoc emi mercimonium. mea es tu, sequere sane.
I bought this merchandise. You are mine, follow along.
ne plora: nimis stulte facis, oculos corrumpis tales.
Do not weep: you are acting very foolishly, you are spoiling such eyes.
quin tibi quidem quod rideas magis est, quam ut lamentere.
indeed, there is rather cause for you to laugh than to lament.
Amabo ecastor, mi senex, eloquere—
Pasicompsa: Please, by Castor, my old gentleman, tell me—
Exquire quidvis.
Lysimachus: Ask whatever you wish.
Cur emeris me.
Pasicompsa: Why you bought me.
Tene ego? ut quod imperetur facias,
Lysimachus: You? So that you may do what is commanded,
item quod tu mihi si imperes, ego faciam.
just as, if you should command me anything, I would do it.
Facere certumst
Pasicompsa: I am resolved to do,
pro copia et sapientia quae te velle arbitrabor.
according to my means and wisdom, what I shall think you wish.
Laboriosi nil tibi quicquam operis imperabo.
Lysimachus: I will not command any laborious work of you.
Namque edepol equidem, mi senex, non didici baiolare
Pasicompsa: For indeed, by Pollux, my old gentleman, I have not learned to carry heavy burdens,
nec pecua ruri pascere nec pueros nutricare.
nor to pasture cattle in the country, nor to nurse children.
Bona si esse vis, bene erit tibi.
Lysimachus: If you wish to be good, it will be well with you.
Tum pol ego perii misera.
Pasicompsa: Then, by Pollux, I am undone, miserable me.
Qui?
Lysimachus: Why?
Quia illim unde huc advecta sum, malis bene esse solitumst.5
Pasicompsa: Because there, from whence I was brought here, it is customary for the bad to fare well.
Quasi dicas nullam mulierem bonam esse.
Lysimachus: As if you were saying that no woman is good.
Haud equidem dico,
Pasicompsa: Indeed, I do not say that,
nec mos meust ut praedicem quod ego omnis scire credam.
nor is it my habit to declare what I believe everyone knows.
Oratio edepol pluris est huius quam quanti haec emptast.
Lysimachus: By Pollux, the speech of this girl is worth more than what she was bought for.
rogare hoc unum te volo.
I want to ask you this one thing.
Roganti respondebo.
Pasicompsa: I will answer the inquirer.
Quid ais tu? quid nomen tibi dicam esse?
Lysimachus: What do you say? What should I say your name is?
Pasicompsae.
Pasicompsa: Pasicompsa.
Ex forma nomen inditumst. sed quid ais, Pasicompsa?
Lysimachus: The name was given from your appearance. But tell me, Pasicompsa,
possin tu, si usus venerit, subtemen tenue nere?
could you, if the need arises, spin a fine weft?
Possum.
Pasicompsa: I can.
Si tenue scis, scio te uberius posse nere.
Lysimachus: If you know how to spin fine, I know you can spin more thickly.
De lanificio neminem metuo, una aetate quae sit.
Pasicompsa: As for wool-working, I fear no one of my own age.
Bonam hercle te et frugi arbitror, matura iam † inde aetate
Lysimachus: By Hercules, I think you are good and useful, being now of mature age,
quom scis facere officium tuom, mulier.
since you know how to do your duty, woman.
Pol docta didici.
Pasicompsa: By Pollux, being well-taught, I learned.
operam accusari non sinam meam.
Pasicompsa: I will not allow my service to be blamed.
- 479ctuis ingratiis
Ablative plural of the noun ingratia (unpleasantness, ingratitude). Together with the possessive adjective tuis, it functions as an adverbial phrase meaning 'against your will' or 'in spite of you.'
- 485patri sublinere ... os
A comic idiom meaning 'to trick or cheat someone (in the dative),' literally 'to smear someone's face.' Here, patri is the dative governed by sublinere, and os is the accusative object.
- 486bQui potius quam voles?
The word qui is an interrogative adverb of manner ('how'). The phrase 'potius quam voles' ('rather than you will wish') functions as a rhetorical question, meaning 'How could I wish it otherwise?' or 'Of course I wish it desperately.'
- 491mille nummum
The word nummum is a contracted genitive plural for nummorum. Here, mille is used substantively, taking the partitive genitive 'nummum' (literally, 'a thousand of coins').
- 511bmalis bene esse solitumst
This is an impersonal construction 'bene est alicui' (it is well for someone). Here, malis (the bad) is the dative, and with solitumst (contraction of solitum est), it means 'it was customary for the bad to fare well.'