- Source
- Terence. Publii Terentii Comoediae Sex. Parry, Edward St. John, editor. London: Whittaker and Co.; George Bell, 1857.
- 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:phi0134.phi002.humanitext-lat2:1014..-1067c..
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-26
Clitipho questions his parents about his birth and is assured of his legitimacy. Ultimately, Clitipho reconciles with his father by agreeing to marry a neighbor's daughter, secures a pardon for Syrus, and the play concludes.
Subditum se suspicatur.
[Sostrata] He suspects that he is a changeling.
Subditum, ain tu?
[Chremes] A changeling, you say?
Certe sic erit, inquam, mi vir.
[Sostrata] Certainly it will be so, I say, my husband.
Confitere tuum non esse.
Confess that he is not yours.
Au obsecro te, istuc inimicis siet.1
Oh, I beseech you, let that be for our enemies!
Egon confitear meum non esse filium qui sit meus?
[Chremes] Shall I confess that he is not my son, who is mine?
Quid? metuis ne non, quum velis, convincas esse illum tuum?
[Sostrata] What? Do you fear that you cannot, whenever you wish, prove that he is yours?
Quod filia est inventa?
[Chremes] Because a daughter has been found?
Non; sed, quod magis credendum siet,
[Sostrata] No; but, because it would be more easy to believe,
Id quod est consimilis moribus,
that he is very like you in character,
Convincas facile ex te natum; nam tui similis est probe;
you will easily prove that he was born of you; for he is thoroughly like you;
Nam illi nihil viti est relictum, quin sit et idem tibi.
for no fault has been left to him, which is not also in you.
Tum praeterea talem nisi tu nulla pareret filium.
[Chremes] Then besides, no other woman but you could have given birth to such a son.
Sed ipse egreditur: quam severus! rem cum videas, censeas.
[Sostrata] But here he comes himself: how grave he looks! When you see him, you may judge.
Si unquam ullum fuit tempus, mater, quum ego voluptati tibi
[Clitipho] If there was ever any time, mother, when I was a pleasure to you,
Fuerim, dictus filius tuus tua voluntate, obsecro,
being called your son by your own will, I beseech you,
Eius ut memineris, atque inopis nunc te miserescat mei:
remember that, and now take pity on my helpless state.
Quod peto, et volo, parentes meos ut commonstres mihi.
What I ask and wish is that you show me my parents.
Obsecro, mi gnate, ne istuc in animum inducas tuum,
[Sostrata] I beseech you, my son, do not let that enter your mind,
Alienum esse te.
that you are not our own.
Sum.
[Clitipho] I am.
Miseram me! hocine quaesisti, obsecro?
[Sostrata] Wretched me! Did you ask this, I beseech you?
Ita mihi atque huic sis superstes ut2 ex me atque ex hoc natus es.
As surely as I pray you may survive me and him, so surely were you born of me and of him.
Et cave posthac, si me amas, unquam istuc verbum ex te audiam.
And take care hereafter, if you love me, that I never hear that word from you again.
At ego, si me metuis, mores cave in te esse istos sentiam.
[Chremes] But I, if you fear me, take care that I do not perceive those manners in you.
Quos?
[Clitipho] Which ones?
Si scire vis, ego dicam: gerro, iners, fraus, heluo,
[Chremes] If you wish to know, I will tell you: trifler, idler, cheat, glutton,
Ganeo, damnosus: crede, et nostrum te esse credito.
debauchee, spendthrift: believe this, and believe that you are ours.
Non sunt haec parentis dicta.
[Clitipho] These are not the words of a parent.
Non si ex capite sis meo
[Chremes] No; even if you had been born from my head,
Natus, item ut aiunt Minervam esse ex Iove, ea causa magis
born, just as they say Minerva was from Jove, I would not for that reason any more
Patiar, Clitipho, flagitiis tuis me infamem fieri.
suffer myself, Clitipho, to be made infamous by your shameful deeds.
Di istaec prohibeant.
[Sostrata] May the gods forbid those things!
Deos nescio: ego quod potero sedulo.
[Chremes] As for the gods, I know not: I will do what I can diligently.
Quaeris id quod habes, parentes: quod abest non quaeris, patri
You seek what you have, parents; you do not seek what is lacking, how
Quomodo obsequare, et ut serves quod labore invenerit.
you may obey your father, and preserve what he has acquired by labor.
Non mihi per fallacias adducere ante oculos—? Pudet
Did you not, by trickeries, bring before my eyes—? I am ashamed
Dicere hac praesente verbum turpe: at te id nullo modo
to speak a shameful word in her presence; but you were in no way
Puduit facere.
ashamed to do it.
Eheu, quam ego nunc totus displiceo mihi,
[Clitipho] Alas, how utterly I now displease myself!
Quam pudet! neque quod principium inveniam ad placandum scio.
How ashamed I am! nor do I know what beginning I can find to appease him.
Enimvero Chremes nimis graviter cruciat adolescentulum,
[Menedemus] Indeed Chremes torments the young man too severely,
Nimisque inhumane. Exeo ergo ut pace conciliem. Optime
and too inhumanly. I will go out therefore, that I may reconcile them to peace. Most opportunely
Ipsos video.
I see them.
Ehem, Menedeme, cur non arcessi iubes
[Chremes] Ah, Menedemus, why do you not order
Filiam, et quod dotis dixi firmas?
my daughter, and confirm what I said of the dowry?
Mi vir, te obsecro
[Sostrata] My husband, I beseech you
Ne facias.
not to do it.
Pater, obsecro ut mihi ignoscas.
[Clitipho] Father, I beseech you to forgive me.
Da veniam, Chreme:
[Menedemus] Grant him pardon, Chremes:
Sine te exoret.
allow yourself to be persuaded.
Egon mea bona ut dem3 Bacchidi dono sciens?
[Chremes] Shall I knowingly give my goods to Bacchis as a gift?
Non faciam.
I will not do it.
At id nos non sinemus.
[Menedemus] But we will not permit that.
Si me vivum vis, pater,
[Clitipho] If you wish me alive, father,
Ignosce.
forgive.
Age, Chreme mi.
[Sostrata] Come, my Chremes.
Age quaeso ne tam offirma te, Chreme.
[Menedemus] Come, I pray, do not harden yourself so much, Chremes.
Quid istic? video non licere ut coeperam hoc pertendere.
[Chremes] What then? I see that it is not permitted for me to continue this as I had begun.
Facis ut te decet.
[Menedemus] You do as becomes you.
Ea lege hoc adeo faciam; si facit
[Chremes] On this condition indeed I will do this; if he does
Quod ego hunc aequum censeo.
what I think is right for him.
Pater, omnia faciam: impera.
[Clitipho] Father, I will do everything: command me.
Uxorem ut ducas.
[Chremes] That you take a wife.
Pater!
[Clitipho] Father!
Nihil audio.
[Chremes] I hear nothing.
Ad me recipio:
[Menedemus] I take it upon myself:
Faciet.
he will do it.
Nihil etiam audio ipsum.
[Chremes] I still hear nothing from himself.
Perii!
[Clitipho] I am undone!
An dubitas, Clitipho?
[Menedemus] Do you hesitate, Clitipho?
Immo utrum vult.
[Chremes] Nay, whichever he wishes.
Faciet omnia.
[Menedemus] He will do everything.
Haec dum incipias gravia sunt,
These things are heavy while you begin them,
Dumque ignores: ubi cognoris, facilia.
and while you are ignorant of them: when you have known them, they are easy.
Faciam, pater.
[Clitipho] I will do it, father.
Gnate mi, ego pol tibi dabo illam lepidam quam tu facile ames;
[Sostrata] My son, by Pollux, I will give you that charming girl whom you can easily love;
Filiam Phanocratae nostri.
the daughter of our friend Phanocrates.
Rufamne illam virginem,
[Clitipho] That red-haired girl,
Caesiam, sparso ore, adunco naso? non possum, pater.
with grey eyes, a wide mouth, and a hooked nose? I cannot, father.
Heia, ut elegans est! credas animum ibi esse.
[Chremes] Ah, how elegant he is! You would believe his mind was on it.
Aliam dabo.
[Sostrata] I will give another.
Quid istic? quandoquidem ducenda est, egomet habeo propemodum
[Clitipho] What of it? Since indeed I must marry, I myself have almost
Quam volo.
the one I want.
Nunc laudo te, gnate.
[Chremes] Now I praise you, my son.
Archonidi huius filiam.
[Clitipho] The daughter of our neighbor Archonides.
Perplacet.
[Chremes] It pleases me highly.
Pater, hoc nunc restat.
[Clitipho] Father, this now remains.
Quid?
[Chremes] What?
Syro ignoscas volo
[Clitipho] I wish you to forgive Syrus
Quae mea causa fecit.
for what he did on my account.
Fiat.
[Chremes] So be it.
Vos valete, et plaudite!
Farewell, and applaud!
- 1015b..istuc inimicis siet
The present subjunctive siet (archaic form of sit) is used in an optative sense. inimicis is a dative of disadvantage, forming an idiomatic expression of aversion: "may that [misfortune] happen to our enemies."
- 1030..Ita mihi atque huic sis superstes ut
A solemn oath formula using the correlative structure ita ... ut .... Literally, "may you survive me and him (subjunctive sis superstes) just as truly as you were born from me and him (indicative natus es)", asserting the absolute truth of Clitipho's birth.
- 1050b..Egon mea bona ut dem
A subjunctive of indignation or repudiative question (ut + present subjunctive dem) combined with the interrogative particle -ne (contracted in egon). It expresses strong refusal or disbelief toward an unacceptable action. dono is a dative of purpose.