- 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.phi005.humanitext-lat2:68-139
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
Syra advises Philotis on distrusting men. Meeting Philotis who has just returned, Parmeno reveals, under oath of secrecy, how Pamphilus was forced into marriage despite his love for Bacchis, and how he has not touched his new bride.
Quin ita paret sese abs te ut blanditiis suis
Rather, he prepares himself against you in such a way that by his flatteries
Quam minimo pretio suam voluptatem expleat.
he may satisfy his pleasure at the least possible price.
Iliscine tu, amabo, non contra insidiabere?
Will you not, please, plot against them in return?
Tamen pol eandem iniurium est esse omnibus.
Yet, by Pollux, it is unjust to be the same to all.
Iniurium autem est ulcisci adversarios,
But is it unjust to take vengeance on enemies,
Aut qua via te captent eadem ipsos capi?
or that they themselves be caught by the same way they try to catch you?
Eheu me miseram, cur non aut istaec mihi
Alas, wretched me! Why have I not either your
Aetas et forma est, aut tibi haec sententia?
age and beauty, or you my sentiments?
Senex si quaeret me, modo isse dicito
If the old man asks for me, say that I have just gone
Ad portum, percontatum adventum Pamphili.
to the harbor to inquire about Pamphilus’ arrival.
Audin quid dicam Scirte? si quaeret me, uti
Do you hear what I say, Scirtus? If he asks for me, tell him that
Tum dicas: si non quaeret, nullus dixeris;
then; if he doesn’t ask, don’t say anything at all;
Alias ut uti possim causa hac integra.
so that at another time I can use this excuse fresh.
Sed videone ego Philotium? unde haec advenit?
But do I see Philotium? Where does she come from?
Philotis salve multum.
Philotis, a very hearty hello to you!
O salve Parmeno.
Oh, hello Parmeno.
Salve mecastor Parmeno.
Hello, by Castor, Parmeno.
Et tu edepol Syra.
And to you, by Pollux, Syra.
Dic mihi, Philotis, ubi te oblectasti tam diu?
Tell me, Philotis, where have you been enjoying yourself for so long?
Minime equidem me oblectavi, quae cum milite
Very little indeed did I enjoy myself, I who set out from here with
Corinthum hinc simul profecta inhumanissimo:
a soldier to Corinth, an utterly brutal one;
Biennium ibi perpetuum misera illum tuli.
and there, wretched me, I endured him for two continuous years.
Edepol te desiderium Athenarum arbitror,
By Pollux, I think, Philotium, that a longing for Athens often seized
Philotium, cepisse saepe, et te tuum
you, and that you
Consilium contemsisse.
regretted your own decision.
Non dici potest
It cannot be told
Quam cupida eram huc redeundi, abeundi a milite,
how eager I was to return here, to leave the soldier,
Vosque hic videndi, antiqua ut consuetudine
and to see you all here, so that according to our old custom
Agitarem libere inter vos convivium;
I might freely enjoy a gathering among you;
Nam illi haud licebat nisi praefinito loqui
for there, it was not permitted to speak except what was pre-prescribed
Quae illi placerent.
and what pleased him.
Haud opinor commode
I don’t think the soldier set
Finem statuisse orationi militem.
a very convenient limit on speech.
Sed quid hoc negoti est modo quae narravit mihi
But what is this business
Hic intus Bacchis? quod ego nunquam credidi
that Bacchis just told me in there? Which I never believed
Fore ut hac ille viva posset animum inducere
would happen, that he, while she was alive, could bring himself
Uxorem habere.
to take a wife.
Habere autem?
Take a wife indeed?
Eho tu, an non habet?
What? Doesn’t he have one?
Habet: sed firmae hae vereor ut1 sint nuptiae.
He has one; but I fear this marriage may not be lasting.
Ita Di Deaeque faxint, si in rem est Bacchidis.
May the gods and goddesses so grant, if it is to Bacchis’ advantage!
Sed qui istuc credam ita esse? dic mihi, Parmeno.
But how am I to believe that this is so? Tell me, Parmeno.
Non est opus prolato: hoc percontarier
There is no need for it to be made public; cease to inquire
Desiste.
about this.
Nempe ea causa, ut ne id fiat palam.
Surely for this reason, lest it become openly known?
Ita me Di amabunt, haud propterea te rogo
So may the gods love me, I don’t ask you for this reason,
Ut hoc proferam, sed ut tacita mecum gaudeam.
that I may publish it, but so that I may rejoice with myself in silence.
Nunquam dices tam commode ut tergum meum
You will never speak so persuasively that I would entrust my back
Tuam in fidem committam.2
to your loyalty.
Ah noli, Parmeno;
Ah, don’t, Parmeno!
Quasi tu non multo malis narrare hoc mihi
As if you yourself wouldn’t much prefer to tell me this
Quam ego quae percontor scire.
than I to know what I’m asking!
Vera haec praedicat;
She speaks the truth;
Et illud mihi vitium est maximum. Si mihi fidem
and that is my greatest fault. If you give me your word
Das te tacituram, dicam.
that you will keep silent, I will tell you.
Ad ingenium redis.
You return to your true nature.
Fidem do: loquere.
I give my word; speak.
Ausculta.
Listen.
Istic sum.
I am all ears.
Hanc Bacchidem
Pamphilus was loving
Amabat ut quum maxime tum Pamphilus
this Bacchis as much as ever,
Quum pater uxorem ut ducat orare occipit:
when his father began to beg him to take a wife,
Et haec communia omnium quae sunt patrum,
and saying those things which are common to all fathers:
Sese senem esse, dicere, illum autem unicum;
that he was an old man, that the other was his only son;
Praesidium velle se senectuti suae.
that he wanted a protection for his old age.
Ille primo se negare: sed postquam acrius
He at first refused; but after his father
Pater instat, fecit animi ut incertus foret
pressed more sharply, he made him uncertain in mind
Pudorine anne amori obsequeretur magis.
whether he should yield more to duty or to love.
Tundendo atque odio denique effecit senex:
By dinning it into him and by making himself odious, the old man at last accomplished it:
Despondit ei gnatam huius vicini proximi.
he betrothed to him the daughter of this nearest neighbor.
Usque illud visum est Pamphilo neutiquam grave,
Up to that point it did not seem at all painful to Pamphilus,
Donec iam in ipsis nuptiis, postquam videt
until at the very wedding, after he saw
Paratas, nec moram ullam quin ducat dari,
everything prepared, and that no delay was given but that he must marry,
Ibi demum ita aegre tulit ut ipsam Bacchidem,
then at last he took it so hard that I believe even Bacchis herself,
Si adesset, credo ibi eius commiseresceret.3
if she had been present, would have pitied him.
Ubicumque datum erat spatium solitudinis,
Whenever any space of solitude was given,
Ut colloqui mecum una posset; "Parmeno,
so that he could speak with me alone: ‘Parmeno,
Perii: quid ego egi? in quod me conieci malum?
I am ruined! What have I done? Into what misery have I thrown myself?
Non potero hoc ferre, Parmeno: perii miser."
I will not be able to bear this, Parmeno! I am ruined, wretched man!’
At te Di Deaeque perduint cum isto odio Lache.
May the gods and goddesses destroy you, Laches, with that hateful conduct of yours!
Ut ad pauca redeam, uxorem deducit domum.
To cut a long story short, he brings his wife home.
Nocte illa prima virginem non attigit;
On that first night, he did not touch the maiden;
Quae consecuta est nox eam, nihilo magis.
nor did he on the night that followed that one.
Quid ais? cum virgine una adolescens cubuerit
What are you saying? A young man lay with a maiden,
Plus potus, illa se abstinere ut potuerit?
having drunk too much, and was able to restrain himself from her?
- 101vereor ut
vereor ut expresses a fear that something will not happen (unlike vereor ne which means 'I fear that it will happen'). Here, Parmeno fears that the marriage will not be lasting.
- 108tergum meum / Tuam in fidem committam
Parmeno, a slave, metaphorically refers to the danger of being whipped (his back, tergum) if the secret is leaked, by saying he would 'entrust his back to her loyalty.'
- 129eius commiseresceret
Syntax of the impersonal verb commiserescit (to pity). The person who feels pity is in the accusative (here ipsam Bacchidem), and the object of pity is in the genitive (eius, referring to Pamphilus).
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22) · Revision history (5, latest 2026-09-22)
- 2026-09-22 AI review — source 1
- 2026-09-21 AI review — source 4