- Source
- Ausonius, Decimus Magnus. Ausonius, Volume 1. Evelyn-White, Hugh G. (Hugh Gerard), editor. London, Cambridge, MA: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Harvard University Press, 1919.
- 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:stoa0045.stoa009.humanitext-lat2:pr-64
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-26
A prose preface where the author commemorates his deceased father, followed by a poem describing the life of his father, Ausonius, a skilled physician who lived a frugal and virtuous life, and the prosperity of his family.
Post deum semper patrem colui secundamque reverentiam genitori meo debui, sequitur ergo hanc summi dei venerationem epicedion patris mei. titulus a Graecis auctoribus defunctorum honori dicatus, non ambitiosus, sed religiosus: quem commendo lectori meo, sive is filius est seu pater sive utrumque, neque, ut laudet, exigo; set, ut amet, postulo, neque vero nunc patrem meum laudo, quod ille non eget et ego functum oblectatione viventium onerare non debeo, neque dico nisi quod agnoscunt, qui parti aetatis eius interfuerunt. falsum me autem morte eius obita dicere et verum tacere eiusdem piaculi existimo, imagini ipsius hi versus subscripti sunt neque minus in opusculorum meorum seriem relati. alia omnia mea displicent mihi; hoc relegisse amo.
After God, I have always cherished my father and owed my second reverence to my parent; therefore, this veneration of the supreme God is followed by the epicedium of my father. This title, dedicated by Greek authors to the honor of the deceased, is not boastful but religious; which I commend to my reader, whether he is a son or a father or both, and I do not demand that he praise it, but I ask that he love it. Nor indeed do I now praise my father, because he does not need it, and I ought not to burden the departed with the amusement of the living; nor do I say anything except what those who were present during a part of his life recognize. Moreover, I consider it the same sacrilege to speak falsely after his death and to keep silent about the truth. These verses were written under his portrait, and no less included in the collection of my small works. All my other things displease me; I love to have reread this.
Nomen ego Ausonius, non ultimus arte medendi
I, Ausonius by name, not the least in the art of healing,
et, mea si nosses tempora, primus eram.1
and, if you had known my times, I was the first.
vicinas urbes colui patriaque domoque,
I inhabited neighboring cities, with respect to my native land and home,
Vasates patria, sed lare Burdigalam,
Vasates as my native country, but Burdigala as my home,
curia me duplex et uterque senatus habebat
a double curia and both senates held me,
muneris exsortem,2 nomine participem,
exempt from duties, but a sharer in name,
non opulens nec egens, parcus sine sordibus egi:
neither wealthy nor needy, I lived frugally without sordidness;
victum, habitum, mores semper eadem habui,
I always maintained the same food, attire, and character;
sermone inpromptus Latio, verum Attica lingua
slow of speech in Latin, but the Attic tongue
suffecit culti vocibus eloquii.
sufficed with the expressions of refined eloquence.
optuli opem cunctis poscentibus artis inemptae
I offered the help of my unbought art to all who asked,
officiumque meum cum pietate fuit.
and my duty was performed with devotion.
iudicium de me studui praestare bonorum:
I strove to present the judgment of good men concerning me;
ipse mihi numquam, iudice me, placui.
I myself, with myself as judge, was never pleasing to myself.
officia in multos diverso debita cultu
Duties owed to many with diverse respect,
personis, meritis, tempore distribui,
I distributed according to persons, merits, and timing;
litibus abstinui: non auxi, non minui rem;
I abstained from lawsuits; I neither increased nor diminished my property;
indice me nullus, set neque teste, perit,
by my accusation, and indeed by my testimony, no one perished;
invidi numquam; cupere atque ambire refugi;
I never envied; I fled from coveting and striving for office;
iurare aut falsum dicere par habui.
I held swearing and speaking falsely as equal.
factio me sibi non, non coniuratio iunxit:
Faction did not join me to itself, nor did conspiracy;
sincero colui foedere amicitias,
I cultivated friendships with a sincere treaty;
felicem scivi non qui,3 quod vellet, haberet,
I knew that man to be happy, not who possessed what he wished,
set qui per fatum non data non cuperet.
but who did not desire what was not given by fate.
non occursator, non garrulus, obvia cernens,
Not one who thrusts himself forward, nor talkative, seeing what was in front,
valvis et velo condita non adii.
I did not enter places hidden by doors and curtains.
famam, quae posset vitam lacerare bonorum,
Slander that could tear apart the life of good men,
non finxi et, veram si scierim, tacui,
I did not devise, and, if I knew it to be true, I kept silent;
ira procul, spes vana procul, procul anxia cura
anger far away, vain hope far away, anxious care far away,
inque bonis hominum gaudia falsa procul.
and false joys in the goods of men far away.
vitati coetus eiuratique tumultus
Gatherings were avoided and tumults sworn off,
et semper fictae principum amicitiae,
and the ever-false friendships of princes;
deliquisse nihil numquam laudem esse putavi
I never thought that having committed no fault was a matter for praise,
atque bonos mores legibus antetuli.
and I preferred good character to laws.
irasci promptus properavi condere motum
Prone to anger, I hastened to hide my emotion,
atque mihi poenas pro levitate dedi.
and I paid the penalty to myself for my lightheartedness.
coniugium per lustra novem sine crimine concors
a harmonious marriage for forty-five years without blame,
unum habui: gnatos quattuor edidimus.
I had but one; we brought forth four children.
prima obiit lactans; at qui fuit ultimus aevi,.
The first died while nursing; but he who was the last in age,
pubertate rudi non rudis interiit.
perished in unrefined youth, not unrefined himself.
maximus ad summum columen pervenit honorum,
The eldest reached the highest peak of honors,
praefectus Gallis et Libyae et Latio,
prefect of the Gauls, of Libya, and of Latium,
tranquillus, clemens, oculis, voce, ore serenus,
calm, merciful, serene in eyes, voice, and face,
in genitore suo mente animoque puer.
in respect to his father, a boy in mind and spirit.
huius ego et natum et generum pro consule vidi;
I saw both his son and his son-in-law as proconsuls;
consul ut ipse foret, spes mihi certa fuit.
I had a certain hope that he himself would be consul.
matronale decus possedit filia, cuius
My daughter possessed the honor of a matron, whose
egregia et nuptae laus erat et viduae,
excellent praise was for her both as a wife and as a widow,
quae nati generique et progeneri simul omnium
who saw the houses of her son, son-in-law, and grandson-in-law all at once
multiplici inlustres vidit honore domos.
illustrious with manifold honor.
ipse nec adfectans nec detrectator honorum
I myself, neither seeking after nor a rejecter of honors,
praefectus magni nuncupor Illyrici,
am named prefect of great Illyricum;
haec me fortunae larga indulgentia suasit4
this generous indulgence of fortune persuaded me,
numine adorato vitae obitum petere,
having adored the divine power, to seek the end of life,
ne fortunatae spatium inviolabile vitae
lest any day, with fatal bite, should curtail
fatali morsu stringeret ulla dies.
the inviolable span of my fortunate life.
optinui auditaeque preces: spem, vota, timorem
I obtained it, and my prayers were heard: hope, vows, fear,
sopitus placido fine relinquo aliis,
allayed by a peaceful end, I leave to others;
inter maerentes, sed non ego maestus, amicos
among mourning friends, but I myself not sorrowful,
dispositis iacui funeris arbitriis.
I lay down, with the arrangements for my funeral set in order.
nonaginta annos baculo sine, corpore toto
Ninety years without a staff, in my whole body
exegi, cunctis integer officiis,
I completed, unimpaired in all my duties.
haec quicumque leges, non aspernabere fari:
Whoever you are who will read these words, you will not disdain to say:
talis vita tibi, qualia vota mihi.
”May such a life be yours, as are my wishes for myself.”
- 2primus eram
While the conditional clause uses the pluperfect subjunctive 'nosses' (novisses), the apodosis is in the imperfect indicative 'eram'. This indicative in a contrary-to-fact conditional emphasizes the certainty or reality of the state ("I was indeed the first, had you known my times").
- 6muneris exsortem
The adjective 'exsors' ("exempt from," "having no share in") governs the genitive of separation or deprivation 'muneris' (genitive singular of munus, "duty, public office").
- 23felicem scivi non qui
'scivi' (perfect of scio, "to know, consider") is used here in the sense of "I deemed/recognized." Structurally, it takes an accusative and infinitive construction (with 'esse' omitted) and the accusative complement 'felicem'. The antecedent 'eum' of the relative clause 'qui...' is omitted: "I knew [him] to be happy, not who..."
- 53me... suasit
The verb 'suadeo' ("to persuade, urge"), which in classical prose usually governs the dative ('mihi'), here takes the accusative 'me', functioning with the infinitive 'petere' in an accusative and infinitive construction. This is a characteristic of poetic or Late Latin usage.
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — source 1