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Terence · Eunuchus §151-218b

Phaedria's Reluctant Concession to Thais and Withdrawal

Passage 5 of 20 · Latin

Summary

Thais begs Phaedria to tolerate the soldier's stay for just a couple of days, and Phaedria, though resentful, finally agrees and decides to withdraw to the country. Before leaving, he orders Parmeno to deliver the gifts and keep his rival away.

§151Sine illum priores partes hosce aliquot dies §152Apud me habere.
THAIS: Let him have the chief role for these few days at my house.
Nihil respondes?
You answer nothing?
§152bPessima, §153Egon quicquam cum istis factis tibi respondeam?
PHAEDRIA: Wicked woman, should I answer you anything after those deeds of yours?
§154Eu noster! laudo: tandem perdoluit: vir es.
PARMENO: Well done, our man! I praise you: at last it has hurt you deeply: you are a man.
§155At ego nescibam quorsum tu ires: "Parvula §156Hinc est abrepta; eduxit mater pro sua: §157Soror est dicta: cupio abducere, ut reddam suis. " §158Nempe omnia haec nunc verba huc redeunt denique; §159Ego excludor; ille recipitur: qua gratia?
PHAEDRIA: But I didn't know where you were heading: 'A little girl was carried off from here; my mother brought her up as her own; she was called my sister: I wish to get her away, so that I may return her to her people.' Surely all these words now come down to this in the end: I am shut out; he is admitted: for what reason?
§160Nisi illum plus amas quam me, et istam nunc times §161Quae advecta est, ne illum talem praeripiat tibi.
Unless you love him more than me, and you now fear her who has been brought here, lest she snatch him, such a fine catch, away from you.
§162Ego id timeo?
THAIS: I fear that?
§162bQuid te ergo aliud sollicitat? cedo.
PHAEDRIA: What else is troubling you then? Tell me.
§163Num solus ille dona dat? nuncubi meam
Is he the only one who gives presents?
§164Benignitatem sensisti in te claudier?
Have you ever felt my generosity closed to you?
§165Nonne ubi mihi dixti cupere te ex Aethiopia §166Ancillulam relictis rebus omnibus §167Quaesivi? porro eunuchum dixti velle te, §168Quia solae utuntur his reginae; repperi.
Didn't I, when you told me you wanted a little slave-girl from Ethiopia, leaving all other business, seek one out? Furthermore, you said you wanted a eunuch, because queens alone use them; I found one.
§169Heri minas viginti pro ambobus dedi: §170Tamen contemptus abs te haec habui in memoria: §171Ob haec facta abs te spernor.
Yesterday I paid twenty minae for both: yet, despised by you, I kept these things in my memory; for these deeds I am scorned by you.
§171bQuid istic Phaedria?
THAIS: What is it, Phaedria?
§172Quanquam illam cupio abducere, atque hac re arbitror §173Id fieri posse maxime, verumtamen, §174Potius quam te inimicum habeam, faciam ut iusseris.
Although I desire to get her away, and by this means I think it can best be done, nevertheless, rather than have you as an enemy, I will do as you bid.
§175Utinam istuc verbum ex animo ac vere diceres, §176"Potius quam te inimicum habeam. "Si istuc crederem §177Sincere dici quidvis possem perpeti.
PHAEDRIA: I wish you said that word from your heart and truly, 'rather than have you as an enemy.' If I believed that was said sincerely, I could endure anything.
§178Labascit victus uno verbo quam cito!
PARMENO: He wavers, overcome by a single word, how quickly!
§179Ego non ex animo misera dico? quam ioco
THAIS: Do I, wretched woman, not speak from my heart?
§180Rem voluisti a me tandem quin perfeceris?
What thing did you ever want from me in jest in the end that you did not obtain?
§181Ego impetrare nequeo hoc abs te, biduum §182Saltem ut concedas solum?
Can I not obtain this from you, that you grant me at least just two days?
§182bSiquidem biduum; §183Verum ne fiant isti viginti dies.
PHAEDRIA: If indeed it is two days; but let not those become twenty days.
§184Profecto non plus biduum, aut — §184b"Aut" nihil moror.
THAIS: Truly not more than two days, or— PHAEDRIA: 'Or' I care nothing for.
§185Non fiet: hoc modo sine te exorem.
THAIS: It won't happen. Just let me win this from you.
§185bScilicet §186Faciendum est quod vis.
PHAEDRIA: Clearly, what you wish must be done.
§186bMerito amo te.
THAIS: Deservedly I love you.
§186cBene facis.
PHAEDRIA: You do well.
§187Rus ibo: ibi hoc me macerabo biduum.
I will go to the country: there I will torment myself for these two days.
§188Ita facere certum est: mos gerendus est Thaidi.
I am resolved to do so: Thais must be humored.
§189Tu, Parmeno, huc fac illi adducantur.
You, Parmeno, see to it that they are brought here.
§189bMaxime.
PARMENO: Certainly.
§190In hoc biduum Thais vale.
PHAEDRIA: For these two days, Thais, farewell.
§190bMi Phaedria §191Et tu; numquid vis aliud?
THAIS: My Phaedria, and you; is there anything else you want?
§191bEgone quid velim?
PHAEDRIA: What I want?
§192Cum milite isto praesens absens ut sies; §193Noctes diesque me ames; me desideres; §194Me somnies; me expectes; de me cogites; §195Me speres; me te oblectes; mecum tota sis: §196Meus fac sis postremo animus, quando ego sum tuus.
That you be present-absent with that soldier; that you love me night and day; that you yearn for me; that you dream of me, expect me, think of me, hope for me, delight yourself in me, be wholly with me: in short, see that you be my soul, since I am yours.
§197Me miseram! forsitan hic mihi parvam habeat fidem,
THAIS: Wretched me!
§198Atque ex aliarum ingeniis nunc me iudicet.
Perhaps he has little faith in me, and judges me now from the character of other women.
§199Ego pol quae mihi sum conscia hoc certo scio, §200Neque me finxisse falsi quicquam, neque meo §201Cordi esse quemquam cariorem hoc Phaedria: §202Et quicquid huius feci causa virginis §203Feci; nam me eius spero fratrem propemodum §204Iam repperisse, adolescentem adeo nobilem: §205Et is hodie venturum ad me constituit domum.
By Pollux, I who am conscious of my own mind know this for certain, that I have neither feigned anything false, nor is anyone dearer to my heart than this Phaedria; and whatever of this I did, I did for the sake of the maiden; for I hope I have now almost found her brother, a young man of such noble birth; and he has agreed to come to my house today.
§206Concedam hinc intro atque expectabo dum venit.
I will withdraw inside from here and wait until he comes.
§207Fac ita ut iussi deducantur isti.
PHAEDRIA: See to it that those are brought over, as I ordered.
§207bFaciam.
PARMENO: I will do so.
§207cAt diligenter.
PHAEDRIA: And carefully.
§208Fiet.
PARMENO: It shall be done.
§208bAt mature.
PHAEDRIA: And in good time.
§208cFiet.
PARMENO: It shall be done.
§208dSatin hoc mandatum est tibi?
PHAEDRIA: Is this instruction sufficiently given to you?
§208eAh!
PARMENO: Ah!
§209Rogitare? quasi difficile sit.
To ask that? As if it were difficult.
§210Utinam tam aliquid invenire facile possis Phaedria §211Quam hoc peribit.
I wish you could find something as easily, Phaedria, as this will be lost.
§211bEgo quoque una pereo, quod mihi est carius:
PHAEDRIA: I too am ruined along with them, which is dearer to me.
§212Ne istuc tam iniquo patiare animo.
PARMENO: Do not bear that with so impatient a mind.
§212bMinime; quin effectum dabo.
PHAEDRIA: Not at all; indeed I will carry it out.
§213Sed numquid aliud imperas?
PARMENO: But do you order anything else?
§214Munus nostrum ornato verbis, quod poteris; et istum aemulum, §215Quod poteris, ab ea pellito.
PHAEDRIA: Embellish our gift with words as much as you can; and keep that rival away from her as much as you can.
§216Memini, tametsi nullus moneas.
PARMENO: I remember, even if you shouldn't warn me at all.
§216bEgo rus ibo, atque ibi manebo.
PHAEDRIA: I will go to the country and remain there.
§217Censeo.
PARMENO: I recommend it.
§217bSed heus tu!
PHAEDRIA: But hey!
§217cQuid vis?
PARMENO: What do you want?
§217dCensen posse me offirmare §218Et perpeti ne redeam interea?
PHAEDRIA: Do you think I can hold out and endure so as not to return in the meantime?
§218bTene? non hercle arbitror.
PARMENO: You? By Hercules, I do not think so.

Notes

  1. 153respondeam — Deliberative subjunctive used in a rhetorical question expressing indignation: 'Should I answer...?' (implying 'there is no reason to do so').
  2. 160ne... praeripiat — A fearing clause introduced by the verb of fearing `times` ('you fear'). In Latin, if the feared event is positive ('fear that something will happen'), the clause is introduced by the conjunction `ne` with the subjunctive.
  3. 191bEgone quid velim? — A repeating question responding to Thais's `numquid vis aliud?`, using the subjunctive `velim` in an indirect question structure. It conveys an echoic rhetorical question: 'What do I want, you ask?'
  4. 217dCensen — A colloquial contraction of `censesne` (`censes` + the interrogative enclitic `-ne`), typical of Roman comedy, featuring apocope and assimilation of the final `s`. It has the same meaning as `censesne` ('do you think?').

Cite this passage

Terence, Eunuchus §151-218b. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0134.phi003.humanitext-lat2:151-218b

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