Humanitext Reader

Terence · Hecyra §310-367

Pamphilus Rushes Indoors and Discovers the Secret

Passage 8 of 17 · Latin

Summary

Upon returning, Pamphilus is distressed to hear of his wife's sudden illness and the cries from inside the house, and rushes in. After a conversation between Sostrata and Parmeno, Pamphilus emerges in tears and confusion, sends his mother inside, and begins a monologue about the shocking truth he discovered.

§310Pueri inter sese quam pro levibus noxiis iras gerunt!
What angers do children bear among themselves for such light faults!
§311Quapropter? quia enim qui eos gubernat animus infirmum gerunt.
Why? Because the mind that governs them is weak.
§312Itidem illae mulieres sunt ferme ut pueri levi sententia.
In the same way, those women are almost like children, of a fickle mind.
§313Fortasse unum aliquod verbum inter eas iram hanc concivisse.
Perhaps some single word has stirred up this anger between them.
§314Abi, Parmeno, intro ac me venisse nuntia.
Go, Parmeno, inside, and announce that I have arrived.
§314bHem, quid hoc est?
Ah, what is this?
§314cTace.
Silence.
§315Trepidari sentio et cursari rursum prorsum.
I perceive a bustle and running to and fro.
§315bAgedum ad fores §316Accede propius.
Come, to the door Step closer.
Hem, sensistin?
Ah, did you perceive it?
§316bNoli fabularier.
Do not talk.
§317Pro Iupiter! clamorem audivi.
By Jupiter! I heard a cry.
§317bTute loqueris, me vetas.
You speak yourself, yet you forbid me.
§318Tace obsecro mea gnata.
Be silent, I pray, my daughter.
§318bMatris vox visa est Philumenae.
It seemed to be the voice of Philumena's mother.
§319Nullus sum.
I am undone.
§319bQuidum?
How so?
§319cPerii!
I am lost!
§319dQuamobrem?
Why?
§319eNescio quod magnum malum §320Profecto, Parmeno, me celas.
Some great misfortune, surely, Parmeno, you are concealing from me.
§320bUxorem Philumenam §321Pavitare nescio quid dixerunt: id si forte est nescio.
That my wife Philumena is trembling with some fear, they said; whether that happens to be the case, I know not.
§322Interii.
I am dead.
Cur mihi id non dixti?
Why did you not tell me that?
§322bQuia non poteram una omnia.
Because I could not do all things at once.
§323Quid morbi est?
What kind of illness is it?
§323bNescio.
I do not know.
§323cQuid? nemon medicum adduxit?
What? Did no one bring a doctor?
§323dNescio.
I do not know.
§324Cesso hinc ire intro, ut hoc quam primum quicquid est certum sciam?
Why do I delay to go inside, so that I may know for certain as soon as possible whatever this is?
§325Quonam modo, Philumena mea, nunc te offendam affectam?
In what state, my Philumena, shall I now find you affected?
§326Nam si periclum ullum in te inest, perisse me una haud dubium est.
For if there is any danger to you, there is no doubt that I perish along with you.
§327Non usus facto est mihi nunc hunc intro sequi: §328Nam invisos omnes nos esse illis sentio.
There is no need for me now to follow him inside; for I perceive that we are all hated by them.
§329Heri nemo voluit Sostratam intro admittere.
Yesterday no one wished to admit Sostrata.
§330Si forte morbus amplior factus siet, §331Quod sane nolim, maxime heri causa mei, §332Servum ilico introisse dicent Sostratae; §333Aliquid tulisse comminiscentur mali §334Capiti atque aetati illorum, morbus qui auctus siet.
If by chance the illness should become more severe, which indeed I would not wish, especially for my master's sake, they will say immediately that Sostrata's servant entered; they will devise that he brought some evil to their lives and safety, which caused the illness to increase.
§335Hera in crimen veniet, ego vero in magnum malum.
My mistress will come into accusation, and I indeed into great trouble.
§336Nescio quid iamdudum audio hic tumultuari misera: §337Male metuo ne Philumenae magis morbus aggravescat; §338Quod te Aesculapi, et te Salus, ne quid sit huius oro.
Wretched me, for some time I have been hearing a noise of confusion here; I fear greatly lest Philumena's illness should grow worse; which I pray you, Aesculapius, and you, Salus, that no such thing may happen.
§339Nunc ad eam visam.
Now I shall go to see her.
§339bHeus, Sostrata.
Hey, Sostrata.
§339cEhem.
Ah.
§339dIterum istinc excludere.
You will be shut out from there again.
§340Ehem, Parmeno, tune hic eras? Perii, quid faciam misera?
Ah, Parmeno, were you here? I am lost, what shall wretched I do?
§341Non visam uxorem Pamphili, cum in proximo hic sit aegra?
Shall I not visit the wife of Pamphilus, when she is ill here close by?
§342Non visas? ne mittas quidem visendi causa quemquam: §343Nam qui amat cui odio ipsus est bis facere stulte duco: §344Laborem inanem ipsus capit, et illi molestiam affert.
Not visit? Do not even send anyone for the sake of visiting; for he who loves one by whom he is hated, I consider to act doubly foolishly: he takes useless trouble upon himself, and brings annoyance to the other.
§345Tum autem filius introiit videre, ut venit, quid agat.
And besides, your son has gone inside to see, now that he has come, how she is doing.
§346Quid ais? an venit Pamphilus?
What do you say? Has Pamphilus come?
§346bVenit.
He has come.
§346cDis gratiam habeo.
I give thanks to the gods.
§347Hem, istoc verbo animus mihi rediit, et cura ex corde excessit.
Ah, with that word my courage has returned, and anxiety has departed from my heart.
§348Iam ea de causa maxime nunc huc introire nolo: §349Nam si remittent quippiam Philumenae dolores, §350Omnem rem narrabit, scio, continuo sola soli §351Quae inter vos intervenit, unde ortum est initium irae.
Now for that very reason especially I do not wish to go inside here; for if Philumena's pains abate at all, she will tell the whole matter, I know, immediately, alone to him alone, which happened between you, whence arose the beginning of the anger.
§352Atque eccum video ipsum egredi: quam tristis est!
And look, I see him coming out: how sad he is!
§352bO mi gnate.
O my son.
§353Mea mater salve.
My mother, hail.
§353bGaudeo venisse salvum: salvan §354Philumena est?
I rejoice that you have come back safe; is Philumena safe?
§354bMeliuscula est.
She is a little better.
§354cUtinam istuc ita Di faxint.
Would that the gods might grant it so.
§355Quid tu igitur lacrimas? aut quid es tam tristis?
Why then do you weep? Or why are you so sad?
§355bRecte, mater.
It is well, mother.
§356Quid fuit tumulti? dic mihi: an dolor repente invasit?
What was that bustle? Tell me: did pain suddenly seize her?
§357Ita factum est.
It was so.
§357bQuid morbi est?
What kind of illness is it?
§357cFebris.
A fever.
§357dQuotidiana?
A daily one?
§357eIta aiunt.
So they say.
§358I sodes intro; consequar iam te, mea mater.
Go inside, please; I will follow you soon, my mother.
§358bFiat.
Let it be so.
§359Tu pueris curre Parmeno obviam, atque eis onera adiuta.
You, Parmeno, run to meet the boys, and help them with the burdens.
§360Quid? non sciunt ipsi viam domum qua redeant?
What? Do they not know the way by which to return home?
§360bCessas?
Do you delay?
§361Nequeo mearum rerum initium ullum invenire idoneum, §362Unde exordiar narrare quae nec opinanti accidunt; §363Partim quae perspexi his oculis, partim quae accepi auribus: §364Qua me propter exanimatum citius eduxi foras.
I cannot find any suitable beginning of my affairs, from where to begin to relate what has happened to me unexpectedly; partly what I saw with these eyes, partly what I received with my ears; for which reason, breathless with fear, I have brought myself out of doors more quickly.
§365Nam modo me intro ut corripui timidus, alio suspicans §366Morbo me visurum affectam ac sensi esse uxorem; hei mihi!
For just now, as I hurried inside in fear, suspecting that I should see my wife affected by another illness than what I perceived it to be; ah me!
§367Postquam me aspexere ancillae advenisse, ilico omnes simul
As soon as the maidservants saw that I had arrived, immediately they all together...

Notes

  1. §311qui eos gubernat animus — A structure where the antecedent animus is incorporated into the relative clause qui eos gubernat (attraction of the antecedent). In normal word order, it would be animus qui eos gubernat.
  2. §313unum aliquod verbum inter eas iram hanc concivisse — An accusative with infinitive (AcI) construction with the governing verb of thinking or supposing (such as arbitror) omitted. It expresses the speaker's conjecture, meaning 'Perhaps... has stirred up.'
  3. §315Trepidari sentio et cursari — Impersonal passive infinitives of the intransitive verbs trepidare (to bustle) and cursare (to run about). They form an accusative with infinitive construction as the object of the verb of perception sentio, meaning 'I perceive that there is bustling and running about.'
  4. §327Non usus facto est mihi — The construction usus est + ablative ('there is need of'), here using the perfect participle neuter singular facto. The whole phrase means 'there is no need of acting,' with the infinitive clause hunc intro sequi added to specify the action.
  5. §343cui odio ipsus est — A relative clause where cui is a relative pronoun in the dative, odio is a dative of purpose (or tendency), and ipsus is an archaic form of the nominative ipse. Together they form a double dative construction meaning 'to whom he himself is an object of hatred.'
  6. §365alio suspicans / Morbo me visurum affectam ac sensi — A complex accusative with infinitive construction using the comparative ac (alio... ac: 'other... than'). The clause ac sensi [esse uxorem] (than what I [actually] perceived [the wife to be]) modifies me visurum [uxorem] affectam [alio morbo] (that I would see [my wife] affected by another illness), which is the object of suspicans (suspecting).

Cite this passage

Terence, Hecyra §310-367. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0134.phi005.humanitext-lat2:310-367

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