§1.5.1Egressum magna me accepit Aricia Roma §1.5.2hospitio modico; rhetor comes Heliodorus, §1.5.3graecorum longe doctissimus; inde forum Appi §1.5.4differtum nautis cauponibus atque malignis.
Having departed from great Rome, Aricia received me with modest hospitality; my companion was the rhetorician Heliodorus, by far the most learned of the Greeks; thence to the Forum of Appius, crowded with sailors and grudging innkeepers.
§1.5.5hoc iter ignavi divisimus, altius ac nos §1.5.6praecinctis unum: minus est gravis Appia tardis.
We divided this journey, being lazy, which for those more highly girt up is a single one: the Appian Way is less tedious to the slow.
§1.5.7hic ego propter aquam, quod erat deterrima, ventri §1.5.8indico bellum, cenantis haud animo aequo §1.5.9exspectans comites.
Here I, on account of the water, because it was most wretched, to my stomach declare war, waiting not with an easy mind for my dining companions.
iam nox inducere terris §1.5.10umbras et caelo diffundere signa parabat: §1.5.11tum pueri nautis, pueris convicia nautae §1.5.12ingerere: ‘huc adpelle’; ‘trecentos inseris’; ‘ohe, §1.5.13iam satis est. ’ dum aes exigitur, dum mula ligatur, §1.5.14tota abit hora.
Already night was preparing to bring shadows upon the lands and to spread the constellations in the sky: then the slaves began to heap abuse upon the sailors, and the sailors upon the slaves: "Steer in here!"; "You are putting in three hundred!"; "Hey, now that's enough!" While the fare is being collected, while the mule is being harnessed, a whole hour slips away.
mali culices ranaeque palustres §1.5.15avertunt somnos; absentem cantat amicam §1.5.16multa prolutus vappa nauta atque viator §1.5.17certatim; tandem fessus dormire viator §1.5.18incipit ac missae pastum retinacula mulae §1.5.19nauta piger saxo religat stertitque supinus.
Troublesome gnats and marsh frogs drive away sleep; of his absent mistress sings the sailor, soaked in plenty of cheap wine, and the traveler in competition; at length the tired traveler begins to sleep, and the lazy sailor ties the halter of the mule, sent out to graze, to a stone, and snores lying on his back.
§1.5.20iamque dies aderat, nil cum procedere lintrem §1.5.21sentimus, donec cerebrosus prosilit unus §1.5.22ac mulae nautaeque caput lumbosque saligno §1.5.23fuste dolat: quarta vix demum exponimur hora.
And now day was at hand, when we perceive that the boat is making no progress, until one hot-tempered fellow leaps up and drubs the head and loins of both mule and sailor with a willow cudgel: only at the fourth hour are we scarcely landed.
§1.5.24ora manusque tua lavimus, Feronia, lympha.
We washed our faces and hands in your stream, Feronia.
Then, having dined, we crawl three miles and climb up to Anxur, set upon rocks that gleam white far and wide.
§1.5.27huc venturus erat Maecenas optimus atque §1.5.28Cocceius, missi magnis de rebus uterque §1.5.29legati, aversos soliti conponere amicos.
Here the excellent Maecenas was to come, and Cocceius, both sent as ambassadors on matters of great importance, accustomed to reconcile estranged friends.
Here I, having sore eyes, began to smear black salve on my eyes.
interea Maecenas advenit atque §1.5.32Cocceius Capitoque simul Fonteius, ad unguem §1.5.33factus homo, Antoni, non ut magis alter, amicus.
Meanwhile Maecenas arrives, and Cocceius, and at the same time Fonteius Capito, a man finished to the fingernail, a friend of Antony, such that no other was more so.
§1.5.34Fundos Aufidio Lusco praetore libenter §1.5.35linquimus, insani ridentes praemia scribae, §1.5.36praetextam et latum clavum prunaeque vatillum.
Fundi, with Aufidius Luscus as praetor, we gladly leave, laughing at the rewards of that crazy scribe, the toga praetexta, the broad stripe, and the pan of coals.
Then, weary, we stay in the city of the Mamurrae, with Murena providing the house, and Capito the kitchen.
§1.5.39postera lux oritur multo gratissima; namque §1.5.40Plotius et Varius Sinuessae Vergiliusque §1.5.41occurrunt, animae, qualis neque candidiores §1.5.42terra tulit neque quis me sit devinctior alter.
The next light rises by far the most welcome; for Plotius and Varius and Virgil at Sinuessa meet us, souls than whom the earth has borne none more candid, nor to whom any other is more closely bound than I.
§1.5.43o qui conplexus et gaudia quanta fuerunt.
Oh, what embraces and how great were the joys!
§1.5.44nil ego contulerim iucundo sanus amico.
While sane, I would compare nothing to a pleasant friend.
§1.5.45proxima Campano ponti quae villula, tectum §1.5.46praebuit et parochi, quae debent, ligna salemque.
The nearest villa to the Campanian bridge provided us with shelter, and the officers, what they are obliged to, wood and salt.
§1.5.47hinc muli Capuae clitellas tempore ponunt.
Hence the mules lay down their packs at Capua in good time.
§1.5.48lusum it Maecenas, dormitum ego Vergiliusque; §1.5.49namque pila lippis inimicum et ludere crudis.
Maecenas goes to play, Virgil and I to sleep; for playing ball is harmful to sore eyes and those with bad digestion.
Next, the very well-stocked villa of Cocceius receives us, which is above the taverns of Caudium.
nunc mihi paucis §1.5.52Sarmenti Scurrae pugnam Messique Cicerri, §1.5.53Musa, velim memores et quo patre natus uterque §1.5.54contulerit litis.
Now I would wish you, Musa, to recall in a few words the battle of Sarmentus the jester and Messius Cicerrus, and from what father sprung each descended joined the dispute.
Messi clarum genus Osci; §1.5.55Sarmenti domina exstat: ab his maioribus orti §1.5.56ad pugnam venere.
The famous lineage of Messius is Oscan; the mistress of Sarmentus is still alive: sprung from these ancestors they came to the fight.
prior Sarmentus ‘equi te §1.5.57esse feri similem dico. ’ ridemus, et ipse §1.5.58Messius ‘accipio,’ caput et movet.
First Sarmentus: "I say that you are like a wild horse." We laugh, and Messius himself says "I accept," and shakes his head.
‘o tua cornu §1.5.59ni foret exsecto frons,’ inquit, ‘quid faceres, cum §1.5.60sic mutilus minitaris?’ at illi foeda cicatrix §1.5.61saetosam laevi frontem turpaverat oris.
"Oh, if only your forehead had not its horn cut off," says Sarmentus, "what would you do, since though thus mutilated you threaten?" But indeed a foul scar had disfigured the hairy left side of his forehead.
§1.5.62Campanum in morbum, in faciem permulta iocatus, §1.5.63pastorem saltaret uti Cyclopa rogabat: §1.5.64nil illi larva aut tragicis opus esse cothurnis.
Having joked much about his Campanian disease and his face, he asked him to dance as the shepherd Cyclops: he had no need of a mask or tragic buskins.
§1.5.65multa Cicerrus ad haec: donasset iamne catenam §1.5.66ex voto Laribus, quaerebat; scriba quod esset, §1.5.67nilo deterius dominae ius esse; rogabat §1.5.68denique, cur umquam fugisset, cui satis una §1.5.69farris libra foret, gracili sic tamque pusillo.
Cicerrus said many things to this: had he already dedicated his chain according to his vow to the Lares, he asked; because he was a scribe, the right of his mistress was none the less; he asked finally, why he had ever run away, for whom a single pound of corn would be enough, being so lean and so tiny.
§1.5.70prorsus iucunde cenam producimus illam.
We prolong that dinner entirely delightfully.
§1.5.71tendimus hinc recta Beneventum, ubi sedulus hospes §1.5.72paene macros arsit dum turdos versat in igni.
Hence we stretch straight to Beneventum, where the busy host almost burned while he turned lean thrushes on the fire.
For a wandering flame, having slipped through the old kitchen, was hastening to lick the very roof of the house.
§1.5.75convivas avidos cenam servosque timentis §1.5.76tum rapere atque omnis restinguere velle videres.
You might have seen the hungry guests and the terrified slaves then snatch the dinner and wish to extinguish the fire altogether.
§1.5.77incipit ex illo montis Appulia notos §1.5.78ostentare mihi, quos torret Atabulus et quos §1.5.79nunquam erepsemus, nisi nos vicina Trivici §1.5.80villa recepisset lacrimoso non sine fumo, §1.5.81udos cum foliis ramos urente camino.
From that place Appulia begins to show me her familiar mountains, which Atabulus parches and which we should never have crawled over, unless a villa near Trivicum had received us, not without tearful smoke, since the hearth was burning damp branches with leaves.
§1.5.82hic ego mendacem stultissimus usque puellam §1.5.83ad mediam noctem exspecto; somnus tamen aufert §1.5.84intentum Veneri; tum inmundo somnia visu §1.5.85nocturnam vestem maculant ventremque supinum.
Here I, most foolish, wait for a deceitful girl all the way until midnight; sleep, however, carries me off intent on love; then dreams with an unclean vision soil my night-garment and my stomach lying on its back.
§1.5.86quattuor hinc rapimur viginti et milia raedis, §1.5.87mansuri oppidulo, quod versu dicere non est, §1.5.88signis perfacile est: venit vilissima rerum §1.5.89hic aqua, sed panis longe pulcherrimus, ultra §1.5.90callidus ut soleat umeris portare viator.
Hence we are hurried twenty-four miles in carriages, to stay in a little town which it is not possible to say in verse, but is very easy to indicate by signs: here water, the cheapest of things, is sold, but the bread is by far the finest, so that further on the clever traveler is accustomed to carry it on his shoulders.
§1.5.91nam Canusi lapidosus, aquae non ditior urna: §1.5.92qui locus a forti Diomede est conditus olim.
For the bread of Canusium is gritty, nor is it richer by a pitcher of water: which place was once founded by the brave Diomedes.
§1.5.93flentibus hinc Varius discedit maestus amicis.
Hence Varius departs sad, with his friends weeping.
Thence we arrive weary at Rubi, inasmuch as we were taking a long journey and one made more ruined by rain.
§1.5.96postera tempestas melior, via peior ad usque §1.5.97Bari moenia piscosi; dein Gnatia lymphis §1.5.98iratis exstructa dedit risusque iocosque, §1.5.99dum flamma sine tura liquescere limine sacro §1.5.100persuadere cupit.
The next day's weather was better, the road worse all the way to the walls of fishy Barium; then Gnatia, built with angry waters, gave us laughter and jokes, while it desires to persuade us that frankincense melts without flame on the sacred threshold.
credat Iudaeus Apella, §1.5.101non ego; namque Deos didici securum agere aevom §1.5.102nec, siquid miri faciat natura, deos id §1.5.103tristis ex alto caeli demittere tecto.
Let the circumcised Jew Apella believe it, not I; for I have learned that the Gods lead a care-free life, nor, if nature should perform anything wondrous, do the gods, sad, send it down from the high roof of heaven.
§1.5.104Brundisium longae finis chartaeque viaeque est.
Brundisium is the end of both a long poem and a long journey.