§82gravare questu? regium hoc ipsum reor:
What does it help, my wife, to increase evils with lamentation?
§83adversa capere, quoque sit dubius magis §84status et cadentis imperi moles labet, §85hoc stare certo pressius fortem gradu; §86haud est virile terga Fortunae dare.
This very thing I deem kingly: to accept adversity, and the more doubtful is the state and the weight of the falling empire totters, to stand so much the more firmly with courageous step; it is not manly to turn one's back to Fortune.
§87Abest pavoris crimen ac probrum procul, §88virtusque nostra nescit ignavos metus: §89si tela contra stricta, si vis horrida §90Mavortis in me rueret— adversus feros §91audax Gigantas obvias ferrem manus.
Far away is the charge and shame of fear, and our courage knows no cowardly dread: if drawn weapons, if the horrible force of Mavors should rush against me—against the fierce Giants I would boldly bear my opposing hands.
§92nec Sphinga caecis verba nectentem modis §93fugi: cruentos vatis infandae tuli §94rictus et albens ossibus sparsis solum; §95cumque e superna rupe iam praedae imminens §96aptaret alas verbera et caudae movens §97saevi leonis more conciperet minas, §98carmen poposci: sonuit horrendum insuper, §99crepuere malae, saxaque impatiens morae §100revulsit ungui viscera expectans mea; §101nodosa sortis verba et implexos dolos §102ac triste carmen alitis solvi ferae.
Nor did I flee the Sphinx weaving words in dark measures: I bore the bloody jaws of the unspeakable prophetess and the ground whitening with scattered bones; and when from the high cliff, already impending over her prey, she was fitting her wings, and moving the lashes of her tail in the manner of a savage lion, she conceived threats, I demanded the song: it sounded horrible above, her jaws creaked, and impatient of delay, with her claw she tore the rocks, waiting for my vitals; the knotty words of the riddle and the tangled guiles and the sad song of the winged beast I solved.
§103Quid sera mortis vota nunc demens facis?
Why do you now, madman, make late vows of death?
You were permitted to perish; this sceptre is given to you as the price of praise, and this reward for the slain Sphinx.
That, that dire ashes of the cunning monster rebels against us; that plague now destroys the slain Thebes.
One salvation now remains, if Phoebus shows any way of safety.
§110Occidis, Cadmi generosa proles, §111urbe cum tota; viduas colonis §112respicis terras, miseranda Thebe.
You perish, noble offspring of Cadmus, with the whole city; you look back upon lands widowed of husbandmen, pitiable Thebes.
§113carpitur leto tuus ille, Bacche, §114miles, extremos comes usque ad Indos, §115ausus Eois equitare campis §116figere et mundo tua signa primo: §117cinnami silvis Arabas beatos §118vidit et versos equites, sagittis' §119terga fallacis metuenda Parthi; §120litus intravit pelagi rubentis: §121promit hinc ortus aperitque lucem §122Phoebus et flamma propiore nudos §123inficit Indos.
Your soldier is harvested by death, O Bacchus, his companion even to the farthest Indians, who dared to ride on Eastern plains and to plant your standards at the world's first beginning: he saw the blessed Arabs in the forests of cinnamon, and the turned horsemen, the backs of the deceptive Parthian, to be feared for his arrows; he entered the shore of the Red Sea: from here Phoebus brings forth the sunrise and opens the light, and with a closer flame dyes the naked Indians.
§124Stirpis invictae genus interimus, §125labimur saevo rapiente fato; §126ducitur semper nova pompa Morti: §127longus ad manes properatur ordo §128agminis maesti, seriesque tristis §129haeret et turbae tumulos petenti §130non satis septem patuere portae.
We, the race of an unconquered stock, perish, we fall as savage fate sweeps us away; a new procession is always led to Death: a long line of the sorrowful host is hastened to the shades, and the sad series clings, and for the crowd seeking the tombs the seven gates have not lain open wide enough.
Grave slaughter stands, and funeral is pressed down by joined funeral.
§135Colla facturus steterat sacerdos: §136dum manus certum parat alta vulnus, §137aureo taurus rutilante cornu §138labitur segnis; patuit sub ictu §139ponderis vasti resoluta cervix: §140nec cruor ferrum maculavit: alta §141turpis est plaga sanies profusa.
The priest had stood ready to strike the neck: while his raised hand prepares the certain wound, the bull with golden, glittering horn falls sluggishly; under the blow of the vast weight the loosened neck lay open: nor did blood stain the iron: from the deep wound foul corruption is poured out.
The horse, slower in its very course, collapsed in the ring and betrayed its master with drooping shoulder.
§133Prima vis tardas tetigit bidentes: §134laniger pingues male carpsit herbas; §146taurus armento pereunte marcet: §147deficit pastor grege deminuto §148tabidos inter moriens iuvencos.
The first force touched the slow sheep: the wool-bearer plucked the rich herbs poorly; the bull languishes while the herd perishes: the shepherd dies amid the wasting steers, dying as his flock is diminished.
§145incubant agris pecudes relictae; §149non lupos cervi metuunt rapaces, §150cessat irati fremitus leonis, §151nulla villosis feritas in ursis; §152perdidit pestem latebrosa serpens: §153aret et sicco moritur veneno.
The abandoned beasts lie upon the fields; the stags do not fear the rapacious wolves, the roaring of the angry lion ceases, there is no wildness in the shaggy bears; the lurking serpent has lost its plague: it is parched and dies with its own dry poison.
§154Non silva sua decorata coma §155fundit opacas montibus umbras, §156non rura virent ubere glebae, §157non plena suo vitis Baccho §158bracchia curvat: §159omnia nostrum sensere malum.
The forest, not decorated with its own foliage, pours no dark shadows on the mountains, the fields are not green with fertile soil, the vine, not full of its own Bacchus, does not bend its arms: all things have felt our evil.
§160Rupere Erebi claustra profundi §161turba sororum face Tartarea §162Phlegethonque suam mutat ripam: §163miscuit undis Styga Sidoniis.
They have broken the barriers of deep Erebus, the crowd of sisters with Tartarean torch, and Phlegethon changes his bank: he has mixed Styx with Sidonian waves.
§164Mors atra avidos oris hiatus §165pandit et omnis explicat alas; §166quique capaci turbida cumba §167flumina servat durus senio §168navita crudo vix assiduo §169bracchia conto lassata refert, §170fessus turbam vectare novam.
Black Death opens her greedy jaws and unfolds all her wings; and the hard ferryman who keeps the turbid rivers in his spacious boat, hardy in his raw old age, scarcely brings back his arms tired by the constant pole, weary of carrying the new crowd.
§171quin Taenarii vincula ferri §172rupisse canem fama et nostris §173errare locis, mugisse solum, §174vaga per lucos simulacra virum §174l* §175maiora viris, bis Cadmeum §176nive discussa tremuisse nemus, §177bis turbatam sanguine Dircen, §178nocte silenti §179Amphionios ululasse canes.
Nay, there is a report that the dog broke the chains of Taenarian iron and wanders in our places, and the ground bellowed, and vague phantoms of men wandered through the groves, * greater than men, and twice the Cadmean grove shook, its snow shaken off, and twice Dirce was disturbed with blood, in the silent night the Amphionian dogs howled.