Still, the last passage was completely by sight. I was missing so much vocabulary that I could only write down about a third. She reassured me as she picked up my test, though, so maybe it will be all right. Another student says that she grades more on the knowledge we show in class and how much we obviously prepare rather than the accuracy of the sight translations.
Most of the passages below we went over in class, which makes doing it here CONSIDERABLY easier. Apparently we are always supposed to be going back over the passages we did in class. So, we should be translating two weeks worth every week, one looking forward and one looking back? Oh my stars.
A Roman short sword, a mucronum
Notes on this passage:
- cuncta vs. cunctatio. cuncta = all, while cunctatio = delay, hesitation. While crazy confusing to translate, I think these playful, close words are a part of Apuleius's style. There is an element of Keyser Soze to it. The accuser uses cuncta over and over again in his accusation, so when Our Hero makes up dialogue to put in the "robber's" mouth, he uses a variation of the vocabulary that he just heard.
- That speech supposedly given by the burly robber - it reeks of Virgilian speeches. The hortatory subjunctives and the future-more-vivid conditions sound like something straight out of a battle scene in the Aeneid. But since it is a made-up speech, and the battle contemplated is a miserably dirty home raid, it's a mockery as well as an homage to the ancient (even to them) epics. It's like Apuleius was writing the second century version of Lord of the Rings, or maybe sketching an ancient Captian Jack Sparrow.
- Lucius invokes the good name of Milo, his host and a local citizen, to lend some credance to his story. He also admits being a little tipsy when the events happened, but denies that he will try to weasel out of it on that matter. It's amusing how he carefully establishes that he'll admit to a few less-flattering circumstances in order to increase his audience's trust in him, because in the next paragraph he starts embellishing and spinning a story like a wild man, flat out inventing the speech the main bad guy gives.
- This is like Rashamon for a fool - same event, described three ways, although only two ways are translated below. We hear the event recounted first by Lucius to the reader, and then by the prosecutor to the jury, and then by Lucius to the jury, and it is markedly different every time. When the true events are finally revealed, the readers learn that none of the accounts were correct.
| Latin | Vocabulary | Translation |
| 3.3b "Rem denique ipsam, et quae nocte gesta sunt, cum fide perferam. nam cum fere iam tertia vigilia scrupulosa diligentia cunctae civitatis ostiatim singula considerans circumirem, | fere | "I will put forth with faithfulness this event and those things which were done that night. For during the third watch, when I was making my rounds and checking on each door one by one with scrupulous diligence, |
| conspicio istum crudelissimum iuvenem mucrone destricto passim caedibus operantem, iamque tris numero saevitia eius interemptos ante pedes ipsius spirantes adhuc, corporibus in multo sanguine palpitantes. | tris | I spied that cruel youth wreaking slaughter with a drawn sword all over the place - and with three of those killed savagely lay breathing their last at the feed of this man, with others flailing with their bodies covered with blood. |
| et ipse quidem, conscientia tanti facinoris merito permotus, statim profugit et, in domum quandam praesidio tenebrarum elapsus, perpetem noctem delituit. | permotus praesidio tenebrarum delituit | And this man himself, stirred up in his conscience by the wickedness of such a crime, immediately ran away, and hid for the rest of the night, slipping into a certain house under the cover of darkness. |
| sed providentia deum, quae nihil impunitum nocentibus permittit, priusquam iste clandestinis itineribus elaberetur, mane praestolatus ad gravissimum iudicii vestri sacramentum eum curavi perducere. | impunitum clandestinis elaberetur mane praestolatus perducere | But by the foresight of the gods, which allows to those causing harm no sin unpunished, before that man might slip away to secret journeys, I stood ready in the morning and took care to collar the guy subject to the gravity of your judgements. |
| habetis itaque reum tot caedibus impiatum, reum coram depresnum, reum peregrinum. constanter itaque in hominem alienum ferte sententias de eo crimine, quod etiam in vestrum civem severiter vindicaretis." | impiatum deprensum ferte constanter | And so you have a defendent who is so stained with slaughter, a defendent caught red-handed in public, a defendent not from here. And so, firmly bring the sentence to this alien man for that crime, which even in your fellow citizen you would punish severely." |
| 3.4 Sic profatus accusator accerimus immanem vocem repressit. ac me statim praeco, si quid ad ea respondere velle, iubebat incipere. | profatus repressit praeco | Thus speaking out, my bitter accuser proclaimed in a loud voice. And the baliff immediately ordered me to begin, if I wished to respond with anything to the charge. |
| at ego nihil tunc temporis amplius quam flere poteram, non tam herclues truculentam accusationem intuens quam meam miseram conscientiam. sed tamen oborta divinitus audacia sic ad illa: | intuens truculentam oborta divinitus | But I was able to do nothing more at that time than cry, obsessed less with the ferocious accusation than my own miserable conscience. But nevertheless a audacity welled up by the hand of God thus at that accusation: |
| "Nec ipse ignoro, quam sit arduum--trinis civium corporibus expositis--eum qui caedis arguatur, quamvis vera dicat et de facto confiteatur ultro, | arguatur quamvis confiteatur ultro | "I myself am not ignorant of this thing which is difficult--with the bodies of three citizens lying here exposed--although he speaks true words and discloses openly about the deed, |
| tamen tantae multitudini, quod sit innocens, persuadere. set si paulisper audientiam publica mihi tribueri humanitas, facile vos edocebo me discrimen capitis non meo merito, sed rationabilitis indignationis eventu fortuito tantam criminis invidiam frustra sustinere. | eventu fortuito invidiam sustinere | Nevertheless, it is difficult to persuade so great a multitude that he is innocent. But if public mercy lends me an ear for a little bit, I will easily inform you how I do not deserve capital punishment, but it happened that a great, thwarted hatred of crime led accidentally to my reasonable indignation. |
| 3.5 "Nam cum a cena me serius aliquanto reciperem, potulentus alioquin--quod plane verum crimen meum non diffitebor--ante ipsas fores hopitii (ad bonum autem Milonem civem vestrum devorto) | reciperem potulentus diffitebor | "For when from dinner I returned late, kinda tipsy--because of which clearly I will not disavow any true crime of mine--before the very doors of the guesthouse (for I stopped by to see your good citizen Milo) |
| video quosdam saevissimos latrones aditum temptantes et domus ianuas cardinibus obtortis evellere gestientes, claustrisque omnibus (quae accuratissime adfixa fuerant) violenter evulsis, secum iam de inhabitantium exitio deliberantes. | aditum evellere gestientes evulsis exitio | I saw some savage robbers trying to approach and eager to tear the doors of the house from twisted hinges, and with all the doors violently pulled out (which should be screwed in more tightly), now they debated the ruin coming to the inhabitants. |
| unus denique et manu promptior et corpore vastior his adfatibus et ceteros incitabat: | adfatibus | Finally one man, both swifter of hand and vaster in body, urged the rest of the robbers to these dastardly acts: |
| 'heus pueri, quam maribus animis et viribus alacribus dormientes adgrediamur. omnis cunctatio, ignavia omnis facessat e pectore: stricto mucrone per totam domum caedes ambulet. | maribus cunctatio ignavia facessat stricto mucrone | 'Come on, boys, let us burst in on those sleeping with manly courage and swift strength. Let the hestitation be gone from us all, let cowardice flee from our chests: with a drawn sword, let us walk slaughter through this whole house. |
| qui sopitus iacebit, trucidetur; qui repugnare temptaverit, feriatur. sic salvi recedemus, si salvum in domo neminem reliquerimus.' | trucidetur feriatur | He who lies there sleeping, let him be butchered; he who attempts to fight back, let him be slain. Thus we will return safe, if we will leave no one safe in the house.' |
| fateor, Quirites, extremos latrones--boni civis officium arbitratus, simul et eximie metuens et hospitibus meis et mihi-- | fateor eximie | I confess, dear Romans, that the robbers on the edges--judging it to be my duty as a good citizen, while at the same time fearing greatly for both my hosts and for myself-- |
| gladiolo, qui me propter huiusmodi pericula comitabatur, armatus fugare atque proterrere eos adgressus sum. | comitabatur proterrere | got scared and ran away when I attacked them with my sword, which accompanys me because of this kind of danger. |
| at illi barbari prorsus et immanes homines neque fugam capessunt et, cum me viderent in ferro, tamen audaciter resistunt. | capessunt | But the huge and barbaric men did not wholly take to flight, and, although they saw me with sword drawn, nevertheless they resisted fiercely." |
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