Baucis & Philemon Translation

2025-2026 Latin Literature (CLA) OCR GCSE

Iuppiter huc specie mortali cumque parente

venit Atlantiades positis caducifer alis.

mille domos adiere locum requiemque petentes,

mille domos clausere serae. tamen una recepit,

parva quidem stipulis et canna tecta palustri,

sed pia Baucis anus parilique aetate Philemon…

Jupiter came here in mortal form & with his parent came the descendant of Atlas, wand-bearing, with his wings set aside. A thousand homes they approached, seeking a place and rest, bars shut a thousand homes. However, one received [them], a small one, indeed, covered with stalks and marshy reed. But dutiful old woman Baucis, and Philemon, of equal age…

illa sunt annis iuncti iuvenalibus, illa   

consenuere casa paupertatemque fatendo

effecere levem nec iniqua mente ferendo.

nec refert, dominos illic famulosne requiras:           

tota domus duo sunt, idem parentque iubentque.

… were united in their young years in that hut, grew old in that hut, and by acknowledging their poverty they made it unimportant, bearing it with a not unfair mind. And it does not matter whether you seek the masters or attendants there: there are two in the whole house, the same people obey and order.

ergo ubi caelicolae parvos tetigere penates

summissoque humiles intrarunt vertice postes,

membra senex posito iussit relevare sedili,

cui superiniecit textum rude sedula Baucis. 

inde foco tepidum cinerem dimovit et ignes

suscitat hesternos foliisque et [cortice sicco]…

Therefore, when the heaven-dwellers touched the small household [gods] and entered the lowly doorposts with lowered heads, the old man ordered them to relax their limbs on a couch set out for them on which attentive Baucis scattered a rough blanket. Then she raked the warm ash in the hearth and kindled yesterday’s fires and with leaves and dry bark…

nutrit et ad flammas anima producit anili

multifidasque faces ramaliaque arida tecto

detulit et minuit parvoque admovit aeno,                      

quodque suus coniunx riguo conlegerat horto,

truncat holus foliis; 

She nourishes [the fire] and brings forth the flames with the breath of the old woman, she brought down splintered torches and dry branches from the roof and made them smaller and placed them under a small bronze [pot] and she strips a cabbage of its leaves, which her husband had gathered from the well-watered garden;

; furca levat ille bicorni

sordida terga suis nigro pendentia tigno

servatoque diu resecat de tergore partem

exiguam sectamque domat ferventibus undis.

Philemon with a two-pronged fork lifts up a dirty back off ham, hanging from a black beam and from the long-saved back he cuts off a slender part, and, after cutting it, tames [softens] it in the boiling waves.

interea medias fallunt sermonibus horas

sentirique moram prohibent. erat alveus illic

fagineus dura clavo suspensus ab ansa;

is tepidis impletur aquis artusque fovendos

accipit.

Meanwhile, they deceive the intervening hours with conversation and they prevent the delay from being realised/ noticed. There was a bath-tub there made of beech, hung from a nail by a sturdy handle; this is filled with tepid water and receives limbs in need of warmth.

in medio torus est de mollibus ulvis

impositus lectō spondā pedibusque salignis;

vestibus hunc velant quas non nisi [tempore festō]

sternere consuerant, sed et haec vilisque vetusque

vestis erat, lectō non indignanda salignō.

accubuere dei.

In the middle [of the house] is a mattress of soft sedge placed on a bed with a frame and with feet made of willow; they cover this with a coverlet which they were not accustomed to lay over it, except at holiday time; but even this coverlet was cheap and ancient, not to be deemed unworthy of the willow bed. The gods lay down.

interea totiens haustum cratera repleri

sponte sua per seque vident succrescere vina;

attoniti novitate pavent manibusque supinis

concipiunt Baucisque preces timidusque Philemon

et veniam dapibus nullisque paratibus orant. 

unicus anser erat, minimae custodia villae, 

quem [dis hospitibus] domini mactare parabant; 

Meanwhile, they see the mixing bowl, drained so many times, refilled of its own accord, and the wine increasing by itself. Astonished by the strangeness, they are afraid, and with their hands facing upwards, both Baucis and fearful Philemon form prayers and they beg pardon for the feast and for the lack of preparations. There was just one goose, guardian of the tiny house, which the owners/ masters were preparing to kill for the gods, their guests.

ille celer penna tardos aetate fatigat 

eluditque diu tandemque est visus ad ipsos

confugisse deos. superi vetuere necari     

‘di’ que ‘sumus, meritasque luet vicinia poenas

impia’ dixerunt; ‘vobis immunibus huius

esse mali dabitur. modo vestra relinquite tecta

ac nostros comitate gradus et in ardua montis

ite simul.’ 

That [goose], swift on its wings, wore them out, slow with age and eluded them for a long time and finally seemed to have fled to the very gods themselves. The gods forbade it to be killed and they said: ‘We are gods, and the irreligious neighbourhood will pay the penalty; it will be granted to you to be exempt from this destruction. Just leave your home and accompany our steps and into the steep parts of the mountain.’

parent ambo baculisque levati

nituntur longo vestigia ponere clivo.

tantum aberant summo, quantum semel ire sagitta

missa potest; flexere oculos et mersa palude

cetera prospiciunt, tantum sua tecta manere. 

Both obey, supported on staffs, they strive to place their footsteps on the long slope. They were as far from the top, as much as an arrow can go, once discharged; they turned their eyes and, with the swamp submerged, they see the rest, only their roof remains.

dumque ea mirantur, dum deflent fata suorum, 

illa vetus dominis etiam casa parva duobus

vertitur in templum; furcas subiere columnae,

stramina flavescunt aurataque tecta videntur

caelataeque fores adopertaque marmore tellus. 

talia tum placido Saturnius edidit ore: 

And while they wonder at these things, while they weep the fates of their friends, that old house, small even for its two owners is turned into a temple: columns replaced the poles, the thatch becomes yellow and a golden roof is seen and the doors are engraved and the earth is covered with marble. Then the son of Saturn uttered the following words with a calm expression:

‘dicite, iuste senex et femina [coniuge iusto]

digna, quid optetis.’ cum Baucide pauca locutus

iudicium superis aperit commune Philemon: 

‘esse sacerdotes delubraque vesta tueri

poscimus, et quoniam concordes egimus annos, 

auferat hora duos eadem, nec coniugis umquam

busta meae videam neu sim tumulandus ab illa.’

“Tell [me], righteous old man, and wife worthy of a righteous husband what you wish for.” When he had spoken to Baucis for a little while, Philemon revealed their joint decision to the gods:  “We ask to be priests and to look after your shrine, and since we have spent our years in harmony, may the same hour steal both of us away, never may I ever see the tomb of my wife, nor may I have to be buried by her.

vota fides sequitur; templi tutela fuere,

donec vita data est. annis aevoque soluti

ante gradus sacros cum starent fote locique    

narrarent casus, frondere Philemona Baucis,

Baucida conspexit seniro frondere Philemon.

iamque super geminos crescente cacumine vultus

mutua, dum licuit, reddebant dicta ‘vale’ que 

‘o coniunx’ dixere simul, simul abdita texit

ora frutex.

Fulfillment follows the prayers; they were / became the guardians of the temple, as long as life was given [to them.] Weakened by years and age, while they were standing by chance in front of the sacred steps and were narrating the events of the place, Baucis caught sight of Philemon growing leaves, and the aged Philemon caught sight of Baucis growing leaves. And now, as a treetop was growing over their two faces, they were exchanging words, while it was still possible, at the same time they said: ‘goodbye, o spouse’, and at the same time a shrub covered their hidden faces.