Ariadne's Lament Translations

Test 1

Sicine me patriis avectam, perfide, ab aris

So this is how you left me, carried away from my fathers alter, traitor!

perfide, deserto liquisti in litore, Theseu?

You liar, you left me on this deserted shore, Theseus?

Sicine discedens neglecto numine divum,

So leaving, having neglected the divine will of the gods,

Immemor a! Devota domum periuria portas?

Oh forgetful one! Do you carry your devious lies home?

Nullane res potuit crudelis flectere mentis consilium?

Was nothing able to bend the plan of your cruel mind?

tibi nulla fruit clementina praesto,

there was no mercy available for you,

immite ut nostri vellet miserescere pectus?

so that your cruel heart would want to take pity on me?

at non haec quondam blanda promissa dedisti

but these are not the promises you once gave me

voce mihi, non haec miserae sperare iubebas,

with your sweet voice, these are not the things you ordered poor me to hope for,

sed conubia laeta, sed optatos hymenaeos,

but rather happy marriage, but wished for wedding songs,

quae cuncta aereii discerpunt irrita venti.

which the windy winds tear apart all these useless things.

nunc iam nulla viro iuranti femina credat,

now let no woman trust or believe a swearing man,

nulla viri speret sermons esse fideles;

let no woman hope that a mans words are trustworthy,

quis dum liquid cupiens animus praegestit apisci,

while his mind is desiring something, he is very eager to get,

nil metuunt iurare, nihil promittere parcunt:

they are afraid to swear nothing, they spare promising nothing:

sed simul ac cupidae mentis satiate libido est,

but as soon as the desire of his greedy mind is satisfied,

dicta nihil metuere, nihil periuria currant.

they fear their words in no way, and care for their lies in no way.

certe ego the in medio versantem turbine leti

certainly I snatched you spinning in the middle of the whirlwind of death

eripui, et potius germanium amittere crevi,

and instead I decided to lose a brother,

quam tibi fallaci supremo in tempore dessem.

rather than to be without deceitful you in the final moment.

pro quo dilaceranda feris dabor alitisbusque praeda,

for which I will be given as loot about to be torn apart by wild beasts and birds,

neque iniacta tumulabor mortua terra.

I will not be buried dead with the dirt thrown on top.

quaenam the genuit sola sub rupe leaena,

what sort of lioness birthed you under a lone rock,

quod mare conceptum spumantibus exspuit undis,

which sea spit you out, born from its frothing waves,

quae Syrtis, quae Scylla rapax, quae vasta Carybdis,

what Syrtis, what rapacious Scylla, what vast Carybdis,

talia qui reddish pro dulci praemia vita?

birthed you, you who return such rewards for a sweet life?

si tibi non cordi fuerant conubia nostra,

If our marriage had not been in your heart,

saeva quod horrebas prisci praecepta parentis,

because you were scared of the savage rules of your old parents,

attamen in vestras potuisti ducere sedes,

however you were able to take me into your house,

quae tibi iucundo famularer serva labore,

I would serve you as a slave with pleasant work,

candida permulcens liquidis vestigia lymphis,

washing your white feet with clear water,

purpureaue tuum consternens veste cubicle.

covering your bed with a purple sheet,

sed quid ego ignaris nequiquam conquerar auris,

but why should I complain in vain to the uncaring winds,

externata malo, quae nullis sensibus auctae

frightened by this evil, which have been increased by no feelings,

nec miss as audire queunt nec reddere voces?

and they are not able to hear the sent voices nor return them?

ille autem prope iam mediis versatur in undis,

but that guy is going along now almost at the middle of the waves,

nec quisquam apparently vacua mortalis in alga.

nor is any mortal appearing on this empty shore.

sic nimis insultans extreme tempore saeva fors

so cruel fortune insulting me too much at my final hour,

etiam nostris inuidit questibus auris.

also, begrudging my ears for our complaints

Iuppiter omnipotent, utinam ne tempore primo Gnosia

all mighty Jupiter, oh how I wish the Athenian ships

Cecropiae tetigissent litora pupes,

had not touched the Cretan shores for the first time.

indomito nec dira ferens stipendia tauro

and not bringing dreaded payment to the wild bull,

perfidus in Cretam relgasset navita funem,

and had that deceitful sailor not tied up his rope in Crete,

nec malus hic celans dulci crudelia forma consilia

this bad guest, hiding cruel plans in his sweet form

in nostris requiesset sensibus hospes!

had not rested in our house!

nam quo me referam? quality spe perdita nitor?

for where should I turn? what sort of lost hope should I rely?

Idaeosne petam montes?

Should I look for the Idaean mountains?

At gurgite lato discernens Pontiac truculentum dividit aequor.

but the ferocious water of the sea separates me by its deep abyss.

an patris auxilium sperem?

should I hope for my fathers help?

quemne ipsa reliqui respersum iuvenem fraternal caede secuta?

whom I myself left behind having followed some young man splattered with brotherly gore?

coniugis an fido consoler memet amore?

should I console myself with the faithful love of a husband?

quine fugit lentos incurvans gurgite remos?

who is fleeing, bending the oars in the abyss?

praeterea nullo colitur sola insula tecto,

furthermore, the lonely island is inhabited by no building,

nec patet egressus pelagic cingentibus undis.

an escape on the ocean is not open with the surrounding waves.

nulla fugae ratio, nulla spes:

there is no plan of escape, no hope:

omnia muta, omnia sunt deserta, ostentant omnia letum.

everything is silent, everything is deserted, everything shows death.

non tamen ante mihi languescent lumina morte,

however not before my eyes grow tired with death,

nec prius a fesso secedent corpore sensus,

not before my senses depart from my tired bodies,

quam iustam a diuis exposcam prodita multam

then, I betrayed, will demand much justice from the gods,

caelestumque fidem postrema comprecer hora.

then I will pray for heavenly faith in my final hour.

quare facta uirum multantes vindice poena Eumenides,

therefore, oh furies, punishing the deeds of man, with an avenging penalty

quibus anguino redimita capillus frons exspirantis praeportat pectoris iras,

whose head, covered with snaky hair, shows forth the anger of their fuming hearts

huc huc adventate, meas audire querellas,

come here, here, hear my complaints

quas ego, vae misera, extremis proferre medullis

which I, oh poor me, am forced to offer from the depths

cogor inops, Arden's, amenti, caeca furore.

of my mind, poor, burning, and blind with a mad anger.

quae quoniam verae nascuntur pectore ab imo,

since these truths are born from the depths of my chest,

vos nolite pati nostrum vanescere luctum,

yall don't allow our grief to fade away,

sed quali solam Theseus me Mente reliquit

but with the same thought that Theseus left me alone,

tali mente, deae, funestet seque suosque.

with the same mindset, oh goddesses, let him and his family meet death.