GCSE Latin Literature: Prose - Apuleius Translation

iuvenis ego Mileto profectus ad spectaculum Olympicum, cum haec etiam loca provinciae clarae visitare cuperem, peregrata tota Thessalia Larissam perveni.

LINES 1-3: When I was a young man, I set out from Miletus for the Olympic Games and, having travelled through the whole of Thessaly, since I also wanted to visit this area of the famous province, I reached Larissa.

ac dum urbem pererrans tenuato viatico puupertati meae fomenta quaero, medio in foro senem conspicio.

LINES 3-5: And while I wandered through the city seeking remedies for my poverty, as my travelling allowance was diminished, I caught sight of an old man in the middle of the forum.

insistebat lapidem magnaque voce praedicabat si quis mortuum custodire vellet, magnum predtium accepturum esse.

LINES 5-7: He was standing on a stone and proclaimed in a loud voice that if anyone was willing to guard a dead man, he would receive a great reward.

et cuidam praetereunti "quid hoc" inquam "audio? hic mortui solent aufugere?"

LINES 7-9: And I said to someone passing by, "What's this I hear? Do dead men make a habit of running away here?"

"tace," respondit ille. "nam puer et satis peregrinus es, meritoque nescis in Thessalia te esse, ubi sagnae ora mortuorum semper demorsicant, quae sunt illis artis magicae supplementa."

LINES 10-13: "Be quiet," he replied. "For you are a boy and quite a stranger, and naturally you don't realise that you are in Thessaly, where witches are always biting pieces out of the faces of the dead, which are supplements for their magic art."

contra ego "quali custodela" inquam "opus est?"

LINE 14: In reply, I said, "What sort of protection is needed?"

"iam primum" respondit ille "totam noctem eximie vigilandum est apertis et inconivis oculis semper in cadaver intentis,

LINES 15-17: He replied, "Now first of all, you must keep exceptionally awake the whole night with your eyes open and sleepless always directed at the corpse;

nec acies usquam devertenda est, cumillae pessimae sagae latenter arrepant, forma in quodivis animal conversa.

LINES 17-18: nor should you turn your gaze away anywhere, since those very evil witches creep up secretly, having changed their shape into any type of animal.

nam et aves et canes et mures, immo vero etiam muscas, induunt."

LINES 19-20: For they adopt the form of birds, dogs and mice, indeed, even flies"

his cognitis animum meum commasculo et statim accedens senem "clamare" inquam "iam desine.

LINES 21-22: When I learned these things, I strengthened my resolve and, immediately approaching the old man, I said "Now stop shouting.

adest custos paratus." vix finieram, et statim me perducit ad domum quandam,

LINES 22-23: A guard is at hand, prepared." Scarcely had I finished, and immediately led me to a certain house,

ubi demonstrat matronam flebilem fuscis vestimentis contectam.

LINES 24-25: where he pointed out a weeping woman wrapped in dark garments.

illa surrexit et ad cubiculum me induxit. ibi corpus splendentibus linteis coopertum manu revelavit.

LINES 25-26: She rose and led me into a bedroom. There with her hand she uncovered a body covered with shining white sheets.

ubi singula anxie demonstravit, exiit.

LINE 27: When she had anxiously shown the features one by one, she went out.

sic desolatus ad cadaveris solacium, perfrictis oculis et paratis ad vigiliam.

LINES 28-29: Left alone thus to console the corpse, I rubbed my eyes and prepared them for my sleepless watch.

dum animum meum permulcenam cantationibus, usque ad mediam noctem pervigilabam.

LINES 29-30: While I calmed down my mind down with songs, I stayed awake until midnight.

tum autem mihi formido cumulatior cum repente introrepens mustela contra me constitit oculosque in me fixit.

LINES 31-33: Then, however, my fear became more intensified when suddenly a weasel creeping in stopped opposite me and fixed its eyes upon me.

tanta fiducia in tantula animali mihi turbavit animum.

LINE 33: Such great confidence in so small an animal disturbed my mind.

denique sic illi "abi," inquam "scelesta bestia antequam meam vim celeriter experiaris! abi!"

LINES 34-35: Finally, I spoke to it as follows, "Go away, wicked beast, before you quickly experience my force! Go away!"

mustela terga vertit et e cubiculo protimus exit.

LINE 36: The weasel retreated and went from the bedroom immediately.

sine mora somnus tam profundus me repente demergit, ut ne deus quidem Delphicus ipse facile discernere posset ex duobus nobis incentibus, quis esset magis mortuus.

LINES 36-39: Without delay, such a deep sleep suddenly overwhelmed me, that not even the Delphic god himself could easily have distinguished out of the two of us lying who was the more dead.

tandem prima luce expergitus et magno pavore perterritus cadaver acurro, et admoto lumine revelatoque eius vultu

LINES 40-42: At last awakened at dawn and terrified by great fear, I ran up to the corpse and having moved a lamp near it and uncovered its face,

omnia diligenter inspicio: nihil deest. ecce uxor misera flens introrumpit: cadaver inspecto reddit sine mora praemium.

LINES 42-44: I examined everything carefully: nothing was missing. Behold, the wretched wife, weeping, burst in. Having examined the corpse, she gave me the reward without delay.

"per fidem vestram" inquit "cives, per pietatem publicam, perempto civi subsistite et extremum fucinus istius feminae nefariae scelestaeque severiter vindicate.

LINES 45-47: "By your good faith, citizens," he said, "by your public sense of duty, help a murdered citizen and avenge with severity the vilest crime of that impious and wicked woman.

haec enim nec ullus alias miserum iuvenem, sororis meae filium, in adulteri gratiam et ob praedam hereditariam exstinxit veneno."

LINES 47-49: For this woman, and no other, by means of poison destroyed a poor young man, my sister's son, to win the favour of her adulterous lover and for the sake of inherited profit."

illa, lacrimis effusis quamque sanctissime poterat adiurans cunctos deos, tantum scelus abnuebat.

LINES 50-51: That woman, pouring fourth tears and swearing by all the gods as solemnly as she could, denied so great a crime.

ergo senex ille: "veritatis arbitrium in divinam providentiam ponamus. Zatchlas adest Aegyptius propheta notissimus,

LINES 51-53: Therefore, that old man said, "Let us put the judgement of the truth into the hands of divine providence. Zatchlas is here, a very well-known Egyptian prophet,

qui mihi promisit se pro magno praemio spiritum istius cadaveris paulisper ab inferis reducturum esse corpusque animaturum."

LINES 53-56: who, in return for a great reward, has promised me that he will bring back the spirit of that poor corpse back from the dead for a short time and bring his body back to life."

immitto me turbae et pone ipsum lectulum lapidem insistens omnia curiosis oculis spectabam

LINES 57-58: I pushed myself into the crowd and, standing on a stone behind the bier itself, watched everything with curious eyes

iam tumore pectus cadaveris extolli, iam spirita corpus impleri.

LINES 58-59: Now the corpse's breast began to raise itself with swelling, now the body was filled with the breath of life.

et surgit cadaver et profutur: "cur, oro, me post Lethaea pocula iam Stygiis paludibus innatantem and momentariae vitae officia reductis?

LINES 59-62: The corpse rose up and spoke out: "I beg you, why do you restore me to the functions of a fleeting life when I was already floating on the Stygian marshes after drinking the waters of Lethe?

desine iam, precor, desine, ac me in meam quietem permitte."

LINES 62-63: Stop now, stop, I pray and let me go to my rest."

haec vox de corpore audita est, sed propheta aliquanto commotior "quin narras" inquit "populo omnia de morte tua?"

LINES 64-66: This utterance was heard from the corpse, but the prophet, considerably more excited, said "Why don't you relate all the details about your death to the people?"

respondet ille de lectulo et imo cum gemitu populum sic adloquitur: "malis novae nuptae artibus peremptus et addictus noxio poculo,

LINES 67-69: He replied from the bier and with a deep groan addressed the people as follows: "Destroyed by the evil arts of my new bride and sentenced (to death) by the poisoned cup,

torum tepentem adultero reddidi. dabo vobis documenta veritatis perlucida, et quod prorsus alius meno cognoverit vel ominaverit indicabo."

LINES 69-71: I gave up the (still) warm bed to the adulterer. I will give you very clear proofs of the truth, and reveal what absolutely no one else has discovered or predicted."

tunc digito me demonstrans: "nam cum corporis mei custos hic sagacissimus exsertam vigiliam mihi teneret, sagae quaedam exuviis meis imminentes forma mutata apparuerunt.

LINES 72-75: Then pointing to me with his finger, he said, "For when this very shrewd guardian of my body was keeping his extensive watch over me, some witches standing threateningly over my remains appeared in changed form.

cum industriam sedulam eius fullere non potuissent, postremo iniecta somni nebula eam in profundam quietem sepeliverunt.

LINES 75-77: When they could not deceive his unremitting diligence, they finally cast a cloud of sleep upon him and buried him in deep slumber.

tum me nomine excitare coeperunt neque prius desierunt quam dum hebetes artus mei et membra frigida ad artis magicae obsequia segniter nituntur.

LINES 77-80: Then they began to rouse me by name and did not stop until my sluggish joints and cold limbs slowly struggled to obey their magic art.

hic autem, qui vivus erat, et tantum sopore mortuus, idem mecum nomen forte habet.

LINES 80-81: Now this man, who was alive and only dead in sleep, by chance has the same name as I.

ad suum nomen igitur ignarus exsurgit, et, in exanimis umbrae modum ultro gradiens, ianuam adit.

LINES 82-83: Therefore, at the sound of his name he unknowingly rose up, and, walking mechanically like a lifeless ghost, he approached the door.

"quamquam fores cubiculi diligenter occlusae erant, per quoddam foramen prosectis naso prius ac mox auribus lanienam pro me passus est.

LINES 83-86: "Although the sliding doors of the bedroom had been locked, (the witches), through some hole or other, first cut off he nose, and shortly afterwards his ears, and he suffered butchery instead of me.

tum sagae ceram in modum prosectarum formatam aurium ei applicant nasumque similem prosecto comparant.

LINES 86-88: The the witches attached to him wax shaped like the ears which had been cut off, and fitted on a nose similar to the one cut off.

et nunc stat miser hic, praemium non industriae sed lanienne consecutus."

LINES 88-89: And now the poor man stands here, having obtained not the reward of his diligence, but the reward of butchery."

his dictis perterritus temptare formam incipio. manu nasum prehendo: sequitur; aures pertracto: deruunt.

LINES 90-91: Frightened by there words, I began to examine my appearance. I grasped my nose with my hand: it came off; I felt my ears: they fell off.

ac dum turba directis digitis et nutibus me denotat, inter pedes circumstantium frigido sudore defluene effugio.

LINES 91-93: And while the crowd pointed my out with their fingers and nods directed (at me), dripping with cold sweat, I escaped between the feet of the bystanders.

nec postea sic debilis ac sic ridiculus ad patriam redire potui, sed capillis hinc inde deiectis aurium vulnera celavi, nasi vero dedecus linteolo isto decenter obtexi.

LINES 93-96: Nor could I have returned to my native land thereafter, so maimed and so ridiculous, but with my hair let down on both sides, I concealed the wounds to my ears, but i covered the shame of my nose decently with this pathetic linen patch.