Carmen de Martyrio: Incerti Auctoris (Hilarii?, Valerii Cemenelensis?) Carmen de Martyrio Maccabaeorum (c. 5th century A.D.)

Rex fuit Antiochus Syriae ditissimus olim,
in cuius regno mater natique fuerunt
septem, ut fama refert, de sancta gente creati,
quos cura adsidue generis meminisse iubebat
et legi servire datae: sic namque volentes 5
de populo meliore dei sua iura tenebant.
rex avidus mutare fidem, mutare timorem
iustorum voluit, populo ut misceret iniquo.
praemia promittit matri, promittit et auri,
et quidquid posset toto conquirere regno, 10
si modo mutaret mores sensusque priores,
cogeret et natos alios sibi fingere mores.

There was once King Antiochus, most wealthy of Syria,
in whose reign there were a mother and sons—
seven, as report relates, born of the holy nation,
whom a constant care bid to remember their lineage
and to serve the law given: for thus, being willing 5
from the better people they held God’s own rights.
the king, avid to alter the faith, to alter the fear
of the just, wished to mix them with an iniquitous people.
he promises rewards to the mother, and promises gold as well,
and whatever he could procure throughout the whole kingdom, 10
if only she would change her customs and earlier sentiments,
and would compel her sons to fashion other customs for themselves.

illa negat tacitumque premit sub corde dolorem.
hanc postquam nulla potuit conpellere praeda,
temptavit primum tormentis vincere saevis; 15

she refuses and presses the silent grief beneath her heart.
after he could compel her by no booty,
he tried first to conquer with savage torments; 15

pertulit illa graves gemitus et tristia regis
verbera non timuit. victum ut se vidit at ille:
"Heu, quid agam," dixit, "vincis quod femina regem?
non tamen effugies; plus est, quod, dura, dolebis:
in natos saevibo tuos; licet, inproba, perstes, 20
hac certe ratione meum sanabo dolorem."
sustulit illa manus caelumque aspexit in altum;
emisit gemitus et talia verba locuta est:
"Tu licet et gazas tradas et regna, tyranne,
non capimur regum donis, nec munera sanctis 25
eripient promissa dei.

She endured heavy groans and did not fear the king’s grim blows.
when he saw himself conquered, however, he said:
"Alas, what shall I do, that a woman conquers a king?
yet you will not escape; there is more: you, hard one, will feel pain;
I will rage against your sons; though you persist, shameless one, 20
by this method at least I will heal my grief."
She lifted her hands and looked up to heaven on high;
she let out a groan and spoke such words:
"Even if you hand over treasures and kingdoms, tyrant,
we are not taken by the gifts of kings, nor will gifts from the holy 25
snatch away the promises of God.

spes certior illa est,
quae vitam nobis promittit tempore longo:
hanc sequor, hanc didici, non lubrica tangere dona;
sumere divitias facile est et perdere vitam.
sed licet et flammas post vulnera saeva mineris, 30

that hope is more certain,
which promises life to us for a long time:
this I follow, this I have learned, not to touch slippery gifts;
to take up riches is easy and to lose life.
but though you may threaten even flames after savage wounds, 30

nil mutare potes, quod primis coepimus annis.
virtute id cum lege data mihi vincere certum est.
quid nunc, saeve, iubes?

You can alter nothing of what we began in our first years.
By virtue, together with the law given me, it is fixed that I shall conquer it.
What now, savage one, do you command?

natis quid, dure, minaris?
hoc solo poteris matrem turbare dolore.
est mihi namque deus spes, est mihi cura meorum, 35
per quam spero equidem te nullum vincere posse.

what do you, harsh one, threaten against the children?
by this alone will you be able to trouble a mother with grief.
for indeed God is my hope; I have care for my own, 35
through which I, indeed, hope that you can conquer no one.

caeli, quaeso, fave, numen, quia iusta rogamus."
rex furit Antiochus, turbatus corda tumultu
concutit et saevos testatur lumine vultus
miraturque diu, possit quod femina tantum. 40
"Pare, age, miles!" ait; "regi quoque pare, minister!
vos famuli parete mihi! date digna furenti
femineo tormenta malo; saevire furentem
femina me cogit: quod plus est, femina vincit
regis iussa sui!

"Heaven, I beseech, be favorable, numen, since we ask for what is just."
King Antiochus rages, his heart, shaken by tumult,
he quakes and by his glance attests savage features,
and he marvels long that a woman can do so much. 40
"Obey, come, soldier!" he says; "obey the king as well, attendant!
you servants, obey me! mete out torments worthy for the raging
female ill; a woman compels me, frenzied, to be savage:
what is more, a woman conquers
the commands of her own king!

sed non inpune locuta est: 45

but she did not speak with impunity: 45

membratim perdam septem quos perfida natos
intra se retinet: quorum qui primus habetur,
hic primus pereat; perdas sic ordine cunctos,               48
cernat ut ipsa suos mater nunc aspera natos               50
cratibus inpositos subiectis urere flammis.               49

limb by limb I will destroy the seven sons whom the treacherous woman keeps about her; of whom he who is accounted first, let this one perish first; thus destroy all of them in sequence,               48
so that the mother herself, now harsh, may behold her own sons               50
set upon lattices to burn with flames laid beneath.               49

poena autem manet haec; celeres decet esse ministros."               51
Interea fecunda parens iam crine soluto               52
stabat et, hortanti similis, iam pectore nudo
ubera protendens, natorum alimenta suorum,
non confusa aperit, natumque ut vidit ad ignem               55

but this penalty remains; it befits the ministers to be swift."               51
Meanwhile the fecund mother, now with hair loosened,               52
was standing and, like one exhorting, now with chest bared,
stretching forth her breasts, the aliment of her offspring,
she, not confounded, opens them, and when she saw her son toward the fire               55

constantique gradu fortem procedere, dixit:
"Tu mea progenies, tu primus respice matrem.
tu certe meus es: nunc nostri, nate, memento!
te primum peperi, tu nunc imitare parentem:
sume meos mores et regem vince tacendo; 60
tu poteris durare diu, si tempora vinces.

and, as he was proceeding with a constant step, brave, she said:
"You, my progeny, you first look back at mother.
you surely are mine: now, son, remember me!
I first bore you; you now imitate the parent:
take up my mores and conquer the king by keeping silence; 60
you will be able to endure for a long time, if you conquer the times.

perfida ne superet sanctos violentia regis.
utere consilio matris, nec damna timebis.
fortior esto aere saxoque potentior ipso;
ingredere ut iuvenis, patienter vince dolores." 65
Ille modo ad matrem vultus, modo tollit in altum,
dumque tacet tacitusque rogat, quem debet, et orat,
non sensit rapidos subiectis cratibus ignes.

Let not the perfidious violence of the king overcome the saints.
use the counsel of your mother, and you will not fear harm.
be stronger than bronze and more potent than stone itself;
enter as a youth, patiently conquer the pains." 65
He now to his mother his face, now lifts it on high,
and while he is silent and silently asks the one whom he owes, and prays,
he did not feel the rapid fires beneath the lattices set below.

corpus inane fluit; mater gavisa dolore est
et dixit: "Vici; vincam sic saepius, oro; 70

the empty body flowed; the mother rejoiced at the pain
and said: "I have conquered; may I conquer thus more often, I pray;" 70

duret natorum virtus incognita regi,
sed iam nota deo, populi qui pectora novit."
     Finierat primi partus fecunda dolorem,
sed remanente metu pro pluribus anxia mater;
dissimulatque tamen, ne regem gaudia tangant.               75
rex stupet Antiochus nec credit posse sequentes
poenae tale genus simili pervincere sensu.
coepta iubet peragi; mater non territa mansit.
sed tamen ut vidit pallentem adsistere natum,
haec secum volvens aliqua iam parte levatur:               80
"Ecce secunda mihi partus producitur aetas:
quam similis fratris formae!

let the virtue of the sons endure unknown to the king,
but now known to God, who knows the hearts of the people."
     She, fruitful, had finished the pain of the first birth,
but with fear remaining, the mother was anxious for the many;
and yet she dissembles, lest joys touch the king.               75
King Antiochus is amazed and does not believe that the punishments to follow
can overcome such a kind with a like resolve.
he orders the undertakings begun to be carried through; the mother remained unafraid.
but yet when she saw her son, pale, standing by,
turning these things with herself she is now in some part lightened:               80
"Behold, for me a second age of offspring is brought forth:
how similar in form to his brother!

si pectore duras
et sequeris primi partus vestigia nostri,
esse meus poteris, poteris reparare salutem,
quam iam frater habet matris praecepta secutus. 85

if you harden in heart
and follow the footsteps of our firstborn,
you will be able to be mine, you will be able to restore salvation,
which now your brother has, having followed his mother's precepts. 85

pone metus regisque minas contemne furentis
regnaque, quis cursim labentia tempora dantur.
non poterit post ista tibi rex iste nocere;
sed poteris post haec tu regi, nate, nocere.
temporis ecce levis conscendere cogeris ignes! 90
virtutis locus est: languentem pone timorem.

set aside fears and contemn the threats of the raging king,
and the kingdoms, to which swiftly-slipping times are allotted.
after these things that king will not be able to harm you;
but you, son, will be able after this to harm the king.
behold, you are compelled to mount the light flames of time! 90
this is the place for virtue: lay aside languishing fear.

esto memor nostri, generis si sensus inhaeret.
hic, qui sceptra tenet, regno qui saevit in isto,
tempus inane agitat regno vitaque carebit
damnatusque nocens aeternos sentiet ignes: 95
tu securus eris turba comitante piorum.
aspice, nate, meos vultus et suspice caelum
auctoremque deum, per quem tibi vita paratur.

be mindful of us, if the sense of kinship inheres.
this one, who holds the scepter, who rages in this realm,
he spends vain time in his kingdom and will be without life,
and, condemned and guilty, will feel the eternal fires: 95
you will be secure, with the throng of the pious accompanying.
look, son, upon my visage and look up to heaven
and to God the Author, through whom life is prepared for you.

fac melius fratrisque tui vestigia calca:
non quod iste iubet, sed quod deus imperat, audi." 100

do better and tread in the footsteps of your brother:
not what that man bids, but what god commands, hearken." 100

sicut erat monitus matrem caelumque videre,
constitit atque hilari vultu contemnere regem
coepit et ut ridens ardentes inruit ignes
conlapsusque iacens anima superante quievit.
mater ut hoc vidit, rigido sic ore locuta est: 105
"Felix parte aliqua sum: iamiam non potes omnes,
saeve tyranne, meos cruciando vincere natos.
te gravior mox poena manet, crudelis, in igne,
quam patiere brevi: deus haec namque omnia cernit."
Iam duo securi contempto rege manebant, 110
spes melior iam matris erat: iam tertius instat
ecce locus poenae; si poena est vincere regem
et servire deo: laus est, non poena furentis.

just as he had been admonished to behold his mother and heaven,
he stood fast and with a cheerful face began to contemn the king
and, laughing, rushed upon the burning fires,
and, collapsing and lying there, with the soul prevailing, he came to rest.
and when the mother saw this, with rigid visage she spoke thus: 105
"In some part I am happy: right now you cannot, savage tyrant,
by torturing, conquer all my sons.
a heavier penalty soon awaits you, cruel one, in fire,
than you will suffer for a brief time; for God discerns all these things."
Now two, secure, remained, the king being contemned, 110
the mother’s hope was now better: now behold the third place of punishment is at hand—
if it is a punishment to conquer the king
and to serve God: it is praise, not the punishment of the raving one.

tertius adtrahitur iuvenis frendente tyranno,
qui nondum satiatus erat; furor intus et ira 115

The third youth is dragged in, the tyrant gnashing his teeth,
who was not yet satiated; frenzy within and ire 115

saevibant pariter, quod fortia pectora fratrum
viderat inpavide regis superasse furorem.
constitit ante pedes iuvenis florentibus annis,
egregius forma, dignus qui regna teneret,
dignior Antiocho, et sic meliora secutus 120
regna volente deo; mater cui talia fatur:
"Accipe, nate, tuae securus dicta parentis;
accipe, ne segnis perdas virtutis honores.
sunt tibi iam fratres pietatis sede manentes,
iam meliore loco, quam regna labentia regis. 125
quorum si proprios attingis pectore sensus,
victor apud populos regem superasse fereris,
sicut fama tuos iam misit in omnia fratres.

they were raging alike, since he had seen the brave hearts of the brothers
fearlessly have overcome the king’s fury.
a youth in flourishing years stood before the king’s feet,
eminent in form, worthy to hold kingdoms,
more worthy than Antiochus, and thus, with God willing, having followed better 120
kingdoms; to whom his mother speaks such words:
“Receive, son, the sayings of your parent with assurance;
receive them, lest, sluggish, you waste the honors of virtue.
your brothers are already abiding in the seat of piety,
now in a better place than the slipping kingdoms of the king. 125
if you grasp with your breast their proper feelings,
you will be reported among the peoples as victor to have overcome the king,
as fame has already sent your brothers everywhere.

his accede, precor; sunt haec aptissima dona:
contempsisse nefas et iura relinquere regis 130

Join these, I pray; these are the most fitting gifts:
to have scorned impiety and to abandon the king’s laws 130

indomiti, quem nulla manet post ista voluptas."
at iuvenis tacito mittebat murmure voces;
oranti similis palmas tendebat in altum
subnixoque genu matris pendebat in ore,
qua licet aspectu corpus cui turba premebat.               135
qui simul admonitus cratem conscendit, in igne
intrepidus certaque fide sua membra locavit,
conciderunt flammae tepida remanente favilla
corpusque inlaesum tellus adaperta recepit,
sancta quoque ad superos anima inviolata recessit.               140
     At mater dubitans, gemitus an gaudia sumat,
haesitat et querulo sic est sermone locuta:
"Quid nunc, dire, paras? iussis parebimus omnes.
sed numera partus, custos ne subtrahat ullum!

“indomitable ones, for whom no pleasure awaits after these things.”
but the youth was sending forth voices with a silent murmur;
like one praying he stretched his palms on high
and, with knee braced, he hung upon his mother’s lips,
so far as sight allowed, whose body the crowd was pressing.               135
who, as soon as he was admonished, climbed the grating, into the fire,
undaunted and with sure faith he placed his limbs,
the flames sank down, warm ash remaining,
and the earth, opened, received the unharmed body,
and the holy soul too withdrew inviolate to the heights above.               140
     But the mother, wavering whether to take groans or joys,
hesitates and in a querulous speech spoke thus:
“What now, dread one, do you prepare? We shall all obey the orders.
but count the children, lest the guard subtract any one!”

ac licet ipse velis, non sum passura, tyranne, 145

and even if you yourself wish it, tyrant, I will not suffer it, 145

ut non isto omnes pereant certamine nati.
temporis ista tui mutes licet horrida poena est
duraque damnatis eadem sententia natis.
si graviora putas, si sunt graviora, minare!

so that not all the sons perish in that contest.
though you may alter it, this is the horrid penalty of your time
and the same sentence, hard for the condemned sons.
if you think of graver things, if there are graver things, threaten them!

quodque meos cernis vultus, horrore teneris?               150
gaudemus pariter, quotiens decernis in istos."
     Ardet at ipse magis rabida rex concitus ira
temptarique putat, ne sic et cetera fratrum
turba ferat poenas, matremque hoc quaerere sentit.
durat in exitium quartumque addicere natum               155
poenae mox voluit; lassati iamque ministri
nec regis furias nec regem ferre valebant.
pro pudor!

and that you behold my face, are you held by horror?               150
we rejoice equally, whenever you decree against those."
     But the king himself burns the more, stirred by rabid wrath,
and thinks he is being tested, lest thus even the rest of the band of brothers
should bear penalties, and he perceives that the mother seeks this.
he persists in destruction and soon wished to adjudge the fourth-born son               155
to punishment; and now the attendants, wearied,
were not able to endure either the king’s furies or the king.
for shame!

erubuit vultus ostendere matri
natus et attonita mente confundere coepit.
hunc postquam stantem submisso lumine vidit, 160

the son blushed to show his countenance to his mother
and began, with an astonied mind, to be confounded.
after she saw him standing with lowered gaze, 160

talibus aggreditur dictis monitura timentem:
"Quartus es a primo partus mihi, quartus et infans.
quae nunc verba tibi, quae possum dicere, nate,
hoc nisi, quod solum durata potentia tecum
sit simul et virtus, sanctae quoque originis auctor?               165
illi debemus, regi quodcumque negamus;
ille dedit nobis Abraham cum semine sancto,
per quem nobilitas, per quem genus omne probatur,
quod manet in domino sanctum; quia nascitur Isac
tunc, cum iam nullum natum sperare senectus               170
sponte sua poterat, sterilis quia Sarra manebat.
illa tamen peperit, generisque propagine coepta
ex insperato remanent tibi, Sarra, nepotes,
Esau et patria deductus origine Iacob,
quos scimus partu geminos peperisse Rebeccam.               175

she addresses him with such words, to warn the fearful one:
"You are to me the fourth birth from the first, and the fourth infant.
what words now to you, what can I say, son,
except this: that only an enduring potency may be with you together
with virtue, and the author as well of holy origin?               165
to him we owe whatever we deny to the king;
he gave to us Abraham with the holy seed,
through whom nobility, through whom every lineage is approved,
which remains holy in the Lord; because Isaac is born
then, when already old age could of its own accord hope for no child               170
since Sarah remained sterile. Yet she bore, and with the propagation of the lineage begun,
unexpectedly there remain to you, Sarah, grandsons,
Esau and Jacob derived from the paternal origin,
whom we know Rebecca bore as twins in childbirth.               175

hinc sumus, hinc orimur; genus hoc tibi, nate, petendum est.
tu tibi pande viam, genitori accede priorum,
quorum progenies totum dispersa per orbem
invidiam patitur, dominum quia sola potentem
mente colit iusta nec turbae accedit iniquae. 180
quid tibi cum tristi vultu? quid lumina terra
fixa tenes?

hence we are, hence we arise; this lineage must be sought by you, son.
unfold the way for yourself; approach the begetter of the former ones,
whose progeny, dispersed through the whole orb,
suffers envy, because it alone worships the powerful Lord
with a just mind and does not join the unjust crowd. 180
what have you to do with a sad countenance? why do you hold your eyes
fixed on the earth?

caelum potius caelique parentem
conspice! ne dubita, mater tibi prospera monstrat,
quidquid inest. patienter adi, comitare valenter
turbam, nate, meam numerumque hortare sequentem." 185
sic dilecta parens luctus et gaudia miscens
finierat claros monitus.

Gaze rather at heaven and at heaven’s Parent
behold! Do not hesitate, your mother shows to you prosperous things,
whatever is present. Go to it patiently, accompany valiantly
the throng, my son, and encourage the following number." 185
thus the beloved parent, mixing griefs and joys,
had finished her clear monitions.

tum luminis orbes
ipse levat matremque oculis intendere coepit,
nil iam triste gerens habitu vultuque fatetur
se timuisse nihil nisi tristia vulnera matris 190

then the orbs of light
he himself lifts, and began to direct his eyes upon his mother,
now bearing nothing sad in habit and visage he confesses
that he had feared nothing except the sad wounds of his mother 190

per partus divisa suos. sicque ipse tenentum
elapsus manibus cursu contendit in ignes.
mira loquar: non flamma comas, non contigit ora;
corpus ut exanimum flammas superarat et ignes,
ore patente, tamen tacito, qua spiritus iret 195
unde acceptus erat, pariter cum sanguine fugit.

divided through by her own births. And thus he himself, having slipped from the hands of those holding him,
pressed at a run into the fires. I shall speak wonders: the flame did not touch his hair, nor did it touch his face;
as his lifeless body had surmounted the flames and the fires,
his mouth agape, yet silent, by the way the breath would go 195
whence it had been received, together with the blood it fled.

hoc ipso gavisa parens, quod, qui modo tristi
constiterat vultu, fretus mox pectore toto
paruerit monitis et regis tempserit iras.
sic est orsa tamen, cum rex dubitaret in illos 200
qui superant, gemitusque darent pia turba ministris,
regem execrantes, tacito sermone querentes:
"Protrahe! quid dubitas?

The mother rejoiced at this very thing, that he who just now had stood with a sad countenance, soon, relying with his whole breast, had obeyed the monitions and had despised the king’s wrath.
Thus nevertheless she began, while the king was hesitating concerning those who remain 200
and the pious crowd was giving groans to the ministers,
cursing the king, complaining in silent speech:
“Protract it! Why do you hesitate?”

nulli iam parcere debes
nec potes, ut cupias: decretum rumpere noli.
appello regem, totum qui temperat orbem, 205

you must now spare no one
nor can you, even if you should desire it: do not break the decree.
I appeal to the king, who tempers the whole orb, 205

cui mare, cui caelum, caeli cui sidera parent,
quod, nisi producis, timor est. iam segniter haeres,
iam sentis, quae regna petat, quae gloria nobis
parte in utraque manet, si iam tu parcere nolis.
nam quoscumque tuo iussisti excedere regno, 210
saevitia comitante tuum vicere furorem,
nempe tuum, laetique manent in sede piorum.

to whom the sea, to whom the sky, to whom the stars of heaven are obedient,
a thing which, unless you produce it, is dread. Now you cling sluggishly,
now you perceive what realm he seeks, what glory for us
remains in either part, if now you should be unwilling to spare.
for all whom you have ordered to depart from your realm, 210
with savagery accompanying, have conquered your fury—
indeed, yours—and remain joyful in the seat of the pious.

forsitan hoc mortem credas, furiose tyranne:
vita est longa magis regnoque potentior isto,
quod regis et cuius extrema in parte moraris. 215
hos quoque si metuis: superant aetate minores:
contemptaque simul vici tua regna, superbe;
sed perage imperium nec partus divide nostros:
hos quoque da flammis et viribus utere regni;
mortalis tamen es nec in aevum regna tenebis." 220

perhaps you suppose this to be death, frenzied tyrant:
life is longer and more potent than that realm,
which you rule and in whose farthest part you linger. 215
if you fear these too: the younger surpass in age:
and with contempt at once I have conquered your realms, haughty one;
but carry through your imperium and do not divide our offspring:
give these too to the flames and use the forces of the realm;
yet you are mortal and you will not hold the realms forever." 220

     Concipit Antiochus furias saevusque tyrannus
aestuat et gemitus inter sua pectora volvit.
consentit cum mente dolor tristisque gravatos
attollit vultus et talia verba profatur:
"Haec tua libertas et dura potentia linguae               225
atque hic, quem tumida portas cervice rigorem,
sentiet, irati regis quid tempora possint.
si nondum es satiata malis et fingere temptas
laetitiam luctusque tuos in gaudia vertis,
non mutabo necem: gaude, laetare, triumpha,               230
dummodo sic vincas, ut sis suprema tuorum:
sic furiosa animis natorum funere gaude!

     Antiochus conceives furies, and the savage tyrant seethes
and rolls groans within his breast. Pain consents with his mind, and sad he lifts his weighted
visage and utters such words: "This is your liberty and the harsh potency of the tongue,               225
and this rigor which you carry with a swollen neck
shall feel what the times of an angry king can accomplish.
If you are not yet sated with evils and you try to feign
cheer and turn your griefs into joys,
I will not change the death: rejoice, be glad, triumph,               230
provided only that you thus win, that you be the last of your kin:
thus, frenzied in spirit, rejoice in the death of your sons!"

hos quoque do flammis; hoc nec mutare potestas
ulla potest; decreta manent - laetare superstes
natis orba tuis. et ne mea iussa morentur, 235

I give these too to the flames; nor can any power change this;
the decrees remain—rejoice, surviving, bereft of your children;
and lest my orders be delayed, 235

ordo suos peragat cursus. producite natum,
ne vani pereant ignes dubiusve videri
rex possit. certe timor est mihi femina nullus."
     Praecipuus de gente tua produceris, ore
et specie mirande puer, cui pectore virtus               240
firma manet (iamque hinc poteras vel vincere regem).
ad quem sic placido mater sermone locuta est:
"Si dare conplexus matri tibi, nate, liceret,
confiteor, soli post vulnera, nate, dedissem;
sed me dura vetat tristisque potentia regis.               245
deneget amplexus, dum sit vox libera nobis
et liceat meminisse dei legemque tenere
non a rege datam, sed quam deus arbiter orbis
tradidit et mundi rector, Mosesque petitam
accepit populoque dedit, cui maxima laus est               250

let the order complete its own courses. bring forth the son,
lest the fires be wasted in vain, nor the king be able to seem
wavering. surely I, a woman, have no fear."
     You are brought forward as outstanding from your race, a boy wondrous in face
and appearance, in whose breast virtue remains firm               240
(and already by this you could even conquer the king).
to whom thus the mother spoke in a placid discourse:
"If it were permitted, my son, to give embraces to your mother,
I confess, to you alone, my son, after the wounds I would have given them;
but the harsh and grim power of the king forbids me.
denounce embraces, so long as our voice be free
and it be permitted to remember God and to hold to the law
not given by a king, but which God, arbiter of the orbis,
handed down, and the ruler of the world, and which Moses, having sought,
received and gave to the people, to whom the greatest praise is due               250

nosse deum, meritum cui nos debemus honorem.
tu modo ne dubites monitis parere parentis!
sit vigor et virtus, penitusque in pectore toto
mens maneat iam plena deo; sit fortior aetas,
quam regem sperare fuit superare iubentem. 255
o quanta est virtus, quanta est fiducia forti!

to know God, to whom we owe the merited honor.
only do not hesitate to obey the admonitions of your parent!
let there be vigor and virtue, and let the mind remain now full of God deep within your whole breast;
let your age be stronger than the king, bidding to overcome, hoped. 255
O how great is virtue, how great is the confidence for the brave!

sed iam ne dubites medias pervincere flammas!
victor eris, mihi crede, puer, victorque redibis.
ossibus et validis miscebunt corpora nervi,
servatas animas iterum in nova viscera reddent. 260
sed ne forte tamen rapidus te terreat ignis:
fratrum sume animos aeternumque invoca nomen."
iussa facit tacitusque deum testatur et orat
murmure, quo poterat.

but now do not hesitate to prevail over the flames in their midst!
you will be a victor, believe me, boy, and a victor you will return.
the sinews will mingle the bodies with the strong bones,
and will give back the saved souls again into new viscera. 260
but lest by chance, however, the swift fire frighten you:
take up the courage of your brothers and invoke the eternal name."
he carries out the commands and, silent, bears witness to God and prays
with a murmur, as he was able.

puerum non impedit aetas,
non timuit cratem expositam matrique volenti 265

age does not impede the boy,
nor did he fear the exposed crate and a consenting mother 265

paruit et dicto citius superinruit ignes.
cesserunt flammae, cessit dolor omnis et una
corpus et ignis erat: corpus superaverat ignem,
spiritus ante tamen placidas superaverat auras.
laeta dolet tacite mater pressoque dolore 270
tristitiam luctusque suos in gaudia vertit.

he obeyed, and sooner than the word he rushed upon the fires.
the flames ceded, all pain ceded too, and together
he was both body and fire: the body had overcome the fire,
the spirit, however, had earlier overcome the placid airs.
happy she grieves in silence, the mother, and with pressed-down pain 270
she turns her sadness and her mournings into joys.

     Interea trepidat et curas corde volutat
non de praeteritis, sed de puerilibus annis
qui superant, ne forte negent, ne forte timorem
concipiant animo regique attendere malint.               275
quo minor est aetas, maior metus; anxia secum
ducit heu curas: et iam spes ac timor una
luctantur matrisque piae per viscera currunt.
spes tamen est melior, natum ut procedere vidit,
et procul exultans: "Video, quid possit in isto               280

     Meanwhile she trembles and revolves cares in her heart
not about things past, but about the boyish years
that remain, lest perhaps they refuse, lest perhaps they conceive
fear in mind and prefer to attend to the king.               275
the smaller the age, the greater the fear; anxious with herself
she alas draws cares along: and now hope and fear together
wrestle and run through the pious mother’s viscera.
yet hope is better, since she saw her son advance,
and from afar exulting: "I see what can be in this one               280

spes conferre mihi; vultus agnoscere nostros
debet et hic, fratrum numero parere suorum.
forsitan hunc solum puerilia pectora tangant
indigneque ferat, quod sic velut hostia detur.
adloquar et paucis conabor dicere verbis, 285
sit memor ut potius generis quam temporis huius:
Si te nobilitas, generis si tangit origo,
respice, nate, tuos, Israhel quoque respice, nate.

let hope come to my aid; he too ought to recognize our faces, and to yield to the number of his brothers.
perhaps only this may touch his childish heart, and he may bear it indignantly, that he is thus given as if a victim.
I will address him and will try to speak in a few words, 285
that he may remember rather his lineage than this time:
If nobility moves you, if the origin of your lineage moves you,
look to your own, my son; look to Israel too, my son.

noli annos numerare tuos, puer; incipe forti
pectore ferre deum. tradent hoc saecula saeclis, 290
quod tua det fortis aetas exempla futuris
temporibus. da, nate, precor, quodque amplius hoc est:
cogita, quae fugias et quam meliora petantur.

do not count your years, boy; begin with a brave
breast to bear the god. ages will hand this down to ages, 290
that your brave age may give exemplars to future
times. grant, son, I pray, and what is more than this:
consider what you should flee and what better things should be sought.

non te sollicitet stolidi fallacia regis,
sed crescant istaec nunc in contraria." victor 295

do not let the deceit of the foolish king trouble you,
but let these things now grow into the contrary." victor 295

spiritus extinxit flammas; sic deinde vocatum,
quod dederat, corpus tellus adaperta recepit,
sanctaque, quae superest, anima inviolata recessit.
     Quamvis lassa parens, perque et sua vulnera victrix
procidit in faciem pariter manibusque supinis               300
has habuit voces et talia verba locuta est:
"Qui tenes imperium caeli terraeque marisque,
sidera qui caelo, qui das animalia terris,
aequoribus pisces, avibus qui temperas auras:
ad te, magne, meae mentis fiducia surgit,               305
qui chaos inmensum, caeca caligine mixtum,
dividis in partes et das noctemque diemque,
lunamque ac solem, vario quos tempore semper,
nocte dieque, iubes lumen praebere per orbem.
post haec das hominem, cuius de semine mundus               310

the spirit extinguished the flames; thus then the opened earth received the body, called back, which she had given, and the holy soul, which remains, withdrew inviolate.
     Although the mother, weary, and victorious even through her own wounds,
fell forward on her face and with upturned hands alike,               300
she had these voices and spoke such words:
“You who hold the dominion of heaven and earth and sea,
who assign the stars to the sky, who give animals to the lands,
fishes to the waters, who temper the airs for the birds:
to you, O great one, the confidence of my mind rises,               305
you who divide the immense chaos, mixed with blind gloom,
and give both night and day, and the moon and the sun, whom, at varying time always,
by night and by day, you command to offer light through the world.
after these you give man, from whose seed the world               310

completur, mortale genus, cui lingua loquescit
dissona per gentes; sapor est tamen omnibus unus.
sed quid mutarit meritumque hominumque loquellas,
longa referre mora est: coeptis insistere certum est.
te mare divisum virga tenuisse fatemur, 315
dum pede per siccum populus transcenderet aequor
Aegypti fugiens mortes regemque Pharaon,
qui sibi sanctorum numerum servire iubebat,
quem tua maiestas Mose duce transtulit amne
servatumque tua tutum virtute diremit. 320
terra dabat fructus, quos te cogente ferebat,
et sitis ad requiem quaesita est lympha latebris.

is completed, the mortal race, whose tongue speaks
dissonant across the nations; yet there is one taste for all.
but what has changed, and the merit and the little tongues of men,
to recount at length is delay: it is fixed to press on with the undertakings.
we confess that you held the sea, divided by the rod, 315
while the people crossed the sea on dry ground on foot,
fleeing Egypt’s deaths and King Pharaoh,
who was ordering the number of the holy to serve himself,
whom your majesty, with Moses as leader, carried across the stream
and, preserved by your power, set apart safe from him. 320
the earth gave fruits, which at your compelling it bore,
and for thirst water was sought from hidden places for repose.

umor erat nullus: cuncti clamore querentes
poscebant Mosen, daret ut sitientibus undas.
ad quos ille brevi sic est sermone locutus: 325

there was no moisture: all, complaining with a clamor,
were demanding Moses to give waters to the thirsty.
to whom he spoke thus in brief speech: 325

"Credite posse deum, quidquid petieritis ab illo,
qui potis est virga hac amnem defundere saxo,
ut veniant fontes tota regione negati."
percussitque simul: dicto velocius omni
emisit saxum fontes dulcedine prima.               330
confiteor, totus cum sit tibi debitor orbis,
tu, quidquid possunt gentes, potes omnia solus,
et quod non capiunt gentes, capis omnia solus.
tu mortale genus curis onerasque levasque:
te precor, attonita mente confirma timentem,               335
ne desit fratrum numero meus infimus infans
ignarusque sui; quem iam procul ecce teneri
conspicio turba circumveniente frequenti.
hunc propter solum lacrimas mihi commovet aetas;
unus enim superest, de quo mihi maxima cura est,               340

"Believe that God is able, whatever you shall have asked from him,
who is potent to pour out a river from a rock with this rod,
so that springs may come which were denied in the whole region."
and at once he struck: faster than any saying
the rock sent forth springs with primal sweetness.               330
I confess, since the whole world is a debtor to you,
you—whatever the nations can—you alone can all things,
and what the nations do not grasp, you alone grasp all things.
you burden and you lighten the mortal race with cares:
I pray you, with a thunderstruck mind confirm the fearful one,               335
lest my lowest little infant be missing from the number of brothers
and ignorant of himself; whom now, behold, from afar I see
being held fast, as a thick throng surrounds.
on account of this one alone his age moves tears in me;
for one alone remains, about whom my greatest care is,               340

ne tener ignoret, qua sit de gente creatus.
hunc ego si possem secreto adprendere solum,
blandirer patriumque genus patriamque docerem:
sed quaecumque tamen potero, solacia mittam:
Parve puer tenerisque tuis mihi carior annis               345
(carior es regno, vita quoque carior ipsa),
tu potes in totum victricem reddere matrem.
tu, finis partus finisque future malorum,
si te cura mei tangit, si matris honorem
mente pia retines, quamvis sis carus et infans,               350
hoc magis aure avida dictis adtende parentis.
primum disce, puer, quid sis post ista futurus,
si patiens fueris (quod te mihi, care, futurum
facta docent fratrum): sanctorum in parte manebis
et requie securus eris, dum saecula cursus               355

lest the tender one be ignorant from what people he was created.
if I could seize this one alone in secret,
I would coax and would teach his paternal stock and fatherland:
but whatever nevertheless I shall be able, I will send solaces:
Little boy, dearer to me than your tender years               345
(you are dearer than the kingdom, dearer also than life itself),
you can render your mother wholly victorious.
you, the end of childbirth and the end of evils to come,
if the care of me touches you, if with a pious mind you retain
your mother’s honor, although you are dear and an infant,               350
attend so much the more with a greedy ear to your parent’s words.
first learn, boy, what after these things you will be in the future,
if you will be patient (which, dear one, the deeds of your brothers
teach me you will be): you will remain in the portion of the saints
and you will be secure in repose, while the course of the ages               355

saeva suos peragunt. finito tempore longo
hanc lucem repetens aeternaque regna videbis
non maculata malis, sed erit concordia sanctis;
nec morti locus ullus erit nec bella citatis
committentur equis, sed pax aeterna manebit. 360
matri crede tuae, quae te cupit esse salutis.
heu mihi, cur tristi vultu mea dicta repellis?

the savage ages run their course. when the long time is finished
returning to this light, you will behold the eternal realms
not stained by evils, but there will be concord for the saints;
nor will there be any place for death, nor will wars be joined by
spurred-on horses, but eternal peace will abide. 360
trust your mother, who longs for you to be safe.
alas for me, why do you repel my words with a sad countenance?

quid refugis? miserere mei, miserere tuique!
si liceat, prior ire velim: vetat ecce!

Why do you recoil? Have pity on me, have pity on yourself as well!
If it were permitted, I would wish to go before: behold, it forbids!

sed ibo
tunc, cum victorem te videro, nate, malorum. 365
quid sperare iubes? solus mea dicta moraris?
solus adhuc etiam revocas mihi, nate, dolorem?

but I will go
then, when I have seen you, son, a victor over evils. 365
what do you bid me hope? are you alone delaying my words?
are you alone even now calling back grief to me, son?

adnuis an damnas et me fratresque genusque?
quod ne forte velis, oro te et deprecor. audi!

Do you nod assent, or do you condemn both me and my brothers and our lineage?
That you may not perchance wish this, I pray you and supplicate. Hear!

his ego te parvum nutrivi, nate, papillis. 370

with these nipples I nourished you, son, when small. 370

his precor et lacrimas te propter, nate, profundo,
ne remanere velis: remanebis solus et orbus;
non tibi iam frater est ullus. solacia vitae
quis dabit? heu solus matrem confundere temptas
et genus et patriam, si talia dicta recusas. 375
o quanto melius vitam servabis in aevum,
si facis ante deum, quidquid fecere priores!

with these I entreat, and for your sake, son, I pour forth tears,
do not wish to remain: you will remain alone and bereft;
you no longer have any brother. who will give you the solaces of life?
alas, alone you attempt to confound your mother and your lineage and your fatherland, if you refuse such words. 375
o how much better you will preserve your life for the ages,
if you do before the god whatever those before did!

audenter depone metus, depone timorem:
concipe mente deum; vires dabit ille viriles."
haec dum mater agit, puer ad praecepta parentis 380
respicit, et solum ut se videt esse relictum,
sustulit in caelum vultus palmasque supinas,
et sic voce petens aeternum numen adorat;
quem secum sensu pariter nutuque rogabat,
vinceret ut regem, saevos ut vinceret ignes. 385

"Boldly lay down your fears, lay down dread:
conceive the god in mind; he will give virile powers."
While the mother thus urges these things, the boy to the precepts of the parent 380
looks back, and when he sees that he is left alone,
he raised to heaven his face and upturned palms,
and thus, seeking with his voice, he adores the eternal numen;
whom he was entreating with himself alike by feeling and by nod,
that he might conquer the king, that he might conquer the savage fires. 385

atque ita non segnis nec pro puerilibus annis
prosilit intrepidus medios delapsus in ignes
et pugnat, victor donec remearet in altum
spiritus et fratrum peteret secreta priorum.
Dum puer ista gerit, solverunt gaudia matrem: 390
iamque ut erat lassata malis, iam voce negata
spirat ovans interque manus conlapsa suorum
concidit exanimis resolutaque membra quierunt.
sic ipsa et nati sanctorum in parte recepta est.

and so, not slothful nor in keeping with boyish years,
he springs forth intrepid, having slipped down into the midst of the fires,
and he fights, a victor, until his spirit might return on high
and seek the secret places of his elder brothers.
While the boy does these things, joys loosed the mother: 390
and now, as she was wearied by evils, now with voice denied,
she breathes exultant, and, collapsed among the hands of her own,
she falls lifeless, and her loosened limbs came to rest.
thus she herself too was received into the portion of the saints, with her sons.