May: SUPPLEMENTUM PHARSALIAE

Non funesta tamen clades, quas fecerat, omnes
Terra capit Thapsi; tantaeve jacere ruinae
Angusto potuêre loco. Quot fata per oras
Thapsicae spargent ingentia vulnera pugnae!
Ne non diversis famam regionibus olim

Not, however, does the land of Thapsus hold all the funereal disasters which it had wrought; nor could such great ruins lie in so narrow a place. How many dooms along the shores will scatter the vast wounds of the Thapsian battle! Lest not in diverse regions someday the fame

Funera tantorum faciant divisa virorum.
Rex Juba, Petreio et paucis comitantibus, urbem
Ad Zamam, imperii sedem, quâ pignora cara,
Uxoresque suas, gazasque reliquerat omnes,
Advenit infelix. Sed jam clausêre rebelles

Let the funerals of so great men be made divided.
King Juba, with Petreius and a few accompanying, to the city
to Zama, the seat of the empire, where his dear pledges,
and his wives, and all his treasures he had left,
arrives ill-fated. But already the rebels had shut it

Zamenses regi portas, victoque negârunt
Introitus, odium saevi crudele tyranni
Ausi fortunâ tandem pereunte fateri.
Nil precibus, mixtisve minis, vultuve, moventur.
Perdita majestas victo; penditque prioris

The Zamaeans denied the gates to the king, and to the vanquished, entry;
daring at last, as fortune perished, to confess their cruel hatred of the savage tyrant.
By nothing are they moved—by prayers, or by threats mingled, or by his countenance.
Majesty is lost to the conquered; and the weight of his former standing hangs.

Jam Juba saevitiae ponas. O sera tyranni
Cognitio! Dum regna manent, se nescit amatum
Invisumve suis. Affectus sola latentes
Servorum pandit Fortuna adversa: sed illa,
Quae post regna venit, cui nulla potentia juncta est,

Now, Juba, put down your savagery. O late recognition of the tyrant! While kingdoms remain, he knows not whether he is loved or hated by his own. Only adverse Fortune lays open the hidden affections of servants: but that one, which comes after kingdoms, to which no power is joined,

Cognitio torquet miseros; nec reddere grates,
Nec licet ulcisci. Seros (et non nisi tantum
Ut doleant) oculos aperit Fortuna tyrannis.
Exclusi rapido fugiunt per devia cursu,
Et villam, paucis equitum stipantibus, intrant

Recognition torments the wretched; neither to render thanks
nor is it permitted to avenge. Fortune opens late eyes
to tyrants (and only just so far as that they may grieve).
Shut out, they flee by a rapid, devious course,
and enter a villa, with a few horsemen pressing close.

Rex Uba Petreiusque simul. Tum fessa quiete
Corpora componunt stratis, aegrosque per omnes
Devolvunt animos casus, solamina donec
Ultima lassatis ingens audacia praebet.
Continuo instaurant epulas, plenisque Lyaeo

King Juba and Petreius at once. Then they settle their weary bodies upon the couches for rest,
and roll their ailing spirits through every mischance, until vast audacity offers to the wearied
the last consolations. Straightway they renew the feast, and with brimmers of Lyaeus

Discumbunt mensis. Postquam compressus edendi
Est amor, intrepido tandem sic inchoat ore,
Petreiumque toris Juba rex affatur ab altis:
"En! Romane, vides, quo nos Fortuna redegit:
"Sola relicta salus clementia Caesaris; at non

They recline at the tables. After the desire of eating has been checked,
at last thus he begins with an intrepid mouth,
and King Juba addresses Petreius from the lofty couches:
"Behold! Roman, you see to what Fortune has reduced us:
"The only salvation left is the clemency of Caesar; but not

"Nos duo tam fuimus temnendi Caesaris hostes,
"Adversusve illum tam innoxia gessimus arma,
"Ut veniam liceat salvo sperare pudore,
"Oblatâve frui. Quae non dant arma salutem,
"Dent libertatem nobis. Me certa manebit

"Have we two been such contemptible enemies of Caesar,
"or borne against him such innocuous arms,
"that it may be permitted, with modesty intact, to hope for pardon,
"or to enjoy what is proffered? The arms that do not give salvation,
"let them give liberty to us. For me a sure fate will abide

"Libertas ferro; nec dignam credere vitam
"Hanc possum votis, ut supplice rege superbus
"Intumeat Caesar; nec, quem vidisset honore
"In summo forsan, (si vel Pompeius in arvis
"Thessalicis olim, vel nostris Scipio terris,

"Freedom by the sword; nor can I deem this life worthy
"of my vows, that, with a suppliant king, the proud
"Caesar should swell; nor, the man whom perhaps he had seen in
"the highest honor (whether Pompey once on the Thessalian
"fields, or Scipio on our lands,

"Vicisset) me jam captivum Roma videbit,
"Regia praebentem ridenda Quiritibus ora
"Ante triumphantes currus, ut victa Syphacis,
"Atque catenati traxerunt colla Jugurthae.
"Nec Juba ridendum nec erit miserabile nomen

"Had he conquered) Rome will now see me a captive,
"offering to the Quirites a royal visage for laughter
"before the triumphal chariots, as they dragged the necks of conquered Syphax,
"and of chained Jugurtha.
"Nor will Juba be a laughable nor a miserable name

"Caesareis: non corda mihi, non tela, manusve
"Ad letum desunt: sed te, Petreie, supremae
"Participem facio famae, mortisque decorae.
"Causa reos eadem junxit, fortunaque victos;
"Nunc eadem virtus morientes jungat utrosque.

"To the Caesareans: neither courage fails me, nor weapons, nor my hands
"For death are not lacking; but you, Petreius, I make a participant
"in final fame and in a decorous death.
"The same cause has conjoined us as defendants, and the same fortune as the conquered;
"Now let the same virtue join us both as we die.

"Stringe ensem, et mecum pariter nunc utere dextrâ.
"Quaeramus pulchram per mutua vulnera mortem;
"Et, libertatem citius quis donet amico,
"Contendit feralis amor. " Petreïus ense
Sic breviter stricto: "Libycorum maxime regum,

"Draw the sword, and use your right hand together with me now.
"Let us seek a beautiful death through mutual wounds;
"And a deathly love strives as to who may more quickly grant freedom to his friend. " Petreïus with his sword
Thus briefly drawn: "O greatest of the Libyan kings,

"Cujus honoratum per saecula nomen habebit
"Ausonia, hanc laudem cui me debere fatebor,
"(Nec pudet Hesperium ductorem discere, tanto
"Rege docente, more) Latius gaudebit honore
"Hoc Genius, ne te captivum Roma videret,

"Whose name Ausonia will hold honored through the ages
"to whom I will confess that I owe this praise,
"(nor is it a shame for a Hesperian leader to learn, with so great
"a king as teacher, the manner)
"The Genius of Latium will rejoice in this honor, lest Rome might see you captive,

"Quem libertates nostras legesque tuentem
"Laudavit toties, sociique infamia regis
"Caesaris injustos posset decorare triumphos.
"Roma Jubae, sicut Masinissae, nomen amabit;
"Nec meliore notâ signabit Caesaries acta,

"Whom, defending our liberties and laws,
"she has so often praised; and the infamy of the allied king
"could decorate Caesar’s unjust triumphs.
"Rome will love the name of Juba, just as that of Masinissa;
"nor will the Caesarian record sign the acts with a better note,

"Quam Catilinae olim, et diri consulta Cethegi. "
Dixerat; et totis concurrunt viribus ambo;
Grataque dant referuntque per ictus vulnera crebros.
Crederet hoc quisquam, tanto conamine, tantâ
Pugnatum virtute mori, non vincere? Tandem

"Than those of Catiline once, and the counsels of dire Cethegus."
He had spoken; and both rush together with all their forces;
and through frequent blows they give and return welcome wounds.
Would anyone believe this, that with such an endeavor, with such valor
it was fought to die, not to conquer? At length

Petreius cecidit. "Retine, Petreie, parumper
"Festinantem anima," clamat Juba, "dum comes umbrae
"Umbra tuae hoc gladio ad Stygias demittitur undas.
"Quis regni posthac confidet viribus? aut quem
"Gloria decipiet sceptri, soliive superbi

Petreius fell. "Hold back, Petreius, for a little while
"your hastening soul," cries Juba, "until the companion shade
"to your shade is sent down by this sword to the Stygian waves.
"Who hereafter will confide in the strength of a realm? Or whom
"will the glory of the scepter, or of the proud throne, deceive?"

"Lubrica majestas? cunctis desertus ad umbras
"Nudus eo, nuper Libyco Juba maximus orbe.
"At vobis, populi infidi, et tibi, Zama rebellis,
"Sit Latium precor usque jugum grave; perfidiamque
"Hanc vestrum domino, domino perjore, luatis. "

"Slippery majesty? abandoned by all, I go naked to the shades,
"I, Juba, lately greatest in the Libyan orb.
"But for you, unfaithful peoples, and for you, rebellious Zama,
"May the Latin yoke, I pray, be ever heavy; and may you atone
"For this perfidy to your lord—under a worse lord."

Tunc iterum gladio pectus ferit: evolat acer
Spiritus; aeternaeque culos clausêre tenebrae.
Ecce alios luctus, aliudque per aequora funus
Nobile Thapsiacis Fortuna vehebat ab arvis.
Scipio, dux belli, tantâ de clade superstes,

Then again he strikes his breast with the sword: the keen spirit flies out;
and the eternal shades closed his eyes. Behold other griefs, and another funeral
Fortune was bearing across the waters from the Thapsian fields.
Scipio, leader of war, surviving from so great a disaster,

Non dedignatus parvâ tentare carinâ
Et sola Libycum pelagus, properabat ad oras
Hispanas, ubi Pompeii civilia cogunt
Rursus in arma viros; sed tempestate repulsus
In portum Hipponis vehitur. Se Scipio sentit

Not disdaining to attempt with a small keel
and alone the Libyan sea, he was hastening to the shores
of Spain, where Pompey’s civil cause gathers
men again to arms; but repulsed by a tempest
he is borne into the port of Hippo. Scipio becomes aware

Cum nave amissum; nec portum evadere vento
Opposito licuit. Clarâ tum voce dolorem
Testatus, clamat: "Pelagusque ipsaeque procellae,
"Et conjurati pugnant pro Caesari venti.
"O! utinam Thapso cecidissem, strage virorum

With his ship lost; nor was it permitted to clear the harbor with the wind
opposed. Then, with a clear voice, his grief
attested, he cries: "Both the sea and the squalls themselves,
"And the conjurate winds fight for Caesar.
"O! Would that at Thapsus I had fallen, amid the slaughter of men

100

"Mixtus; nec tanto placuisset vita superstes
"Imperio, (ductor summo Romanus honore
"Ad Stygias venissem undas) aut ante tulisset
"Hanc, male servatem, potius Pharsalia vitam,
"Quam Thapso infelix duxissem bella senatûs,

"Mixed in; nor would a life surviving so great an Empire have been pleasing
"to me, (a leader, a Roman, with the highest honor
"I would have come to the Stygian waves), or earlier Pharsalia would rather have borne off
"this life, ill-preserved,
"than that at Thapsus, unlucky, I should have led the wars of the Senate,

105

"Ultaque Scipiadem vidisses, Africa, victum.
"Vos, clarae majorum animae, quos Africa sensit
"Saepe triumphantes, ut cum Carthaginis altae
"Exscidio, captusque Syphax, clarâque fugatus
"Hannibal ex acie testantur, fata nepotis

"And, Africa, you would have avenged the Scipio whom you saw defeated.
"You, bright souls of the ancestors, whom Africa has felt
"often triumphing, as the destruction of lofty Carthage,
"and Syphax captured, and Hannibal routed
"from the illustrious battle-line bear witness, the fates of the descendant

110

"Ne pudeat vestri, miserandaque bella, videre.
"Nam neque me Libye vicit: sed viribus ipsa
"Scipiadem, seseque, suis hîc Roma subegit.
"Cum patria a patriâ vincor; moriorque, cadente
"Libertate, libens. Misêre hunc Numina ventum

"Let it not shame you, and the wars to be pitied, to behold.
"For neither has Libya conquered me; but by her own forces
"here Rome has subdued the Scipiade, and herself.
"When the fatherland is conquered by the fatherland; and I die, with
"Liberty falling, willingly. Wretchedly, by the divine Powers, has it come to this

115

"Adversum, ut morerer, ne, spe delusus inani,
"Optarem forsan tanto superesse dolori.
"Hispanas iterum Romana ad prolia gentes
"Pompeii cogant juvenes, legesque requirant,
"Et libertates: mea nunc fortuna peracta est.

"Adverse, that I might die, lest, deluded by inane hope,
"I should perhaps wish to outlive so great a dolor.
"Let the Spanish peoples again be marshaled by Pompey's youths to Roman battles,
"and let them seek laws and liberties: my fortune is now completed.

120

"Et quamquam haec armata manus testabitur orbi
"Me terrâ potuisse mori; placet aequore mergi,
"Ignotumque illic funus per saecla manere.
"O! nunquam veniat fluitans ad litora truncus,
"Ne Libycâ condatur humo; victique futuris

"And although this armed band will testify to the world
"that I could have died on land; it pleases me to be submerged in the sea,
"and for an unknown funeral there to remain through the ages.
"O! let a floating trunk never come to the shores,
"lest it be interred in Libyan soil; and the conquered to future

125

"Scipiadae ostentent monimenta nepotibus Afri. "
Tunc latus ense fodit; nec eo contentus, in aequor
Prosilit; emissi spargit pars transtra carinae
Sanguinis: aequoreos tingit pars altera fluctus;
Migrantique animae fatum non sufficit unum.

"Let the Scipiads display the monuments of the African to their descendants."
Then he pierces his side with a sword; and, not content with that, he leaps into the sea;
a part of the emitted blood sprinkles the cross-benches of the hull
of blood: the other part dyes the sea-waves;
and for the migrating soul one fate does not suffice.

130

Demersum, monstris jacet, eheu! praeda marinis,
Nobile Scipiadae corpus; nec colliget urna
Flebilis hos cineres; nec tanto nomine dignas
Exsequias tibi Roma dabit; passisve capillis
Scipiadem, extremum generis, lugebit ademtum.

Sunk, he lies—alas!—prey to marine monsters,
the noble body of the Scipiad; nor will a tearful urn
gather these ashes; nor will Rome grant to you exequies
worthy of so great a name; nor, with hair loosened,
will she lament the Scipiad, the last of the line, taken away.

135

Agmina, de campis passim fugientia, cunctas
Implêrant magnis Libyae terroribus oras.
Praesidiis tum forte Uticam Cato nobilis urbem
Ausoniis tenuit; qui, notâ clade senatûs,
Scipiadaeque fugâ, victorem arcere parabat;

The columns, fleeing everywhere from the fields, had filled all the shores of Libya with great terrors.
Then by chance noble Cato held Utica, the city, with Ausonian garrisons;
who, with the well-known disaster of the Senate
and the flight of the Scipiades, was preparing to ward off the victor;

140

Hortaturque suos alacer defendere muros;
Sed frustra: heu! nimium trepidantia pectora sensit,
Et victum famâ non visi Caesaris agmen.
Tum Cato militibus vultu immutatus eodem
Ignovit pavidis: ultro fugientibis ipse

And eager, he exhorts his men to defend the walls;
But in vain: alas! he perceived hearts trembling too much,
and that the host was conquered by the report of Caesar, though not yet seen.
Then Cato, with the same countenance unchanged toward the soldiers,
forgave the fearful: of his own accord, even the fleeing he himself

145

Prospexit, classes portu contraxit ab omni
Vicino, remosque dedit properantibus aptos.
Cunctorumque, suam quamvis projecerat ipse,
Non dedignatur ductor curare salutem.
Solatus cives Uticae, et trepidantia verbis

He looked out, and drew together fleets from every neighboring
harbor, and gave oars apt to the hurrying.
And of all, though he himself had cast away his own,
the leader does not disdain to care for their safety.
Having consoled the citizens of Utica, and with words the trembling

150

Pectora confirmans placidis, quam certa supersit
Spes illis veniae, victis clementia quanta
Caesaris, edocuit. Talis cupit ipse videri
Civibus, ut qui non donatam a Caesare vitam
Sperneret. Illum etiam, cui non durissima virtus

Strengthening their hearts with calm words, he taught how sure a hope of pardon remained for them,
and how great Caesar’s clemency for the conquered. He himself wishes to seem such
to the citizens, as one who would not spurn a life not bestowed by Caesar.
Even him also, for whom not the hardest virtue

155

Affectus celare suos permiserat unquam,
Quem nullus simulare timor docuisset, aperto
Vel deflexisset rigidi de tramite veri,
Tandem moris amor cogit simulare Catonem.
Orbârant homines jam luce silentia noctis;

Had he ever permitted his affections to be concealed,
he whom no fear had taught to simulate, or had turned aside
from the open track of rigid truth, at last the love of custom
compels Cato to simulate. The silences of night had now bereft men of light;

160

Inque vicem donarant regna quietem;
Cum gratos cuncti, quos cura dolorque sinebant,
Carpebant somnos: sed non tranquilla Catonem
Exemit virtus curis mortalibus, alto
Ut jaceat somno oppressus: sed libera mentis

And in turn the realms had granted quiet;
when all, those whom care and grief allowed,
were plucking welcome slumbers: but tranquil Virtue did not
remove Cato from mortal cares, so that he might lie
oppressed by deep sleep: rather, with the mind free

165

Erigat ut se vis, contempleturque futura
Saecula, et aeternos vitae immortalis honores.
Ante tamen contemplatrix quam dogmata verae
Scrutari possit Sophiae, moralibus apte
Praeceptis purganda anima est; prius ejiciendi

That the power may raise itself, and may contemplate the future
ages, and the eternal honors of immortal life.
Before, however, the Contemplative can scrutinize the dogmas of true
Wisdom, the soul must be aptly purged by moral precepts; first, things to be cast out

170

Affectus pravi, cunctaeque e pectore sordes,
Ira nocens, et luxuries, et foda libido.
Hos igitur motus animi (purgantia sicut
Corporis humores pravos medicamina tollunt)
Moralis plene educat medecina, priusquam

Affections depraved, and all the filth from the breast,
Harmful wrath, and luxury, and foul libido.
These motions of the mind, therefore (just as purgative
medicaments remove the body's perverse humors)
Moral medicine fully draws them out, before

175

Divinum summumque bonum scrutarier ausa
Sit contemplando; ne densis pressa tenebris
Mens erret caeca, et vitiis decepta fatiscat.
Sic longâ virtute fuit mens sancta Catonis
Purgata; atque illi, vitae immortalis honorem

Let it dare to scrutinize the divine and supreme good by contemplating;
lest, pressed by dense darkness, the mind wander blind, and, deceived by vices, grow faint.
Thus by long virtue the sacred mind of Cato
was purged; and to him, the honor of immortal life

180

Jam contemplanti, divini fata Platonis
Phaedonem tradunt: cum laetus talia fatur:
"Salve, sancte liber Superis demisse Catoni!
"Dirige tu cursum, vitaeque extrema meantis
"Instrue; non alium moriturus quaero magistrum;

Now, as he contemplates, the fates of divine Plato hand down the Phaedo; when, glad, he speaks such things:
"Hail, holy book, sent down from the Gods Above to Cato!
"Do you steer the course, and instruct the last things of life as it is passing,
"I, about to die, seek no other teacher;

185

"Nec restare alias voluerunt Numina curas.
"Jamque mori certo liceat mihi discere, quid sit
"Mors, quid vita fuit, quid erit; num nulla futura est;
"An vivant animae post funera; praemia justis
"Quae restent; quae sacrilegos vindicta manebit. "

"Nor did the Numina wish other cares to remain.
"And now, since I am surely to die, let it be permitted me to learn what it is—
"Death, what life has been, what it will be; whether there is no future;
"Or whether souls live after funeral rites; what rewards remain for the just;
"What vengeance will await the sacrilegious. "

190

Dum contemplatur, mentis se libera tollit
Nec turbata acies; abstractaque corpore, vires
Exercere suas contendit pura facultas
Tunc volitans excelsa petit; nimiumque remota
A terris, quo non oculi, non organa sensûs

While it contemplates, the gaze of the mind, free, lifts itself,
nor is its acumen disturbed; and, abstracted from the body, the pure faculty
strives to exercise its powers; then, flitting, it seeks the heights; and, too far removed
from the earth, to where neither eyes nor the organs of sense

195

Corporei penetrare valent, fulgentia coli
Corpora scrutatur; nec eis contenta, requirit
Splendoris fontem cuncti, lucisque beatum
Principium; aeternique Dei vestigia adorat.
Haec magis atque magis colestia discere tentat

are able to penetrate the corporeal; she scrutinizes the shining bodies of heaven;
and not content with these, she seeks
the fountain of all splendor, and the blessed Principle of light;
and she adores the vestiges of the eternal God.
She strives more and more to learn the celestial things

200

Contemplans anima: at caecis obducta tenebris,
Et depressa gravi connexu corporis, ipsa
Se non posse videre videt. Solatia sola haec,
Quod meliore frui post mortem lumine sperat.
Immortalem animam spes haec probat: aut tibi frustra.

The contemplating soul: but overcast with blind darkness,
and pressed down by the heavy bond of the body, itself
sees that it cannot see itself. These alone are its solaces,
that after death it hopes to enjoy a better light.
This hope proves the soul immortal; or else for you it is in vain.

205

Spem dedit Omnipotens: frustra te jussit amare,
Quae nunquam poteris cognoscere; cur sapientes,
Dum terris vivunt, spernunt terrena; nec aurum,
Regna, voluptates, quaerunt, quae sola videntur
Splendida; sed, quae non cernunt, colestia tantum

The Omnipotent gave hope: did He bid you in vain to love things which you will never be able to know? why do the wise, while they live on earth, spurn terrene things; nor do they seek gold, kingdoms, pleasures, which alone seem splendid; but only the heavenly things which they do not discern

210

Depereunt, si non colestia gaudia tandem
Exciperent? Sed non illuc adscendere possunt
Corpora, quae gravia, et terrentis mixta creantur
Principiis, in quae tandem resoluta redibunt,
In terramque cadent. Animae est colestis origo,

Do they perish, if at length celestial joys did not receive them?
But bodies cannot ascend thither, which, being heavy, and created mixed with earthly principles,
into which, dissolved, they will at length return,
and into earth they will fall. The soul’s origin is celestial,

215

Igneus atque vigor; substantia pura, suique
In toto similis, variis nec partibus illa
Composita est; ideo nullo dissolvitur aevo;
Sed sibi, corporeo laxata a carcere, vivit.
Felices posthac animae, quas corpora nullis

Igneous and vigor; a pure substance, and like to itself
in the whole, nor is that composed of various parts;
therefore it is dissolved by no age;
but, released from the corporeal prison, it lives for itself.
Happy thereafter the souls, whom bodies by no

220

Fodârunt vitiis, nullaque libide morsas
Detinuêre olim; quae, dum sub carne latebant,
Contemplatrices abstractae a carne volârant
Saepius ad colos, colis post fata, quibuscum
Fodera sanxerunt viventes sacra, locantur:

They did not defile themselves with vices, nor did any libido, having bitten, ever detain them; which, while they lay hidden under flesh,
as contemplatives, abstracted from flesh, had flown more often to the heavens;
after fate, in the heavens, with those with whom,
while living, they sanctioned sacred covenants, they are placed:

225

Aeternâque illic laetantes luce fruuntur:
At tenebrosae animae, nimium quae carnibus olim
Demersae jacuêre suis, queis tetra libido
Atque voluptates solum, quas sensus alebat,
In terris notae, posthac de carne solutae,

And there, rejoicing, they enjoy the eternal light:
But the tenebrous souls, who once lay too much submerged in their own flesh,
for whom foul libido
and pleasures alone, which sense nourished,
known on earth, thereafter released from flesh,

230

Adspectum coli, cum quo commercia nulla
Viventes habuêre, timent; nec luce fruuntur:
Sed tenebris dilecta nimis prope corpora semper
Ferales errant umbrae, mostaeque sepulcra
Bustaque foda colunt. Hinc noctu spectra videntur,

They fear the sight of heaven, with which, while living, they had no commerce,
Nor do they enjoy the light:
But, their bodies too dearly loved by the darkness, the funereal shades always wander close by,
And they haunt the mournful sepulchers and foul pyres.
Hence at night specters are seen,

235

Quae terrent homines: animae sunt ista malorum,
Quae, quoniam crassae sunt, corporeaeque, videntur.
"Quam diversae," inquit, "restant post funera sortes!
"Credo equidem, divine Plato, te dogmata vera
"Haec ipsum docuisse Deum. Deus ipse sequendam

Which things terrify men: those are the souls of the wicked,
which, since they are thick and corporeal, are seen.
"How diverse," he says, "are the lots that remain after funerals!
"I truly believe, divine Plato, that God himself taught you true dogmata
"these. God himself to be followed

240

"(Aut Natura homines ratioque innata fefellit)
"Proposuit virtutem, et praemia debita justis.
"Haec, quoniam justos injusta potentia fraudat
"Saepius in terris, et gens humana rebellat,
"Solvere post mortem justissimus ipse tenetur. "

"(Or Nature and innate reason has deceived men)
"has proposed virtue, and the due rewards to the just.
"These, since unjust power defrauds the just
"more often on earth, and the human race rebels,
"the most just himself is bound to pay after death."

245

Funera non metuit sapiens suprema; nec illi
Qui contemplando toties super astra levavit
Carnoso abstractam penitus de carcere mentem,
Corporis atque animae faciens divortia tanta,
Quanta homini licuit, mors formidanda venire,

The wise man does not fear the final funerals; nor for him
who by contemplating so often has lifted above the stars
the mind abstracted utterly from the carnal prison,
making divorces of body and soul so great
as were permitted to a human, is death to be dreaded to come,

250

Aut ignota, potest: am Mors divortia tantum
Plena haec, quae sapiens toties optâsse videtur,
et toties tentâsse, facit; Superosque pententi
Libertatem animae claustris concedit apertis
Si saepe impatiens vitam projecit amator,

Or, if unknown, it can: or Death makes only these divorces,
full things these, which the wise man seems so often to have desired,
and so often to have attempted, she effects; and to the one seeking the Supernals
she grants the liberty of the soul, with the bars opened,
if often the impatient lover has cast away life,

255

Atque manu pectus propriâ perfodit, ut umbra
Defunctam Stygias sponsam sequeretur ad umbras,
(Quâ tamen haud illo conceditur orbe potiri)
Num sapientûm animae, summi quae gaudia coli
Depereunt, verique boni capiuntur amore,

And with his own hand he pierced his breast, so that, a shade,
he might follow his deceased bride to the Stygian shades,
(Whereby, however, it is not granted to possess that orb)
Do the souls of the wise, who deem that the highest joys are to be cherished,
perish, and are they seized by love of the true good,

260

Quo nequeunt in carne frui, de carcere tandem
Corporeo solvi, claustrisque exire recusent,
Cum Deus ipse fores aperit, licitamque meanti
Dat Natura viam. At, donec Deus ille creator,
Qui terrenâ animam primo statione locavit,

Which they are not able to enjoy in flesh, to be released at last
from the corporeal prison, and to go out from the bars, would they refuse,
when God himself opens the doors, and Nature gives a licit way to the one going.
But, until that God the creator,
who placed the soul in its first earthly station,

265

Evocat, haud illâ statione excedere fas est.
Hic dubitans haesit paulum Cato. "Non datur ergo
"Sponte mori victis," inquit: "nec obire Catoni,
"Dum dabit injustus victor mandata, licebit?
"Caesaris exspectem gladios, atque in caput istud

He calls forth; it is not lawful to depart from that post.
Here, wavering, Cato paused a little. "So then it is not granted
"to the conquered to die of their own accord," he says: "nor will it be permitted
"for Cato to meet death, so long as the unjust victor gives commands?
"Am I to await Caesar’s swords, and upon this head

270

"Jus illi agnoscam superi? dominumque fatebor
"Esse meum, quem Roma suum decreverat hostem,
"Quemque ego damnâram? num justam injusta dederunt
"Bella potestatem?

"Shall I acknowledge to him a right, you gods above?
"And confess him to be my lord, whom Rome had decreed her enemy,
"And whom I had condemned? Did unjust wars grant
"A just power?

non sic, o Numina! certe
"Humanas placuit vobis confundere leges,

not thus, O divine Powers! surely
"it has pleased you to confound human laws,

275

"Et dare jus sceleri. Sed, si non sponte Catoni
"Projicere hanc lucem fas est, at crimine vitam
"Grandius est retinere nefas. Quam grande putarem
"Esse nefas nobis, turpem producere vitam
"Caesaris imperiis, et regna injusta probare!

"And to give right to crime. But, if it is not of his own accord for Cato
"that to cast away this light be licit by divine law, yet by crime to retain life
"is a grander nefas. How great I would deem
"it to be nefas for us, to prolong a shameful life
"under Caesar’s commands, and to approve unjust realms!

280

"Quam Romae damnosa forent exempla Catonis!
"Pompeii juvenes, qui nunc ad prolia gentes
"Hispanas armant, patriaeque impendere vitas
"Non dubitant, justae posthac non credere causae,
"Sed pulchris fortasse volent desistere coptis;

"How ruinous in Rome would be the examples of Cato!
"Pompeian youths, who now for battles arm the Spanish gentes,
"and do not hesitate to expend their lives for the fatherland,
"hereafter would not believe in a just cause,
"but perhaps will wish to desist from fair undertakings;

285

"Nec libertatem per tanta pericula, per tot
"Aerumnas, quaerent, cum nobis regna probentur,
"Et non displiceat duro servire Catoni.
"Ah! potius fragilem hanc sit fas abrumpere vitam,
"Quam te, Libertas, violem. Sed, Numina si te

"Nor will they seek liberty through such great perils, through so many
"hardships, when kingship is approved for us,
"And it not displease to serve a harsh Cato.
"Ah! rather let it be right to break off this fragile life,
"than that I, Liberty, should violate you. But, if, Divinities, you

290

"Nunc tandem jussêre mori, tua funera saltem
"Prosequar, et Stygias liber comitabor ad umbras.
"Non ultra dubitare licet. " Tunc pectora dextrâ
Nuda ferit moriensque cadit; morientis ad ictum
Undique concurrunt famuli; labentia tollunt

"Now at last they have ordered [me] to die, your funeral at least
"I shall attend, and as a free man I shall accompany you to the Stygian shades.
"No longer is it permitted to hesitate." Then with his right hand
he strikes his bare breast and, dying, falls; at the dying man’s blow
from every side the household servants run together; they lift his failing [limbs]

295

Membra viri; vulnus refovent; mortique quietem
Eripiunt tantum, dum, quam projecerat ipse
Tanto animo, heu! frustra, contendunt reddere vitam.
Impatiens lucis, propriâ Cato vulnera dextrâ
Dilacerat; mortemque docet non posse negari.

They lift the man’s limbs; they re-warm the wound; and from death they snatch only a respite,
while they strive to render back the life which he himself had cast away
with such great spirit—alas!—in vain.
Impatient of the light, Cato with his own right hand lacerates
his wounds, and teaches that death cannot be denied.

300

Caesar, Thapsiacâ victor de clade reversus,
Tendit Adrumentum, cum jam victoria passim
Securum praestabat iter. Non arma nec ullae
Insidiae clausêre vias. Ignoscit ubique
Supplicibus; cum nulla videt restare pericla,

Caesar, returned as victor from the Thapsian rout,
makes for Hadrumetum, when now victory everywhere
afforded a secure journey. Neither arms nor any
ambushes closed the roads. He pardons everywhere
the suppliants; since he sees no dangers remain.

305

Tutaque fortunâ facta est clementia tantâ.
Inde Uticam advenit Caesar; fataque Catonis
Audito, ingemuit; questusque, "O invide!" dixit,
"Cur odio moreris nostri? vitamque relinquis,
"Ne non Caesareae bonitati injuria fiat?

And by such great clemency his fortune was made safe.
Then Caesar arrived at Utica; and, the fates of Cato having been heard,
he groaned; and, lamenting, he said, "O envier!
Why do you tarry out of hatred for me? and do you abandon life,
so that no injury may be done to Caesarean goodness?"

310

"Heu! tibi crudelis nimium moriendo fuisti,
"Ut moriendo mihi posses crudelior esse.
"Durior interitu, quam vitâ armisque fuisti,
"Hostes es; atque odium nostri, quod sanguine nostro
"Non potuisti unquam, voluisti sanguine saltem

"Alas! you were too cruel to yourself by dying,
"So that by dying you could be more cruel to me.
"Harsher in death than you were in life and in arms,
"You are an enemy; and the hatred of us, which with our blood
"You could never sate, you wished with blood at least

315

"Nunc satiare tuo, teque ipsum impendere damno
"Caesaris. Evitas nostrum, crudelis, amorem,
"Ut luctum facias. Mihi quid clementia prodest,
"Cui non Romani dubitant praeponere mortem?
"Infelix Magnus sese committere fraudi

"Now satiate yourself with your own, and expend yourself to Caesar's damage
"You evade our love, cruel one, in order that you may make mourning.
"What does clemency profit me, for whom the Romans do not hesitate to prefer death?
"Unhappy Magnus, to commit himself to fraud

320

"Barbaricae potius quam nostro elegit amori.
"Sed tamen ille, suas sperans reparare ruinas,
"Auxilium infido, non mortem, a rege petivit,
"Quam tamen invitus subiit: tu sponte perîsti,
"Invidiam facture mihi. Sed detrahet illam

"Rather he chose barbaric love than our own.
"But yet he, hoping to repair his own ruins,
"sought from the perfidious king aid, not death,
"which, however, he underwent unwillingly: you perished of your own accord,
"about to create envy for me. But he will take that away

325

"Invidiam, et spes injustas clementia vincet.
"Deflebo funus, natumque amplectar honore;
"Nec me crudelem victo fore sentiet orbis. "
Dans veniam Caesar timidis Uticensibus, agmen
Defessum reficit; paulumque moratus in urbe,

"Clemency will vanquish envy and unjust hopes.
"I will bewail the funeral, and embrace the son with honor;
"Nor will the world perceive me to be cruel to the vanquished."
Granting pardon, Caesar to the timid Uticans, he refreshes the weary column;
and, having tarried a little in the city,

330

Munimenta videns, circumspicit undique latam
Planitiem: prope silva stetit, (regionibus illis
Rara nimis) non ampla tamen, quam lentus alebat
Bagrada, qui siccas illic connectit arenas.
Horrida silva fuit, conjunctis aëra ramis

Seeing the fortifications, he looks around on every side at the broad
plain: a wood stood nearby (in those regions all too rare), yet not large,
which the sluggish Bagrada nourished, the one that there knits together
the dry sands. It was a rough wood, with branches conjoined shutting out the air.

335

Obscurum, et tristes exclusis solibus umbras,
Complectens. Nemus hoc ingressus Caesar opacum,
Antrum immane videt, nigro squalore repletum,
Et marcente situ, quem nox ibi longa creâsset.
Infecit gravidas erumpens halitus auras.

Dark, and embracing sad shades with the suns shut out,
Caesar, having entered this shady grove,
sees an immense cavern, filled with black squalor,
and drooping with mustiness, which a long night had created there.
An exhalation bursting forth infected the gravid airs.

340

Attonito terrore loci, tandemque roganti,
Rem notam populis adstans Libys incola narrat:
"Haec, Caesar, multos jam non habitata per annos,
"Antra immensa olim monstrum exitiale tenebat,
"Pestis, et ira Deum, serpens, cui saecula nulla

Awed by the terror of the place, and at last when he asked,
the Libyan dweller standing by recounts a matter known to the peoples:
"These places, Caesar, not inhabited for many years now,
"the immense caves once held a deadly monster,
"a pest and the ire of the gods, a serpent to which no ages

345

"Produxêre parem terris; non tanta palude
"Lernaeâ tumuit reparatis anguibus Hydra;
"Nec qui poma draco custodiit aurea; nec, quem,
"Servantem vigili Phryxeum lumine vellus,
"Somniferis tandem domuit Medea venenis.

"They have brought forth a peer for the lands; not with so great a marsh
"did the Lernaean Hydra, with its snakes repaired, swell;
"nor the dragon who guarded the golden apples; nor he whom,
"keeping the Phryxian fleece with a wakeful light,
"Medea at last subdued with somniferous poisons.

350

"Nec tu Phobeis, Python, confixe sagittis,
"Tantus eras, populis species incognita primis.
"Serpente in tanto potuisset Gorgonis omne
"Absumi virus; Libycis nec majus arenis
"Hoc monstro, semen si defluxisset in unum,

"Nor you, Python, transfixed by Phoebean arrows,
"Were so great, an appearance unknown to the earliest peoples.
"In so great a serpent all the Gorgon's venom could have been consumed;
"Nor in the Libyan sands would there have been anything greater than this monster,
"If the seed had flowed down into one,

355

"Pestiferae tabes generâsset tota Medusae.
"Tam longum sese (centum porrectus in ulnas
"Quippe fuit) volvit serpens per fluminis undas,
"Ut, quoties gyris distendit terga solutis,
"Adversâ praedam potuit deprendere ripâ.

"The pestiferous corruption of Medusa entire would have been engendered.
"So long a length did the serpent roll himself (indeed stretched to a hundred cubits)
"through the river’s waves, that, whenever with loosened gyres he stretched his back,
"from the opposite bank he was able to seize his prey.

360

"Saepe illic tigris spumantes oblita rictus,
"Atque cruentati taurorum caede leones,
"Flumina dum libant, monstri conduntur in alvo.
"Atque utinam his tantum praedia contenta fuisset
"Ingluvies; periêre homines, quicumque per aestum

"Often there a tigress, her foaming jaws besmeared,
"And lions bloodied with the slaughter of bulls,
"while they sip the rivers, are buried in the monster’s belly.
"And would that its gluttony had been content with these estates only;
"Men perished, whoever during the heat

365

"Umbrosae fessi petierunt tegmina silvae,
"Aut quicumque istos, adverso numine ducti,
"Advenêre viri gelidos haurire liquores.
"Nam, simul ac nigro serpens caput extulit antro
"Horrendus, totamque implêrunt sibila silvam,

"The weary sought the coverts of the umbrageous forest,
"Or whatever men, led by an adverse numen,
"Arrived to draw those gelid waters.
"For, as soon as the horrendous serpent lifted its head from the black cavern,
"And the hisses filled the whole forest,

370

"Attonitos timor invasit; non ulla salutis
"Spes manibus, non ulla fugâ: deprendere praedam
"Distendit subito toto se corpore serpens.
"Saepius in flumen, monstrum vitare nefandum,
"Desiluêre viri: sed non praestare salutem

"Thunderstruck, fear invaded them; no hope of safety by their hands,
"No hope in flight: to apprehend the prey
"The serpent suddenly stretched itself with its whole body.
"Again and again into the river, to shun the unspeakable monster,
"The men leapt down: but it did not afford safety

375

"Flumen eis potuit: nantes comprendit in undis;
"Nec mergi licuit miseris: pejora manebant
"Fata illos: monstri obsconâ conduntur in alvo.
"Sic impune diu silvâ grassatus in istâ,
"Egressus tandem est, et se ad majora paravit.

"The river prevailed over them: it seized the swimmers in the waves;
"Nor was it permitted the wretches to be submerged: worse were awaiting
"Fates for them: into the obscene belly of the monster they are enclosed.
Thus, with impunity for a long time having prowled in that forest,
He at last went out, and prepared himself for greater things.

380

"Quid pecudum strages, quid singula fata virorum
"Persequar? haud vacat hîc privatas dicere clades.
"In populos furit; et totis cum gentibus atrox
"Bella gerens, ausus Romana lacessere castra est.
"Cum primum turmas Libyes ad litora duxit

"Why should I pursue the slaughter of the cattle, why the several fates of men?
"It is in no way the time here to tell of private disasters.
"He rages against peoples; and, atrocious, waging wars with entire nations,
"he dared to challenge the Roman camp.
"When first he led his squadrons to the Libyan shores

385

"Regulus Ausonias, et in his consederat arvis,
"(Quis mihi de tanto credet certamine?) solus
"Invasit totas acies. Exercitus ille,
"Qui sibi promisit Libyae et Carthaginis altae
"Imperium, quem tot gentes, mundique timebat

"Regulus had taken his stand in Ausonian lands, and in these fields,
"(Who will believe me concerning so great a combat?) alone
"he assailed the whole battle-lines. That army,
"which promised to itself the empire of Libya and lofty Carthage,
"which so many nations, and the world, feared

390

"Tertia pars, uno vix se defendit ab angue.
"Dux capere arma jubet, nec solis ensibus illic,
"Aut pilis, sed ballistis, quae monia summa
"Et turres quaterent, monstro nova bella parari.
"Protinus insonuêre tubae; tunc ergit alte

"A third part scarcely defends itself from a single serpent.
"The leader orders arms to be taken up, and not there with swords alone,
"or javelins, but with ballistas, which would shake the highest
"walls and towers; new wars are prepared against the monster.
"Straightway the trumpets resounded; then he raises high

395

"Se, dirumque caput serpens attollit in auras,
"Undique despiciens campos; tantusque videtur
"Quantus is est, geminas colo qui dividit Arctos.
"Tunc asper saevit; Stygias de gutture diro
"Exhalans nebulas, et flammea lumina torquet.

"The serpent lifts himself and his dire head into the air,
"looking down on the fields on every side; and he appears as great
"as he who with his neck divides the twin Bears.
"Then, harsh, he rages; Stygian mists from his dread throat
"exhaling, and he twists his flaming lights.

400

"Squamea cum volvit sublatus terga, putares
"Excelsum ad pugnas castellum sponte moveri.
"Distantûm longe subito se immittit in ora.
"Hos morsu, afflatu necat hos; hos tollit in altum,
"Ut casu interimat miseros; totasque cohortes

"When, uplifted, he rolls his squamous backs, you would think
"a lofty castle moving of its own accord to the fights.
"Upon the faces of those far distant he suddenly hurls himself.
"These he kills by bite, these by breath; these he lifts on high,
"so that by the fall he may slay the wretches; and whole cohorts

405

"Sternit humo, latas caudâ dum verrit arenas.
"Consternuntur equi passim, frenisque rebelles
"Invitos saevi dominos serpentis ab irâ,
"Dum fugiunt campo, portant: cessêre manipli;
"Tergaque vertissent (si fas credere) cuncti,

"He lays low upon the ground, while with his tail he sweeps the broad sands.
"The horses are everywhere thrown into consternation, and, rebellious to the reins,
"carry their unwilling masters away from the wrath of the savage serpent,
"as they flee over the field; they bear them: the maniples have given way;
"and all would have turned their backs (if it is lawful to believe),

410

"Ni tandem valido contortum hastile lacerto,
"Dum sese arrectus tollit, sub pectore diro
"Haesisset. Fluxit sanies de vulnere nigra.
"Horrendum immugit, tum primum vulnera passus,
"Longaevus serpens, caudâque flagellat arenas

"Unless at last the spear-shaft, hurled by a strong arm,
"while he, reared up, lifts himself, had stuck beneath his dreadful breast.
"Black sanies flowed from the wound.
"He bellows horrendously, then for the first time having suffered wounds,
"the long-lived serpent, and with his tail he lashes the sands

415

"Iratus. Cuncti clamorem ad sidera tollunt;
"Speque alacres, validis mittunt per inane lacertis
"Undique pila: ferit pars magna innoxia tergum
"Squamosum monstri; crepitantque sonantia tela,
"Ut sonat aestivus salientis grandinis imber,

"Enraged. All raise a clamor to the stars;
"And eager with hope, they hurl through the void with strong arms
"Javelins from every side: a great part strikes, harmless, the scaly back
"Of the monster; and the sonorous missiles rattle,
"As the estival shower of leaping hail resounds,

420

"Tegmina tectorum feriens. Hastilia quaedam
"Fortunata magis maculoso vulnera ventri
"Infligunt: solus levibus penetrabilis illi
"Venter erat telis. Nigro humectantur arenae
"Sanguine serpentis, fecundaeque ante venenis

"Striking the roof-coverings. Certain spear-shafts,
"more fortunate, inflict wounds on the maculate belly;
"for only the belly was penetrable to it by light missiles.
"The sands are moistened with the black blood of the serpent,
"and, earlier, rich with poisons

425

"Gorgoneâ de tabe, novo nunc semine tristes
"Concipiunt iterum pestes, et monstra nefanda.
"Nec minus iratus serpens, tantique doloris
"Impatiens, saevit campis, et corpora leto
"Prosternit. Levibus nequidquam prolia pilis

"From Gorgonean taint, now with new seed, grim
"plagues conceive again, and unspeakable monsters.
"Nor less does the enraged serpent, impatient of so great pain,
"rage through the fields, and lays bodies low in death.
"In vain battles with light javelins

430

"Aut jaculis tantum tentâsset miles in hostem;
"Robore ni tandem dimissa falarica magno
"Immensi spinam fregisset pondere dorsi.
"Tum fractus vires, et tanto languidus ictu,
"Decubuit: solito non sese attollere nisu

"Or the soldier would have only tried with javelins against the enemy;
"if a falarica, finally discharged with great strength,
"had not broken the spine of its immense back by its great weight.
"Then, with its strength broken, and languid from so great a blow,
"it sank down: not to lift itself with its accustomed effort

435

"Jam potuit; patulo tantum minitatur hiatu;
"Et nebulas laesis exspirat faucibus atras,
"Si quoque letalis. Tandem stridore per auras
"Tormento volitat trabs acta, caputque nefandum
"Discutit, et cerebro nigras dispergit arenas.

"Now he could; he only threatens with a gaping maw;
"And exhales black mists from his wounded jaws,
"deadly too. At length, with a shriek through the airs,
"a beam, driven by the war-engine, flies, and the unspeakable head
"it shatters, and with brain disperses the black sands.

440

"Horrendus tandem serpens tot jugera magno
"Ventre premens, ipsâ metuenus morte jacebat. "
Postquam oculos silvae miracula tanta vetustae
Caesaris implêssent, Uticâ discessit ab urbe;
Et, victi per regna Jubae victricia ducens

"Horrendous at last, the serpent, pressing so many acres with its great
"belly, lay, itself dreading death. "
After such great marvels of the ancient forest had filled Caesar’s eyes,
he departed from the city of Utica;
And, victorious, leading through the realms of conquered Juba

445

Agmina, regalis famosa ad monia Zamae
Pervenit. Ducis hîc Petreii animosa Jubaeque
Funera cognoscens, animo tam tristia fata,
Fortunaeque vices summae miseratur amaras.
Tunc urbe exceptus, Zamenses laudat, et illis

Leading the columns, he reached the famous walls of royal Zama;
here, learning of the valorous deaths of the general Petreius and of Juba,
he laments in his heart such sad fates,
and the bitter vicissitudes of highest Fortune.
Then, received by the city, he praises the people of Zama, and to them

450

Praeficit imperio Crispum. Maurusia tellus
Romula de tanto facta est provincia regno.
Inde Uticam remeans, ventis dans carbasa, Sardon
Appulit, atque illâ paulum tellure moratus,
Tutus ad Ausoniae pervenit litora Caesar. 455

He appoints Crispus over the command. The Maurusian land
was made a Romulean province from so great a kingdom.
Thence returning to Utica, giving canvases to the winds, he made land at Sardinia,
and, having tarried a little on that soil,
the Caesar reached the Ausonian shores in safety. 455