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Satyricon 111
Satyricon 111
mātrōna quaedam Ephesī tam nōtae erat pudicitiae1, ut vīcīnārum quoque gentium fēminas ad spectāculum suī ēvocāret. haec ergō cum virum extulisset2, non contenta vulgārī mōre fūnus passīs3 prōsequī crīnibus aut nūdātum pectus in conspectū frequentiae plangere, in conditōrium etiam prosecuta est dēfunctum4, positumque in hypogaeō5, Graecō mōre, corpus custodire ac flēre tōtīs noctibus diēbusque coepit. sīc afflictantem sē ac mortem inediā6 persequentem nōn parentēs potuērunt abdūcere, non propinquī; magistrātūs7 ultimō repulsī abiērunt, complōrātaque singularis exemplī8 femina ab omnibus, quintum iam diem sine alimentō trahēbat. assidēbat aegrae fidissima ancilla, simulque9 et lacrimās commodābat lugentī, et quotienscumque dēfēcerat positum in monumentō lūmen renovābat.
ūna igitur in tōtā cīvitāte fābula erat: sōlum illud affulsisse vērum pudicitiae amorisque exemplum omnis ordinis10 hominēs confitēbantur, cum interim imperātor provinciae latrōnēs iussit crūcibus affigī secundum11 illam casulam, in qua recēns cadāver mātrōna dēflēbat. proximā ergō nocte, cum mīles, quī crūcēs asservābat, nē quis ad sepultūram12 corpus dētraheret, nōtāsset13 sibi et lūmen inter monumenta clārius14 fulgēns et gemitum lugentis audīsset15, vitiō16 gentis humanae concupiit scire, quis aut quid faceret. dēscendit igitur in conditōrium, vīsāque pulcherrimā muliere prīmō17 quasi quōdam monstrō infernīsque imāginibus turbātus substitit. deinde ut et corpus iacentis conspexit et lacrimas consīderāvit faciemque unguibus sectam, ratus scīlicet id quod erat, dēsiderium exstinctī18 non posse fēminam patī, attulit in monumentum cēnulam19 suam coepitque hortārī lugentem, nē perseverāret in dolōre supervacuō ac nihil prōfutūrō gemitū20 pectus dīdūceret: omnium eundem esse exitum sed et idem domicilium21, et cētera quibus exulcerātae mentēs ad sānitātem revocantur.
at illa, ignōtā consolātiōne, percussa22 lacerāvit vehementius pectus ruptōsque23 crīnōs super corpus iacentis imposuit. nōn recessit tamen mīles, sed eādem exhortātiōne temptāvit dare mulierculae24 cibum, donec ancilla, vīnī certē ab eō odōre corrupta25, prīmum ipsa porrexit ad humanitātem invītantis victam manum26, deinde, refecta27 pōtiōne et cibō, expugāre dominae pertināciam coepit et “quid proderit” inquit “hoc tibi, sī solūta inediā fueris, sī tē vīvam sepeliēris28, sī antequam fāta poscant, indemnātum spīritum effuderis? id cinerem aut mānēs crēdis sentīre sepultōs? vīs tū revīviscere? vīs discussō29 muliebrī errōre, quam diū licuerit, lūcis commodīs fruī30? ipsum tē iacentis corpus admonēre debet, ut vīvās.”
nēmō invītus audit, cum cōgitur aut cibum sūmere aut vīvere. itaque mulier, aliquot diērum abstinentiā sicca, passa est31 frangī pertināciam suam, nec mīnus32 avidē replēvit sē cibō quam ancilla, quae prior victa est.
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Notes
1 The genitive is predicative: “was of such …”2 efferre is a euphemism for bury3 passīs, perfect participle of pando, “to spread out”; crīnēs passī is disheveled hair4 dēfunctus used as a noun: “the deceased” 5 hypogaeum, -ī, n.: a subterranean vault, a crypt6 inedia, -ae, f.: “abstaining from food; fasting”7 magistratus, -ūs, m.: “magistracy”; plural as a collective noun = city officials, officialdom8 fēmina is predicative, modified by singularis exemplī, a predicate genitive (see note 1 above): “mourned by all as a woman of …”complōrō, complōrāre, complōrāvī, complōrātum: to bewail, weep over, mourn over9 simul … et … et … = “she both … and ”10 omnis ordinis genitive, with hominēs; ordō here refers to social rank11 secundum here means ‘alongside’; casula, “little hut”, refers to the hypogaeum, the sepulcher12 ad sepultūram = “for burial”13 nōtāsset, contracted from nōtāvisset14 clārius, an absolute use of the comparative adverb: “rather brightly”15 audīsset for audīvisset16 vitiō – the ablative expresses cause: “by a fault …” 17 Take prīmō as adverb with turbātus18 exstinctī (perf. partc. of exstinguō) is here used as a noun: “of the dead man”.This phrase stands in indirect statement, of which fēminam is the accusative subject19 ēnula is the diminutive of cēna – a ‘little meal’ or ‘snack’20 nihil prōfutūrō gemitū: literally, ‘with sobbing that would benefit nothing’; see prōsum21 The idem domicilium is of course Hades22 percussa i.e., having already struck herself23 raptōs: literally torn out24 muliercula, -ae is the diminutive of mulier25 corrupta, i.e., ‘weakened; enticed’. certē suggests an inference: “doubtless”26 I.e., she extends her defeated hand to the kindness of the one inviting her27 refecta: “restored; refreshed”28 sepeliēris – deponent here for reflexive: “bury yourself”29 discussō – “shaken off”; the muliebris error is excessive crying30 commoda here used as a noun – ‘the comforts’; ablative complement of fruī (see fruor).The phrase quam diū licuerit (fut. perf.) qualifies fruī: “for as long as …”31 passa est, i.e. ‘allowed’32 nec mīnus: “and no less”
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