Thursday, September 20, 2012

Monday, September 10, 2012

Adv. Latin: Our Class's Translation of "Orpheus et Eurydice" (1-40)

He himself (Orpheus), consoling an injured love, with his hollow lyre, 
sang of you, sweet wife, you, with him alone on the shore,
of you as day neared, of you as day departed.
He even entered the jaws of Taenarus, the high gates
of Dis, and the grove gloomy with dark fear,
and came to the spirits, and their dread king, 
and hearts unable to soften at human prayer.
But the insubstantial shades and the phantoms lacking light, stirred up by his singing,
were approaching from the lowest resting-places of Erebus/Underworld, 
as many as the thousands of birds that hide themselves in the foliage
when evening or wintery rain drives (them) from the hills.
Mothers and men and bodies of gallant heroes 
deceased with life, and boys and unwedded girls,
and youths placed upon pyres before the faces of their parents, 
which all around are black mud and deformed reeds of Cocytus, 
and the hateful marsh encloses (them) with (its) sluggish wave, 
and Styx confines them, flowing between nine times. 
Indeed the home itself and the innermost infernal regions of Death were amazed, 
and Furies with blue-green snakes interwoven in their hair, 
and Cerberus opening wide his three mouths kept quiet, 
and the revolving wheel of Ixion stopped in the wind.
And then, retracing his steps, he [Orpheus] had avoided all chance, 
and with Eurydice having been regained following behind, 
he was approaching the upper airs (for in fact Proserpina had offered this condition),
when a sudden madness seized the incautious lover, 
(which) must be forgiven indeed, if the spirits were knowing (how) to forgive.
He stopped, and on the verge of light itself, 
alas! with his resolve (having been) conquered, 
Then all his effort (was) wasted, and the condition of the cruel tyrant (was) broken, 
and the crash of thunder (was) heard three times by the lakes of Avernus. 
That one (Eurydice) said, “what great madness destroyed miserable me and you, Orpheus? 
See the cruel fates call (me) back a second time, and sleep closes my swimming eyes.
Farewell/goodbye now: I am carried away, surrounded by vast night, 
and stretching out to you weak hands--alas!--not/no longer yours!”
She spoke, and suddenly fled away from his eyes, 
just like smoke mixed up in the thin airs/breezes, 
and thereafter did not see that one (Orpheus) grasping in vain at shadows and wishing to speak more; 
nor did the ferryman of Orcus (Charon) allow (him) to cross the marsh put in his way again.


**For the most part, the lines in the English translation above should correspond to the lines in the Latin, until to get to line 31 in the English. Then they should correspond as follows:

Latin -> English:
31-33 -> 31-32
34-35 -> 33-34
36-40 -> 35-38