Pharsalia: Lines 33-52
I’ve started in earnest a translation of the Pharsalia and an accompanying set of Latin readers. As I finish sections, I will post them for the benefit of others. If you enjoy this sort of thing, please consider sponsoring my work by becoming a paid subscriber. If you enjoy this sort of epic poetry, you might check out this version of John Brown’s Body, an epic poem about the American Civil War, which I edited and released some time ago. If the rigor of the Latin is a bit too much, you might check out the this set of Latin readers for the Aeneid which I’ve published.
quod si non aliam uenturo fata Neroni
inuenere uiam magnoque aeterna parantur
regna deis caelumque suo seruire Tonanti 35
non nisi saeuorum potuit post bella gigantum,
iam nihil, o superi, querimur; scelera ipsa nefasque
hac mercede placent. diros Pharsalia campos
inpleat et Poeni saturentur sanguine manes,
ultima funesta concurrant proelia Munda, 40
his, Caesar, Perusina fames Mutinaeque labores
accedant fatis et quas premit aspera classes
Leucas et ardenti seruilia bella sub Aetna,
multum Roma tamen debet ciuilibus armis
quod tibi res acta est. te, cum statione peracta 45
astra petes serus, praelati regia caeli
excipiet gaudente polo: seu sceptra tenere
seu te flammigeros Phoebi conscendere currus
telluremque nihil mutato sole timentem
igne uago lustrare iuuet, tibi numine ab omni 50
cedetur, iurisque tui natura relinquet
quis deus esse uelis, ubi regnum ponere mundi.
Vocabulary
Accēdō, ere, Accessī, Accessus- to approach, be added to
Aeternus, a, um- eternal
Aetna, ae, f.- Mount Etna
Agō, Agere, Ēgī, Actus- to do, act
Alius, Alia, Aliud- another, other
Ardēns, Ardentis- burning, fiery
Arma, Armōrum, n. pl.- arms, weapons
Asper, Aspera, Asperum- harsh, rough
Astra, Astrōrum, n. pl.- stars
Bellum, Bellī, n.- war
Caelum, Caelī, n.- sky, heaven
Caelum, Caelī, n.- sky, heaven
Caesar, Caesaris, m.- Caesar
Campus, Campī, m.- field, plain
Cēdō, ere, Cessī, Cessus- to yield
Cīvīlis, Cīvīle- civil
Classis, Classis, f.- fleet
Conscendō, ere, Conscendī, Conscēnsus- to ascend, mount
Cum (conj.)- when, since
Currus, Currūs, m.- chariot
Dēbeō, ēre, Dēbuī, Dēbitus- to owe
Deus, Deī, m.- god
Dīrus, a, um- dreadful
Excipiō, ere, Excepī, Exceptus- to receive
Fames, famis, f.- famine
Fātum, Fātī, n.- fate
Flammiger, a, um- fire-bearing
Funestus, a, um- fatal, deadly
Gaudeō, ēre, Gavīsus Sum- to rejoice
Gigantēs, -um, m. pl.- the Giants
Iam (adv.)- now, already
Ignis, Ignis, m.- fire
Implēō, ēre, Implēvī, Implētus- to fill
Inveniō, īre, Invēnī, Inventus- to find
Iūs, Iūris, n.- law, right
Iuvō, āre, Iūvī, Iūtus- to please, help
Labor, Labōris, m.- labor, toil, hardship
Leucas, Leucadis, f.- Leucas (battle site/island)
Lūstrō, āre, āvī, ātus- to purify, illuminate, survey
Magnus, a, um- great
Manēs, Manium, m. pl.- spirits of the dead
Merces, Mercedis, f.- reward, price
Multus, a, um- much, many
Munda, -ae, f.- Munda (battle site)
Mutina, -ae, f.- Mutina (battle site)
Mutō, āre, āvī, ātus- to change
Nātūra, -ae, f.- nature
Nefās, n. (indecl.)- unspeakable thing, impiety
Nerō, Neronis, m.- Nero
Nihil- nothing
Nisi (conj.)- unless, except
Nōn (adv.)- not
Nūmen, Nūminis, n.- divine power
Omnis, Omne- all, every
Parō, āre, āvī, ātus- to prepare
Perago, ere, peregi, peractus- to kill; finish; disturb; complete
Petō, ere, Petīvī, Petītus- to seek
Pharsalia, -ae, f.- Pharsalia
Phoebus, Phoebī, m.- Phoebus (Apollo)
Placeō, ēre, Placuī, Placitus- to please
Poenus, a, um- Carthaginian
Polus, Polī, m.- pole, sky
Pōnō, ere, Posuī, Positus- to place
Praefero, praeferre, praetuli, praelatus- to prefer, give preference to
Premō, ere, Pressī, Pressus- to press, suppress
Proelium, Proeliī, n.- battle
Queror, Querī, Questus Sum- to complain
Quod (conj.)- because, since
Quod- because
Rēgia, -ae, f.- palace
Rēgnum, Rēgnī, n.- kingdom
Relinquō, ere, Relīquī, Relictus- to leave behind
Rēs, Reī, f.- affair, matter
Rōma, -ae, f.- Rome
Saevus, a, um- savage, cruel
Sanguis, Sanguinis, m.- blood
Saturō, āre, āvī, ātus- to sate, fill
Scelus, Sceleris, n.- crime
Scēptrum, Scēptrī, n.- scepter
Sērus, a, um- late
Servilis, e- servile
Serviō, īre, īvī, ītus (+ dat.)- to serve
Seu...Seu (conj.)- whether...or
Sī (conj.)- if
Sōl, Sōlis, m.- sun
Statiō, Statiōnis, f.- post, position
Superī, -ōrum, m. pl.- gods above
Suus, a, um- his/her/its own
Tamēn (adv.)- nevertheless
Tellūs, Tellūris, f.- earth
Teneō, ēre, Tenuī, Tentus- to hold
Timeō, ēre, Timuī- to fear
Tonāns, Tonantis, m.- the Thunderer (Jupiter)
Ubī (adv.)- where
Ultimus, a, um- final, farthest
Vagus, a, um- wandering
Translation
Because if the fates did not find another way for the great Nero, who would come, and if eternal kingdoms are prepared for the gods and if heaven was not able to serve its Thunderer except after the war of the savage giants, we complain of nothing now, O gods; they are pleased with these wicked things and with the lawlessness and with this price. Let Pharsalia fill up its awful fields and the Carthaginian ghosts be satisfied with blood, let the final deadly battles of Munda come, let the famine of Perusia and the labors of Mutina be added to these calamities, Caesar, and those fleets, which rough Leucas crushed, and the servile wars beneath burning Aetna; nevertheless, Rome owes much to its civil arms because the matter has been accomplished for you. You, when you will late seek the stars in their disturbed stations, the kingdom of offered heaven will receive as the North Star rejoices: whether it pleases you to hold a scepter or to mount the flame-bearing chariots of Phoebus and to illuminate the earth, which will not fear a changed sun, with wandering light, by all of the gods it will be yielded to you, and because of the nature of your right, it will remain to you which god you wish to be and where you wish to place the kingdom of the world.