Pharsalia: Lines 98-108
The discordant harmony for a short time remained, and peace was not in the will of its leaders; for Crassus alone was the mediator and obstacle to future war.
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temporis angusti mansit concordia discors
paxque fuit non sponte ducum; nam sola futuri
Crassus erat belli medius mora. qualiter undas 100
qui secat et geminum gracilis mare separat Isthmos
nec patitur conferre fretum, si terra recedat,
Ionium Aegaeo frangat mare, sic, ubi saeua
arma ducum dirimens miserando funere Crassus
Assyrias Latio maculauit sanguine Carrhas, 105
Parthica Romanos soluerunt damna furores.
plus illa uobis acie, quam creditis, actum est,
Arsacidae: bellum uictis ciuile dedistis.
Vocabulary
Aciēs, ēī, f.- battle line, battle
Angustus, a, um- narrow, short, small
Arsacidae, ārum, m. pl.- Arsacids (Parthian royal family)
Assyria, ae, f.- Assyria (region in Mesopotamia)
Bellum, ī, n.- war
Carrhae, ārum, f. pl.- Carrhae (city in Mesopotamia)
Cīvilis, is, e- civil, domestic
Concordia, ae, f.- harmony, unity
Conferō, ferre, tulī, collātus- to bring together, compare
Crassus, ī, m.- Crassus (Roman general)
Dāmnum, ī, n.- loss, damage
Dēdō, ere, dēdidī, dēditus- to give over, surrender
Dīrimō, ere, ēmī, ēmptus- to separate, interrupt
Discords, discordis- disagreeing, hostile
Ducēs, ducum, m. pl.- leaders
Fretum, ī, n.- strait, sea
Frangō, ere, frēgī, frāctus- to break, shatter
Funus, funeris, n.- funeral, death
Furor, ōris, m.- rage, fury
Gracilis, is, e- slender, narrow
Isthmos, ī, m.- isthmus, Isthmus of Corinth
Ionius, a, um- Ionian
Latium, ī, n.- Latium (region of Italy, poetic for "Rome")
Māneō, ēre, mānsī, mānsus- to remain, stay
Maculō, āre, āvī, ātus- to stain, pollute
Mare, maris, n.- sea
Medius, a, um- middle, in between
Miserandus, a, um- pitiable, wretched
Mora, ae, f.- delay, obstacle
Nōn (adv.)- not
Parthicus, a, um- Parthian
Patior, patī, passus sum- to suffer, allow
Plus (adv.)- more
Quāliter (adv.)- just as, in what manner
Recēdō, ere, cessī, cessus- to withdraw, retreat
Saevus, a, um- savage, cruel
Sanguis, sanguinis, m.- blood
Sepārō, āre, āvī, ātus- to separate
Sī (conj.)- if
Solvō, ere, solvī, solūtus- to loosen, release
Spōns, Spōntis, f.- will, free will
Tempus, temporis, n.- time
Unda, ae, f.- wave, water
Vinco, ere, vīcī, victus- to conquer, defeat
Translation
The discordant harmony for a short time remained, and peace was not in the will of its leaders; for Crassus alone was the mediator and obstacle to future war. Just as the slender Isthmus, which divides the waves and separates the twin seas, does not allow the waves to unite the sea, if the land would recede, the Ionian Sea would break on the Aegean, thus, when he was settling savage arms, Crassus dishonored Assyrian Carrhae with his pitiable ruin and Latin blood, the Parthian punishment released the Roman madness. More was accomplished by you all in that battle line than you believe, descendents of Arsaces: you gave civil war to the conquered.