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Iuvenes |
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Young men |
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VESPER adest, iuuenes, consurgite: Vesper Olympo |
1 |
The evening is come, rise up, ye Vesper from Olympus |
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exspectata diu uix tandem lumina tollit. |
2 |
now at last is just raising his long-looked-for light. |
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surgere iam tempus, iam pinguis linquere mensas, |
3 |
Now is it time to rise, now to leave the rich tables; |
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iam ueniet uirgo, iam dicetur hymenaeus. |
4 |
now will come the bride, now will the Hymen-song be sung. |
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Hymen o Hymenaee, Hymen ades o Hymenaee! |
5 |
Hymen, O Hymenaeus, Hymen, hither, O Hymenaeus! |
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Puellae |
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Young women |
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Cernitis, innuptae, iuuenes? consurgite contra; |
6 |
See ye, maidens, the youths? Rise up to meet them. |
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nimirum Oetaeos ostendit Noctifer ignes. |
7 |
For sure the night-star shows his Oetaean fires. |
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sic certest; uiden ut perniciter exsiluere? |
8 |
So it is indeed; see you how nimbly they have sprung up? |
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non temere exsiluere, canent quod uincere par est. |
9 |
it is not for nothing that they have sprung up: they will sing something which it is worth while to look at. |
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Hymen o Hymenaee, Hymen ades o Hymenaee! |
10 |
Hymen, O Hymenaeus, Hymen, hither, O Hymenaeus! |
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Iuvenes |
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Young men |
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non facilis nobis, aequales, palma parata est: |
11 |
No easy palm is set out for us, comrades; |
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aspicite, innuptae secum ut meditata requirunt. |
12 |
look how the maidens are conning what they have learnt. |
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non frustra meditantur: habent memorabile quod sit; |
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Not in vain do they learn, they have there something worthy of memory; |
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nec mirum, penitus quae tota mente laborant. |
14 |
no wonder, since they labour deeply with their whole mind. |
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nos alio mentes, alio diuisimus aures; |
15 |
We have diverted elsewhere our thoughts, elsewhere our ears; |
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iure igitur uincemur: amat uictoria curam. |
16 |
fairly then shall we be beaten; victory loveth care. |
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quare nunc animos saltem conuertite uestros; |
17 |
Wherefore now at least match your minds with theirs. |
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dicere iam incipient, iam respondere decebit. |
18 |
Anon they will begin to speak, anon it will be fitting for us to answer. |
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Hymen o Hymenaee, Hymen ades o Hymenaee! |
19 |
Hymen, O Hymenaeus, Hymen, hither, O Hymenaeus! |
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Puellae |
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Young women |
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Hespere, quis caelo fertur crudelior ignis? |
20 |
Hesperus, what more cruel fire than thine moves in the sky? |
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qui natam possis complexu auellere matris, |
21 |
for thou canst endure to tear the daughter from her mother's embrace, |
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complexu matris retinentem auellere natam, |
22 |
from her mother's embrace to tear the close-clinging daughter, |
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et iuueni ardenti castam donare puellam. |
23 |
and give the chaste maiden to the burning youth. |
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quid faciunt hostes capta crudelius urbe? |
24 |
What more cruel than this do enemies when a city falls? |
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Hymen o Hymenaee, Hymen ades o Hymenaee! |
25 |
Hymen, O Hymenaeus, Hymen, hither, O Hymenaeus! |
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Iuvenes |
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Young men |
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Hespere, quis caelo lucet iucundior ignis? |
26 |
Hesperus, what more welcome fire than thine shines in the sky? |
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qui desponsa tua firmes conubia flamma, |
27 |
for thou with thy flame confirmest the contracted espousals, |
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quae pepigere uiri, pepigerunt ante parentes, |
28 |
which husbands and parents have promised beforehand, |
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nec iunxere prius quam se tuus extulit ardor. |
29 |
but unite not till thy flame has arisen. |
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quid datur a diuis felici optatius hora? |
30 |
What is given by the gods more desirable than the fortunate hour? |
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Hymen o Hymenaee, Hymen ades o Hymenaee! |
31 |
Hymen, O Hymenaeus, Hymen, hither, O Hymenaeus! |
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Puellae |
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Young women |
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Hesperus e nobis, aequales, abstulit unam. |
32 |
Hesperus, friends, has taken away one of us. |
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Iuvenes |
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Young men |
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namque tuo aduentu uigilat custodia semper, |
33 |
For at thy coming the guard is always awake. |
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nocte latent fures, quos idem saepe reuertens, |
34 |
By night thieves hide themselves, whom thou, Hesperus, often overtakest as thou returnest, |
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Hespere, mutato comprendis nomine Eous |
35 |
Hesperus the same but with changed name Eous. |
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at lubet innuptis ficto te carpere questu. |
36 |
But girls love to chide thee with feigned complaint. |
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quid tum, si carpunt, tacita quem mente requirunt? |
37 |
What then, if they chide him whom they desire in their secret heart? |
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Hymen o Hymenaee, Hymen ades o Hymenaee! |
38 |
Hymen, O Hymenaeus, Hymen, hither, O Hymenaeus! |
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Puellae |
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Young women |
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Vt flos in saeptis secretus nascitur hortis, |
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As a flower springs up secretly in a fenced garden, |
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ignotus pecori, nullo conuolsus aratro, |
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unknown to the cattle, torn up by no plough, |
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quem mulcent aurae, firmat sol, educat imber; |
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which the winds caress, the sun strengthens, the shower draws forth, |
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multi illum pueri, multae optauere puellae: |
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many boys, many girls, desire it; |
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idem cum tenui carptus defloruit ungui, |
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when the same flower fades, nipped by a sharp nail, |
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nulli illum pueri, nullae optauere puellae: |
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no boys, no girls desire it: |
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sic uirgo, dum intacta manet, dum cara suis est; |
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so a maiden, whilst she remains untouched, so long is she dear to her own; |
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cum castum amisit polluto corpore florem, |
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when she has lost her chaste flower with sullied body, |
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nec pueris iucunda manet, nec cara puellis. |
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she remains neither lovely to boys nor dear to girls. |
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Hymen o Hymenaee, Hymen ades o Hymenaee! |
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Hymen, O Hymenaeus, Hymen, hither, O Hymenaeus! |
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Iuvenes |
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Young men |
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Vt uidua in nudo uitis quae nascitur aruo, |
49 |
As an unwedded vine which grows up in a bare field |
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numquam se extollit, numquam mitem educat uuam, |
50 |
never raises itself aloft, never brings forth a mellow grape, |
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sed tenerum prono deflectens pondere corpus |
51 |
but bending its tender form with downward weight, |
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iam iam contingit summum radice flagellum; |
52 |
even now touches the root with topmost shoot; |
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hanc nulli agricolae, nulli coluere iuuenci: |
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no farmers, no oxen tend it: |
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at si forte eadem est ulmo coniuncta marito, |
54 |
but if it chance to be joined in marriage to the elm, |
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multi illam agricolae, multi coluere iuuenci: |
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many farmers, many oxen tend it: |
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sic uirgo dum intacta manet, dum inculta senescit; |
56 |
so a maiden, whilst she remains untouched, so long is she aging untended; |
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cum par conubium maturo tempore adepta est, |
57 |
but when in ripe season she is matched in equal wedlock, |
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cara uiro magis et minus est inuisa parenti. |
58 |
she is more dear to her husband and less distasteful to her father. |
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Et tu ne pugna cum tali coniuge uirgo. |
59 |
And you, maiden, strive not with such a husband; |
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non aequom est pugnare, pater cui tradidit ipse, |
60 |
it is not right to strive with him to whom your father himself gave you, |
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ipse pater cum matre, quibus parere necesse est. |
61 |
your father himself with your mother, whom you must obey. |
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uirginitas non tota tua est, ex parte parentum est, |
62 |
Your maidenhead is not all your own; partly it belongs to your parents, |
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tertia pars patrest, pars est data tertia matri, |
63 |
a third part is given to your father, a third part to your mother, |
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tertia sola tua est: noli pugnare duobus, |
64 |
only a third is yours; do not contend with two, |
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qui genero suo iura simul cum dote dederunt. |
65 |
who have given their rights to their son-in-law together with the dowry. |
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Hymen o Hymenaee, Hymen ades o Hymenaee! |
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Hymen, O Hymenaeus, Hymen, hither, O Hymenaeus! |