Canidia's Incantation
Lines 25-49
AT EXPEDITA SAGANA, PER TOTAM DOMUM
SPARGENS AVERNALIS AQUAS,
HORRET CAPILLIS UT MARINUS ASPERIS
ECHINUS AUT CURRENS APER.
ABACTA NULLA VEIA CONSCIENTIA
LIGONIBUS DURIS HUMUM
EXHAURIEBAT, INGEMENS LABORIBUS,
QUO POSSET INFOSSUS PUER
LONGO DIE BIS TERQUE MUTATAE DAPIS
INEMORI SPECTACULO,
CUM PROMINERET ORE, QUANTUM EXSTANT AQUA
SUSPENSA MENTO CORPORA;
EXSECTA UTI MEDULLA ET ARIDUM IECUR
AMORIS ESSET POCULUM,
INTERMINATO CUM SEMEL FIXAE CIBO
INTABUISSENT PUPULAE.
NON DEFUISSE MASCULAE LIBIDINIS
ARIMINENSEM FOLIAM
ET OTIOSA CREDIDIT NEAPOLIS
ET OMNE VICINUM OPPIDUM,
QUAE SIDERA EXCANTATA VOCE THESSALA
LUNAMQUE CAELO DERIPIT.
HIC IRRESECTUM SAEVA DENTE LIVIDO
CANIDIA RODENS POLLICEM
QUID DIXIT AUT QUID TACUIT?
Notes:
EXPEDITA: in the sense of unfettered by
her clothes
AVERNALIS AQUAS: Lake Avernus was thought
to be an entrance to the
underworld, thus magical
ABACTA NULLA ... CONSCIENTIA: NULLA is transferred
to both ABACTA
and CONSCIENTIA thus
canceling itself out
LIGONIBUS DURIS: plural used as a singular
UTI: archaic form of UT
Vocabulary:
EXPEDITA: unfettered, untied, extricated,
disentangled
AVERNALIS: of Lake Avernus
HORRET: to bristle
ASPERIS: rough, rugged, harsh, uneven
ECHINUS: a sea urchin
APER: a wild boar
ABACTA: driven away, dispelled
LIGONIBUS: a mattock, pickax
EXHAURIEBAT: to remove, drain
INGEMENS: groaning, moaning, sighing
INFOSSUS: buried
DAPIS: feast, banquet
INEMORI: to starve to death
PROMINERET: to stick up
MENTO: chin
EXSECTA: cut out
MEDULLA: marrow
ARIDUM: dry, withered, parched
IECUR: liver
INTERMINATO: endless
INTABUISSENT: waste away
ARIMINENSEM: from Ariminum
EXCANTATA: charmed away
DERIPIT: to pull down
IRRESECTUM: uncut, untrimmed
LIVIDO: leaden, blue
RODENS: gnawing at
POLLICEM: thumb
Lines 87-102
"VENENA MAGA NON FAS NEFASQUE, NON VALENT
CONVERTERE HUMANAM VICEM.
DIRIS AGAM VOS; DIRA DETESTATIO
NULLA EXPIATUR VICTIMA.
QUIN, UBI PERIRE IUSSUS EXSPIRAVERO,
NOCTURNUS OCCURRAM FUROR
PETAMQUE VULTUS UMBRA CURVIS UNGUIBUS,
QUAE VIS DEORUM EST MANIUM,
ET INQUIETIS ADSIDENS PRAECORDIIS
PAVORE SOMNOS AUFERAM.
VOS TURBA VICATIM HINC ET HINC SAXIS PETENS
CONTUNDET OBSCENAS ANUS;
POST INSEPULTA MEMBRA DIFFERENT LUPE
ET ESQUILINAE ALITES,
NEQUE HOC PARENTES, HEU MIHI SUPERSTITES,
EFFUGERIT SPECTACULUM."
Notes:
VALENT: the main verb for both clauses
INQUIETIS: archaic form of the Acc. pl.;
a long -IS
ANUS: fourth declension feminine noun
Vocabulary:
VENENA: potions
VALENT: to be able
CONVERTERE: to change, repel
VICEM: revenge, retaliation
DETESTATIO: a curse
EXPIATUR: to avert, purify, expiate, avenge
EXSPIRAVERO: to breathe one's last breath
OCCURRAM: to attack
PETAM: to search, aim for
CURVIS: curved, bent
UNGUIBUS: claws, talons
INQUIETIS: restless
PRAECORDIIS: chest, heart
PAVORE: terror, panic, dread
AUFERAM: to take away, remove, steal
VICATIM: from street to street
CONTUNDET: to crush, pound, bruise
ANUS: old woman, hag
INSEPULTA: unburied
ALITES: birds
SUPERSTITES: surviving, outliving
EFFUGERIT: to escape, avoid, escape the
notice of
Text taken from Horace by Daniel H. Garrison, University of Oklahoma Press.