Selections from Horace's Vth Epode
Meter: Iambic Strophe

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.

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