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Appendix 21. Equus Circensis

 

Parallels: For parallel versions, see Perry 549.

 

Equum e quadriga multis palmis nobilem

abegit quidam et in pistrinum vendidit.

Productus ad bibendum cum foret a molis,

in circum aequales ire conspexit suos,

ut grata ludis redderent certamina.

Lacrimis obortis "Ite felices," ait,

"celebrate sine me cursu sollemnem diem;

ego, quo scelesta furis attraxit manus,

ibi sorte tristi fata deflebo mea."

 

Here is the poem in a more prose-like word order for easy reading:

 

Quidam abegit equum e quadriga

nobilem multis palmis

et vendidit in pistrinum.

Cum productus foret a molis ad bibendum,

conspexit aequales suos ire in circum,

ut redderent certamina grata ludis.

Lacrimis obortis ait:

"Ite felices;

celebrate sollemnem diem cursu sine me;

ego deflebo mea fata sorte tristi ibi

quo scelesta manus furis attraxit."

 

Here is the poem with meter marks:

 

Equ(um) e ~ quadri~ga mul~tis pal~mis no~bilem

abe~git qui~d(am) et in ~ pistr~inum ven~didit.

Produc~tus ad ~ biben~dum cum ~ for't a ~ molis,

incir~c(um) aequa~les i~re con~spexit ~ suos,

ut gra~ta lu~dis red~derent ~ certa~mina.

Lacr'mis ~ obor~tis "I~te fe~lices," ~ ait,

"cel'bra~te sin' ~ me cur~su sol~lemnem ~ diem;

eg', quo ~ sceles~ta fu~ris at~traxit ~ manus,

ib' sor~te tris~ti fa~ta de~flebo ~ mea."

 

Translation:

 

Someone led a horse, famous for his many wins, away his racing team and sold him to a bakery. When the horse was brought out from the flour mill to drink, he saw his fellows going to the race course to engage in contests popular with the people. The horse started to cry and said: "Go happily; celebrate the solemn day with your racing, in my absence; I will bewail my fate with its sad lot there in the place where the criminal hand of the thief has dragged me."

 

[This translation is meant as a help in understanding the story, not as a "crib" for the Latin. I have not hesitated to change the syntax to make it flow more smoothly in English, altering the verb tense consistently to narrative past tense, etc.]

 

Illustration:

 

Here is an illustration from an early printed edition (this is an image of a horse, but not for this particular story); click on the image for a larger view.