Pyramus & Thisbe 55-80 Flashcards
55-58
“Pyramus et Thisbe, iuvenum pulcherrimus alter,
altera, quas oriens habuit, praelata puellis,
contiguas tenuere domos, ubi dicitur altam
coctilibus muris cinxisse Semiramis urbem.
“Pyramus and Thisbe”, one a most beautiful young man, the other is preferred to all women, which the Eastern World had, had adjacent houses, where it is said that the lofty city of Semiramis is encircled in walls of fire bricks.
59-64
Notitiam primosque gradus vicinia fecit:
tempore crevit amor. Taedae quoque iure coissent:
sed vetuere patres. Quod non potuere vetare,
ex aequo captis ardebant mentibus ambo.
Conscius omnis abest: nutu signisque loquuntur,
quoque magis tegitur, tectus magis aestuat ignis.
Their nearness made their acquaintance and their first steps of love. In the bonds of marriage, they would have also come together, but their fathers forbid, but what they couldn’t prevent they both burned equally with their mind.
65-70
Fissus erat tenui rima, quam duxerat olim,
cum fieret paries domui communis utrique.
Id vitium nulli per saecula longa notatum
(quid non sentit amor?) primi vidistis amantes,
et vocis fecistis iter; tutaeque per illud
murmure blanditiae minimo transire solebant.
The common wall had been opened up by a thin crack, which had developed once (upon a time), when it came about, the common wall conquered both. For a long generation, this flaw was known to nobody - what does love not notice? — you lovers saw it first and made it a passageway of your voice; and your safe loving words were accustomed to go across with minimal sounds.
71-75
Saepe, ubi constiterant hinc Thisbe, Pyramus illinc,
inque vices fuerat captatus anhelitus oris,
“invide” dicebant “paries, quid amantibus obstas?
quantum erat, ut sineres toto nos corpore iungi,
aut hoc si nimium est, vel ad oscula danda pateres?
Often, when Thisbe stood on this side, Pyramus stood on that side, and the breath of their mouth was captured alternatively. And they used to say “hateful wall, why are you standing in the way of lovers?” How great a matter would it be to allow our whole bodies to be joined or, if this is too much, at least be open for us to kiss?
76-80
Nec sumus ingrati: tibi nos debere fatemur,
quod datus est verbis ad amicas transitus aures.”
Talia diversa nequiquam sede locuti
sub noctem dixere ”vale” partique dedere
oscula quisque suae non pervenientia contra.
And not to be ungrateful: we admit that we owe you, because a passageway for our words has been given to our loving ears. Having spoken such words they said goodbye and they gave kisses to each part that did not come through the other side.
