sagae thessalae RIGHT

• iuvenis ego Mileto profectus ad spectaculum Olympicum,

  As a young man having set out from Miletus for the Olympic Games,
• peregrata tota Thessalia Larissam perveni.

  I arrived at Larissa, having travelled through the whole of Thessaly,
• cum haec etiam loca provinciae clarae visitare cuperem,

  since I also wanted to visit the famous parts of the province.
• ac dum urbem pererrans

  And while I was wandering through the city,
• tenuato viatico paupertati meae fomenta quaero,

  with my travelling allowance diminished, I was looking for a remedy for my poverty,
• medio in foro senem conspicio.

  and I caught sight of an old man in the middle of the forum.
• insistebat lapidem magnaque voce praedicabat,

  He was standing on a stone and, in a loud voice, was proclaiming,
• si quis mortuum custodire vellet, magnum praemium accepturum esse.

  If someone was willing to guard a dead person, they would receive a great reward.
• et cuidam praetereunti "quid hoc" inquam "audio?

  And I said to someone passing by, "What's this I hear?"
• hic mortui solent aufugere?"

  Are the dead people here accustomed to running away?"
• "tace" respondit ille. "nam puer et satis peregrinus es, meritoque nescis in Thessalia te esse,"

  "Be quiet", he replied, "for you are a just a boy and a foreigner, and naturally you do not know what happens in Thessaly,
• "ubi sagae ora mortuorum semper demorsicant,

  where witches always bite pieces out of the faces of the dead,
• quae sunt illus artis magicae supplementa."

  as they are the extra ingredients of their magic skill."
• contra ego "quali custodela" inquam "opus est?"

  In reply I said, "What sort of protection is needed?"
• "iam primum" respondit ille "totam noctem eximie vigilandum est

  "First of all" he replied, "one must stay fully awake for the whole night,
• apertis et inconivis oculis semper in cadaver intentis,

  with open and unclosing eyes always fixed on the corpse,
• nec acies usquam devertenda est,

  nor must you ever turn away from the corpse,
• cum illae pessimae sagae latenter arrepant,"

  when the worst of those witches creep up secretly,
• forma in quodvis animal conversa.

  their shapes having been turned into any animal.
• nam et aves et canes et mures, immo vero etiam muscas, induunt."

  for they take the form of birds and dogs and mice, and indeed even flies."
• his cognitis animum meum commasculo

  Having found this out, I strengthened my resolve,
• et statim accedens senem

  and, immediately approaching the old man,
• "clamare" inquam "iam desine. adest custos paratus."

  I said, "stop shouting now. A prepared guard is here."
• vix finieram et statim me perducit ad domum quandam,

  I had barely finished when at once he led me to a certain house,
• ubi demonstrat matronam flebilem fuscis vestimentis contectam.

  where he pointed out a weeping woman wrapped in dark clothes.
• illa surrexit et ad cubiculum me induxit.

  She got up and led me into a bedroom.
• ibi corpus splendentibus linteis coopertum manu revelavit.

  There with her hand she uncovered a body wrapped in shining white sheets.
• ubi singula anxie demonstravit, exiit.

  When she had anxiously pointed out individual features, she left.
• sic desolatus ad cadaveris solacium

  Thus left alone to the comfort of the corpse,
• perfrictis oculis et paratis ad vigiliam,

  with my eyes rubbed and prepared to stay awake.
• dum animum meum permulcebam cantationibus,

  While I was soothing my mind with songs,
• usque ad mediam noctem pervigilabam.

  I stayed awake until midnight.
• tum autem mihi formido cumulatior cum repente introrepens

  Then however my fear was increased further, when suddenly, creeping in,
• mustela contra me constitit oculosque in me fixit.


  a weasel halted in front of me and fixed its eyes on me.
• tanta fiducia in tantulo animali mihi turbavit animum.

  Such great self-confidence in such a small animal disturbed my mind.
• denique sic illi 'abi' inquam 'scelesta bestia,

  At last I said the following to it: "Go away, wicked beast,
• antequam meam vim celeriter experiaris! abi!"

  before you quickly experience my strength! Go away!
• mustela terga vertit et e cubiculo protinus exit.

  The weasel turned its back and immediately went out of the bedroom.
• sine mora somnus tam profundus me repente demergit,

  Without delay, a sleep so deep suddenly overwhelmed me,
• ut ne deus quidem Delphicus ipse facile discernere posset ex duobis nobis iacentibus, quis esset magis mortuus.

  that not even the god of Delphi himself could tell who was more dead out of the two of us.