There at the Clubbangian-Chainclangian
Islands, sir, where
dead oxen attack
living men.
Dem.
Modo pol percepi, Libane, quid istuc sit
loci:
ubi fit polenta, te fortasse dicere.
(reflecting,
then with a chuckle) Bless my soul! At last
I get your meaning,
Libanus—the barley mill[A]: I daresay
that’s the
place you mention.
[Footnote A: Where he might be beaten with ox-hide whips.]
Lib.
Ah,
neque hercle ego istuc dico nec dictum
volo,
teque obsecro hercle, ut quae locutu’s
despuas.
(in grotesque
terror) Oh Lord, no! I’m not mentioning
that, and I don’t
want it mentioned, either, and for the
love of heaven,
sir, do spit away that word!
Dem.
Fiat, geratur mos tibi.
(spitting) All right. Anything to humour you.
Lib.
Age, age usque excrea. 40
Go on, sir, go on! Hawk it way up!
Dem.
Etiamne?
(spitting again) Will that do?
Lib.
Age quaeso hercle usque ex penitis faucibus,
etiam amplius.
Go on, sir, for
God’s sake, way from the bottom of your
gullet! (Demaenetus
spits violently) Farther down still,
sir!
Dem.
Nam quo usque?
Eh? How far?
Lib.
Usque ad mortem volo.
(half aside) To the door of death, I hope.
Dem.
Cave sis malam rem.
(angrily) Kindly look out, my man, look out!
Lib.
Uxoris dico, non tuam.
(hastily) Your wife’s, sir, I mean, not yours.
Dem.
Dono te ob istuc dictum, ut expers sis metu.
(laughing)
Never fear—for that remark I grant you
immunity.
Lib.
Di tibi dent quaecumque optes.
And heaven grant you all your prayers, sir.
Dem.
Redde operam mihi. cur hoc ego ex te quaeram? aut cur miniter tibi propterea quod me non scientem feceris? aut cur postremo filio suscenseam, patres ut faciunt ceteri?
Now listen to me for a change. Why should I ask you about this? Or threaten you because you haven’t informed me? Or for that matter, why should I fly into a rage at my son, as other fathers do?
Lib.
Quid istuc novi est?
50
demiror quid sit et quo evadat sum in
metu.
(aside)
Hm! What’s this surprise? Wonder what
it means!
Where it will
end is what scares me.