.
Woman with a Parrot: Eugène Delacroix, 1827 (Musée des Beaux Arts, Lyon)
Went round at first light to make sure she'd spent the night
Alone. Her waking beauty, seeming somehow greater than ever,
Stopped me in my tracks. She admonished me for spying.
"I'm not like you, you know. For me, one lover is enough:
You" -- meaningful pause -- "or someone who will be a little truer.
Go on, Mister Snoop, sniff about as you please, have a good close look.
Do you think you will discover traces of my perfidy,
Marks of looseness in the bed clothing, or of heat upon my skin
To fill in the sordid details of the fantastic tale
Your own bad conscience has planted in your dim
Male mind?" But then as I came closer, she stirred up,
Pushed me away with one hand while reaching down to slip
A sandal upon a lovely white foot. That was that.
No more spying for me, since then. Nor a single restful night.
Propertius: Carmen XXIXb
Mane erat, et volui, si sola quiesceret illa,
...visere: at in lecto Cynthia sola fuit.
obstipui: non illa mihi formosior umquam
...visa, neque ostrina cum fuit in tunica,
ibat et hinc castae narratum somnia Vestae,
...neu sibi neve mihi quae nocitura forent:
talis visa mihi somno dimissa recenti.
...heu quantum per se candida forma valet!
'Quid tu matutinus,' ait 'speculator amicae,
...me similem vestris moribus esse putas?
non ego tam facilis: sat erit mihi cognitus unus,
...vel tu vel si quis verior esse potest.
apparent non ulla toro vestigia presso,
...signa volutantis nec iacuisse duos.
aspice ut in toto nullus mihi corpore surgat
...spiritus admisso notus adulterio.'
dixit, et opposita propellens savia dextra
...prosilit in laxa nixa pedem solea.
sic ego tarn sancti custos deludor amoris:
...ex illo felix nox mihi nulla fuit.
...visere: at in lecto Cynthia sola fuit.
obstipui: non illa mihi formosior umquam
...visa, neque ostrina cum fuit in tunica,
ibat et hinc castae narratum somnia Vestae,
...neu sibi neve mihi quae nocitura forent:
talis visa mihi somno dimissa recenti.
...heu quantum per se candida forma valet!
'Quid tu matutinus,' ait 'speculator amicae,
...me similem vestris moribus esse putas?
non ego tam facilis: sat erit mihi cognitus unus,
...vel tu vel si quis verior esse potest.
apparent non ulla toro vestigia presso,
...signa volutantis nec iacuisse duos.
aspice ut in toto nullus mihi corpore surgat
...spiritus admisso notus adulterio.'
dixit, et opposita propellens savia dextra
...prosilit in laxa nixa pedem solea.
sic ego tarn sancti custos deludor amoris:
...ex illo felix nox mihi nulla fuit.
Reclining female nude: Egon Schiele, 1908
Propertius: Carmen XXIXb: English version by TC
No comments:
Post a Comment