Puer Romanus - Capitulum 1 - Ego et vita mea Der römische Junge – Kapitel 1 – Ich und mein Leben Roman Boy - Chapter 1 - I and my life Roman Boy - Capítulo 1 - Yo y mi vida The Roman Boy - Chapitre 1 - Moi et ma vie Il ragazzo romano - Capitolo 1 - Io e la mia vita The Roman Boy - Hoofdstuk 1 - Ik en mijn leven O Menino Romano - Capítulo 1 - Eu e minha vida The Roman Boy - Kapitel 1 - Jag och mitt liv Римський хлопчик - Розділ 1 - Я і моє життя

Ego et vita mea I and my life

Ego de me ipso, de parentibus, de fratre, de sororibus, de amicis, de omni mea vita sum tibi narraturus. I am going to tell you about myself, my parents, my brother, my sisters, my friends, all of my life. Romanus sum puer, annos natus duodecim. I am a Roman boy, twelve years old. Nomina nostra Ignoras ; scio te ignorare; nemo enim tibi dixit. Sie kennen unsere Namen nicht; Ich weiß, dass du unwissend bist; denn niemand hat es dir gesagt. The names of our ignores; I know you ignore; None of you have said. Nomina igitur sine mora dicam. The names say it without delay. Primum de patre. The first of the father. Ille appellator Sextus Cornelius Pollio. He called him Sextus Cornelius Pollio. Sextus ipsum designat, Cornelius gentem, Pollio familiam. Sextus portrays him, Cornelius his nation, and Pollio's family. Itaque haec habet tria, praenomen, nomen, cognomen. Therefore it has three things: first name, name, last name. Nunc de matre dicam. Now I will speak of my mother. Illa nominatur Terentia. She is named Terentia. Fratri praenomen est Gaius; sorores appellantur Prima, Secunda, Tertia. Her brother's first name is Gaius; The sisters are called the First, Second, and Third. Ego autem appellor Lucius. But I am called Lucius.

Quas res tu cottidie facis, eas ego quoque facio. And these matters, you are doing every day, you may go, I will my own custom. E lectulo surgo, patrem, matrem, fratrem, sorores salvere iubeo, edo, ludo adsum, ludo. E I rise from the bed, the father, mother, brother, sisters, my compliments to order it, eat apples, the game, I am here, to play football. Levanto da cama, ordeno que meu pai, minha mãe, meu irmão e minhas irmãs sejam salvos, como, jogo, jogo. In ludo tamen - mirabile dictu - non ludo sed disco. In the game, however, - amazingly - I don't play but I learn. Magister enim, qui maxime est severus, neque me sinit ludere neque ceteros pueros. For the teacher, who is extremely strict, allows neither me nor the other boys to play. Si ludimus, poenas damus. If we play, we pay the penalty. Heu! Alas! quanta severitate punit magister! how severely does the teacher punish! Ego, o me miserum, scio quanta severitate puniat! I, oh wretched man, know with what severity he punishes me! Rogasne quid in ludo faciamus? Ask, what do we do in school? Scribimus, recitamus, poetas legimus. We write, we recite, we read poets. Rogasne quos legamus poetas? Do you ask what poets we read? Ego dicam dum tu discis. I will say it while you're doing it. Horati, Vergili, Terenti legimus omnia opera. We read all the works of Horatius, Vergil, and Terence. Quales hi fuerint, et quando vixerint, aliquando fortasse disces. What they were like, and when they lived, you will perhaps learn at some point. Post ludum domum redeo. I return home after the game. Ut gaudeo, ut gaudemus omnes, quotiens e ludo altero eximus et alterum ludum petimus! I'm glad that we all enjoy each other whenever we get out of the game and ask for another game! Altero enim in ludo, ut iam dixi, discimus; alter ludus etiam lusus nominatur. For we learn something else in the game, as I have already said; another game is also called a game.

Qui simus, mi amice, iam novisti; quales simus partim scis, partim nescis; ubi habitemus omnino ignoras. You already know who we are, my friend; Of what kind we are, partly you know, partly you do not know; where we live you do not know at all. Heu! multa, immo vero plurima vel omnia ignoras. Alas! you do not know many things, indeed many or all. Opus longum mihi est propositum, immo vero longissimum. It is a long work for me, and indeed a very long one. Dicam enim de Italia, de Brundisio, de Roma, de aliis terris urbibusque, de militibus nostris, de magistratibus, de principe, de cibo, de vestimentis, de aedificiis, de omnibus rebus hominibusque. For I will speak of Italy, of Brundisium, of Rome, of other countries and cities, of our soldiers, of magistrates, of our prince, of food, of clothing, of buildings, of all goods and of men.

Pater meus est Brundisinus; nam Brundisii habitat. My father is Brundisinus; for he lives at Brundisium. Magistratum tenet ille, nam Brundisium est municipium in quo duo sunt magistratus, qui duumviri nominantur. He holds the office, for Brundisium is a municipality in which there are two magistrates, who are named duumvirs. Pater igitur meus summo est honore apud cives Brundisinos. My father, therefore, is of the utmost honor among the citizens of the Brundisium.

Sed fortasse negas te scire ubi sit municipium Brundisium. But perhaps you will deny that you know where the town of Brundisium is. Itaque iubeo te spectare tabulam; si spectabis, videbis ubi stet municipium. So I order you to watch the picture: if you look, you will see where the municipality stands. Nonne vides? Don't you see? Ecce in ultimo stat angulo Italiae, ad orientem versum. Behold, he stands in the last corner of Italy, facing toward the east. Oriens ea est regio ubi oritur sol; occidens ea est regio ubi sol occidit in oceanum; meridies ea ad quam sol media hora diei vertitur; septentio vel septentriones ita nominatur, quod in ea parte caeli septem sidera conspiciuntur, quae septem triones vocantur, hoc est, septem boves. The east is that region where the sun rises; the west is the region where the sun sets over the ocean. that noon to which the sun is turned in the middle of the day; It is so named the north or the north, because in that part of the heaven seven stars are seen, which are called the seven constellations, that is, the seven oxen. Non nulli autem ursam appellant hoc signum. But nobody's calling this sign a bear.

Sed regionibus caeli relictis ad oppidum revertimus in quo habitamus ego et pater et mater et ceterii. But leaving the regions of heaven, we return to the town in which I and my father and mother and the others live. Domus nostra in via maxima est sita, in qua via habitant cives nobiliores. Our house is located on a very large road, on which road the noblest citizens dwell. Domum intras per ianuam, quae semper stat clausa nisi quis intrat. You enter the house by the door, which always stands closed unless someone enters. Si vis intrare, ianuam pultas. If you want to enter, knock on the door. Quo facto ecce venit ianitor (is ianuam intus custodit) et ianuam reserat. When this is done, behold, the porter comes (he keeps the door inside) and unlocks the door. Ianua reserata in vestibulum imus, deinde in atrium sic enim nominatur aula. We go to the entryway unlocked door, then into the courtyard for the so-called hall. Medio in atrio est stagnum, impluvium nominatum, in quod pluviae cadunt et stagnum faciunt. In the middle of the courtyard is a lake, called the skylight, into which the rains fall and form the lake. Super impluvium nullum tectum est, sed spatium apertum quod compluvium vocant. Above the skylight there is no roof, but the open space which they call the reefvium. Prope stagnum est ara; prope aram stant Lares. The altar is near the lake; The Lares stand near the altar.

In atrio nos omnes diem agimus. We all spend our day in the courtyard. At dormimus in cellis, quae multae sunt circum atrium aedificatae. But we sleep in the rooms, which are many built around the courtyard. Servi tamen ante portas cellarum dormiunt. The servants, however, sleep before the gates of the cellars.

Post atrium est tablinum, quod est privatum patris conclave. Behind the atrium is the study, which is the private father's bedroom. Sunt autem binae fauces, alterae ex dextra, alterae ex sinistra, per quas in apertum aliquod spatium itur quod peristylium nominatur. There are, however, two entrances, one on the right and the other on the left, through which we go into an open space which is called the peristyle. Circum hoc peristylium alterae sunt cellae. Around this peristyle are other cells. Postremo est aliud conclave adiunctum, triclinium quod vocant; hic cenamus. Finally there is another adjoining chamber, which they call a dining-room; we dine here.

Nunc responde mihi de domo interroganti: dic mihi per quid domum intres. Now answer me a question from home: tell me by what house you should enter. Cur sedet ianitor in cella? Why is the porter sitting in the room? Cur ianuam pultas? Why do you knock on the door? Num ignoras? Do you not know? O puerum immemorem! Oh forgetful boy! Si ignoras, ego pro te respondebo. If you do not know, I will answer for you. Sed iubeo te attento esse animo, ut discas omnia. But I command you to be attentive to learn all things. Per ianuam intras domum; in cella sedet ianitor ut ianuam custodiat; pultas ianuam ut ianitor ianuam reseret. You enter the house through the door; The porter sits in the room to guard the door; You knock on the door to unlock the door. Tu iam responde, si poteris. You already answer, if you can. Cur est impluvium in atrio? Why is there a skylight in the atrium? Ubi dormiunt servi? Where do the slaves sleep? Potesne mihi dicere cur istic dormiant? Can you tell me why they sleep over there?