Somnium Scipionis (De Re Publica 6.15)

Rep. 6.15.1Atque ego ut prīmum flētū repressō loquī posse coepī, Quaesō, inquam, pater sānctissime atque optime, quoniam haec est vīta, ut Āfricānum audiō dīcere, quid moror in terrīs?

And as soon as I had held back my tears and could begin to speak, I said: 'Please, most holy and best of fathers, since this is life, as I hear Africanus say, why do I linger on earth?

Note. ut prīmum: 'as soon as'. flētū repressō: ablative absolute. quid moror: 'why do I linger?'; quid is an adverbial accusative, 'why'. Scipio asks whether he may end his own life to reach the true life.

Rep. 6.15.1quīn hūc ad vōs venīre properō?

Why do I not hurry to come here to you?'

Note. quīn … properō?: 'why do I not hasten?'

Rep. 6.15.1Nōn est ita, inquit ille.

'It is not so,' he said.

Note. Nōn est ita: 'it is not so'. The father forbids suicide.

Rep. 6.15.1Nisi enim deus is, cuius hoc templum est omne, quod cōnspicis, istīs tē corporis custōdiīs līberāverit, hūc tibi aditus patēre nōn potest.

'For unless the god whose temple is all this that you see frees you from the prison of your body, the entrance here cannot be open to you.

Note. deus is, cuius hoc templum est omne: the universe is the temple of god. līberāverit: future perfect, 'unless the god (first) frees you'. istīs … corporis custōdiīs: 'from that prison of the body'.

Rep. 6.15.1Hominēs enim sunt hāc lēge generātī, quī tuērentur illum globum, quem in hōc templō medium vidēs, quae terra dīcitur, iīsque animus datus est ex illīs sempiternīs ignibus, quae sīdera et stellās vocātis, quae globōsae et rotundae, dīvīnīs animātae mentibus, circulōs suōs orbēsque cōnficiunt celeritāte mīrābilī.

For men were begotten under this law, that they should look after that globe which you see in the middle of this temple, which is called the earth; and they were given a soul from those eternal fires which you call constellations and stars, which, round and spherical and animated by divine minds, complete their circuits and orbits with marvellous speed.

Note. hāc lēge … generātī, quī tuērentur: a relative clause of purpose, 'born under this law, to look after'. illum globum … quae terra dīcitur: the relative is attracted to the gender of terra. ex illīs sempiternīs ignibus: the human soul is made of the same fiery stuff as the stars. dīvīnīs animātae mentibus: the stars are living beings, moved by divine minds.

Rep. 6.15.1Quārē et tibi, Pūblī, et piīs omnibus retinendus animus est in custōdiā corporis nec iniussū eius, ā quō ille est vōbīs datus, ex hominum vītā migrandum est, nē mūnus hūmānum adsignātum ā deō dēfūgisse videāminī.

Therefore, Publius, you and all the devout must keep the soul in the custody of the body, and must not leave the life of men without the command of him who gave it to you, so that you may not seem to have run away from the human duty assigned by god.

Note. retinendus animus est: gerundive of obligation, 'the soul must be kept'; tibi … et piīs omnibus are datives of agent. iniussū eius: 'without his command'. migrandum est: impersonal gerundive, 'one must not depart'. Plato's Phaedo gives the same argument: we are on guard duty and may not desert our post.