the original shows the wonderful fidelity of this translation:—
"MORS lABROCHII."
Coesper[1] erat: tunc lubriciles[2] ultravia circum
Urgebant gyros gimbiculosque tophi;
Mœstenui visae borogovides ire meatu;
Et profugi gemitus exgrabuêre rathæ.
O fuge Iabrochium, sanguis meus![3] Ille recurvis
Unguibus, estque avidis dentibus ille minax.
Ububæ fuge cautus avis vim, gnate! Neque unquam
Fædarpax contra te frumiosus eat!
Vorpali gladio juvenis succingitur: hostis
Manxumus ad medium quæritur usque diem:
Jamque via fesso, sed plurima mente prementi:
Tumtumiæ frondis suaserat umbra moram.
Consilia interdum stetit egnia[4] mente revolvens:
At gravis in densa fronde susuffrus[5] erat,
Spiculaque[6] ex oculis jacientis flammea, tulscam
Per silvam venit burbur[7] Iabrochii!
Vorpali, semel atque iterum collectus in ictum,
Persnicuit gladio persnacuitque puer:
Deinde galumphatus, spernens informe cadaver,
Horrendum monstri rettulit ipse caput.
- ↑ Cœsper from cœna and vesper.
- ↑ Lubriciles, from lubricus and graciles. See the commentary in "Humpty Dumpty's square", which will also explain ultravia, and, if it requires explanation, mœstenui.
- ↑ Sanguis meus: Verg. Æn. vi. 836—
"Projice tela manu, sanguis meus!"
- ↑ Egnia: "muffish" = segnis; therefore, "uffish" =egnis. This is a conjectural analogy, but I can suggest no better solution.
- ↑ Susuffrus: "whiffling," susurrus: "whistling."
- ↑ Spicula: see the picture.
- ↑ Burbur: apparently a labial variation of murmur, stronger but more dissonant.
