Kerbogah Tries to Retake Antioch
[9.27.4] Nēmō namque poterat cōnsōlārī Widōnem plōrantem, et ferientem sē manibus, suōsque frangentem digitōs, et dīcentem: “Heu mihi, domine mī Boamunde, honor et decus tōtīus mundī, quem omnis mundus timēbat et amābat! Heu mihi, tristis! Nōn meruī, dolēns, tuam vidēre honestissimam speciem, quī nūllam rem magis vidēre dēsīderābam. Quis mihi det ut ego moriar prō tē, dulcissime amīce et domine? Cūr ego ex uterō mātris meae exiēns nōn statim mortuus fuī? Cūr ad hanc lūgubrem diem pervēnī? Cūr nōn dēmersus fuī in mare? Cūr nōn ex equō cecidī frāctō collō, ut recēpissem repentīnum interitum? Utinam tēcum recēpissem fēlīx martyrium, ut cernerem tē glōriōsissimum suscēpisse fīnem!”
Cumque omnēs cucurrissent ad eum quātinus cōnsōlārentur eum, ut iam fīnem daret plānctuī, in sē reversus, ait: “Forsitan crēditis huic sēmicānō imprūdentī mīlitī. Umquam vērē nōn audīvī loquī dē mīlitiā aliquā, quam īdem fēcisset. Sed turpiter et inhonestē recēdit, sīcut nēquissimus et īnfēlīx, et quicquid miser nūntiat, sciātis falsum esse.”
notes
(June 1098) Hearing that his wonderful half-brother Bohemond might be dead, Guy wishes that he had died instead. After his despair, he moves on to denial, and is sure that Stephen of Blois is a liar.
suōsque frangentem digitōs: he was wringing his hands.
heu mihi: CL would use an accusative of exclamation.
Heu mihi, tristis!: “Alas for me, sad (as I am).” tristis is perhaps a nominative of exclamation (AG § 339a).
dōlens: “sadly, alas.”
quī nūllam rem magis vidēre dēsīderābam: "I who wanted to see nothing more (than this)"; "although there is nothing I desire more" (Hill).
in sē reversus: “returning to himself,” “pulling himself together.”
huic sēmicānō imprūdentī mīlitī: "this cowardly old fool of a knight" (Hill); i.e., Stephen of Chartres (9.27.1)
Umquam vērē nōn audīvī loquī dē mīlitiā aliquā: “(But) in fact I have never heard (anyone) speak about any military valor.” CL would be numquam vērē audīvī.
Sed turpiter et inhonestē recēdit: we might have expected recessit.
vocabulary
speciēs –ēī, f: sight; appearance; face
sēmicānus –a –um: gray, grizzled
mīlitia –ae, f.: military service (CL); military spirit, bravery (LL)
