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Amica

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I know that I haven't commented as much as I probably should have, but Luna, I really love how you form a story! There is just a certain feel or life in your words
flower3
 
thehangingtree said:
Very nice Velut but you must learn to lie better or you will get caught up in them...
Tree
Click to expand...
The black night-elf approaches me with his bright eyes, sniffing, licking my lips that still have the taste and the smell of the chicken wing I couldn’t eat. It licks my tears as if to drink them, or it wants to soothe my pain. It bites the tips of my fingers as if they were prey, tiny birds. Even this little black elf has the instinct of a murderer.... from amica 14

'I have not! It was him who licked my eyes.' .... from amica 15

My dear Tree, I have not lied, only a silly excuse...:p:p:p
 
Amica 16


'Eulalia! Eulalia! it's late! We must run top speed to Lucius’ bathroom or we’ll be whipped! '

'Don’t worry, last night Lucius went to bed late, and with two of the maids, and he’d drunk a lot of Falernum too – he won’t wake up till lunch time.'

Unconvinced, I get up and go to the balnea for my morning shower. I stumble a couple of times over tunics abandoned on the ground by those who could hardly wait to take them off, and couldn’t wait at all....

I also find on the floor a sheet of parchment with writing, I’ll try to read it, I want to learn soon!

Dressed in only a white towel around my waist, my hair still wet, I hasten to Lucius's room, and sit on a stool in readiness for when he comes out to go to his private balnea. I start reading, it is a text written in a neat script.

Quaeris quot?

Quaeris, quot mihi basiationes tuae,
duae? tres? Lesbia, sint satis superque?
da mihi basia centum,
dein mille altera, tuam aperis labiis,
deinde usque altera mille,
ad summam centum adde,
dein alia decem millia,
quam magnus numerus Libyssae harenae,
laserpiciferis iacet Cyrenis,
(Unde contrariis remediis)
oraclum Iovis inter aestuosi,
et Batti veteris sacrum sepulcrum;
aut quam sidera multa, cum tacet nox,
furtivos hominum vident amores:
tam te basia multa basiare
donec Catulli phallus indurescat quod vult,
quae nec pernumerare curiosi
possint nec mala fascinare lingua.



(How many?

How many kisses – two or three?
Lesbia asks, enough for me?
Give me a hundred for a start,
A thousand - keep your lips apart!
Another hundred, let them come,
And add a thousand to the sum,
Give me another hundred more,
And then ten thousand, till you score
More than the sand that Libya fills
(Whence come those contraceptive pills)*
Between old Battus’ sacred tomb
And Jove’s fire-oracle of doom,
More than the stars in silent nights
Spying on humans’ love-delights –
Kiss me with so many kisses
Till Catullus’ cock grows hard as he wishes,
And jealous gossips cannot count,
To cast bad spells on our account!)**


But I don’t understand any of it! Whatever does 'Libyssae' mean? 'laserpiciferis'? 'cyrenis'? And what is a 'phallus'?


A hand takes the sheet from my fingers, it’s him, Fannius! What an embarrassment! Here he is in front of me and I haven’t even noticed, so attentive was I in reading these words. I blush, lower my eyes, I want to get down and kneel before him, but he’s still holding me firmly, his left hand resting on my shoulder, demurely I cover my breasts with my arms.

'Where have you come from? I didn’t see you yesterday at my party - where were you, who are you? These aren’t suitable lines a virgin to be reading! '


So! All my best-laid plans have gone agley, all my premeditated moves have melted away in a moment, I'm at the mercy of this Fannius, he’s interrogating me, what can I say? I barely know a few words of Latin ...

He lifts up my face, placing his index finger under my chin, gazing into my eyes. I’m blushing with shame like a scolded child.

'I'm Amica, Eulalia's slave.'

'But it’s written here on this collar that you're a slavegirl of Lucius Silius Satrianus.'

'Lucius has given me to Eulalia.'

'Eulalia was looking for you yesterday, to bring you to the party.'

'I was in Eulalia’s room, I didn’t feel well.'

'So you must be that Sibyl who predicted my arrival? My mother was very impressed by that prophecy of yours!'

My legs are trembling, my heart is in turmoil ...

‘So you know how to read?'

'Eulalia's teaching me.'

'Repeat what you’ve just been reading!'


'Queris quot? Queris, quot mii basiationes tue, due? tres? Lesbia, sint satis superque? da mii basia centum, dein mille altera, tuam aperis labiis, deinde usque altera mille, ad summam centum adde, dein alia decem millia, quam magnus numerus Libisse arene laserci... laserpifer... laserpiciferis iacet Cirenis (Unde contrariis remediis)oraclum Iovis inter estuosi, et Batti veteris sacrum sepulcrum; aut quam sidera multa, cum tacet nox, furtivos ominum vident amores: tam te basia multa basiare donec Catulli pallus indurescat quod vult, que nec pernu... pernumerare curiosi possint nec mala fascinare lingua.'


'You’ve learnt well! Now you needn't stay stand here waiting for my father, he won’t wake up before lunch-time, you serve me my breakfast!'

He takes me by my arm and leads me into the right-hand triclinium. On the table in the middle of the room are dishes ready-made for jentaculum, I fill a tray and approach close to him where he has reclined. Now I'm topless in front of Fannius! I bow, offering him the tray, he looks at me, nods to put some pieces of meat in the dinner-dish left from yesterday, some white bread, a glass of Falernum, cheese and fruit, figs.

'You’re beautiful, your hair’s so light it seems to be threads of silver - where have you come from?'

'I lived in a distant land where the sun never sets.'

'I've heard of this country, it’s far to the north of the land of the Germans.'

He beckons me to get some food for myself and sit next to him, I get a bowl of warm milk and a piece of bread to dip in it. But now here come his five comrades! So I run to serve them, they look at me amazed, they didn’t have sight of me yesterday.

'She’s the slavegirl of Eulalia, my tutor.'

Ah, that explains it! I understand that he has a lot of respect for his teacher. Now his comrades eat their jentaculum.

'Come here now! Make me a prophecy! '

I kneel down, take his hand, press my index finger on to the centre of his palm, to trace his future destiny.

'Ibis, Redibis!' (You’ll go, you’ll come back!’)

I’d like to add 'for me', but I dare not.

Laughter.

'That's the kind of thing all Sibyls say, like the Sibyl of Cuma!'

'I don’t know the Sibyl of Cuma, I don’t know where Cuma is.'

'It’s near here, just beyond Cape Misenum! But one thing is already true in your prophecy, 'ibis' - in fact, I have to leave now for Rome. As to the second part, my return is in the lap of the Gods.'

He gets up, signals to his companions that it is time to leave, takes me by the arm, looks me in the eyes.

'Don’t waste yourself.'

He pinches my breasts lightly, and presses his hand on the cloth that covers my pussy,

‘keep yourself as you are, until I get back!'


I’m dizzy, my heart’s pounding, I’m trembling with emotion. He nods his head as a signal, they set off towards the exit, where six horses are being held in position by slaves. There’s a chariot with a charioteer in Lucius’ service to drive it, a crate with weapons and armour resting on the floor of a wagon. He’s dressed in a short white tunic edged with red, a dark red cloak over his shoulders, and over it the wolf-skin.

My eyes are filling with tears but I restrain myself, this sudden departure upsets me, but what upset me more are his piercing eyes, as if they’re imposing his will on me. Yes, I'll stay a virgin until he returns, but that won’t be soon, I can feel it.

----------------
* 'laserpiciferis iacet Cyrenis (Unde contrariis remediis)', refers to 'laser', a resin from an African plant, 'silphium', probably now extinct, which had a drastic medicinal effect - used as a contraceptive, for stopping menstruation, or procuring abortions.

** eul's free translation
 

Attachments

  • Amica 16.pdf
    19.6 KB · Views: 15
eul's free translation
Click to expand...
:p :p :p

​

We've had fun with this lovely episode! :devil:

The poem's actually a couple of verses by Catullus (Carmina V and VII) bolted together,
the kind of thing a patrician young man might well have been leaving lying around in Pompeii.
The 'contraceptive' bit's explained in the note.
'Battus’ sacred tomb/ And Jove’s fire-oracle of doom' were two pilgrimage centres/ tourist sites
in Roman Libya (much bigger than the modern country),
about 300 miles apart, with nothing but desert sand between them.
The last couple of lines refer to the belief that, to cast an effective spell,
their enemies would need to know exactly how many kisses she'd given him.​
 
Last edited:
Velut Luna said:
Amica 16


'Eulalia! Eulalia! it's late! We must run top speed to Lucius’ bathroom or we’ll be whipped! '

'Don’t worry, last night Lucius went to bed late, and with two of the maids, and he’d drunk a lot of Falernum too – he won’t wake up till lunch time.'

Unconvinced, I get up and go to the balnea for my morning shower. I stumble a couple of times over tunics abandoned on the ground by those who could hardly wait to take them off, and couldn’t wait at all....

I also find on the floor a sheet of parchment with writing, I’ll try to read it, I want to learn soon!

Dressed in only a white towel around my waist, my hair still wet, I hasten to Lucius's room, and sit on a stool in readiness for when he comes out to go to his private balnea. I start reading, it is a text written in a neat script.

Quaeris quot?

Quaeris, quot mihi basiationes tuae,
duae? tres? Lesbia, sint satis superque?
da mihi basia centum,
dein mille altera, tuam aperis labiis,
deinde usque altera mille,
ad summam centum adde,
dein alia decem millia,
quam magnus numerus Libyssae harenae,
laserpiciferis iacet Cyrenis,
(Unde contrariis remediis)
oraclum Iovis inter aestuosi,
et Batti veteris sacrum sepulcrum;
aut quam sidera multa, cum tacet nox,
furtivos hominum vident amores:
tam te basia multa basiare
donec Catulli phallus indurescat quod vult,
quae nec pernumerare curiosi
possint nec mala fascinare lingua.



(How many?

How many kisses – two or three?
Lesbia asks, enough for me?
Give me a hundred for a start,
A thousand - keep your lips apart!
Another hundred, let them come,
And add a thousand to the sum,
Give me another hundred more,
And then ten thousand, till you score
More than the sand that Libya fills
(Whence come those contraceptive pills)*
Between old Battus’ sacred tomb
And Jove’s fire-oracle of doom,
More than the stars in silent nights
Spying on humans’ love-delights –
Kiss me with so many kisses
Till Catullus’ cock grows hard as he wishes,
And jealous gossips cannot count,
To cast bad spells on our account!)**


But I don’t understand any of it! Whatever does 'Libyssae' mean? 'laserpiciferis'? 'cyrenis'? And what is a 'phallus'?


A hand takes the sheet from my fingers, it’s him, Fannius! What an embarrassment! Here he is in front of me and I haven’t even noticed, so attentive was I in reading these words. I blush, lower my eyes, I want to get down and kneel before him, but he’s still holding me firmly, his left hand resting on my shoulder, demurely I cover my breasts with my arms.

'Where have you come from? I didn’t see you yesterday at my party - where were you, who are you? These aren’t suitable lines a virgin to be reading! '


So! All my best-laid plans have gone agley, all my premeditated moves have melted away in a moment, I'm at the mercy of this Fannius, he’s interrogating me, what can I say? I barely know a few words of Latin ...

He lifts up my face, placing his index finger under my chin, gazing into my eyes. I’m blushing with shame like a scolded child.

'I'm Amica, Eulalia's slave.'

'But it’s written here on this collar that you're a slavegirl of Lucius Silius Satrianus.'

'Lucius has given me to Eulalia.'

'Eulalia was looking for you yesterday, to bring you to the party.'

'I was in Eulalia’s room, I didn’t feel well.'

'So you must be that Sibyl who predicted my arrival? My mother was very impressed by that prophecy of yours!'

My legs are trembling, my heart is in turmoil ...

‘So you know how to read?'

'Eulalia's teaching me.'

'Repeat what you’ve just been reading!'


'Queris quot? Queris, quot mii basiationes tue, due? tres? Lesbia, sint satis superque? da mii basia centum, dein mille altera, tuam aperis labiis, deinde usque altera mille, ad summam centum adde, dein alia decem millia, quam magnus numerus Libisse arene laserci... laserpifer... laserpiciferis iacet Cirenis (Unde contrariis remediis)oraclum Iovis inter estuosi, et Batti veteris sacrum sepulcrum; aut quam sidera multa, cum tacet nox, furtivos ominum vident amores: tam te basia multa basiare donec Catulli pallus indurescat quod vult, que nec pernu... pernumerare curiosi possint nec mala fascinare lingua.'


'You’ve learnt well! Now you needn't stay stand here waiting for my father, he won’t wake up before lunch-time, you serve me my breakfast!'

He takes me by my arm and leads me into the right-hand triclinium. On the table in the middle of the room are dishes ready-made for jentaculum, I fill a tray and approach close to him where he has reclined. Now I'm topless in front of Fannius! I bow, offering him the tray, he looks at me, nods to put some pieces of meat in the dinner-dish left from yesterday, some white bread, a glass of Falernum, cheese and fruit, figs.

'You’re beautiful, your hair’s so light it seems to be threads of silver - where have you come from?'

'I lived in a distant land where the sun never sets.'

'I've heard of this country, it’s far to the north of the land of the Germans.'

He beckons me to get some food for myself and sit next to him, I get a bowl of warm milk and a piece of bread to dip in it. But now here come his five comrades! So I run to serve them, they look at me amazed, they didn’t have sight of me yesterday.

'She’s the slavegirl of Eulalia, my tutor.'

Ah, that explains it! I understand that he has a lot of respect for his teacher. Now his comrades eat their jentaculum.

'Come here now! Make me a prophecy! '

I kneel down, take his hand, press my index finger on to the centre of his palm, to trace his future destiny.

'Ibis, Redibis!' (You’ll go, you’ll come back!’)

I’d like to add 'for me', but I dare not.

Laughter.

'That's the kind of thing all Sibyls say, like the Sibyl of Cuma!'

'I don’t know the Sibyl of Cuma, I don’t know where Cuma is.'

'It’s near here, just beyond Cape Misenum! But one thing is already true in your prophecy, 'ibis' - in fact, I have to leave now for Rome. As to the second part, my return is in the lap of the Gods.'

He gets up, signals to his companions that it is time to leave, takes me by the arm, looks me in the eyes.

'Don’t waste yourself.'

He pinches my breasts lightly, and presses his hand on the cloth that covers my pussy,

‘keep yourself as you are, until I get back!'


I’m dizzy, my heart’s pounding, I’m trembling with emotion. He nods his head as a signal, they set off towards the exit, where six horses are being held in position by slaves. There’s a chariot with a charioteer in Lucius’ service to drive it, a crate with weapons and armour resting on the floor of a wagon. He’s dressed in a short white tunic edged with red, a dark red cloak over his shoulders, and over it the wolf-skin.

My eyes are filling with tears but I restrain myself, this sudden departure upsets me, but what upset me more are his piercing eyes, as if they’re imposing his will on me. Yes, I'll stay a virgin until he returns, but that won’t be soon, I can feel it.

----------------
* 'laserpiciferis iacet Cyrenis (Unde contrariis remediis)', refers to 'laser', a resin from an African plant, 'silphium', probably now extinct, which had a drastic medicinal effect - used as a contraceptive, for stopping menstruation, or procuring abortions.

** eul's free translation
Click to expand...
Eulalia said:
:p :p :p

​

We've had fun with this lovely episode! :devil:

The poem's actually a couple of verses by Catullus (Carmina V and VII) bolted together,
the kind of thing a patrician young man might well have been leaving lying around in Pompeii.
The 'contraceptive' bit's explained in the note.
'Battus’ sacred tomb/ And Jove’s fire-oracle of doom' were two pilgrimage centres/ tourist sites
in Roman Libya (much bigger than the modern country),
about 300 miles apart, with nothing but desert sand between them.
The last couple of lines refer to the belief that, to cast an effective spell,
their enemies would need to know exactly how many kisses she'd given him.​
Click to expand...

And I had fun reading it! :)

Thank you both!
 
Eulalia said:
:p :p :p

​

We've had fun with this lovely episode! :devil:

The poem's actually a couple of verses by Catullus (Carmina V and VII) bolted together,
the kind of thing a patrician young man might well have been leaving lying around in Pompeii.
The 'contraceptive' bit's explained in the note.
'Battus’ sacred tomb/ And Jove’s fire-oracle of doom' were two pilgrimage centres/ tourist sites
in Roman Libya (much bigger than the modern country),
about 300 miles apart, with nothing but desert sand between them.
The last couple of lines refer to the belief that, to cast an effective spell,
their enemies would need to know exactly how many kisses she'd given him.​
Click to expand...

Beautifully and excitingly written as always Luna!

'You’re beautiful, your hair’s so light it seems to be threads of silver - where have you come from?'
'I lived in a distant land where the sun never sets.'
'I've heard of this country, it’s far to the north of the land of the Germans.'

Blonde and beautiful from the far north....a most special slave, I am sure!
 
Amica 17


Fulvia’s slave-women are running about, busily fetching clothes and fabrics that they’re packing in wooden crates, it looks like a day of departure. I hurry straight to Lucius’ room, arrive just in time, Lucius is fondling the two slaves who’ve slept with him last night, pawing them for one last time on their butts and breasts. He sees me, makes me a sign to follow him into the balnea.

I am alone with Lucius in his bathroom, he’s stripped, I’m naked, he caresses me but goes no further, I wash him with the sea-sponge and the soap from Aleppo.

'Where were you last night? We wanted to introduce you to my son! '

'I was in Eulalia’s room, I didn’t feel well. But I met Your Son early this morning, before he set off for Rome.'

'We, too, will be leaving today. We’re going to my country villa at Quarto Vesuvianus. The summer’s coming on, and here in the city the heat fills the streets, and the warmth radiates from the walls of houses during the night so no-one can sleep well. So get yourself ready, we’re setting off soon, go and help Eulalia prepare things for the departure. '

I massage his body with scented oil, clothe him in a beautiful white robe, and scamper along to Eulalia. You’re already up, packing scrolls in a case, in another one clothes and fabrics.

I only have a small bag for my few things - the red dress, the shoes with heels, and the jewels, all that Fulvia gave me, along with a few bags of soap, and a new object that Lucius gave us yesterday, one for Eulalia and one for me. I’m looking surprised, I can’t make out what it's meant for.

'Use it instead of the sage leaves and pumice powder, to clean your teeth well!'

'It looks like a great invention!'

I reply, laughing and imitating your gesture, wanting to try it immediately to brush my teeth.

I pack some wax tablets for my writing exercises, a stylus, and some of your strange objects, that you tell me are used for measuring the heavens, but however can we measure the sky, when we can’t walk across it?

In a small wooden cage, the little black elf is looking at me in amazement, poking through the little bars, his eyes shining brighter than ever, the pupils narrowing in the light of day.

Everything is ready, Lucius’ slave-woman has prepared the boxes with our Master’s things. Male slaves come in to load up all the wagons.

Even Fulvia is ready, but she won’t be travelling to Quarto, she’ll go to Sorrento to stay in her beautiful villa on the cliff overlooking the sea. She loves the sun, and she doesn’t like the animals that Lucius keeps on his home farm. Here in Pompeii, only the freedmen and their families will remain to keep the house until we return after the harvest, as you explain to me.

The black slave who escorted us on our visit to the city yesterday is waiting for us on a carriage, ready to depart. We leave by the Porta Vesuviana, along a well-made road, though it’s not paved like the way up from the sea.

There are some villages whose names indicate their distance from Pompeii, so Quarto is located four miles from the Porta Vesuviana. But it's close to Octavianus (Ottaviano), and that isn’t so-called because it’s eight miles from Pompeii, but because it belongs to the Octavians, the family of the Emperor Augustus, who’s buried now in Nola.

You make a rule, then immediately you break it, just to simplify things!

We arrive at the fourth milestone, just before the houses of Quarto, and turn right onto a narrow street with a cobbled surface, but it has a pair of tracks on it that correspond to the width between the wheels of the wagons. The village is in the middle of fields of wheat, now nearly ripe, and among vineyards, where the grape-flowers are in bloom and spreading a strong scent.
 

Attachments

  • Amica 17.pdf
    9.1 KB · Views: 15
This story among many other things is a lovely snap shot of the lives of the Roman elite and their staff and a glimpse of how the rest lived. Really vivid reconstruction, narrated by a witty and inquisitive character.

I once again welcome the rising of our dear Luna :)
 
Velut Luna said:
Amica 17


Fulvia’s slave-women are running about, busily fetching clothes and fabrics that they’re packing in wooden crates, it looks like a day of departure. I hurry straight to Lucius’ room, arrive just in time, Lucius is fondling the two slaves who’ve slept with him last night, pawing them for one last time on their butts and breasts. He sees me, makes me a sign to follow him into the balnea.

I am alone with Lucius in his bathroom, he’s stripped, I’m naked, he caresses me but goes no further, I wash him with the sea-sponge and the soap from Aleppo.

'Where were you last night? We wanted to introduce you to my son! '

'I was in Eulalia’s room, I didn’t feel well. But I met Your Son early this morning, before he set off for Rome.'

'We, too, will be leaving today. We’re going to my country villa at Quarto Vesuvianus. The summer’s coming on, and here in the city the heat fills the streets, and the warmth radiates from the walls of houses during the night so no-one can sleep well. So get yourself ready, we’re setting off soon, go and help Eulalia prepare things for the departure. '

I massage his body with scented oil, clothe him in a beautiful white robe, and scamper along to Eulalia. You’re already up, packing scrolls in a case, in another one clothes and fabrics.

I only have a small bag for my few things - the red dress, the shoes with heels, and the jewels, all that Fulvia gave me, along with a few bags of soap, and a new object that Lucius gave us yesterday, one for Eulalia and one for me. I’m looking surprised, I can’t make out what it's meant for.

'Use it instead of the sage leaves and pumice powder, to clean your teeth well!'

'It looks like a great invention!'

I reply, laughing and imitating your gesture, wanting to try it immediately to brush my teeth.

I pack some wax tablets for my writing exercises, a stylus, and some of your strange objects, that you tell me are used for measuring the heavens, but however can we measure the sky, when we can’t walk across it?

In a small wooden cage, the little black elf is looking at me in amazement, poking through the little bars, his eyes shining brighter than ever, the pupils narrowing in the light of day.

Everything is ready, Lucius’ slave-woman has prepared the boxes with our Master’s things. Male slaves come in to load up all the wagons.

Even Fulvia is ready, but she won’t be travelling to Quarto, she’ll go to Sorrento to stay in her beautiful villa on the cliff overlooking the sea. She loves the sun, and she doesn’t like the animals that Lucius keeps on his home farm. Here in Pompeii, only the freedmen and their families will remain to keep the house until we return after the harvest, as you explain to me.

The black slave who escorted us on our visit to the city yesterday is waiting for us on a carriage, ready to depart. We leave by the Porta Vesuviana, along a well-made road, though it’s not paved like the way up from the sea.

There are some villages whose names indicate their distance from Pompeii, so Quarto is located four miles from the Porta Vesuviana. But it's close to Octavianus (Ottaviano), and that isn’t so-called because it’s eight miles from Pompeii, but because it belongs to the Octavians, the family of the Emperor Augustus, who’s buried now in Nola.

You make a rule, then immediately you break it, just to simplify things!

We arrive at the fourth milestone, just before the houses of Quarto, and turn right onto a narrow street with a cobbled surface, but it has a pair of tracks on it that correspond to the width between the wheels of the wagons. The village is in the middle of fields of wheat, now nearly ripe, and among vineyards, where the grape-flowers are in bloom and spreading a strong scent.
Click to expand...

Excellent again...just love these episodes for the quality of the writing, and the wonderfully thick and historically-rich description of place and actions...the little details make it such an intriguing read!
 
Velut Luna said:
If you refere to the drawing near the word 'ORTO'
I think its are flowers or greens or grass.​
Click to expand...
Silphium.jpg

could be the silphium...
:devil::devil::devil:
​
 
Luna, you write with such great care and enthusiasm ... you combine the simplicity of the moment with the complexity of the time and with such passion! I love the details, too! :bdsm-heart:

Looking over the map, I realize that I know much more Latin than I thought I did. :)

PS: Watch over that Northern slave ... I think Barbaria has her eye on her. :p
 
Last edited:
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