Eusebius Riddle 55: De torpedine pisce
ALEXANDRAREIDER
Date: Mon 27 Dec 2021Original text:
Corpora si viva tangam torpescere faxo.
Propter hoc opus infantum, mihi nomen adhesit.
Quin magis: Indicus etsi me generamine Pontus
Ediderit, validi qui tunc me forte lacerti
Longius attingerint, contis seu qualibus hastis,
Torpescerent, et veloces vincire pedestres
Possum – vel potius sic vis mea tanta videtur
Aura mea afficiat sanos quo corporis artus.
Translation:
If I touch living bodies, I will numb them.
Because of this unspeakable act, my name stuck.
Not just that, but more: although the Indian Ocean birthed me,
Strong arms which then by chance
Touch me from farther away, with pikes or some kind of spear,
Are numbed, and I can bind those swift of foot –
Or rather my strength seems so great
That my breath affects healthy limbs of the body.
On the electric eel
Tags: riddles latin Eusebius