Aldhelm Riddle 99: Camellus
ALEXANDRAREIDER
Date: Thu 14 Apr 2022Consul eram quondam, Romanus miles equester
Arbiter imperio dum regni sceptra regebat;
Nunc onus horrendum reportant corpora gippi
Et premit immensum truculentae sarcina molis.
Terreo cornipedum nunc velox agmen equorum,
Qui trepidi fugiunt mox quadripedante meatu,
Dum trucis aspectant immensos corporis artus.
Once I was consul, when the Roman equestrian soldier was
Judge, governed the scepters of power with his command.
Now my body bears the horrible burden of a hump
And an excess of cruel weight presses with its burden.
Now I terrify a swift company of horn-footed horses,
Who presently flee in trepidation from my four-footed course,
When they look upon the immense limbs of my wild body.
Notes:
This edition is based on Rudolf Ehwald, ed. Aldhelmi Opera Omnia. Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Auctores Antiquissimi, 15. Berlin: Weidmann, 1919, pages 59-150. Available online here.
Tags: riddles latin Aldhelm