Eusebius Riddle 46: De leopardo
ALEXANDRAREIDER
Date: Mon 27 Dec 2021Saeva mihi genitrix atroxque est leaena decreta
Crudelisque pater pardus, pardaeque maritus.
Hinc velox, ferus; hinc trux atque robustus et audax.
Nascitur ex ipsis coniunctum nomen habendo.
To me was decreed a raging mother, a fierce and lewd lioness, (1)
And a cruel panther father, mate of the pantheress.
From one am I swift and wild; from one am I harsh, strong, and bold.
My name arises from conjoining them.
Notes:
(1) I use multiple adjectives here to render the pun inherent in the Latin lena: lena is slang for a lascivious woman, and the very similar leaena means “lioness.” To preserve the joke, I was going to translate it as “cougar,” but the riddle hinges on the idea that the name of a “leo-pard” derives from both its parents, so it was crucial to keep the element of “lion.”
Tags: riddles latin Eusebius