Nox erat...

"It was night, and sleep lowered weary little eyes;

these visions terrified my spirit:

A wood was standing most numerous with the oak tree at the foot of a sunny hill,

and many a bird was lying hidden in the boughs.

A very green open space with a grassy meadow, moist drops of water gently

sounding from down, was at the foot.

I myself was avoiding the seething heat with the leaves of a tree -

but, however, the seething heat was under the foliage of the tree -

look! A white cow stood before my eyes, seeking grass mixed into the

many-coloured flowers,

whiter than the snows, they fell recently at that time,

which time did not yet turn into flowing water;

whiter than milk, which is white with still hissing foam

and has just left the ewe made dry.

A bull was her companion, happily that husbans,

and he pressed the tender ground with his mate.

While he lies and slowly chews the called-back cud

and feeds again on the food fed before,

he had seemed to put down his horned head on the ground

while sleep took away his strength of bearing.

A crow, having glided down with slight wings though the breezes, came here

and sat chattering on the blooming ground,

and dug the chest of the snow-white cow three times, impudent with her beak,

and carried away the white mane with its mouth.

She, having lingered for a long time, left the place and the bull -

but there was a black bruise on the cow's chest;

and when she saw the bulls gathering food far away -

the bulls were gathering the fertile fodder far away -

she took herself off to that place and mixed herself into that herd

and searched the ground for more fertile grass.

Speak, come now, augur, whoever you are, of the night-vision,

if they have anything of truth, what do these visions bring?"

Thus I said; thus the augur spoke of the night-vision,

weighing up the spoken one by one in his mind:

"You were wanting to avoid what with changeable leaves

but you were badly avoiding the seething head that was of love.

The cow is your girl - that complexion is fitted for the girl;

you are the man and you were the bull in the case of the equal cow.

As to the fact that the crow was digging at the breast with her sharp beak,

an aged madam was trying to move the character of your lady.

Because, having delayed for a long time, her cow left the bull,

you'll be abandoned cold on the destitute couch.

The bruise and black blemishes at the foot of the breast at the front

say that they do not lack the stain of adultery."

The messenger had stopped. My blood fled cold from my face,

and deep night stood before my eyes.