Editing Iguvine Tablets (section)

===From Tablet VI===

Here is the fuller text of '''Tablet VI''' a 22-34, being the first of three very repetitive and formulaic prayers that the head/officiating priest. (arsfertur = "the one who carries [the sacred fire] to [the altar]) is instructed to say during the libation (line numbers in parentheses) Note that there is no punctuation in the original texts:

{{Verse translation |lang=non
|:'''''teio subocau''' suboco'' (23)
::'''''dei graboui'''''
:''ocriper fisiu, totaper iiouina,''
:''erer nomneper erar nomneper.''

:''fos sei, pacer sei,''
:''ocre fisei, (24) tote iiouine,''
:''erer nomne, erar nomne.''

:''arsie tio subocau suboco,''
::''dei grabouie;''
:''arsier frite tio subocau (25) suboco,''
::''dei grabouie.''

::''di grabouie''
:''tio esu bue peracrei pihaclu''
:''ocreper fisiu, totaper iiouina,''
:''irer nomneper, (26) erar nomneper.''

::''dei grabouie,''
:''orer ose, persei ocre fisie pir orto est''
:''toteme iouine arsmor dersecor (27) subator sent,''
:''pusei neip heritu.''

::''dei crabouie''
:''persei tuer perscler uaseto est''
:''pesetomest peretomest'' (28)
:''frosetomest daetomest''
:''tuer perscler uirseto auirseto uas est;''

::''di grabouie''
:''persei mersei esu bue (29) peracrei''
:''pihaclu pihafei.''

::''di grabouie''
:''pihatu ocre fisiu pihatu tota iouina.''
::''di grabouie''
:''pihatu ocrer fisier (30) totar iouinar nome:''

::''nerf arsmo''
::''veiro pequo ''
::''castruo frif''
::''pihatu.''

:''futu fos pacer pase tua''
:''ocre fisi (31) tote iiouine''
:''erer nomne erar nomne.''

::''di grabouie''
:''saluo seritu ocre fisi''
:''salua seritu tota iiouina.''

::''di (32) grabouie''
:''saluo seritu ocrer fisier''
:''totar iiouinar nome:''

::''nerf arsmo''
::''veiro pequo''
::''castruo fri''
::''salua (33) seritu.''

:''futu fos pacer pase tua''
:''ocre fisi tote iouine''
:''erer nomne erar nomne''

::''di grabouie''
:''tio esu bue (34) peracri pihaclu''
:''ocreper fisiu totaper iouina''
:''erer nomneper erar nomneper''
::'''''di grabouie'''''
:'''''tio subocau'''''

|'''Thee I invoke''' as the one invoked, (23) 
 '''Jupiter Grabovius''', 
for the Fisian Mount, for the state of Iguvium, 
for the name of the mount, for the name of the state.

Be thou favourable, be thou propitious 
to the Fisian Mount, (24) to the state of Iguvium, 
to the name of the mount, to the name of the state.

In the consecration I invoke thee as the one invoked, 
 Jupiter Grabovius; 
in trust of the consecration I invoke thee (25) as the one invoked, 
 Jupiter Grabovius.
 
 Jupiter Grabovius, 
thee I invoke with this perfect ox as a propitiatory offering
for the Fisian Mount, for the state of Iguvium, 
for the name of the mount, (26) for the name of the state.

 Jupiter Grabovius, 
by the effect of this [ox bring it to pass that], if on the Fisian Mount fire hath occurred 
or in the state of Iguvium the due rites (27) have been omitted, 
that it be as not intended.

 Jupiter Grabovius, 
if in thy sacrifice there hath been any omission,
any sin, any transgression, 
(28) any damage, any delinquency, 
if in thy sacrifice there be any seen or unseen fault;

 Jupiter Grabovius, 
if it be right, with this perfect (29) ox as a propitiatory offering, 
may purification be made.

 Jupiter Grabovius, 
purify the Fisian Mount, purify the state of Iguvium. 
 Jupiter Grabovius, 
purify the name of the Fisian Mount, (30) of the state of Iguvium:

the magistrates, the priesthoods, 
the men and the cattle, 
the heads [of grain] and the fruits
purify.

Be favourable and propitious with thy peace 
to the Fisian Mount, (31) to the state of Iguvium, 
to the name of the mount, to the name of the state.

 Jupiter Grabovius, 
keep safe the Fisian Mount, 
keep safe the state of Iguvium.
 
 Jupiter (32) Grabovius, 
keep safe the name of the Fisian Mount, 
of the state of Iguvium:

the magistrates, the priesthoods, 
the men and the cattle, 
the heads [of grain] and the fruits
keep safe. (33)

Be favourable and propitious with thy peace 
to the Fisian Mount, to the state of Iguvium, 
to the name of the mount, to the name of the state.

 Jupiter Grabovius, 
thee with this perfect (34) ox as a propitiatory offering 
for the Fisian Mount, for the state of Iguvium, 
for the name of the mount, for the name of the state, 
'''Jupiter Grabovius''', 
'''thee I invoke'''.
}}

The [[Chiasmus|chiastic]]--AB...BA--envelope construction, beginning with "Thee I invoke ... JG," and ending "JG, Thee I invoke" probably was a stylistic way to clearly mark that this was the end of the complete first prayer, to be followed by the second (below, ll. 35-44) and third (ll. 45-55) essentially identical prayers, both capping with the same phrase, and notably with the verb separated from the phrase at the opening of each of the next two prayers.

Note that ''veiro pequo...salua seritu'' "the men and cattle...keep safe" in lines 32-33 matches Latin ''pastores pecua salua seruassis'' "the herdsmen and cattle...keep safe" (in Varro, ''Rerum Rusticarum'' 2.1.12), and further afield, Avestan θrāθrāi pasuuå: viraiiå: "for the protection of cattle [and] men" (''Yasht'' 13.10), suggesting that some form of the formula goes back to Proto-Indo-European.<ref>Watkins, Calvert ''How to Kill A Dragon: Aspects of Indo-European Poetics'', Oxford, pp210- 212</ref>