r/ErgoProxy

“Come and save me…”

This is my attempt to decipher the inscription and translate it using my grammar from 4 years of Latin classes, many google searches into online latin dictionaries (shoutout Wiktionary), as well as instinct from speaking Spanish (note: I am open to other’s thoughts regarding my translation if someone sees a different word or spelling anywhere, I am rusty in latin and legally blind in one eye lol).

 

I included image 1 to show the full text in latin as I was able to decipher it; image 2 for my translation as well as a key; and image 3 for a lot of my initial attempts. After many days of staring I was able to make the font out - special shoutout to the OP of the original posts on this topic u/quickswords, first for sending me down this puzzle and second for their translation it was good to know I was on a similar path.

Important notes on translation:

Regarding line 2: Occurrero is written in the 1st person singular future perfect conjugation - for us English speakers that means that what is written is meant from the speaker’s point of view, indicating what will happen after doing X action. Example: “I will have gone to the store by then.” In the second line Occurrero comes after tu, so “tu occurrero” means I will have met you. Then that leaves Cum ad facem angustes mundi, in this case ad facem  means at the light rather than to the light. Note facem, coming from the word fax, means torch but can also mean light of heavenly bodies - since the light is that of the narrow world we can infer that they are referring to sunlight (which makes sense as proxies die in sunlight).

Regarding line 3: I wrote I will think of you instead of I think of you in the present tense because of the structure of the inscription - on the Wiktionary page for the word Tum they write that when its coupled with Cum in the cum A, tum B structure then it denotes that not only A, but also B. In this case A = Monad meeting Ergo, B = thinking of Ergo in the end, as she foresees they will die in the sunlight when the humans come back from space.

Personal theory:

I believe this inscription is written by Monad just after she agreed to wipe Ergo’s memories, but before having done so. This is because she talks in the inscription as if they will be separated and will only meet again in the end, when they are called to self destruct via sunlight due to the pulse of the awakening. This inscription shows that either she doesn’t know Ergo is immune to the pulse and that even after removing his memories he will just live as a human and then die or that she believes that he will choose to listen to it and initiate the self destruct command to die with her when the time comes.

I think this is why Vincent never seemed to return Monad’s romantic feelings from what we see in the show (though I do think he cared about her a great deal!). Yes, Monad helped Ergo escape the fate he dreaded as Ergo Proxy, but she is completely resigned to the fate implanted by the human creators. He is someone who is fundamentally rebellious but she is “a lover, not a fighter”.