14 RITCHIE’S FABULAE FACILES TRANSLATION – HERCULES 14– THE MUSIC LESSON

HERCULES 14 – THE MUSIC LESSON

THIS IS A STATUE OF A CENTAUR; IT IS HALF HORSE AND HALF HUMAN.













a)

Herculés á pueró corpus suum díligenter exercébat; mágnam partem diéí in palaestrá cónsúmébat; didicit etiam arcum intendere et téla conicere. Hís exercitátiónibus vírés éius cónfírmátae sunt.
In músicá etiam á Linó centauró érudiébátur (centaurí autem equí erant sed caput hominis habébant); huic tamen artí minus díligenter studébat. Híc Linus Herculem ólim obiúrgábat, quod nón studiósus erat; tum puer írátus citharam subitó rapuit, et omnibus víribus caput magistrí ínfélícis percussit. Ille íctú próstrátus est, et pauló post é vítá excessit, neque quisquam posteá id officium suscipere voluit.

b)

The words below have been selected for special attention.  For the words not included in this list pease refer to the WORDLIST in PAGES TOP RIGHT SIDE BAR.

A puero, from a boy, ablative case.
Exercebat, is imperfect tense in Latin as this describes behaviour over a long time, or habitual behaviour.
In palaestra is ablative case after preposition ‘in’ as it means inside, if it were 'into' meaning motion towards the inside rather than in meaning place in which, the accusative case would be used.
Didicit, is perfect tense of disco, discere to learn.
Arcum intendere means to draw a bow from inendo, -ere, -endi, -tentus, to stretch out; stretch, draw, aim.
His exercitationibus, through these exercises, ablative case.
A Lino, is ablative case, by Linus.
Erudiebatur, is passive, ‘he was instructed’.
Huic arti is dative, ‘to this art’.
Obiurgo, -iurgare, -avi, -atus, means to, chide, scold, reproach it is imperfect to show that Linus was constantly scolding Hercules over a period of time.
Omnibus viribus is ablative meaning ‘with all his strength’.
Ictu, ablative, ‘by the blow’.
E vita excessit, he died or litterally, he departed from life, from excedo, -cedere, -cessí, -cessus, go out or forth, depart.
c)
Note: This section is not translated into idiomatic English but is intended, together with the notes, to give you the gist of the meaning; you can then come up with your own improved translation.

Herculés á pueró corpus suum díligenter exercébat;
From a boy Hercules assiduously exercised his body;

mágnam partem diéí in palaestrá cónsúmébat;
a large part of his day was taken up in the gym;

didicit etiam arcum intendere et téla conicere.
As he learned to draw a bow and throw a spear.

Hís exercitátiónibus vírés éius cónfírmátae sunt.
These exercises fortified his strength.

In músicá etiam á Linó centauró érudiébátur
And he was even instructed in music by Linus.

(centaurí autem equí erant sed caput hominis habébant);
(moreover the centaurs were horses but had the head of a man);

huic tamen artí minus díligenter studébat.
To this art however he gave less studious attention.

Híc Linus Herculem ólim obiúrgábat,
This Linus once scolded Hercules,

quod nón studiósus erat;
because he was not studious;

tum puer írátus citharam subitó rapuit,
when the angry boy suddenly snatched the lyre,

et omnibus víribus caput magistrí ínfélícis percussit.
And with all his strengh struck the head of the unfortunate teacher.

Ille íctú próstrátus est, et pauló post é vítá excessit,
He was prostrated by the blow and a short time afterwards he departed this life.

neque quisquam posteá id officium suscipere voluit.
Nor did anyone afterwards want to undertake this duty.

d) The following section is as a) but without the stress marks for you to copy and: i) to see if you can put the stress marks in yourself ; ii) provide your own translation.

Hercules a puero corpus suum diligenter exercebat;
magnam partem diei in palaestra consumebat;
didicit etiam arcum intendere et tela conicere.
His exercitationibus vires eius confirmatae sunt.
In musica etiam a Lino centauro erudiebatur
(centauri autem equi erant sed caput hominis habebant);
huic tamen arti minus diligenter studebat.
Hic Linus Herculem olim obiurgabat,
quod non studiosus erat;
tum puer iratus citharam subito rapuit,
et omnibus viribus caput magistri infelicis percussit.
Ille ictu prostratus est,
et paulo post e vita excessit,
 neque quisquam postea id officium suscipere voluit.