a)This vase painting depicts Hercules killing Busiris.
Dé Hercule haec etiam inter alia nárrantur.
Ólim dum iter facit, in fínís Aegyptiórum vénit.
Ibi réx quídam, nómine Búsíris, illó tempore régnábat;
híc autem vir crúdélissimus hominés immoláre cónsuéverat.
Herculem igitur corripuit et in vincula coniécit.
Tum núntiós dímísit et diem sacrifició édíxit.
Mox ea diés appetébat, et omnia ríte paráta sunt.
Manús Herculis caténís ferreís vinctae sunt,
et mola salsa in caput éius ínspersa est.
Mós enim erat apud antíquós salem
et fár capitibus victimárum impónere.
Iam victima ad áram stábat;
iam sacerdós cultrum súmpserat.
Subitó tamen Herculés mágnó cónátú
vincula perrúpit; tum íctú sacerdótem próstrávit;
alteró régem ipsum occídit.
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. Points of grammar can be found in alphabetical order in ESSENTIAL GRAMMAR NOTES, also to be found in PAGES TOP RIGHT SIDE BAR.
Haec – these things. We know it is not feminine singular ‘this thing’ as it goes with the plural verb ‘narrantur’ meaning ‘they are told’.
dum iter facit - literally 'while he is making a journey' as dum is followed by a present tense even when the sense requires a past tense, so we might translate as 'when he was making a journey'.
Finis – finis can mean end, and boundary; in the plural it often means ‘territory’.
Inter alia – an expression we use today straight from the Latin, ‘amongst other things’.
Olim – once, or once upon a time.
Iter facere – means to travel, or journey; notice present tense after dum whereas we would use a past tense in English.
Crudelissimus – is a superlative adjective meaning ‘most cruel’ or ‘very cruel’.
Consueverat – this is the pluperfect tense from the verb con-suesco, -suescere, -sueví, -suetus, which means to become accustomed; in tenses of completed action it means to have become accustomed, be accustomed or wont.
Corripuit – perfect tense from the verb corripio, -ripere, -ripui, -reptus [com- + rapió], seize, snatch, snatch up meaning here ‘he seized’.
Diem edixit – from die edere, to announce the date.
Appetebat – imperfect tense of appeto, -petere, -petiví, -petítus [ad + peto], to draw near, approach.
Rite – an adverb meaning duly, fitly, correctly.
Mola salsa - mola, -ae f. means meal, and salsus, -a, -um, means salted, (from sal, salt. n.), so together they mean ‘salted meal’ which refers to the Roman custom of sprinkling salted meal over the victim before being sacrificed.
Far, farris, n. – is another name for meal, or grain.
Sumpserat – pluperfect from the verb sumo, sumere, sumpsí, sumptus [sub + emo], to take under or up, take.
Culter, cultri, m. - knife.
Magno conatu – ablative of conatus, -us m., attempt, effort, from the verb conor, meaning with a great effort.
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.
Dé Hercule haec etiam inter alia nárrantur.
These things are often told, amongst still other things, about Hercules.
Ólim dum iter facit, in fínís Aegyptiórum vénit.
Once while he was journeying, he came into the territory of he Egyptians.
Ibi réx quídam, nómine Búsíris, illó tempore régnábat;
Here a certain king, called Busiris, was reigning at that time;
híc autem vir crúdélissimus hominés immoláre cónsuéverat.
This very cruel man however was accustomed to sacrifice men.
Herculem igitur corripuit et in vincula coniécit.
And so he seized Hercules and threw him in chains.
Tum núntiós dímísit et diem sacrifició édíxit.
Then he sent messengers out and announced the day for the sacrifice.
Mox ea diés appetébat, et omnia ríte paráta sunt.
Soon the day was drawing near and everything was correctly prepared
Manús Herculis caténís ferreís vinctae sunt,
Hercules hands were bound by iron chains,
et mola salsa in caput éius ínspersa est.
and salted meal was sprinkled on his head.
Mós enim erat apud antíquós
For it was the custom with the ancients
salem et fár capitibus victimárum impónere.
To put salt and meal on the heads of the victims.
Iam victima ad áram stábat;
Now the victim was standing at the altar;
iam sacerdós cultrum súmpserat.
Now the priest had taken up the knife
Subitó tamen Herculés mágnó cónátú
Suddenly however, Hercules with a great effort
vincula perrúpit; tum íctú sacerdótem próstrávit;
broke his chains; then laid low the priest with a blow;
alteró régem ipsum occídit.
And with another (blow) killed the king himself.
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 long vowel marks in yourself ; ii) provide your own translation.
De Hercule haec etiam inter alia narrantur.
Olim dum iter facit, in finis Aegyptiorum venit.
Ibi rex quidam, nomine Busiris, illo tempore regnabat; hic autem vir crudelissimus homines immolare consueverat. Herculem igitur corripuit et in vincula coniecit. Tum nuntios dimisit et diem sacrificio edixit. Mox ea dies appetebat, et omnia rite parata sunt. Manus Herculis catenis ferreis vinctae sunt, et mola salsa in caput eius inspersa est. Mos enim erat apud antiquos salem et far capitibus victimarum imponere. Iam victima ad aram stabat; iam sacerdos cultrum sumpserat. Subito tamen Hercules magno conatu vincula perrupit; tum ictu sacerdotem prostravit;
altero regem ipsum occidit.
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