38 RITCHIE’S FABULAE FACILES TRANSLATION - HERCULES 38 - TENTH LABOUR: THE OXEN OF GERYON

HERCULES 38 - TENTH LABOUR: THE OXEN OF GERYON

a)Tum véró missus est Herculés ad ínsulam Erythíam, ut bovés Géryonis arcesseret. Rés erat summae difficultátis, quod bovés á quódam Eurytióne et á cane bicipite custódiébantur. Ipse autem Géryón speciem horribilem praebébat; tria enim corpora inter sé coniúncta habébat. Herculés tamen etsí intellegébat quantum perículum esset, negótium suscépit; ac postquam per multás terrás iter fécit, ad eam partem Libyae pervénit quae Európae proxima est. Ibi in utróque lítore fretí quod Európam á Libyá dívidit columnás cónstituit, quae posteá Herculis Columnae appellábantur.


b)

Some words have been chosen for special consideration and are listed below. For the words not included in this list please refer to the WORDLIST in PAGES TOP RIGHT SIDE BAR.

ut ... arcesseret – imperfect subjunctive, third person singular, of arcesso, -ere, -ívi, -ítus,to call, summon, fetch, meaning therefore ‘in order that he might fetch’

Geryonis – genitive case of the third declension name Geryon, indicating possession, the cattle ‘of Geryon’.

summae difficultatis – genitive case ‘of the utmost difficulty’.

custodiebantur – third person plural imperfect indicative passive of the verb custodio, ire, ivi, itus , meaning ‘they were guarded’; notice also a before the agents doing the guarding in the ablative case – a Eutrytione, a cane.

a quodam Eurytione – ‘by a certain Eurytion’, when a person is the agent, the ablative is preceded by the preposition ‘a’, as it is here; the noun is third declension Eurytion –ionis m. preceded by the indefinite adjective quidam ‘a certain’. (see GRAMMAR NOTES left sidebar under PAGES).

inter se -  'to one another.'

quantum periculum esset – quantum here is a signal word for an indirect question, the direct form of the question would be “Quantum perculum est? How great is the danger. Indirect – ‘he knew how great the danger was’. It therefore requires the.verb to be in the subjunctive, esset.

per multas terras – the preposition per ‘through’ followed by accusative plural of terra, land, with an agreeing adjective multas, which together mean ‘many lands’.

in utroque lítore -  'on each shore,' or 'on both shores.'

freti – genitive of fretum, neuter noun of the second declension meaning: ‘of the strait’.

constituit – he set together, he set up, third person singular perfect indicative active of constituo, -stituere, -stituí, -stitutus, set together or up; appoint; determine

Herculis columnae – genitive of Hercules with nominative plural of columna meaning therefore ‘the columns of Hercules’. The ancients believed that the Rock of Gibraltar was the pillar set up by Hercules on the European side.

appellabantur - third person plural imperfect indicative passive of appello, -are, meaning therefore 'they were called', or 'they used to be called.' 

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.

Tum vero missus est Hercules ad insulam Erythiam,

And then Hercules was sent to the island of Erythia

ut boves Geryonis arcesseret.

in order to fetch the cattle of Geryon.

Res erat summae difficultatis,

The matter was extremely difficult,

quod boves a quodam Eurytione

because the cattle, by a certain Eurytion

et a cane bicipite custodiebantur.

and a two-headed dog, were guarded.

Ipse autem Geryon speciem horribilem praebebat;

Geryon himself however presented a horrible sight

tria enim corpora inter se coniuncta habebat.

for he had three bodies joined to one another.

Hercules tamen etsi intellegebat quantum periculum esset,

Hercules however although he knew how great the danger was,

negotium suscepit;

undertook the business;

ac postquam per multas terras iter fecit,

and after he journeyed through many lands

ad eam partem Libyae pervenit

he reached that part of Libya

quae Europae proxima est.

which is nearest to Europe.

Ibi in utroque litore freti

there on both shores of the strait

quod Europam a Libya dividit columnas constituit,

which divides Europe from Libya he stood up columns,

quae postea Herculis Columnae appellabantur.

which afterwards were called the Columns of Hercules.

d) The following section is for you to copy and translate.

Tum vero missus est Hercules

ad insulam Erythiam,

ut boves Geryonis arcesseret.

Res erat summae difficultatis,

quod boves a quodam Eurytione

et a cane bicipite custodiebantur.

Ipse autem Geryon speciem horribilem praebebat;

tria enim corpora inter se coniuncta habebat.

Hercules tamen etsi intellegebat

quantum periculum esset,

negotium suscepit;

ac postquam per multas terras iter fecit,

ad eam partem Libyae pervenit

quae Europae proxima est.

Ibi in utroque litore freti

quod Europam a Libya dividit

columnas constituit, quae postea

Herculis Columnae appellabantur.