THIS IVORY STATUE IS OF HERCULES AND ATLAS; HERCULES IS TAKING THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD UPON HIS SHOULDERS. a)
Atlás autem Herculí máximé pródesse potuit; ille enim cum ipse esset pater Hesperidum, certó scívit quó in locó esset hortus. Postquam igitur audívit quam ob causam Herculés vénisset, "Ipse," inquit, "ad hortum íbó et fíliábus meís persuádébó ut póma suá sponte trádant." Herculés cum haec audíret, mágnopere gávísus est; vim enim adhibére nóluit, sí rés aliter fierí posset. Cónstituit igitur oblátum auxilium accipere. Atlás tamen postulávit ut, dum ipse abesset, Herculés caelum umerís sustinéret. Hóc autem negótium Herculés libenter suscépit, et quamquam rés erat summí labóris, tótum pondus caelí continuós complúrís diés sólus sustinébat.
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. If you need help with points of grammar raised in today's excerpt, consult ESSENTIAL GRAMMAR NOTES also top right side bar.
c)
prodesse – the infinitive of the verb prosum, prodesse,profui which means to be of advantage, profit, avail, assist, takes the dative.
ille –pronoun nominative masc singular ‘he’; when the subordinate and the main clause of a Latin sentence have the same subject, as here, the subject usually stands first followed by the subordinate clause, ;for he, since he etc.’
certo – adverb, ‘certainly, surely.’
esset – imperfect subjunctive, third personal singular, of the verb sum, esse, fui, the subjunctive is used after cum, meaning since or when, when introducing a clause in the past tense ‘ where the garden was’ or ‘where the garden might be’.
quo in loco – ablative ‘in which place’, the preposition is sandwiched between the noun and relative adjective.
venisset – pluperfect subjunctive third person singular ‘he had come’ as this is an indirect question meaning ‘why he had come’.
inquit – this verb is used with direct quotations and is in the historical present.
filiabus – the dative and ablative plural of filia is filiabus to avoid confusion with the plural of filius which is filis. This also happens with the dative and ablative plural of dea – goddess to avoid confusion with dative and ablative plural of deus.
filiabus meis – these words are in the dative as the verb persuadeo governs the dative case.
ut poma ... tradant – when we see ut introducing a clause we are always on the lookout for a result or purpose clause which require that the verb is in the subjunctiive; here the we have a result clause ‘that they hand over’ and the verb is in therefore in the present subjunctive plural of the verb tradere.
sponte sua – of his/her/thier own accord, voluntarily. Sponte, comes from the ablative of the third declension feminine noun spons, spontis, meaning free will and is often used with mea, tua, or sua, to mean ‘of my, your, his/her/their own accord.’
haec audiret – literally ‘was hearing these things’, the verb is in the imperfect subjunctive, third person singular, ‘he was hearing’ as it follows cum in a clause in the past tense.
oblatum auxilium – oblatum past participle as an adjective from offero, offerre, obtuli, oblatus , bear to, proffer, offer with neuter noun of the second declension auxilium i, together meaning ‘the offered help.’
adhibere – infinitive of the verb adhibeo, -hibere, -hibui, -hibitus, hold to, employ, show.
aliter - adverb, ‘in another way, otherwise, differently’.
dum ipse abesset – this is an example of indirect discourse after the verb ‘postulavit -he demanded’ that ‘while he was away’ and therefore the verb must be in the subjunctive, here it is third person singular imperfect subjunctive of abesse, be away, be absent.
umeris – this is ablative plural of the second declension noun umerus, -í, m., shoulder and means something like ‘with his shoulders’ (remember that Latin often leaves out his, her etc. especially with parts of the body) but we would probably say ‘on his shoulders’.
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.
Atlas autem Herculi maxime prodesse potuit;
Now Atlas could be very useful to Hercules;
ille enim cum ipse esset pater Hesperidum,
for he, since he himself was the father of the Hesperidies,
certo scivit quo in loco esset hortus.
cerainly knew where the garden was.
Postquam igitur audivit
Therefore after he heard
quam ob causam Hercules venisset,
for what reason Hercules venisset,
"Ipse," inquit, "ad hortum ibo
“I myself,” he says “will go to the garden”
et filiabus meis persuadebo
and I will persuade my daughters
ut poma sua sponte tradant."
to hand over the apples of their own accord.
Hercules cum haec audiret,
When Hercules heard this,
magnopere gavisus est;
he rejoiced greatly;
vim enim adhibere noluit,
for he did not want to use force,
si res aliter fieri posset.
if the matter could be accomplished differently.
Constituit igitur oblatum auxilium accipere.
He resolved therefore to accept the proffered help.
Atlas tamen postulavit ut, dum ipse abesset,
Atlas however demanded that while he himself was absent,
Hercules caelum umeris sustineret.
Hercules was to hold the sky on his shoulders.
Hoc autem negotium Hercules libenter suscepit,
Now this task Hercules willingly undertook,
et quamquam res erat summi laboris,
and although it was very hard work,
totum pondus caeli continuos compluris dies solus sustinebat.
he bore alone the whole weight of the sky for several days
d) The following section is for you to copy and translate.
Atlas autem Herculi maxime prodesse potuit;
ille enim cum ipse esset pater Hesperidum,
certo scivit quo in loco esset hortus.
Postquam igitur audivit
quam ob causam Hercules venisset,
"Ipse," inquit, "ad hortum ibo
et filiabus meis persuadebo
ut poma sua sponte tradant."
Hercules cum haec audiret,
magnopere gavisus est;
vim enim adhibere noluit,
si res aliter fieri posset.
Constituit igitur oblatum auxilium accipere.
Atlas tamen postulavit ut,
dum ipse abesset,
Hercules caelum umeris sustineret.
Hoc autem negotium
Hercules libenter suscepit,
et quamquam res erat summi laboris,
totum pondus caeli
continuos compluris dies solus sustinebat.
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