RITCHIE'S FABULAE FACILES RITCHIE'S SIMPLE STORIES: 49 RITCHIE’S FABULAE FACILES TRANSLATION - HERCULES 49 - TWELFTH LABOUR: CERBERUS THE THREE-HEADED DOG

HERCULES 49 - TWELFTH LABOUR: CERBERUS THE THREE-HEADED DOG

THIS PICTURE SHOWS DETAIL FROM A SCULPTURE OF HADES AND CERBERUS (from Wikipedia Commons)

AND THIS IS FROM A PAINTING BY WILLIAM BLAKE - I can't decide if I think he is hideous or cartoon-style funny. (Picture from Wikipedia Commons)

a) Postquam aurea póma ad Eurystheum reláta sunt, únus modo relinquébátur é duodecim labóribus quós Pýthia Herculí praecéperat. Eurystheus autem cum Herculem mágnopere timéret, eum in aliquem locum mittere volébat unde numquam redíre posset. Negótium igitur eí dedit ut canem Cerberum ex Orcó in lúcem traheret. Hóc opus omnium difficillimum erat, némó enim umquam ex Orcó redierat. Praetereá Cerberus iste mónstrum erat horribilí specié, cui tria erant capita serpentibus saevís cincta. Antequam tamen dé hóc labóre nárrámus, nón aliénum vidétur, quoniam dé Orcó mentiónem fécimus, pauca dé eá regióne própónere.

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.

aurea poma – golden apples, this is plural as poma is nominative plural of the neuter noun pomum, -i, n., fruit, apple; relata sunt agrees with poma.

unus ... e duodecim laboribus – with unus the ablative with ex or de is commonly used instead of the partitive genitive to mean ‘one out of the twelve labours’.

modo – here it is the adverb ‘only’.

relinquebatur – this is the third person imperfect passive of the third conjugation verb relinquo, -linquere, -liqui, -lictus, leave behind, leave, so it means, ‘it was left, it was remaining’.

Pythia Herculi praeceperat – praeceperat – he/she had ordered, third person singular pluperfect of the verb praecipio, -cipere, -cepi, -ceptus which governs the dative case so we have Herculi . Pythia you will remember is the oracle who ordered Hercules to carry out the labours asked of him by Eursytheus.

cum ... timeret – cum followed by imperfect subjunctive, ‘since he feared’.

in aliquem locum – accusative as motion into another place is implied.

numquam redire posset – imperfect subjunctive ‘posset,’ he might never be able to come back.

negotium – neuter noun can mean business, also as here, task.

ut .. in lucem traheret – that he bring drag/bring into the light/daylight.

ex Orco – ex followed by ablative of Orcus, masculine noun of the second declension, meaning therefore ‘from Orcus, from the underworld.

omnium difficillimum – ommnium is partitive genitive ‘of all’ followed by difficillimum , superlative adjective ‘most difficult’ neuter as it refers to the neuter third declension noun ‘opus’.

redierat – third person singular pluperfect of the verb redire, return meaning therefore ‘had returned’.

praeterea - adverb, besides this, besides, moreover.

horribili specie - 'of terrible appearance.' ablative of description. A noun never stands alone in this construction.

cui erant tria capita – literally ‘to whom there were three heads’ but we would probably say ‘who had three heads.

cincta – past participle of the verb cingo, cingere, cinxi, cinctus, surround, being used as an adjective and therefore agreeing with the neuter plural third declension noun capita, ‘three heads surrounded’.

serpentibus saevis – ablative plural ‘with fierce snakes’.

narramus – the present is being used here with antequam to express future action, as in English with ‘before’, ‘before we nárrámus. The present is sometimes used with antequam to express future action, as in English with 'before.

de hoc labore – de followed by ablative meaning ‘concerning, about this labour’.

non alienum videtur – it does not seem out of place.

pauca – a few things.

proponere - infinitive of the third conjugation verb propono, -ponere, -posui, -positus, put or set before, offer, propose; set forth, or as here simply say.

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.

Postquam aurea poma

After the golden apples

ad Eurystheum relata sunt,

were taken back to Eurystheus

unus modo relinquebatur

only one was remaining

e duodecim laboribus

out of the twelve labours

quos Pythia Herculi praeceperat.

which Pythia had ordered Hercules (to do).

Eurystheus autem cum Herculem magnopere timeret,

Eurystheus however, since he greatly feared Hercules,

eum in aliquem locum mittere volebat

wanted to send him into another place

unde numquam redire posset.

from where he could never return.

Negotium igitur ei dedit

Therefore he gave him the task

ut canem Cerberum ex Orco in lucem traheret.

to bring the dog Cerberus out of Orcus into the daylight.

Hoc opus omnium difficillimum erat,

this task was the most difficult of all,

nemo enim umquam ex Orco redierat.

for no one had ever returned from Orcus.

Praeterea Cerberus iste monstrum

Moreover this monster Cerberus

erat horribili specie,

was of horrible appearance,

cui tria erant capita

he had three heads

serpentibus saevis cincta.

surrounded with fierce snakes.

Antequam tamen de hoc labore narramus,

But before we speak about this labour,

non alienum videtur,

it seems not out of place,

quoniam de Orco mentionem fecimus,

since we have mentioned Orcus,

pauca de ea regione proponere.

to say a few things about that region.

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