RITCHIE'S FABULAE FACILES RITCHIE'S SIMPLE STORIES: 80 RITCHIE’S FABULAE FACILES TRANSLATION – THE ARGONAUTS 80

THE ARGONAUTS 80. - MEDEA KILLS HER SONS

This is the last ‘episode’ in the sad story of Medea and Jason. I shall be taking a break till the New Year when we will continue with Ulysses.

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THIS PICTURE OF A PAINTING OF MEDEA AND HER SONS BY EUGENE DELACROIX (1865) CAN BE SEEN AT THE LOUVRE IN PARIS. (Pic from Wiki commons).

a) Vix vestem induerat Glaucé cum dolórem gravem per omnia membra sénsit, et pauló post crúdélí cruciátú adfecta é vítá excessit. Hís rébus gestís Médéa furóre atque ámentiá impulsa fíliós suós necávit; tum mágnum sibi fore perículum arbitráta sí in Thessaliá manéret, ex eá regióne fugere cónstituit. Hóc cónstitútó sólem órávit ut in tantó perículó auxilium sibi praebéret. Sól autem hís precibus commótus currum mísit cui erant iúnctí dracónés álís ínstrúctí. Médéa nón omittendam tantam occásiónem arbitráta currum ascendit, itaque per áera vecta incolumis ad urbem Athénás pervénit. Iásón ipse breví tempore míró modó occísus est. Accidit síve cású síve cónsilió deórum ut sub umbrá návis suae, quae in lítus subducta erat, dormíret. Mox návis, quae adhúc érécta steterat, in eam partem ubi Iásón iacébat subitó délapsa virum ínfélícem oppressit.

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.

induerat – pluperfect active of induere, ‘she had put on’.

per omnia – per the preposition per is followed by the accusative case, here the accusative plural of membrum, neuter noun second declension.

paulo post – a little after

e vita excessit – literally ‘out of life she went away’ but we would probably say ‘she passed away’.

his rebus gestis – ablative phrase, literally ‘these things done/carried out’. in the sense of ‘when these things had been accomplished/done’.

furore atque amentia – words which are close in meaning are often joined by atque as here, literally this phrase means ‘with irage and with madness’ but we might say something like, ‘in a mad rage’.

tum magnum sibi fore periculum arbitrata - literally: ‘then great to herself going to be the danger thinking’ ; the past participle of deponent verbs is used in an active sense here.

ex ea regione – out of this region, the preposition e meaning ‘out of, away’ becomes ex before a vowel and is followed by the ablative.

hoc constituto – ablative absolute phrase meaning something ‘this decided upon’ or ‘when she had resolved to do this’.

ut ... auxilium sibi praeberet – literally ‘that ...help to her he might supply’.

his precibus commotus – ablative pl of hic agreeing with ablative plural of the third declension feminine noun prex, precis, followed by the past participle commotus , which when you put it altogether means literally ‘by these prayers having been moved’

per aera vecta – literally ‘through the air transported’; the preposition per takes the accusative so you might have thought that aera should have ended in m but aer is one of those many words taken from Greek which retains its Greek accusative ending ‘a’.

ad urbem Athenas – the preposition ad is followed by the accusative case; notice that Athens is a plural feminine noun; notice also that whereas we say ‘the city OF Athens’ this is expressed in Latin as ‘the city Athens’.

Iason ipse – the ipse is included for emphasis, ‘Jason himself’.

brevi tempore – ablative of time ‘in a short time’.

miro modo – ablative of manner ‘in a marvelous/strange/amazing way’.

accidit – ‘it happened’ or ‘it came to pass’.

sive ... sive ... – either ... or, whether ... or ...

casu ... consilio – ablatives of cause, ‘whether by chance ... or by design (i.e. having planned it).

sub umbra – the preposition sub meaning under is followed by the ablative here umbra which means ‘in the shade/shadow’ followed by the genitive of the third declension feminine noun navis which is the same as the nominative.which is one of the family of parasyllabic i-stem nouns (see Grammar Notes right sidebar).

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.

Dont’ forget this is a GIST Translation intended to give you an idea of what the words mean and the lines marked with * in particular need to be reworked to sound like ‘proper’ English.

Vix vestem induerat Glauce

Glauce had hardly put on the dress

cum dolorem gravem

when a serious pain

per omnia membra sensit,

throughout all her limbs she felt,*

et paulo post crudeli cruciatu adfecta

and a little after by a cruel torture having been afflicted*

e vita excessit.

she passed away.

His rebus gestis

When these things had been accomplished

Medea furore atque amentia impulsa

Medea, driven into a mad rage

filios suos necavit;

killed her own children;

tum magnum sibi fore periculum arbitrata

then thinking that she was going to be in great danger

si in Thessalia maneret,

if she were to remain in Thessaly,

ex ea regione fugere constituit.

to flee from the region she decided.

Hoc constituto solem oravit

When she had decided this she prayed to the sun

ut in tanto periculo auxilium sibi praeberet.

that in such great danger help to her might supply *

Sol autem his precibus commotus

Now the sun, moved by these prayers

currum misit cui erant iuncti

sent a chariot to which were joined

dracones alis instructi.

dragons equipped with wings

Medea non omittendam tantam occasionem

Medea not neglecting such a great opportunity

arbitrata currum ascendit,

decided to climb onto the chariot,

itaque per aera vecta incolumis

and so through the air was carried safely

ad urbem Athenas pervenit.

and reached the city of Athens.

Iason ipse brevi tempore

Jason himself in a short time

miro modo occisus est.

in a marvelous way.

Accidit sive casu sive consilio deorum

It happened whether by chance or by design of the gods

ut sub umbra navis suae,

that in the shade of his ship,

quae in litus subducta erat, dormiret.

which on to the shore had been hauled, he was sleeping.

Mox navis, quae adhuc erecta steterat,

Soon the ship, which till now had remained upright,

in eam partem ubi Iason iacebat

on to that place where Jason was lying

subito delapsa virum infelicem oppressit.

suddenly collapsed down, (and) fell down on the unfortuante man.

d) The following section is for you to copy and compose your own improved translation.