RITCHIE’S FABULAE FACILES TRANSLATION - HERCULES 30 - SEVENTH LABOUR: THE CRETAN BULL
a)
Tum Eurystheus Herculí imperávit ut taurum quendam ferócissimum ex ínsulá Crétá vívum referret. Ille igitur návem cónscendit, et cum ventus idóneus esset, statim solvit. Cum tamen ínsulae iam appropinquáret, tanta tempestás subitó coorta est ut návis cursum tenére nón posset. Tantus autem timor animós nautárum occupávit ut paene omnem spem salútis dépónerent. Herculés tamen, etsí návigandí imperítus erat, haudquáquam territus est.
Post breve tempus summa tranquillitás cónsecúta est, et nautae, quí sé ex timóre iam recéperant, návem incolumem ad terram appulérunt. Herculés é náví égressus est, et cum ad régem Crétae vénisset, causam veniendí docuit. Deinde, postquam omnia paráta sunt, ad eam regiónem contendit quam taurus vástábat. Mox taurum vídit, et quamquam rés erat mágní perículí, cornua éius prehendit. Tum, cum ingentí labóre mónstrum ad návem tráxisset, cum praedá in Graeciam rediit.
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.
Herculi imperavit – notice here that imperavit ‘he orders’ takes the dative case so we have Herculi, dative of Hercules, gen Hercules third declension masculine noun. It may help to think of the verb imperare as meaning ‘to give orders to’.
Ut …. referret – that he should bring back, imperfect subjunctive after imperavit.
Creta – Latin says ‘the island Crete’ (i.e. Creta, nominative case in apposition with island)whereas in English we would say ‘the island of Crete
Cum ventus esset – ‘When the wind was …’ or ‘since the wind was …’etc. The subjunctive is used in clauses introduced by cum meaning ‘when’ or ‘since’ in the past. It may express the reason for the action of the main verb.
Insulae apropinquaret – insulae is dative of insula, feminine noun of the first declension, and it is in the dative case as apropinquare is a compound verb formed from the contraction of the preposition ad with propinquare meaning to get closer to i.e. approach. Appropinquaret is the imperfect subjunctive of appropinquare. As we have seen elsewhere, the imperfect and pluperfect tenses of the subjunctive are used with cum, 'when,' to describe the circumstances of the action of the main verb.
Tantus timor … ut – as above we have the signal word tantus ‘so great’ … followed by ut ‘that’ with a result clause containing a verb in the subjunctive, deponerent, ‘that they relinquished, gave up etc.’
navigandi imperitus - 'ignorant of navigation,' or as we have translated here 'inexperienced in sailing.' Navigandi is the genitive of the gerund of navigare. As we have seen before the genitive of the gerund is used after some adjectives including peritus and its opposite imperitus.
Se … receperant – we have not translated the se here as it reflexive and refers to the sailors recovering themselves, i.e. regaining their spirits etc. as opposed to recovering anyone else but there is no confusion in English.
Cum … venisset – cum, conjunction meaning ‘when’ introducting a subordinate clause in the past takes subjunctive, ‘when he had come’.
Causam veniendi docuit – gerund in the genitive again ‘of coming’ following causam, ‘the cause’ meaning literally he taught (him) the reason of (his) coming.
Res erat magni periculi – literally ‘the thing/matter was of great danger’.
Cornua eius – ‘the horns of him’ i.e. ‘his horns’.
Cum ingenti labore – this means ‘when, with a great effort’ ingenti labore being ablative of manner without the preposition but you might say, how do we know that the cum at the beginning is not the preposition ‘with’? The verb traxisset being pluperfect subjunctive ‘he had dragged’ indicates that the cum in this instance is the conjunction ‘when, or since’ introducing a subordinate clause in the past.
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 Eurystheus Herculi imperavit
Then Eurystheus ordered Hercules
ut taurum quendam ferocissimum ex insula Creta vivum referret.
To bring back alive a certain very fierce bull from the island of Crete
Ille igitur navem conscendit,
He therefore boarded a ship,
et cum ventus idoneus esset, statim solvit.
and when the wind was suitable, set sail at once.
Cum tamen insulae iam appropinquaret,
When however he was getting near to the island,
such a great storm suddenly arose
ut navis cursum tenere non posset.
that the ship could not hold its course.
Tantus autem timor animos nautarum occupavit
Now such a great fear took hold of the minds of the sailors
ut paene omnem spem salutis deponerent.
that they almost gave up all hope of safety.
Hercules tamen, etsi navigandi imperitus erat,
But Hercules, was so inexperienced at sailing,
Haudquaquam territus est.
That he was not at all frightened.
Post breve tempus summa tranquillitas consecuta est,
After a short time the utmost tranquality followed,
et nautae, qui se ex timore iam receperant,
and the sailors, who had recovered from their fear,
navem incolumem ad terram appulerunt.
Brought the undamaged ship to the shore.
Hercules e navi egressus est,
Hercules left the ship,
et cum ad regem Cretae venisset,
and when he had come to the king of Crete ,
causam veniendi docuit.
he told him why he had come.
Deinde, postquam omnia parata sunt,
Then, after everything was got ready,
ad eam regionem contendit quam taurus vastabat.
He made his way to that region which the bull was laying waste.
Mox taurum vidit, et quamquam res erat magni periculi,
Soon he saw the bull, and although it was very dangerous,
cornua eius prehendit. Tum, cum ingenti labore
he grabbed his horns. Then, when with a huge effort
monstrum ad navem traxisset,
he had dragged the monster to the ship
cum praeda in Graeciam rediit.
he returned with his booty to Greece
d) The following section is as a) but without the macrons for you to copy and translate.
Tum Eurystheus Herculi imperavit ut taurum quendam ferocissimum ex insula Creta vivum referret. Ille igitur navem conscendit, et cum ventus idoneus esset, statim solvit. Cum tamen insulae iam appropinquaret, tanta
Post breve tempus summa tranquillitas consecuta est, et nautae, qui se ex timore iam receperant, navem incolumem ad terram appulerunt. Hercules e navi egressus est, et cum ad regem Cretae venisset, causam veniendi docuit. Deinde, postquam omnia parata sunt, ad eam regionem contendit quam taurus vastabat. Mox taurum vidit, et quamquam res erat magni periculi, cornua eius prehendit. Tum, cum ingenti labore monstrum ad navem traxisset, cum praeda in Graeciam rediit.
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