RITCHIE'S FABULAE FACILES RITCHIE'S SIMPLE STORIES: 37 RITCHIE’S FABULAE FACILES TRANSLATION - HERCULES 37

HERCULES 37 - THE RESCUE OF HESIONE

THIS IS A MEDIEVAL PAINTING SHOWING THE RESCUE OF HESIONE BY HERCULES

a)
Láomedón, cum hóc respónsum renúntiátum esset, mágnum dolórem percépit; sed tamen, ut cívís suós tantó perículó líberáret, óráculó párére cónstituit et diem sacrifició díxit. Sed síve cású síve cónsilió deórum Herculés tempore opportúnissimó Tróiam attigit; ipsó enim temporis punctó quó puella caténís vincta ad lítus dédúcébátur ille návem appulit. Herculés é náví égressus dé rébus quae gerébantur certior factus est; tum írá commótus ad régem sé contulit et auxilium suum obtulit. Cum réx libenter eí concessisset ut, sí posset, puellam líberáret, Herculés mónstrum interfécit; et puellam, quae iam omnem spem salútis déposuerat, incolumem ad patrem redúxit. Láomedón mágnó cum gaudió fíliam suam accépit, et Herculí pró tantó benefició meritam grátiam rettulit.
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.

cum - introducing a clause in the past tense requires the verb to be in the subjunctive as here with esset

percepit – ‘felt’, from percipió, -cipere, -cépí, -ceptus.

ut ... liberaret – ‘in order to ..... free’ ut here introduces a purpose clause, which takes the subjunctive.

oraculo parere – oraculo is dative of oraculum as it follows parere which takes the dative.

sacrificio – this is dative of purpose ‘for the sacrifice’.

ipso temporis punctó quo – literally at the very point of time in which’ more likely translated as 'at the very moment when.'

sive ... sive – conjunction ‘whether ... or whether’.

casu – adverb, ‘by chance, accidentally’.

consilio – ablative of consilium, ‘by design, by strategem, by purpose’.

attigit – perfect tense of attingo, -tingere, -tigi, -tactus, ‘to touch at’, ‘to reach’.

deducebatur – imperfect passive of deducere, ‘she was led out, or led down’.

egressus. - The perfect participle of deponent verbs is active in meaning, ‘when he had

de rebus quae gerebantur – de, preposition meaning ‘concerning’ or ‘about’ is followed by the ablative, which here is plural of res, so meaning ‘about the things’; quae, relative pronoun meaning ‘which’ referring to rebus and is therefore feminine plural in the nominative case as it is the subject of gerebantur; gerebantur, passive plural imperfect indicative meaning ‘they were being done’ which all together means something like: ‘about the things which were being done’ or ‘what was going on’.

certior factus est – certior is the comparative of certus –a –um the adjective meaning certain, determined, fixed and so this phrase means ‘he was made more certain’ or more idiomatically ‘he was informed’.

se contulit – from se conferre meaning ‘to betake oneself, to make one’s way’.

auxilium suum obtulit – obtulit is the perfect third person singular indicative of the verb offero, offerre, obtulí, oblatus, meaning to offer, proffer, present, bestow, so this means ‘he offered his help’.

cum rex ei concessisset ut puellam libaret – cum meaning ‘since’ or ‘when’ the king to him (dative of is) permitted that he might free (imperfect subjunctive) the girl.

si posset – if he could, imperfect subjunctive third person singular ‘if he could’; the subjunctive is used because this is an instance of indirect discourse; the words of the king are quoted indirectly, he would have said ‘si potes etc.’ ‘if you can etc.’

puellam ... quae ... spem salutis deposerat – the girl who had given up hope of safety; quae is the relative pronoun, it is feminine to agree with puellam but is in the nominative case (not the accusative) as it is the subject of the verb in its clause, deposerat.

ad patrem – we have put ‘to her father’ though there is no word for her because Latin often leaves out possessive adjectives (my, your, her, his, their) when it is obvious from the context whose ‘something’ we are talking about as here it is quite obvious that Hercules is returning the girl to her father and not to someone else’s father.

gratiam rettulit – third person singular perfect of gratiam referre, ‘to show gratitude’.

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.

Laomedon, cum hoc responsum renuntiatum esset,

when this answer was announced to Laomedon

magnum dolorem percepit;

he felt great sadness

sed tamen, ut civis suos tanto periculo liberaret,

however, in order to free his citizens from such danger,

oraculo parere constituit et diem sacrificio dixit.

he resolved to obey the oracle and announced the day of the sacrifice.

Sed sive casu sive consilio deorum

But whether by chance or by design of the gods

Hercules tempore opportunissimo Troiam attigit;

at the most opportune time Hercules reached Troy;

ipso enim temporis puncto quo puella

for at the very moment when the girl

catenis vincta ad litus deducebatur

bound in chains was led to the shore

ille navem appulit. Hercules e navi egressus

he drew in his ship. Hercules left the ship

de rebus quae gerebantur certior factus est;

was informed of what was going on;

tum ira commotus ad regem se contulit

then moved by anger he made his way to the king

et auxilium suum obtulit.

and offered his help

Cum rex libenter ei concessisset ut,

since the king gladly allowed that

si posset, puellam liberaret,

if he could, he might free the girl,

Hercules monstrum interfecit;

Hercules killed the monster;

et puellam, quae iam omnem spem salutis deposuerat,

and the girl, who had already given up all hope of safety,

incolumem ad patrem reduxit.

he brought back safe to her father.

Laomedon magno cum gaudio filiam suam accepit,

Laomedon received his daughter with great joy,

et Herculi pro tanto beneficio meritam gratiam rettulit.

and to Hercules, for such great kindness, he showed deserved gratitude.

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

Laomedon, cum hoc responsum renuntiatum esset,