35 RITCHIE’S FABULAE FACILES TRANSLATION - HERCULES 35 - THE DEFEAT OF THE AMAZONS

HERCULES 35 - THE DEFEAT OF THE AMAZONS

THIS SECTION OF A VASE PAINTING DEPICTS A SCENE FROM THE BATTLE BETWEEN THE AMAZONS AND THE GREEKS.




a)

Diú et ácriter púgnátum est; tandem tamen ad sólis occásum tanta commútátió rérum facta est ut mulierés terga verterent et fugá salútem peterent. Multae autem vulneribus défessae dum fugiunt captae sunt, in quó numeró ipsa erat Hippolyté.

Herculés summam clémentiam praestitit, et postquam balteum accépit, líbertátem omnibus captívís dedit. Tum véró sociós ad mare redúxit, et quod nón multum aestátis supererat, in Graeciam proficíscí mátúrávit. Návem igitur cónscendit, et tempestátem idóneam nactus statim solvit; antequam tamen in Graeciam pervénit, ad urbem Tróiam návem appellere cónstituit, frúmentum enim quod sécum habébat iam déficere coeperat.

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.

pugnatum est – quite literally means ‘it was fought’ with the subject implied in the verb (compare with 'it is raining').  Intransitive verbs (i.e. those which don’t take a direct object) are quite often used in Latin in an impersonal way by being put into in the passive voice whereas we would prefer an active verb such as ‘they fought’ or ‘the battle raged’.

ad solis occasum – in ancient times the time of day was of course, mostly calculated by the position of the sun in the sky, so ad solis occasum meaning literally ‘towards of the sun the setting’ means not long before sunset, towards evening, early evening etc.

rerum – again res ‘the thing, the matter, the affair’ crops up, here with the sense that the way ‘things’ or ‘events’ are going has changed.

Tanta commutatio ...facta est  - tanta is one of our signal words for a following result clause, ‘such change ... that’ and there will of course be a subjunctive verb in the result clause introduced by ut, and there it is ‘vertererent’.

facta est – agreeing with commutatio ‘change’ , ‘was made’ or ‘came about’ or ‘happened’.

terga verterent – literally ‘turned they backs’. Back is in the singular as they each only have one each whereas we would say ‘turned their backs’.  We might have translated ‘fled’ but as this comes next ‘turned’ would convey what is happening quite adequately.

fuga salutem peterent – fuga ablative singular meaning ‘through flight’, or ‘by fleeing’, the verb means ‘sought’, we ask ourselves sought what? – safety, which is therefore the object and is in the accusative – salutem.

defessae – fem adj plural agreeing with multae ‘many women’ meaning worn out, exausted, a more modern rendition might be ‘done in’.

fugiunt – dum ‘whilst’ is followed by present tense ‘whille they are fleeing’, or ‘as they flee’, we would most likely translate with a past tense.

in quo numero – literally ‘in which number’ or as we would more likely say ‘amongst whom’.

aestatis supererat – careful with this, some students may confuse supererat with the verb superare, the verb to conquer, but supererat comes from superesse ‘to be over, to be left or remaining’, so now you can easily see it means literally ‘of the summer there remained’. aestatis being partitive genitive, a part of a bigger something.

non multum - notice that multum is here used as a noun.

tempestas, -tatis – feminine noun third Declension, doesn’t always mean tempest or storm, here it means weather.

nactus  - The perfect participle of a deponent verb is active in meaning so nactus from nancíscor, ‘get, obtain, find’ meaning ‘having been obtained’ etc.

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.

Diu et acriter pugnatum est;
For a long time the battle was fought bitterly;

tandem tamen ad solis occasum
at length however towards the setting of the sun

tanta commutatio rerum facta est
such a great change of events came about

ut mulieres terga verterent
that the women turned their backs

fuga salutem peterent.
and through flight sought safety.

Multae autem vulneribus defessae
However many worn out with wounds

dum fugiunt captae sunt,
while fleeing were captured

in quo numero ipsa erat Hippolyte.
amongst whom was Hippolyte herself.

Hercules summam clementiam praestitit,
Hercules showed the greatest clemency,

et postquam balteum accepit,
and after he received the  belt,

libertatem omnibus captivis dedit.
gave freedom to all the captives

Tum vero socios ad mare reduxit,
and then led the allies out to sea

et quod non multum aestatis supererat,
and since not much of the summer remained

in Graeciam proficisci maturavit.
he made haste to depart to Greece

Navem igitur conscendit,
he boarded the ship therefore

et tempestatem idoneam nactus statim solvit;
and suitable weather having arisen, set sail at once

antequam tamen in Graeciam pervenit,
before however he arrived in Greece

ad urbem Troiam navem appellere constituit,
he decided to put the ship in at the city of Troy

frumentum enim quod secum habebat
for the grain which he had with him

iam deficere coeperat.
was now beginning to spoil.

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

Diu et acriter pugnatum est;

tandem tamen ad solis occasum

tanta commutatio rerum facta est

ut mulieres terga verterent

et fuga salutem peterent.

Multae autem vulneribus defessae

dum fugiunt captae sunt,

in quo numero ipsa erat Hippolyte.

Hercules summam clementiam praestitit,

et postquam balteum accepit,

libertatem omnibus captivis dedit.

Tum vero socios ad mare reduxit,

et quod non multum aestatis supererat,

in Graeciam proficisci maturavit.

Navem igitur conscendit,

et tempestatem idoneam nactus statim solvit;

antequam tamen in Graeciam pervenit,

ad urbem Troiam navem appellere constituit,

frumentum enim quod secum habebat

iam deficere coeperat.