VASE PAINTING OF HERCULES FIGHTING WITH GERYON
a)
Dum híc morátur, Herculés mágnum incommodum ex calóre sólis accipiébat; tandem igitur írá commótus arcum suum intendit et sólem sagittís petiit. Sól tamen audáciam virí tantum admírátus est ut lintrem auream eí dederit. Herculés hóc dónum libentissimé accépit, núllam enim návem in hís regiónibus inveníre potuerat. Tum lintrem dédúxit, et ventum nactus idóneum post breve tempus ad ínsulam pervénit. Ubi ex incolís cógnóvit quó in locó bovés essent, in eam partem statim profectus est et á rége Géryone postulávit ut bovés sibi tráderentur. Cum tamen ille hóc facere nóllet, Herculés et régem ipsum et Eurytiónem, quí erat ingentí mágnitúdine corporis, interfécit.
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.
hic – pronoun masculine singular nominative, ‘he’.
moratur – third person singular present (after dum) of the deponent verb moror, -arí, -atus , delay, linger, stay (remember that deponent verbs look passive but are active in meaning, so this means while he delays (present as followind dum) better translated as a past tense in English ‘while he delayed’.
ex calore solis – ablative ‘from the heat of the sun’.
accipiebat – the verb accipio, -cipere, -cepi, -ceptus often means to take to oneself, receive, accept; and can also mean to hear; or as is the meaning here, to suffer.
incommodum – second declension noun neuter meaning ‘inconvenience’ or better here ‘discomfort.’
ira commotus - turn it round to make sense in English: commotus, past participle ‘moved’ with ira, ablative of ira ‘by anger’.
intendit – third person singular perfect tense of intendo, -tendere, -tendi, -tentus - , stretch out; stretch, draw, aim.
petiit – third person singular perfect tense of peto, -ere, -ívi (or –ii), -ítus, seek, ask; attack.
admiratus est– third person singular perfect tense of deponent verb admíror, -mirari, -miratus, wonder at, admire., meaning therefore ‘he admired, wondered at.’
tantum – before admiratus est is a signal word to expect a result clause, admired ... so much that ... result = that he gave etc.
ut .... dederit - The perfect subjunctive is sometimes used in result clauses after a past tense in the main clause. This is contrary to the general principle of the sequence of tenses, which requires the imperfect or pluperfect subjunctive after a past tense, the present or perfect subjunctive after a present or future tense.
lintrem auream – lintrem is accusative of linter, lintris, fem., boat, skiff, auream is an agreeing adjective meaning golden.
libentissime – superlative adverb, ‘most willingly’, ‘most gladly’; the adverb is libenter, ‘gladly’.
ex incolis – ex governs the ablative, ‘from the inhabitants’.
quo in loco.- As we have seen before, monosyllabic prepositions often stand between the noun and an adjective modifying it., meaning ‘in which place.’
essent. – quo in loco essent, is an indirect question meaning ‘in what place were’; which is why the verb is in the subjunctive; the direct question would be ‘in what place are etc.?’
ut ...traderentur – third person plural imperfect subjunctive passive of tradere ‘to surrender, to hand over’ meaning therefore ‘that ... they be handed over’. This is another example of the subjunctive in indirect discourse in this case being an indirect command; the direct command would be ‘Hand over those cows!’
cum ... nollet – since he was unwilling to; cum following by a verb in the past meaning as or since is followed by the subjunctive, here the third person singular imperfect subjunctive active of the verb nolo, nolle, nolui, to not want to, to be unwilling to.
et... et - ‘both ... and’.
ipsum – accusative case of ipse agreeing with regem, therefore ‘the king himself’.
ingenti magnitudine corporis – ingenti is ablative of the third decension adjective ingens, -gentis, adj., huge, vast.; magnitudine is ablative of the third declension feminine noun magnitudo, -tudinis, meaning ‘greatness, size’, and corporis is genitive case of corpus, corporis, third declension neuter noun meaning ‘body’; togehter they mean literally ‘with great size of body’.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.
Dum hic moratur,
While he delayed here,
Hercules magnum incommodum
Hercules great discomfort
ex calore solis accipiebat;
suffered from the heat of the sun
tandem igitur ira commotus
at length therefore moved by anger
arcum suum intendit
he bent his bow
et solem sagittis petiit.
and aimed his arrows at the sun
Sol tamen audaciam viri tantum admiratus est
and the sun so admired his audacity
ut lintrem auream ei dederit.
that he gave him a golden boat.
Hercules hoc donum libentissime accepit,
Hercules most gladly accepted this gift,
nullam enim navem in his regionibus invenire potuerat.
for he had not been able to find any boat in these regions
Tum lintrem deduxit, et ventum nactus idoneum
then he led the boat out, and a suitable wind having arisen
post breve tempus ad insulam pervenit.
after a short time he reached the island.
Ubi ex incolis cognovit quo in loco boves essent,
when he found out from the inhabitants in what place the cattle were,
in eam partem statim profectus est
he set out at once into that part
et a rege Geryone postulavit
and demanded of the king Geryon
ut boves sibi traderentur.
that the cattle be handed over to him.
Cum tamen ille hoc facere nollet,
As that man however didn’t want to do this,
Hercules et regem ipsum et Eurytionem,
Hercules, both the king himself and Eurytion
qui erat ingenti magnitudine corporis, interfecit.
who of hody, was enormous in size, he killed.
d) The following section is for you to copy and translate.
Dum hic moratur,
Hercules magnum incommodum
ex calore solis accipiebat;
tandem igitur ira commotus
arcum suum intendit
et solem sagittis petiit.
Sol tamen audaciam viri
tantum admiratus est
ut lintrem auream ei dederit.
Hercules hoc donum libentissime accepit,
nullam enim navem in his regionibus
invenire potuerat.
Tum lintrem deduxit,
et ventum nactus idoneum
post breve tempus ad insulam pervenit.
Ubi ex incolis cognovit
quo in loco boves essent,
in eam partem statim profectus est
et a rege Geryone postulavit
ut boves sibi traderentur.
Cum tamen ille hoc facere nollet,
Hercules et regem ipsum et Eurytionem,
qui erat ingenti magnitudine corporis, interfecit.
