69 RITCHIE’S FABULAE FACILES TRANSLATION – THE ARGONAUTS 69 - THE SOWING OF THE DRAGON'S TEETH

THE ARGONAUTS 69 - THE SOWING OF THE DRAGON'S TEETH

THIS LOVELY PICTURE SHOWS JASON PLOUGHNG THE FIELD PRIOR TO SEWING THE DRAGON'S TEETH

a) Ubi is diés vénit quem réx ad arandum agrum édíxerat, Iásón ortá lúce cum sociís ad locum cónstitútum sé contulit. Ibi stabulum ingéns repperit, in quó taurí erant inclúsí; tum portís apertís taurós in lúcem tráxit, et summá cum difficultáte iugum imposuit. At Aeétés cum vidéret taurós nihil contrá Iásonem valére, mágnopere mírátus est; nesciébat enim fíliam suam auxilium eí dedisse. Tum Iásón omnibus aspicientibus agrum aráre coepit, quá in ré tantam díligentiam praebuit ut ante merídiem tótum opus cónfécerit. Hóc factó ad locum ubi réx sedébat adiit et dentís dracónis postulávit; quós ubi accépit, in agrum quem aráverat mágná cum díligentiá sparsit. Hórum autem dentium nátúra erat tális ut in eó locó ubi sémentés factae essent virí armátí míró quódam modó gígnerentur.
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.

is dies – that/the day;  dies, as here, is regularly masculine, but when used of an appointed day it is often feminine.

quem – relative referring to the day which is why it is masculine singular, the day when/the day on which.

orta luce – orta from the verb orior, -iri, -tus, arise, come forth, spring up, together with the ablative of lux, lucem, light, gives the us adverbial phrase ‘when light comes forth’, or put more simply, ‘at dawn’.

cum sociis – cum takes ablative, here plural of socius ‘ally’.

constitutum – adjective agreeing with neuter locum, meaning the place ‘decided upon’ from the verb constituo, -stituere, -stitui, -stitutus, ‘set together or up; appoint; determine’.

se contulit – third person singular perfect active of se conferre, se contuli, se conlatus, ‘betake oneself, make one's way’.

repperit – third person singular perfect active of the fourth conjugation verb reperio, reperire, repperi, repertus, ‘find, discover’.

in quo – ‘in which’, ablative after in meaning place in which (as opposed to place into which involving the idea of motion into which requires accusative).

portis apertis – ablative absolute, ‘after the doors were opened, or ‘when the doors were opened’.

summa cum difficultate – with great difficulty, notice that the monosyllabic preposition (cum) is put between the noun and its adjective.

imposuit – third person singular perfect of impono -ere, imposui, impositus, ‘he put on’.

nihil valere – (were) in no way effecting, or ‘making no impression on’. This phrase is a combnation of nihil ‘no’ and valere the infinitive of the verb valeo, -ere, -ui, -iturus, be strong or effectual, have effect, prevail etc.

filiam suam – ‘his daughter’, notice that we have here suam the accusative of the possessive adjective adjective agreeing with the accusative feminine first declension noun filiam and so it would be the same if it was ‘her daughter’. 

auxilium ei dedisse – auxilium is the neuter noun ‘help, ei is masculine singular dative of the pronoun is, meaning therefore ‘to him’ with dedisse ‘to have given’; altogether they mean literally ‘help to him to have given’.

omnibus aspicentibus – ablative absolute, a construct composed of the ablative of a participle with the ablative of a noun or pronoun in agreement, which stands apart from the rest of the sentence grammatically; here it means something like ‘with everyone looking on’, aspicientibus being the third person plural of the present participle of aspicio, -spicere, -spexi, -spectus, ‘look at or on, behold’.

dentis draconis – dentis from the third declension masculine noun dens, -tis, is an alternative accusative plural for third declension nouns, and draconis is genitive case of the third declensionmasculine noun draco, -onis, together they mean ‘the teeth of the dragon’ or ‘the dragon’s teeth’.

gignerentur – third person imperfect subjunctive passive of the third conjugation verb gigno, gignere, genui, genitus, ‘produce, bring forth, bear, beget, give birth to’, meaning therefore ‘they were brought forth’ or ‘they were born’.

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.

Ubi is dies venit quem rex

When the day came when the king

ad arandum agrum edixerat,

had proclaimed the field had to be ploughed,

Iason orta luce cum sociis

Jason at sunrise with his allies

ad locum constitutum se contulit.

to the designated place made his way.

Ibi stabulum ingens repperit,

Here he found a huge stable,

in quo tauri erant inclusi;

in which bulls were locked in;

tum portis apertis

then when the doors were opened

tauros in lucem traxit,

he dragged the bulls into the daylight

et summa cum difficultate iugum imposuit.

and with great difficulty put on the joke.

At Aeetes cum videret tauros

But Aeetes when he saw that the bulls

nihil contra Iasonem valere,

were having no effect on Iason,

magnopere miratus est;

he was greatly astounded;

nesciebat enim filiam suam

for he did not know that his daughter

auxilium ei dedisse.

to have given him help.

Tum Iason omnibus aspicientibus

Then Jason with everyone looking on

agrum arare coepit, qua in re

began to plough the field, in which

tantam diligentiam praebuit

he displayed such diligence

ut ante meridiem totum opus confecerit.

that he had finished the whole task before midday.

Hoc facto ad locum

This having been done, to the place

ubi rex sedebat

where the king was sitting

adiit et dentis draconis postulavit;

he approached and asked for the dragon’s teeth;

quos ubi accepit,

which when he had received them,

in agrum quem araverat

on the field which he had ploughed

magna cum diligentia sparsit.

he scattered with great care.

Horum autem dentium natura

Now the nature of these teeth

erat talis ut in eo loco

was such that in the place

ubi sementes factae essent

where they were sown

viri armati miro quodam modo gignerentur.

in quite a marvelous way armed men were born.

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

Ubi is dies venit quem rex

ad arandum agrum edixerat,

Iason orta luce cum sociis

ad locum constitutum se contulit.

Ibi stabulum ingens repperit,

in quo tauri erant inclusi;

tum portis apertis tauros in lucem traxit,

et summa cum difficultate iugum imposuit.

At Aeetes cum videret tauros

nihil contra Iasonem valere,

magnopere miratus est;

nesciebat enim filiam suam

auxilium ei dedisse.

Tum Iason omnibus aspicientibus

agrum arare coepit, qua in re

tantam diligentiam praebuit

ut ante meridiem totum opus confecerit.

Hoc facto ad locum ubi rex sedebat

adiit et dentis draconis postulavit;

quos ubi accepit, in agrum quem araverat

magna cum diligentia sparsit.

Horum autem dentium

natura erat talis ut

in eo loco ubi sementes factae essent

viri armati miro quodam modo gignerentur.