THIS PICTURE OF THE GARDEN OF HESPERIDES BY FREDERICK LORD LEIGHTON 1892 IS FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
a)Eurystheus postquam bovés Géryonis accépit, labórem úndecimum Herculí imposuit, graviórem quam quós suprá nárrávimus. Mandávit enim eí ut aurea póma ex hortó Hesperidum auferret. Hesperidés autem nymphae erant quaedam fórmá praestantissimá, quae in terrá longinquá habitábant, et quibus aurea quaedam póma á Iúnóne commissa erant. Multí hominés aurí cupiditáte inductí haec póma auferre iam anteá cónátí erant. Rés tamen difficillima erat, namque hortus in quó póma erant múró ingentí undique circumdatus erat; praetereá dracó quídam cui centum erant capita portam hortí díligenter custódiébat. Opus igitur quod Eurystheus Herculí imperáverat erat summae difficultátis, nón modo ob causás quás memorávimus, sed etiam quod Herculés omnínó ígnórábat quó in locó hortus ille situs esset.
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.
imposuit – third person perfect of pono, ponere, posui, positus, place or lay upon, impose; embark.
graviorem – accusative of comparative adjective gravior agreeing with laborem (masculine noun of the third declension), ‘more difficult, more heavy, heavier’.
quam quos – abbreviated form of quam eos quos – ‘than those which’, accusative masculine plural to agree with the accusative masculine plural of the third declension masculine noun labor, laboris.
mandavit ei – dative of the pronoun is, ea, id after mandare.
ut ... auferret – that he steal, third person imperfect subjunctive after a verb of ordering, ‘he ordered ... that he steal’.
forma praestantissima – ablative forma meaning ‘in beauty’ from the first declension noun forma, meaning shape or form which is also used to mean beauty; here it is found with the superlative adjective from the adjective praestans, praestantis (gen) meaning ‘excellent, outstanding, surpassing all’ so together they mean ‘surpassing all in beauty’.
quae – relative pronoun feminine plural nominative referring to antecedent ‘Hersperides’.
terra longinqua – ablative of terra for place where after in terra ‘in a land’ and longinqua, feminine of adjective longinquus, longinqua, longinquum (comparative longinquior, superlative longinquissumus) meaning ‘remote, distant, far off’, together meaning therefore ‘in a far-off land’.
quaedam poma – literally means ‘the certain apples’ meaning the ones mentioned before, or those apples.
auri cupididitate – literally ‘desire, or greed of gold’ cupiditate is followed by a noun in the genitive but we would probably say ‘desire for gold’.
conati erant – third person plural pluperfect of the deponent verb (remember looks passive but is active) conor, conari, try, meaning therefore ‘they had tried’.
muro ingenti – ablative case ‘by a huge wall’.
cui centum erant capita – literally ‘to whom/to which a hundred there were heads’, or more idiomatically ‘who/which had a hundred heads’. Esse with the dative is often used to show possession in this way e.g.: tibi est ...? – do you have...?; mihi est liber – I have a book.
undique – adverb, ‘from or on all sides’.
horti – genitive of the second declension noun hortus –i, garden ‘of the garden’.
quo in loco – ‘in what place’, notice the preposition is sandwiched between the relative adjective and the noun.
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.
Eurystheus postquam boves Geryonis accepit,
Eurystheus, after he had accepted the oxen of Geryon,
laborem undecimum Herculi imposuit,
laid upon Hercules the eleventh labour,
graviorem quam quos supra narravimus.
more difficult than those which we have related above.
Mandavit enim ei ut aurea poma
For he ordered him that the golden apples
ex horto Hesperidum auferret.
from the garden of the Hesperides he steal
Hesperides autem nymphae erant quaedam
the Hesperides however were certain nymphs
forma praestantissima,
surpassing all in beauty,
quae in terra longinqua habitabant,
who lived in a far-off land
et quibus aurea quaedam poma
and to whom the aforesaid golden apples
a Iunone commissa erant.
were given by Juno.
Multi homines auri cupiditate inducti
Many men induced by desire for gold
haec poma auferre iam antea conati erant.
had already tried to steal these apples previously.
Res tamen difficillima erat,
It was a very difficult thing to do however,
namque hortus in quo poma erant
for the garden in which the apples were
muro ingenti undique circumdatus erat;
was encircircled all around by a huge wall
praeterea draco quidam cui centum erant capita
besides a certain dragon who had a hundred heads
portam horti diligenter custodiebat.
carefully guarded the garden gate.
Opus igitur quod Eurystheus Herculi imperaverat
The task therefore which Eurystheus had ordered Hercules
erat summae difficultatis,
was of the utmost difficulty,
non modo ob causas quas memoravimus,
not only on account of the reasons which we have mentioned
sed etiam quod Hercules omnino ignorabat
but also because Hercules was entirely ignorant
quo in loco hortus ille situs esset.
in which place the garden might be situated.
d) The following section is for you to copy and translate.
Eurystheus postquam boves Geryonis accepit,
laborem undecimum Herculi imposuit,
graviorem quam quos supra narravimus.
Mandavit enim ei ut aurea poma
ex horto Hesperidum auferret.
Hesperides autem nymphae erant
quaedam forma praestantissima,
quae in terra longinqua habitabant,
et quibus aurea quaedam poma
a Iunone commissa erant.
Multi homines auri cupiditate inducti
haec poma auferre iam antea conati erant.
Res tamen difficillima erat,
namque hortus in quo poma erant
muro ingenti undique circumdatus erat;
praeterea draco quidam
cui centum erant capita
portam horti diligenter custodiebat.
Opus igitur quod Eurystheus Herculi imperaverat
erat summae difficultatis,
non modo ob causas quas memoravimus,
sed etiam quod Hercules omnino ignorabat
quo in loco hortus ille situs esset.
