RITCHIE'S FABULAE FACILES RITCHIE'S SIMPLE STORIES: 22/07/2012

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THE ARGONAUTS 70 - A STRANGE CROP

THIS IS HOW THE ARMED SOLDIERS WHICH SPRANG UP FROM THE DRAGON'S TEETH MAY HAVE LOOKED.

a) Nóndum tamen Iásón tótum opus cónfécerat; imperáverat enim eí Aeétés ut armátós virós quí é dentibus gígnerentur sólus interficeret. Postquam igitur omnís dentís in agrum sparsit, Iásón lassitúdine exanimátus quiétí sé trádidit, dum virí istí gígnerentur. Paucás hórás dormiébat, sub vesperum tamen é somnó subitó excitátus rem ita événisse ut praedictum esset cógnóvit; nam in omnibus agrí partibus virí ingentí mágnitúdine corporis gladiís galeísque armátí mírum in modum é terrá oriébantur. Hóc cógnitó Iásón cónsilium quod dedisset Médéa nón omittendum esse putábat. Saxum igitur ingéns (ita enim Médéa praecéperat) in mediós virós coniécit. Illí undique ad locum concurrérunt, et cum quisque sibi id saxum nesció cúr habére vellet, mágna contróversia orta est. Mox strictís gladiís inter sé púgnáre coepérunt, et cum hóc modó plúrimí occísí essent, reliquí vulneribus cónfectí á Iásone núlló negótió interfectí.

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.

nondum – adverb ‘not yet’

ei – dative, imperare takes the dative case, imperaverat ei means ‘he ordered him’.

ut gignerentur – ‘that sprang forth, that were born’; another example of indirect discourse we have here the indirect command ‘he ordered ... that’ which requires the verb be in the subjunctive.

lassitudine – ablative, ‘with tiredness’, ‘with weariness’.

quieti se tradidit – quieti, dative of the third declension feminine noun quies, quietis meaning ‘calm, peace, rest, sleep’ with the third person singular reflexive pronoun se meaning himself and the third person singular perfect tense of trado, tradere, tradidi, traditus, ‘hand over, surrender’, which altogether literally means ‘surrendered himself to sleep’.

paucas horas – the accusative case is used to denote duration of time, ‘a few hours’.

sub vesperum – the preposition sub with the accusative singular of the second declension noun vesper, vesperi means ‘towards evening’.

postquam .. sparsit – postquam (after) followed by the third person singular perfect active of spargo, ere, sparsi, spasus; the perfect tense often follows postquam and is translated by a pluperfect in English ‘after he had scattered’.

in omnibus agri partibus – in takes ablative, therefore we have ablative plural adjective agreeing with the plural noun, omnibus partibus, literally ‘all parts’, with agri, which is genitive of the second declenion masculine noun ager, agri, ‘field, terrain’, meaning together therefore ‘all parts of the field’ .

undique – adverb, ‘from all directions, from all sides.’

inter se – amongst themselves.

cum occisi essent – cum meaning ‘since’ takes the subjunctive, ‘since they were killed’.

nescio cur – You may remember earlier we had nescio quam fabulam, which we translated as ‘some story or other’; we have a similar construction here with nescio meaning ‘who knows why, for whatever reason etc.’.

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.

Nondum tamen Iason totum opus confecerat;

Jason had not yet completed all his work;

imperaverat enim ei Aeetes

for Aeetes ordered him

ut armatos viros qui e dentibus gignerentur

that the armed men which sprang forth from the teeth

solus interficeret.

he alone should kill.

Postquam igitur omnis dentis in agrum sparsit,

Therefore after he had scattered all the teeth,

Iason lassitudine exanimatus

Jason worn out with tiredness

quieti se tradidit, dum viri isti gignerentur.

gave himself up to sleep while those men were emerging.

Paucas horas dormiebat,

He slept for a few hours,

sub vesperum tamen

towards evening however

e somno subito excitatus

he was suddenly aroused from sleep

rem ita evenisse ut praedictum esset cognovit;

he realized that it happened just as had been foretold;

nam in omnibus agri partibus

for in all parts of the field

viri ingenti magnitudine corporis

men with a huge size of body

gladiis galeisque armati

armed with swords and helmets

mirum in modum e terra oriebantur.

in a marvelous way were arising from the ground.

Hoc cognito Iason consilium quod dedisset Medea

When he realized this Jason the advice which Medea had given

non omittendum esse putabat.

he thought must not be disregarded..

Saxum igitur ingens (ita enim Medea praeceperat)

A huge rock therefore (for this is what Medea had instructed)

in medios viros coniecit.

into the middle of the men he threw.

Illi undique ad locum concurrerunt,

Those men from all sides to the place ran together,

et cum quisque sibi id saxum

and since each one for himself that stone

nescio cur habere vellet,

who knows why wanted to have,

magna controversia orta est.

a great argument broke out.

Mox strictis gladiis

Soon with drawn swords

inter se pugnare coeperunt,

they began to fight amongst themselves,

et cum hoc modo plurimi occisi essent,

and since in this way many were killed,

reliqui vulneribus confecti

the rest defeated by wounds

a Iasone nullo negotio interfecti sunt.

by Jason with no difficulty were finished off.

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