a)Nessus igitur sagittá Herculis tránsfíxus moriéns humí iacébat; at né occásiónem suí ulcíscendí dímitteret, ita locútus est: "Tú, Déianíra, verba morientis audí. Sí amórem marítí tuí cónserváre vís, hunc sanguinem quí nunc é pectore meó effunditur súme ac repóne; tum, sí umquam in suspíciónem tibi vénerit, vestem marítí hóc sanguine ínficiés." Haec locútus Nessus animam efflávit; Déianíra autem nihil malí suspicáta imperáta fécit. Pauló post Herculés bellum contrá Eurytum, régem Oechaliae, suscépit; et cum régem ipsum cum fíliís interfécisset, Iolén éius fíliam captívam sécum redúxit. Antequam tamen domum vénit, návem ad Cénaeum prómunturium appulit, et in terram égressus áram cónstituit, ut Ioví sacrificáret. Dum tamen sacrificium parat, Licham comitem suum domum mísit, quí vestem albam referret; mós enim erat apud antíquós, dum sacrificia facerent, albam vestem gerere. At Déianíra verita né Herculés amórem ergá Iolén habéret, vestem priusquam Lichae dedit, sanguine Nessí ínfécit.
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.
c)
sagitta – this is ablative of the first declension feminine noun sagitta ae, arrow, it is called the ablative of instrument and can therefore be translated as ‘by/with an arrow.’
moriens – present participle ‘dying’.
humi – locative of humus, meaning, 'on the ground.'
iacebat – third person singular imperfect of iaceo, iacere, iacui, lie, be prostrate., not to be confused with iacio, iacere, ieci, iactus, throw, cast, hurl.
ne... dimitteret – ne introduces here a negative clause of purpose which of course requires the subjunctive, here the third person singular imperfect indicative active of dimitto, -mittere, -misi, -missus, send different ways, send forth or away, despatch; let slip, lose, meaning therefore ‘so as not to lose’, or, ‘that he might not lose’.
occasionem sui ulciscendi – accusative of occasio, ‘the opportunity’ followed by the genitive of se with the genitive gerundive of ulciscor, ‘sui ulciscendi’, meaning ‘of avenging himself’. This gerundive construction is regularly used instead of the gerund when the gerund would have an accusative object, (se ulciscendi – se = acc objective himself + of avenging). Notice that the gerund is a verbal noun whereas the gerundive is a verbal adjective and agrees with its noun like any other adjective.
locutus est – third person singular perfect of the deponent verb loquor, which looks passive but is active in meaning ‘he said.’
morientis – adjective used as noun from the participle moriens, dying, meaning therefore 'of a dying man.'
audi – imperative of audire ‘listen’.
vis – second person singular of the irregular verb volo, velle ‘you wish’ or ‘you want’.
sume ac repone – imperatives, sume from sumo, sumere, sumpsi, sumptus, ‘take up’, and repone imperative from repono, -ponere, -posui, -positus, ‘store up or away’.
si ... venerit – literally, ‘if he shall ever come under suspicion’ but probably better expressed by 'if you ever suspect him.' Notice that in English we use the present tense, while Latin uses the future perfect to indicate that the action is to precede that of the main clause.
vestem ...inficies – second person singular future indicative of inficio, -ficere, -feci, -fectus,to stain, dye, with the accusative of vestis, -is, third declension feminine noun, clothing, dress, robe.. The future indicative is sometimes used, as in English, for the imperative,so together they mean ‘stain/dye his clothes’.
haec locutus – literally, ‘having said these things’, or ‘having said this’.
efflavit – third person singular perfect indicative active of efflo, -flare, -flavi, -flatus, ‘he breathed out’.
nihil mali – this is an example of the partitive genitive, a part of something bigger, literally, ‘nothing of bad’, we would say ‘nothing bad’.
suspicata – ‘suspecting’, often the perfect participle of deponent verbs is best rendered in English by a present participle.
imperata fecit – ‘carried out his orders.’
Iolen filiam captivam – ‘Iolen the captive daughter’, all three words refer to the same person, in the following order: direct object, appositive, and predicate accusative respectively.
domum reduxit – ‘brought her home’, domum – domum reduci without the preposition means ‘to be brought back home’ whereas ad domum means 'to the house'.
navem appulit – third person singular perfect tense of appello, -pellere, -puli, -pulsus [ad + pelló], drive to, bring to; with or without navem, put in.
promunturium – neuter noun of the second declension, headland, promontory.
ut Iovi sacrificaret – ut introduces a purpose clause here, which of course requires the subjunctuve, ‘in order to make a sacrifice to Jupiter.
dum ... parat – dum is followed by the present tense, literally ‘while he prepares’ but is translated into English with a past tense, ‘while he was preparing’.
qui ...referret – A clause of purpose is frequently introduced by a relative and can be translated like an ut-clause of purpose, here 'who was ... to bring back.'
verita ne - . This participle is regularly rendered as present, ‘fearing that’.
vestem – accusative masculine singular of vestis, -is, f., clothing, dress, robe, is the direct object of ínfecit as well as of dedit
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.
Nessus igitur sagitta Herculis transfixus
Nessus therefore pierced by the arrow of Hercules
moriens humi iacebat;
was lying on the ground dying;
at ne occasionem sui ulciscendi dimitteret,
but in order not to miss the opportunity of avenging himself,
ita locutus est: "Tu, Deianira,
said this: ‘You Deianira,
verba morientis audi.
listen to the words of a dying man.
Si amorem mariti tui conservare vis,
If you want to keep the love of your husband
hunc sanguinem qui nunc e pectore meo
this blood which is now from my breast
effunditur sume ac repone;
pouring collect and store;
tum, si umquam in suspicionem tibi venerit,
then, if ever he comes under suspicion by you,
vestem mariti hoc sanguine inficies."
stain your husband's clothes with this blood.
Haec locutus Nessus animam efflavit;
Having said this Nessus berathed his last;
Deianira autem nihil mali
And so Deianira suspecting nothing bad
imperata fecit. Paulo post
carried out his orders. Shortly after
Hercules bellum contra Eurytum,
Hercules a war against Eurytus,
regem Oechaliae, suscepit;
king of Oechalia, undertook;
et cum regem ipsum cum filiis interfecisset,
and since he had killed the king himself and his sons,
Iolen eius filiam captivam secum reduxit.
Iole his captured daughter, he took home with him.
Antequam tamen domum venit,
Before however he arrived home,
navem ad Cenaeum promunturium appulit,
he put the ship in at the promontry of Cenaeus,
et in terram egressus aram
and when he came on to land, built an altar,
ut Iovi sacrificaret. Dum tamen sacrificium parat,
to sacrifice to Jupiter. Whilst however he prepared the sacrifice,
Licham comitem suum domum misit,
he sent Licha, a companion, to his home,
qui vestem albam referret;
to bring back white clothes;
mos enim erat apud antiquos,
for it was the custom with the ancients,
dum sacrificia facerent, albam vestem gerere.
when making sacrifices, to wear white clothes.
At Deianira verita ne Hercules
But Deianira, fearing lest Hercules
amorem erga Iolen haberet,
felt love for Iole,
vestem priusquam Lichae dedit,
before she gave the clothes to Licha,
sanguine Nessi infecit.
stained (them) with the blood of Nessus.d) The following section is for you to copy and translate.
Nessus igitur sagitta Herculis transfixus
moriens humi iacebat;
at ne occasionem sui ulciscendi dimitteret,
ita locutus est: "Tu, Deianira,
verba morientis audi.
Si amorem mariti tui conservare vis,
hunc sanguinem qui nunc e pectore meo
effunditur sume ac repone;
tum, si umquam in suspicionem tibi venerit,
vestem mariti hoc sanguine inficies."
Haec locutus Nessus animam efflavit;
Deianira autem nihil mali
imperata fecit. Paulo post
Hercules bellum contra Eurytum,
regem Oechaliae, suscepit;
et cum regem ipsum cum filiis interfecisset,
Iolen eius filiam captivam secum reduxit.
Antequam tamen domum venit,
navem ad Cenaeum promunturium appulit,
et in terram egressus aram
ut Iovi sacrificaret. Dum tamen sacrificium parat,
Licham comitem suum domum misit,
qui vestem albam referret;
mos enim erat apud antiquos,
dum sacrificia facerent, albam vestem gerere.
At Deianira verita ne Hercules
amorem erga Iolen haberet,
vestem priusquam Lichae dedit,
sanguine Nessi infecit.
