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Tuesday, 24 May 2011

13 RITCHIE’S FABULAE FACILES TRANSLATION – HERCULES 13 – HERCULES AND THE SERPENTS

HERCULES 13 - HERCULES AND THE SERPENTS


a)

Íphiclés, fráter Herculis, mágná vóce exclámávit; sed Herculés ipse, fortissimus puer, haudquáquam territus est. Parvís manibus serpentís statim prehendit, et colla eárum mágná ví compressit. Tálí modó serpentés á pueró interfectae sunt. Alcména autem, máter puerórum, clámórem audíverat,et marítum suum é somnó excitáverat.Ille lúmen accendit et gladium suum rapuit;tum ad puerós properábat, sed ubi ad locum vénit,rem míram vídit, Herculés enim rídébat et serpentís mortuás mónstrábat.


b)
The words below have been selected for special attention.  For words not included in this list pease refer to the WORDLIST in PAGES TOP RIGHT SIDE BAR.

Herculis – genitive case to express ‘of Hercules’.
Magna voce – ablative case to express ‘in a loud (literally big, great) voice. This is called the 'ablative of manner'. Notice you do not always need to put the preposition ‘in’ as the ablative case on its own is enough.
Ipse – himself, see PERSONAL PRONOUNS in ESSENTIAL GRAMMAR NOTES at the top right under PAGES.
Fortissimus – superlative adjective meaning the most brave, very brave.
Parvis manibus – ablative case here used to express 'with his little hands', notice again that the preposition ‘with’ is not translated as the ablative case expresses ‘with’ on its own without ‘cum’. This is called the 'instrumental ablative'.
Magna vi – ablative case again to express ‘with’ meaning ‘with great force’; this is the ablative of manner again.
A puero – a with puero to express ‘by the boy’. Here, we use the preposition ‘a’ as we are dealing with ‘by + a human being’; as we have seen, with things we can leave the preposition out but not when we are referring to human beings being the agent of an action.
Interfectae sunt – passive form as the snakes were having an action done to them; they were were killed they were not ‘doing’ the action.


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.

Íphiclés, fráter Herculis, mágná vóce exclámávit;
Iphicles, Hercules’ brother, cried out in a large voice,
sed Herculés ipse, fortissimus puer,
but Hercules himself, a most brave boy,
haudquáquam territus est.
Was not at all frightened.
Parvís manibus serpentís statim prehendit,
With his small hands he immediately seized the snakes
et colla eárum mágná ví compressit.
And with great strength squeezed their necks.
Tálí modó serpentés á pueró interfectae sunt.
In this way the snakes were killed by the boy.
Alcména autem, máter puerórum, clámórem audíverat,
Alcmena however, the mother of the boys, had heard the noise.
et marítum suum é somnó excitáverat.
And had roused her husband from his sleep.
Ille lúmen accendit et gladium suum rapuit;
He lit a light and grasped his sword,
tum ad puerós properábat, sed ubi ad locum vénit,
Then hurried to the boys, but when he came to the place,
rem míram vídit, Herculés enim rídébat
he saw something wonderful. For Hercules was smiling
et serpentís mortuás mónstrábat.
And he was showing him the dead snakes.
 
  d) The following section is for you to copy and compose your own translation.


Iphicles, frater Herculis, magna voce exclamavit;

sed Hercules ipse, fortissimus puer,

haudquaquam territus est.

Parvis manibus serpentis statim prehendit,

et colla earum magna vi compressit.

Tali modo serpentes a puero interfectae sunt.

Alcmena autem, mater puerorum, clamorem audiverat,

et maritum suum e somno excitaverat.

Ille lumen accendit et gladium suum rapuit;

tum ad pueros properabat, sed ubi ad locum venit,

rem miram vidit, Hercules enim ridebat

et serpentis mortuas monstrabat.

Tuesday, 17 May 2011

12 RITCHIE FABULAE FACILES TRANSLATION - HERCULES 12 - THE HATRED OF JUNO

HERCULES 12 – THE HATRED OF JUNO

THIS PICTURE IS OF JUNO AND JUPPITER
Hercules, a Greek hero celebrated for his great strength, was pursued throughout his life by the hatred of Juno. While yet an infant, he strangled some serpents sent by the goddess to destroy him. During his boyhood and youth he performed various marvelous feats of strength, and on reaching manhood succeeded in delivering the Thebans from the oppression of the Minyae. In a fit of madness sent upon him by Juno, he slew his own children; and on consulting the Delphic oracle as to how he should cleanse himself from this crime, he was ordered to submit himself for twelve years to Eurystheus, king of Tiryns, and to perform whatever tasks were appointed him. Hercules obeyed the oracle, and during the twelve years of his servitude accomplished twelve extraordinary feats known as the Labours of Hercules. His death was caused unintentionally by his wife Dejanira. Hercules had shot with his poisoned arrows a centaur named Nessus, who had insulted Dejanira. Nessus, before he died, gave some of his blood to Dejanira, and told her it would act as a charm to secure her husband's love. Some time after, Dejanira wishing to try the charm soaked one of her husband's garments in the blood, not knowing that it was poisoned. Hercules put on the robe, and after suffering terrible torments died, or was carried off by his father Jupiter.

a)
Herculés, Alcménae fílius, ólim in Graeciá habitábat. Híc omnium hominum validissimus fuisse dícitur. At Iúnó, régína deórum, Alcménam óderat et Herculem adhúc ínfantem necáre voluit. Mísit igitur duás serpentís saevissimás; hae mediá nocte in cubiculum Alcménae vénérunt, ubi Herculés cum frátre suó dormiébat. Nec tamen in cúnís, sed in scútó mágnó cubábant. Serpentés iam appropinquáverant et scútum movébant; itaque puerí é somnó excitátí sunt.

b)
Below are some words which have been chosen for special consideration. For the many other words not included in this list pease refer to the WORDLIST in PAGES TOP RIGHT SIDE BAR.
Scuto - shield , in scuto means ‘in a shield’, scuto being the ablative of the second declension noun scutum as the ablative is required after the preposition in meaning inside, in = place where.
omnium hominum. - Genitive case plural; this means 'of all men' in the sense of 'of all mankind.'
oderat - This verb is pluperfect and just as odi is perfect in form but present in meaning; the pluperfect here has the force of the imperfect verb, ‘she was hating’, ‘she hated’. Remember that Latin uses imperfect when referring to feelings in the past as it is descriptive of a state rather than recounting an event or action.
media nocte - ablative case, used here to indicate time when, with the idea of 'in the middle of the night,' 'in the dead of night.'
Nec tamen - 'not ... however… but' Latin uses nec and neque to connect the clauses.
movebant - Contrast this tense with appropinquaverant and excitati sunt.

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.
Herculés, Alcménae fílius,
Hercules, son of Alcmena,
ólim in Graeciá habitábat.
once upon a time lived in Greece.
Híc omnium hominum
He of all men (mankind)
validissimus fuisse dícitur.
is said to have been the bravest.
At Iúnó, régína deórum,
But Juno, queen of the gods,
Alcménam óderat et
hated Alcmena and
Herculem adhúc ínfantem
Hercules from his infancy
necáre voluit.
she wanted to kill.
Mísit igitur duás serpentís saevissimás;
She sent therefore two most savage serpents;
hae mediá nocte
these, in the middle of the night,
in cubiculum Alcménae vénérunt,
came into the bedroom of Alcmena ,
ubi Herculés cum frátre suó dormiébat.
where Hercules with his brother was sleeping.
Nec tamen in cúnís,
However not in a cradle,
sed in scútó mágnó cubábant.
but in a large shield.they were lying.
Serpentés iam appropinquáverant
The serpents had just approached/come close
et scútum movébant;
and were moving the shield;
Itaque puerí é somnó excitátí sunt.
And so the boys were aroused from sleep.

d) The following section is for you to copy and compose your own translation.

Hercules, Alcmenae filius,
olim in Graecia habitabat.
Hic omnium hominum
validissimus fuisse dicitur.
At Iuno, regina deorum,
Alcmenam oderat
et Herculem adhuc infantem necare voluit.
Misit igitur duas serpentis saevissimas;
hae media nocte
in cubiculum Alcmenae venerunt,
ubi Hercules cum fratre suo dormiebat.
Nec tamen in cunis,
sed in scuto magno cubabant.
Serpentes iam appropinquaverant
et scutum movebant;
itaque pueri e somno excitati sunt.

Tuesday, 10 May 2011

11 RITCHIE'S FABULAE FACILES TRANSLATION - PERSEUS 11 - THE ORACLE FULFILLED with notes and interlinear translation

THE ORACLE FULFILLED



a)
Post haec Perseus cum uxóre suá
ad urbem Acrisí rediit. Ille autem ubi
Perseum vídit, mágnó terróre adfectus est;
nam propter óráculum istud nepótem suum
adhúc timébat. In Thessaliam igitur
ad urbem Lárísam statim refúgit, frústrá tamen;
neque enim fátum suum vítávit. Post paucós annós
réx Lárísae lúdós mágnós fécit; núntiós
in omnís partís dímíserat et diem édíxerat.
Multí ex omnibus urbibus Graeciae
ad lúdós convénérunt. Ipse Perseus inter aliós
certámen discórum iniit. At dum discum conicit,
avum suum cású occídit; Acrisius enim
inter spectátórés éius certáminis forte stábat.


b)
The words below have been selected for special attention.  For the words not included in this list pease refer to the WORDLIST in PAGES TOP RIGHT SIDE BAR.
Acrisi. In Nepos, Caesar, Cicero, and Vergil, the genitive singular of second-declension nouns in -ius and -ium_ ends in i, not ii; but the nominative plural ends in ii, and the dative and ablative plural in iis.
istud. Remember that iste is commonly used of something connected with the person addressed. Here the meaning may be 'that oracle I told you about earlier'.
Adhuc, up till now, up to this point, still.
neque enim, 'for ... not,' as if simply non enim, but Latin uses neque to connect the clauses.
in omnis partis, 'in all directions' or 'in every direction.'
Multi. Many men, example of adjective used as a noun.
discorum. The discus was a round, flat piece of stone or metal, and the athletes tried to see who could throw it farthest. 
casu. This is one of the ablatives of manner that do not take ‘cum’.
stabat. Notice the tense is imperfect.
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.

Post haec Perseus cum uxóre suá
After this Perseus with his wife
ad urbem Acrisí rediit. Ille autem ubi
returned to the town of Acrisius. He however, when
Perseum vídit, mágnó terróre adfectus est;
he saw Perseus, was very afraid,
nam propter óráculum istud
for because of that oracle
nepótem suum adhúc timébat.
he was still afraid of his grandson.
In Thessaliam igitur ad urbem Lárísam
Into Thessaly therefore to the town of Larisa
statim refúgit, frústrá tamen;
he fled at once, however in vain;
neque enim fátum suum vítávit.
for his fate he did not avoid.
Post paucós annós réx Lárísae lúdós mágnós fécit;
After a few years the king of Larisa put on great games,
Núntiós in omnís partís dímíserat et diem édíxerat.
He had sent messengers in all parts and had proclaimed the day.
Multí ex omnibus urbibus Graeciae
Many people from all the towns of Greece
ad lúdós convénérunt. Ipse Perseus inter aliós
gathered at the games. Perseus himself among others
certámen discórum iniit. At dum discum conicit,
entered the discus competition. But when he threw the discus
avum suum cású occídit; Acrisius enim
he killed his grandfather by accident; for Acrisius
inter spectátórés éius certáminis forte stábat.
was by chance standing amongst the spectators of his competition.

d) The following section is for you to copy and compose your own translation.

Post haec Perseus cum uxore sua
ad urbem Acrisi rediit.
Ille autem ubi Perseum vidit,
magno terrore adfectus est;
nam propter oraculum istud
nepotem suum adhuc timebat.
In Thessaliam igitur
ad urbem Larisam statim refugit,
frustra tamen;
neque enim fatum suum vitavit.
Post paucos annos
rex Larisae ludos magnos fecit;
nuntios in omnis partis dimiserat
et diem edixerat.
Multi ex omnibus urbibus Graeciae
ad ludos convenerunt.
Ipse Perseus inter alios
certamen discorum iniit.
At dum discum conicit,
avum suum casu occidit;
Acrisius enim inter spectatores
eius certaminis forte stabat.

Monday, 2 May 2011

10 RITCHIE'S FABULAE FACILES TRANSLATION - PERSEUS 10 - POLYDECTES IS TURNED TO STONE with notes and interlinear translation

POLYDECTES IS TURNED TO STONE
a)
Postquam Perseus ad ínsulam návem appulit, sé ad locum contulit ubi máter ólim habitáverat, sed domum invénit vacuam et omnínó désertam. Trís diés per tótam ínsulam mátrem quaerébat; tandem quartó dié ad templum Diánae pervénit. Húc Danaé refúgerat, quod Polydectem timébat. Perseus ubi haec cógnóvit, írá mágná commótus est; ad régiam Polydectis sine morá contendit, et ubi eó vénit, statim in átrium inrúpit. Polydectés mágnó timóre adfectus est et fugere volébat. Dum tamen ille fugit, Perseus caput Medúsae mónstrávit; ille autem simul atque hóc vídit, in saxum versus est.

b)
 Below are some words selected for special consideration below. For the words not included in this list pease refer to the WORDLIST in PAGES TOP RIGHT SIDE BAR.

Appulit, perfect tense, 3rd person sing, of appello, -pellere, -pulí, -pulsus [ad + pelló], drive to, bring to; with or without návem, put in. It is translated here as 'had moored' rather than 'moored' which is pluperfect because it follows postquam. 
Contulit, perfect tense, 3rd person sing., of con-fero, cónferre, contulí, conlátus, bring together; grant, confer; sé cónferre, to betake oneself, make one's way, so means here ‘he made his way’.
quod, not the relative pronoun, but a conjunction meaning because.
eo, the adverb, in that place.
in atrium. Although inrupit means 'burst into,' the preposition is
nevertheless required with the noun to express the place into which he burst.
ille. See personal pronouns in ESENTIAL GRAMMAR NOTES, IN PAGES TOP RIGHT OF SIDE BAR.
Polydectes in Saxum versus est – accusative after in meaning into, Polydectes was turned into stone.
Dum, is followed by a present tense, so 'dum fugit' literally means 'while he flees' but would be translated with a past tense, so 'while he was fleeing'.

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.

Postquam Perseus ad ínsulam návem appulit,
After Perseus had moored the boat at the island
sé ad locum contulit ubi máter
he took himself off to the place where his mother
ólim habitáverat, sed domum invénit vacuam
had once lived, but he found the house empty
et omnínó désertam. Trís diés per tótam ínsulam
and completely deserted.  For three days all through the island
mátrem quaerébat; tandem quartó dié
he was searching for his mother; at length on the fourth day
ad templum Diánae pervénit. Húc Danaé
he made his way to the temple of Diana. Here Danae
refúgerat, quod Polydectem timébat.
had taken refuge, because she feared Polydectes.
Perseus ubi haec cógnóvit, írá mágná commótus est;
Perseus when he found this out, felt great anger;
ad régiam Polydectis sine morá contendit,
without delay he hurried to Polydectes palace
et ubi eó vénit, statim in átrium inrúpit.
and when he arrived there, burst into the atrium at once.
Polydectés mágnó timóre adfectus est
Polydectes felt very afraid
et fugere volébat. Dum tamen ille fugit,
and wanted to flee. But as he was running away
Perseus caput Medúsae mónstrávit;
Perseus showed him the head of Medusa
ille autem simul atque hóc vídit,
but as soon as he saw it
in saxum versus est.
he was turned to stone.

d)This section is for you to copy and compose  your own translation.
Postquam Perseus ad insulam navem appulit,
se ad locum contulit ubi mater olim habitaverat,
sed domum invenit vacuam et omnino desertam.
Tris dies per totam insulam matrem quaerebat;
tandem quarto die ad templum Dianae pervenit.
Huc Danae refugerat, quod Polydectem timebat.
Perseus ubi haec cognovit, ira magna commotus est;
ad regiam Polydectis sine mora contendit,
et ubi eo venit, statim in atrium inrupit.
Polydectes magno timore adfectus est et fugere volebat.
Dum tamen ille fugit, Perseus caput Medusae monstravit;
ille autem simul atque hoc vidit, in saxum versus est.

Wednesday, 27 April 2011

09 RITCHIE'S FABULAE FACILES TRANSLATION - PERSEUS 09 - THE REWARD OF VALOUR with notes and interlinear translation

PERSEUS 09 - THE REWARD OF VALOUR

a)
Perseus postquam ad lítus déscendit, prímum tálária exuit; tum ad rúpem vénit ubi Andromeda vincta erat. Ea autem omnem spem salútis déposuerat, et ubi Perseus adiit, terróre paene exanimáta erat. Ille víncula statim solvit, et puellam patrí reddidit. Cépheus ob hanc rem máximó gaudió adfectus est. Meritam grátiam pró tantó benefició Perseó rettulit; praetereá Andromedam ipsam eí in mátrimónium dedit. Ille libenter hóc dónum accépit et puellam dúxit. Paucós annós cum uxóre suá in eá regióne habitábat, et in mágnó honóre erat apud omnís Aethiopés. Mágnopere tamen mátrem suam rúrsus vidére cupiébat. Tandem igitur cum uxóre suá é régnó Cépheí discessit.

b)Below are some words which have been selected for special attention. For the words not included in this list please refer to the WORDLIST in PAGES TOP RIGHT SIDE BAR.


Vincta erat – ‘was tied up, was bound, was chained’.
Ea - she pronoun. See is, ea, id in ESSENTIAL GRAMMAR NOTES in Pages, top of right side bar.
Salutis - notice that ‘is’ is not a long vowel and is therefore genitive meaning ‘of safety’; compare with ‘omnís’ which has the final ‘is’ accented as a long vowel and indicates that it is the alternative spelling of the accusative plural.
exanimata - used here as a predicate adjective which means it is joined to the subject of the sentence ‘ea’ meaning ‘she’ (Andromeda) by a form of the verb sum and therefore agrees with the subject.
Ille – personal pronoun meaning ‘that man’ or ‘he’. See ille, illa, illud ESSENTIAL GRAMMAR notes, top of right side bar. 
rettulit - 'To give thanks' or 'thank' is usually ‘gratias agere’, ‘gratiam referre’ means 'to show one's gratitude.'
praetereá - adv.conjunction, ‘besides this, besides, moreover’.
Ei - pronoun dative, to him. See is, ea, id in ESSENTIAL GRAMMAR top of right side bar.
duxit - This word came to mean 'marry,' because the bridegroom 'led' his bride in a wedding procession to his own home. It will be seen, therefore, that it can be used only of the man.
Paucos annos - For few years, accusative of duration of time.

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.



Perseus postquam ad lítus déscendit, Perseus after he had descended on to the shore,
prímum tálária exuit; tum ad rúpem vénitfirst took off his sandals, then he came to the rock
ubi Andromeda vincta erat.where Andromeda was tied up.
Ea autem omnem spem salútis déposuerat,She however had given up all hope of safety
et ubi Perseus adiit, and when Perseus approached,
terróre paene exanimáta erat.she almost fainted with terror.
Ille víncula statim solvit,He released her bonds at once
et puellam patrí reddidit.and returned the girl to her father.
Cépheus ob hanc remCepheus because of this
máximó gaudió adfectus est.was moved with great joy.
Meritam grátiam pró tantó beneficióDeserved gratitude for such great kindness
Perseó rettulit;he showed Perseus
praetereá Andromedam ipsam moreover Andromeda herself
eí in mátrimónium dedit.he gave to him in marriage.
Ille libenter hóc dónum accépitHe gladly accepted this gift
et puellam dúxit.and married the girl.
Paucós annós cum uxóre suáFor a few years with his wife
in eá regióne habitábat,he lived in this region,
et in mágnó honóre erat apud omnís Aethiopés.And he was held in great honour among all the Ethiopians.
Mágnopere tamen mátrem suam rúrsus vidére cupiébat.But he really wanted to see his mother again.
Tandem igitur cum uxóre suáAt length therefore with his wife
é régnó Cépheí discessit.he left the kingdom of Cepheus.



d)This section is for you to copy and compose your own translation.

Perseus postquam ad litus descendit,
primum talaria exuit;
tum ad rupem venit ubi Andromeda vincta erat.
Ea autem omnem spem salutis deposuerat,
et ubi Perseus adiit,
terrore paene exanimata erat.
Ille vincula statim solvit,
et puellam patri reddidit.
Cepheus ob hanc rem maximo gaudio adfectus est.
Meritam gratiam pro tanto beneficio Perseo rettulit;
praeterea Andromedam ipsam
ei in matrimonium dedit.
Ille libenter hoc donum accepit et puellam duxit.
Paucos annos cum uxore sua
in ea regione habitabat,
et in magno honore erat apud omnis Aethiopes.
Magnopere tamen
matrem suam rursus videre cupiebat.
Tandem igitur cum uxore sua e regno Cephei discessit.
 

Wednesday, 20 April 2011

08 RITCHIE FABULAE FACILES TRANSLATION - PERSEUS 08 - THE RESCUE

PERSEUS 08 - THE RESCUE with notes and interlinear translation


a)At Perseus ubi haec vídit, gladium suum édúxit, et postquam tálária induit, in áera sublátus est. Tum désuper in mónstrum impetum subitó fécit, et gladió suó collum éius graviter vulnerávit. Mónstrum ubi sénsit vulnus, fremitum horribilem édidit, et sine morá tótum corpus in aquam mersit. Perseus dum circum lítus volat, reditum éius exspectábat. Mare autem intereá undique sanguine ínficitur. Post breve tempus bélua rúrsus caput sustulit; mox tamen á Perseó íctú gravióre vulneráta est. Tum iterum sé in undás mersit, neque posteá vísa est.


b)  We have picked out some words for consideration below. For the words not included in this list please refer to the WORDLIST in PAGES TOP RIGHT SIDE BAR.

suum, eius - Remember to distinguish carefully between these words. ‘Suus’ is used of something belonging to the subject, ‘eius’ of something belonging to some other person or thing just mentioned. Gladium suum means ‘his sword’ i.e. belonging to the subject. Compare this with ‘Eius collum’ which means ‘his neck’, or ‘its neck’, meaning the monster’s; if Perseus had wounded ‘collum suum’ that would mean he had wounded his own neck.
sustulit. -  Notice that the perfect forms of ‘tollo’ are the same as those of ‘suffero (sub + fero)’, 'endure.'
desuper - from above
impetum fecit – ‘he charged’; ‘he made an attack’, from impetum facere.
Gladio suo - with his sword, the ablative case here is ablative of the instrument.
Edidit – ‘emitted, gave forth, let out’.
Reditum eius – ‘its return’, i.e. the monster’s return (see suum, eius above).
neque - here translated 'and ... not.' Neque is often used for ‘et non’.

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.



At Perseus ubi haec vídit, gladium suum édúxit,
But Perseus when he saw this, drew his sword
et postquam tálária induit, in áera sublátus est.
and after he put on his sandals, was carried up into the air.
Tum désuper in mónstrum impetum subitó fécit,
Then from above he suddenly charged the monster
et gladió suó collum éius graviter vulnerávit.
And with his sword seriously wounded its neck.
Mónstrum ubi sénsit vulnus, fremitum horribilem édidit,
The monster when it felt the wound, let out a horrible roar,
et sine morá tótum corpus in aquam mersit.
And without delay sunk its whole body into the water.
Perseus dum circum lítus volat, reditum éius exspectábat.
Perseus while he is flying around the shore was awaited its return.
Mare autem intereá undique sanguine ínficitur.
And the sea in the meantime is turning to blood in all directions.
Post breve tempus bélua rúrsus caput sustulit;
After a short time the sea monster again raised its head
mox tamen á Perseó íctú gravióre vulneráta est.
but soon by a more serious blow from Perseus it was wounded.
Tum iterum sé in undás mersit,
Then again it plunged itself into the waves,
neque posteá vísa est.
and afterwards was not it seen again.

d)This section is for you to copy and compose your own translation.
At Perseus ubi haec vidit, gladium suum eduxit,
et postquam talaria induit, in aera sublatus est.
Tum desuper in monstrum impetum subito fecit,
et gladio suo collum eius graviter vulneravit.
Monstrum ubi sensit vulnus,
fremitum horribilem edidit,
et sine mora totum corpus in aquam mersit.
Perseus dum circum litus volat,
reditum eius exspectabat.
Mare autem interea undique sanguine inficitur.
Post breve tempus belua rursus caput sustulit;
mox tamen a Perseo ictu graviore vulnerata est.
Tum iterum se in undas mersit, neque postea visa est.

Tuesday, 12 April 2011

07 RITCHIE'S FABULAE FACILES TRANSLATION - PERSEUS O7 A HUMAN SACRIFICE

PERSEUS O7 - A HUMAN SACRIFICE


a) Tum réx diem certam díxit et omnia parávit. Ubi ea diés vénit, Andromeda ad lítus déducta est, et in cónspectú omnium ad rúpem adligáta est. Omnés fátum éius déplórábant,  nec lacrimás tenébant. At subitó,  dum mónstrum exspectant, Perseus accurrit; et ubi lacrimás vídit, causam dolóris quaerit. Illí rem tótam expónunt et puellam démónstrant. Dum haec geruntur, fremitus terribilis audítur; simul mónstrum horribilí specié procul cónspicitur. Éius cónspectus timórem máximum omnibus iniécit. Mónstrum mágná celeritáte ad lítus contendit, iamque ad locum appropinquábat ubi puella stábat.

b)
  We have chosen some words for special consideration below. For the words not included in this list pease refer to the WORDLIST in PAGES TOP RIGHT SIDE BAR.
diem certam. The appointed day, certus is definite, unlike quodam ‘a certain’ which is indefinite. Dies is regularly masculine, but when used of an appointed day it is often feminine.
Omnia. 'all things,' 'everything,' or 'all.'
deplorabant, tenebant. They were lamenting, the imperfect tense is being used to set the scene in the past.
quaerit. This is an example of the historical present which is used sometimes in storytelling to make the action vivid. There are several instances of this storytelling device in this paragraph.
Dum haec geruntur, 'while this is going on.'
horribili. Here the adjective is made emphatic by being put before its noun.
omnibus, dative of indirect object after the compound verb (in+iacio). The literal meaning is 'threw into all' but is probably best translated by ‘inspired in all.’

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.  Don't forget that in storytelling we often use the present tense to make the action more exciting and dramatic but this is usually translated into the past tense in English.




Tum réx diem certam díxit
Then the king announced the appointed day
et omnia parávit.
and prepared everything.
Ubi ea diés vénit,
When that day arrived,
Andromeda ad lítus déducta est,
Andromeda was led to the shore
et in cónspectú omnium
and in sight of all
ad rúpem adligáta est.
she was tied to a rock.
Omnés fátum éius déplórábant,
Everyone was lamenting her fate
nec lacrimás tenébant.
nor were they holding back their tears.
At subitó, dum mónstrum exspectant,
But suddenly, whilst they were waiting for the monster,
Perseus accurrit;
Perseus runs up
et ubi lacrimás vídit,
And when he sees the tears,
causam dolóris quaerit.
he wants to know the reason for the grief.
Illí rem tótam expónunt
They tell him all about it
et puellam démónstrant.
and show him the girl.
Dum haec geruntur,
While this is going on,
fremitus terribilis audítur;
a terrible roar is heard;
simul mónstrum horribilí specié procul cónspicitur.
At the same time a monster of horrible appearance is spotted not far off.
Éius cónspectus timórem máximum omnibus iniécit.
At the sight of him everyone is inspired with the greatest fear.
Mónstrum mágná celeritáte ad lítus contendit,
The monster with great speed hurries to the shore,
iamque ad locum appropinquábat ubi puella stábat.
And was already getting near to the place where the girl was standing.


d) The following section is for you to copy and compose your own translation.
Tum rex diem certam dixit et omnia paravit.
Ubi ea dies venit, Andromeda ad litus deducta est,
et in conspectu omnium ad rupem adligata est.
Omnes fatum eius deplorabant,
nec lacrimas tenebant.
At subito, dum monstrum exspectant,
Perseus accurrit; et ubi lacrimas vidit,
causam doloris quaerit.
Illi rem totam exponunt et puellam demonstrant.
Dum haec geruntur, fremitus terribilis auditur;
simul monstrum horribili specie procul conspicitur.
Eius conspectus timorem maximum omnibus iniecit.
Monstrum magna celeritate ad litus contendit,
iamque ad locum appropinquabat ubi puella stabat.