Lectitō › Fabulae Faciles › Fabulae Faciles: The Argonauts
Fabulae Faciles 62
A fatal mistake
Ritchie, Fabulae Faciles: The Argonauts. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō62.1Haud multō post Argonautae (ita enim appellābantur quī in istā nāvī vehēbantur) īnsulam quandam, nōmine Cyzicum, attigērunt; et ē nāvī ēgressī ā rēge illīus regiōnis hospitiō exceptī sunt.
Not long afterwards the Argonauts (for so those who sailed in that ship were called) reached a certain island named Cyzicus; and when they had landed from the ship they were welcomed as guests by the king of that region.
Note. quī in istā nāvī vehēbantur: the antecedent (eī, 'those') is left out.
62.2Paucās hōrās ibi commorātī ad sōlis occāsum rūrsus solvērunt; sed postquam pauca mīlia passuum prōgressī sunt, tanta tempestās subitō coorta est ut cursum tenēre nōn possent, et in eandem partem īnsulae unde nūper profectī erant magnō cum perīculō dēicerentur.
After staying there a few hours they set sail again at sunset; but after they had gone a few miles, so great a storm suddenly arose that they could not hold their course, and they were driven back with great danger to the same part of the island from which they had recently set out.
Note. ut cursum tenēre nōn possent: a result clause after tanta, 'so great … that'.
62.3Incolae tamen, cum nox esset obscūra, Argonautās nōn agnōscēbant, et nāvem inimīcam vēnisse arbitrātī arma rapuērunt et eōs ēgredī prohibēbant.
But the inhabitants, since the night was dark, did not recognize the Argonauts, and thinking that an enemy ship had come, they seized their weapons and tried to keep them from landing.
62.4Ācriter in lītore pugnātum est, et rēx ipse, quī cum aliīs dēcucurrerat, ab Argonautīs occīsus est.
There was fierce fighting on the shore, and the king himself, who had run down with the others, was killed by the Argonauts.
Note. pugnātum est: impersonal passive, 'there was fighting'.
62.5Mox tamen, cum iam dīlūcēsceret, sēnsērunt incolae sē errāre et arma abiēcērunt; Argonautae autem cum rēgem occīsum esse vidērent, magnum dolōrem percēpērunt.
But soon, when it was already growing light, the inhabitants realized that they were mistaken and threw down their weapons; and the Argonauts, when they saw that the king had been killed, felt great grief.
Vocabulary
| haud, adv. | not at all, by no means, not |
| multō, adv. | by much or far, much, far |
| post, adv. | after, later; prep. with acc., after, behind |
| ita, adv. | in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as |
| enim, conj. | for |
| appellō, -pellāre, -pellāvī, -pellātus | call, name |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| iste, ista, istud, dem. pron. | that of yours, that |
| nāvis, -is, f. | ship |
| vehō, vehere, vexī, vectus | carry |
| īnsula, -ae, f. | island |
| quīdam, quaedam, quoddam, indef. pron. | a certain, certain |
| nōmen, -minis, n. | name (that by which one is known) |
| attingō, -tingere, -tigī, -tāctus | touch at |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| ēgredior, -gredī, -gressus | go out or forth, go ashore, disembark |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| rēx, rēgis, m. | king |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| regiō, -ōnis, f. | direction; country, region |
| hospitium, -ī, n. | hospitality |
| excipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take out or up, receive, welcome, entertain |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| paucī, -ae, -a, plur. adj. | few |
| hōra, -ae, f. | hour |
| ibi, adv. | in that place, there |
| commoror, -morārī, -morātus | tarry, linger, delay, stay |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| sōl, sōlis, m. | sun |
| occāsus, -ūs, m. | setting |
| rūrsus, adv. | again |
| solvō, solvere, solvī, solūtus | loosen, unbind, release; pay; with or without nāvem, cast off, set sail, put to sea |
| sed, conj. | but |
| postquam, conj. | later than, after, when |
| mīlle, indecl. adj. | a thousand; mīlia, -ium, n. plur., thousands; |
| passus, -ūs, m. | pace (mīlia passuum: miles) |
| prōgredior, -gredī, -gressus | go forward, advance |
| tantus, -a, -um | so great or much |
| tempestās, -tātis, f. | weather; storm, tempest |
| subitō, adv. | unexpectedly, suddenly |
| coorior, -orīrī, -ortus | arise |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| cursus, -ūs, m. | running, speed; course, route, voyage; race |
| teneō, -ēre, -uī, -tus | hold, keep; hold back, restrain, stop |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron. | the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| unde, adv. | whence |
| nūper, adv. | newly, lately, recently |
| proficīscor, -ficīscī, -fectus sum | set out, depart, march |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| perīculum, -ī, n. | danger, peril, risk |
| dēiciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectus | throw down, cast, drive out of one's course |
| incola, -ae, m. and f. | inhabitant |
| tamen, adv. | however, yet, nevertheless |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| nox, noctis, f. | night |
| obscūrus, -a, -um | dark |
| agnōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus, recognize | |
| inimīcus, -a, -um | unfriendly, hostile |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| arbitror, -ārī, -ātus | consider, think, judge |
| arma, -ōrum, n. plur. | arms, weapons |
| rapiō, -ere, -uī, -tus | seize, snatch |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| prohibeō, -hibēre, -hibuī, -hibitus | hold back, prevent, hinder |
| ācriter, adv. | sharply, fiercely |
| lītus, lītoris, n. | shore |
| pugnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | fight |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| alius, -a, -ud | another, other; aliī ... aliī, some ... others |
| dēcurrō, -currere, -cucurrī, -cursus | run down |
| occīdō, -cīdere, -cīdī, -cīsus | cut down, kill |
| mox, adv. | soon |
| iam, adv. | now, already |
| dīlūcēscō, -lūcēscere, -lūxī | grow light, dawn |
| sentiō, sentīre, sēnsī, sēnsus | perceive, feel |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| errō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | wander, stray; be mistaken |
| abiciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectus | throw away |
| autem, conj. | moreover; but, however; now |
| videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus | see; pass., seem |
| dolor, -ōris, m. | pain, grief; anger |
| percipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | feel |