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Fabulae Faciles 67
Two deadly tasks
Ritchie, Fabulae Faciles: The Argonauts. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō67.1Brevī intermissō spatiō Argonautae ad flūmen Phāsim vēnērunt, quod in fīnibus Colchōrum erat.
After a short interval the Argonauts came to the river Phasis, which was in the territory of the Colchians.
67.2Ibi cum nāvem appulissent et in terram ēgressī essent, statim ad rēgem Aeētem sē contulērunt et ab eō postulāvērunt ut vellus aureum sibi trāderētur.
There, when they had brought the ship in and landed, they went at once to king Aeetes and demanded that the golden fleece be handed over to them.
67.3Ille cum audīvisset quam ob causam Argonautae vēnissent, īrā commōtus est et diū negābat sē vellus trāditūrum esse.
When he had heard why the Argonauts had come, he was moved to anger and for a long time refused to hand over the fleece.
67.4Tandem tamen, quod sciēbat Iāsonem nōn sine auxiliō deōrum hoc negōtium suscēpisse, mūtātā sententiā prōmīsit sē vellus trāditūrum, sī Iāsōn labōrēs duōs difficillimōs prius perfēcisset; et cum Iāsōn dīxisset sē ad omnia perīcula subeunda parātum esse, quid fierī vellet ostendit.
At last, however, because he knew that Jason had not undertaken this task without the help of the gods, he changed his mind and promised that he would hand over the fleece if Jason first completed two very difficult labors; and when Jason said that he was ready to face every danger, he showed him what he wanted done.
Note. mūtātā sententiā: ablative absolute, 'having changed his mind'.
67.5Prīmum iungendī erant duo taurī speciē horribilī, quī flammās ex ōre ēdēbant; tum hīs iūnctīs ager quīdam arandus erat et dentēs dracōnis serendī.
First, two bulls of horrible appearance, which breathed out flames from their mouths, had to be yoked; then, once these were yoked, a certain field had to be ploughed and the teeth of a dragon sown.
Note. iungendī erant: the gerundive with esse expresses necessity, 'had to be yoked'.
67.6Hīs audītīs Iāsōn etsī rem esse summī perīculī intellegēbat, tamen, nē hanc occāsiōnem reī bene gerendae āmitteret, negōtium suscēpit.
When he heard this, although Jason understood that the task was extremely dangerous, still, so as not to lose this chance of success, he undertook it.
Note. reī bene gerendae: 'of managing the affair well', a gerundive in the genitive.
Vocabulary
| brevis, -e | short |
| intermittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | leave off, interrupt; let pass; pass., be left between, intervene, elapse |
| spatium, -ī, n. | space, interval; space of time, time |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| flūmen, -minis, n. | river |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| fīnis, -is, m. | end, boundary; plur., borders, territory, country |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| ibi, adv. | in that place, there |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| nāvis, -is, f. | ship |
| appellō, -pellere, -pulī, -pulsus | drive to, bring to; with or without nāvem, put in |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| terra, -ae, f. | land, earth |
| ēgredior, -gredī, -gressus | go out or forth, go ashore, disembark |
| statim, adv. | on the spot, forthwith, at once, immediately |
| rēx, rēgis, m. | king |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| cōnferō, cōnferre, contulī, conlātus | bring together; grant, confer; sē cōnferre, to betake oneself, make one's way |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| postulō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | ask, request, demand |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| vellus, velleris, n. | fleece |
| aureus, -a, -um | of gold, golden |
| trādō, -dere, -didī, -ditus | give across, over, or up, deliver; hand down, relate, report |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| audiō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus | hear; listen or attend to |
| quī, quae, quod, interrog. pron. adj. | what? |
| ob, prep. with acc. | on account of, for; in compounds, to, against |
| causa, -ae, f. | cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of |
| īra, -ae, f. | anger, wrath |
| commoveō, -movēre, -mōvī, -mōtus | move, rouse; disturb |
| diū, adv. | for a long time, a long time or while, long; comp |
| negō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | say no or not, deny, refuse |
| tandem, adv. | at length or last, finally |
| tamen, adv. | however, yet, nevertheless |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| sciō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus | know |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| sine, prep. with abl. | without |
| auxilium, -ī, n. | help, aid |
| deus, -ī, m. | god |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| negōtium, -ī, n. | business, matter; task, trouble, difficulty |
| suscipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | undertake |
| mūtō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | change |
| sententia, -ae, f. | opinion; purpose |
| prōmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send or put forth, promise |
| sī, conj. | if |
| labor, -ōris, m. | labor, toil |
| duo, -ae, -o, plur. adj. | two |
| difficilis, -e | not easy, difficult |
| prius, adv. | before, first |
| perficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | do or make through, accomplish |
| dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus | say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| perīculum, -ī, n. | danger, peril, risk |
| subeō, -īre, -iī, -itus | go under; undergo, submit to, sustain, bear, endure |
| parātus, -a, -um | prepared, equipped, ready |
| quis, quid, interrog. pron. | who? which? what? |
| fīō, fierī, factus sum | be done or made, become, happen |
| volō, velle, voluī | wish |
| ostendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentus | stretch out before, show, explain |
| prīmum, adv. | first, in the first place |
| iungō, iungere, iūnxī, iūnctus | join; yoke, harness |
| taurus, -ī, m. | bull |
| speciēs, -ēī, f. | sight, appearance, shape |
| horribilis, -e | dreadful, terrible, horrible |
| flamma, -ae, f. | flame |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| ōs, ōris, n. | mouth |
| ēdō, -dere, -didī, -ditus | put forth, give out, utter |
| tum, adv. | then, at that time |
| ager, agri, m. | field, land |
| quīdam, quaedam, quoddam, indef. pron. | a certain, certain |
| arō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | plow |
| dēns, dentis, m. | tooth |
| dracō, -ōnis, m. | dragon, serpent |
| serō, serere, sēvī, satus | sow, plant |
| etsī, conj. | even if, although |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| summus, -a, -um | uppermost, highest, greatest |
| intellegō, -legere, -lēxī, -lēctus | perceive, understand |
| nē, adv. | not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest |
| occāsiō, -ōnis, f. | chance, opportunity |
| bene, adv. | well; successfully |
| gerō, gerere, gessī, gestus | carry, wear; carry on, do |
| āmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send away, lose |