Lectitō › Fabulae Faciles › Fabulae Faciles: Hercules
Fabulae Faciles 14
The music lesson
Ritchie, Fabulae Faciles: Hercules. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō14.1Herculēs ā puerō corpus suum dīligenter exercēbat; magnam partem diēī in palaestrā cōnsūmēbat; didicit etiam arcum intendere et tēla conicere.
From boyhood Hercules exercised his body carefully; he spent a large part of the day in the wrestling-school; he also learned to draw a bow and to throw spears.
Note. ā puerō: 'from boyhood'. The imperfects exercēbat and cōnsūmēbat describe what he regularly did.
14.2Hīs exercitātiōnibus vīrēs eius cōnfirmātae sunt.
By these exercises his strength was increased.
14.3In mūsicā etiam ā Linō centaurō ērudiēbātur (centaurī autem equī erant sed caput hominis habēbant); huic tamen artī minus dīligenter studēbat.
He was also taught music by the centaur Linus (centaurs were horses but had the head of a man); but he studied this art less carefully.
Note. artī: studeō takes the dative, 'be devoted to (something)'.
14.4Hic Linus Herculem ōlim obiūrgābat, quod nōn studiōsus erat; tum puer īrātus citharam subitō rapuit, et omnibus vīribus caput magistrī īnfēlīcis percussit.
This Linus once scolded Hercules because he was not studious; then the boy in anger suddenly snatched up a lyre, and struck the head of the unlucky teacher with all his strength.
Note. omnibus vīribus: 'with all his might'.
14.5Ille ictū prōstrātus est, et paulō post ē vītā excessit, neque quisquam posteā id officium suscipere voluit.
Linus was knocked down by the blow, and a little later departed from life, and no one afterwards wanted to take on that job.
Note. neque quisquam: 'and not anyone', that is, 'and no one'. voluit here means 'was willing'.
Vocabulary
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| puer, puerī, m. | boy |
| corpus, corporis, n. | body |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| dīligenter, adv. | carefully, diligently |
| exerceō, -ercēre, -ercuī, -ercitus | exercise |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| palaestra, -ae, f. | wrestling-place, gymnasium |
| cōnsūmō, -sūmere, -sūmpsī, -sūmptus | take completely, use up, consume, spend |
| discō, discere, didicī | learn |
| etiam, adv. | and now, also, too, even |
| arcus, -ūs, m. | bow |
| intendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentus | stretch out; stretch, draw, aim |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| tēlum, -ī, n. | missile, spear, weapon |
| coniciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectus | throw together; throw, cast, hurl |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| exercitātiō, -ōnis, f. | exercise |
| vīs, vīs, f. | violence, force; virtue, potency, efficacy; plur. vīrēs, -ium, strength; omnibus vīribus, with all one's strength, with might and main |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| cōnfirmō, -firmāre, -firmāvī, -firmātus | strengthen, establish; declare, assert |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| mūsica, -ae, f. | music |
| centaurus, -ī, m. | centaur |
| ērudiō, -rudīre, -rudīvī, -rudītus | instruct |
| autem, conj. | moreover; but, however; now |
| equus, -ī, m. | horse |
| sed, conj. | but |
| caput, capitis, n. | head |
| homō, hominis, m. | man |
| habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | have, hold; consider |
| tamen, adv. | however, yet, nevertheless |
| ars, artis, f. | art |
| minus, comp. adv. | less |
| studeō, -ēre, -uī | be eager, give attention, apply oneself |
| ōlim, adv. | once upon a time, once, formerly, of old |
| obiūrgō, -iūrgāre, -iūrgāvī, -iūrgātus | chide, scold, reproach |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| studiōsus, -a, -um | eager, diligent, studious |
| tum, adv. | then, at that time |
| īrātus, -a, -um | angered, enraged, angry, furious |
| cithara, -ae, f. | cithara, lute, lyre |
| subitō, adv. | unexpectedly, suddenly |
| rapiō, -ere, -uī, -tus | seize, snatch |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| magister, -trī, m. | master |
| īnfēlīx, -fēlīcis, adj. | unhappy, unfortunate |
| percutiō, -cutere, -cussī, -cussus | strike through, strike |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| īctus, -ūs, m. | blow |
| prōsternō, -sternere, -strāvī, -strātus | strew or spread before, throw or knock down |
| paulō, adv. | by a little, a little, somewhat |
| post, adv. | after, later; prep. with acc., after, behind |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| vīta, -ae, f. | life |
| excēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessus | go out or forth, depart |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| quisquam, quicquam, indef. pron. | any one, anything |
| posteā, adv. | after this, afterwards |
| officium, -ī, n. | service; duty |
| suscipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | undertake |
| volō, velle, voluī | wish |