Lectitō › Fabulae Faciles › Fabulae Faciles: Hercules
Fabulae Faciles 55
The poisoned robe
Ritchie, Fabulae Faciles: Hercules. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō55.1Nessus igitur sagittā Herculis trānsfīxus moriēns humī iacēbat; at nē occāsiōnem suī ulcīscendī dīmitteret, ita locūtus est: "Tū, Dēianīra, verba morientis audī.
So Nessus, pierced by the arrow of Hercules, lay dying on the ground; but so as not to lose the chance of revenge, he spoke as follows: “Deianira, hear the words of a dying man.
Note. suī ulcīscendī: gerundive, 'of avenging himself'. humī: locative, 'on the ground'.
55.2Sī amōrem marītī tuī cōnservāre vīs, hunc sanguinem quī nunc ē pectore meō effunditur sūme ac repōne; tum, sī umquam in suspīciōnem tibi vēnerit, vestem marītī hōc sanguine īnficiēs."
If you want to keep the love of your husband, take this blood which is now pouring from my chest and store it away; then, if ever he comes under suspicion in your eyes, you will stain your husband's clothing with this blood.”
Note. vīs is from volō: 'you want'. īnficiēs is a future used as a gentle command: 'you will stain'.
55.3Haec locūtus Nessus animam efflāvit; Dēianīra autem nihil malī suspicāta imperāta fēcit.
Having said this, Nessus breathed his last; and Deianira, suspecting nothing bad, did as she was told.
Note. nihil malī: 'nothing (of) bad', i.e. 'no harm'.
55.4Paulō post Herculēs bellum contrā Eurytum, rēgem Oechaliae, suscēpit; et cum rēgem ipsum cum fīliīs interfēcisset, Iolēn eius fīliam captīvam sēcum redūxit.
A little later Hercules undertook a war against Eurytus, the king of Oechalia; and when he had killed the king himself along with his sons, he brought back with him Iole, his daughter, as a captive.
55.5Antequam tamen domum vēnit, nāvem ad Cēnaeum prōmunturium appulit, et in terram ēgressus āram cōnstituit, ut Iovī sacrificāret.
But before he came home, he brought his ship in at the headland of Cenaeum, and going ashore he set up an altar, to sacrifice to Jupiter.
55.6Dum tamen sacrificium parat, Licham comitem suum domum mīsit, quī vestem albam referret; mōs enim erat apud antīquōs, dum sacrificia facerent, albam vestem gerere.
While he was preparing the sacrifice, he sent his companion Lichas home, to bring back a white robe; for it was the custom among the ancients to wear a white robe when they made sacrifices.
55.7At Dēianīra verita nē Herculēs amōrem ergā Iolēn habēret, vestem priusquam Lichae dedit, sanguine Nessī īnfēcit.
But Deianira, fearing that Hercules had fallen in love with Iole, stained the robe with the blood of Nessus before she gave it to Lichas.
Vocabulary
| igitur, conj. | therefore |
| sagitta, -ae, f. | arrow |
| trānsfīgō, -fīgere, -fīxī, -fīxus | thrust or pierce through, transfix |
| morior, morī, mortuus | die |
| humī, adv. | on the ground |
| iaceō, -ēre, -uī | lie, be prostrate |
| at, conj. | but |
| nē, adv. | not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest |
| occāsiō, -ōnis, f. | chance, opportunity |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| ulcīscor, ulcīscī, ultus | avenge |
| dīmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send different ways, send forth or away, despatch; let slip, lose |
| ita, adv. | in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as |
| loquor, loquī, locūtus | speak |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| tū, tuī, pers. pron. | thou, you |
| verbum, -ī, n. | word |
| audiō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus | hear; listen or attend to |
| sī, conj. | if |
| amor, -ōris, m. | love |
| marītus, -ī, m. | husband |
| tuus, -a, -um | thy, thine, your |
| cōnservō, -servāre, -servāvī, -servātus | preserve, keep |
| volō, velle, voluī | wish |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| sanguis, sanguinis, m. | blood |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| nunc, adv. | now |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| pectus, pectoris, n. | breast |
| meus, -a, -um | my, mine |
| effundō, -fundere, -fūdī, -fūsus | pour out |
| sūmō, sūmere, sūmpsī, sūmptus | take under or up, take; poenam sūmere, to exact or inflict punishment |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| repōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positus | put or set back; store up or away |
| tum, adv. | then, at that time |
| umquam, adv. | ever |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| suspīciō, -ōnis, f. | suspicion |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| vestis, -is, f. | clothing, dress, robe |
| īnficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | stain, dye |
| anima, -ae, f. | breath, soul, life |
| efflō, -flāre, -flāvī, -flātus | breathe out |
| autem, conj. | moreover; but, however; now |
| nihil, n., indecl. | nothing |
| malum, -ī, n. | evil, mischief |
| suspicor, -spicārī, -spicātus | suspect |
| imperō, -perāre, -perāvī, -perātus | command, order, enjoin |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| paulō, adv. | by a little, a little, somewhat |
| post, adv. | after, later; prep. with acc., after, behind |
| bellum, -ī, n. | war |
| contrā, prep, with acc. | against, contrary to |
| rēx, rēgis, m. | king |
| suscipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | undertake |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| fīlius, -ī, m. | son |
| interficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | put out of the way, kill |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| fīlia, -ae, f. | daughter |
| captīvus, -a, -um | captive |
| redūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead or bring back; restore |
| antequam, conj. | before than, sooner than, before |
| tamen, adv. | however, yet, nevertheless |
| domus, -ūs, f. | house, home |
| nāvis, -is, f. | ship |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| prōmunturium, -ī, n. | headland, promontory |
| appellō, -pellere, -pulī, -pulsus | drive to, bring to; with or without nāvem, put in |
| terra, -ae, f. | land, earth |
| ēgredior, -gredī, -gressus | go out or forth, go ashore, disembark |
| āra, -ae, f. | altar |
| cōnstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus | set together or up; appoint; determine |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| sacrificō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | sacrifice |
| dum, conj. | while, as; as long as; until |
| sacrificium, -ī, n. | sacrifice |
| parō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | make ready, prepare |
| comes, -itis, m. and f. | companion |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus | send |
| albus, -a, -um | white |
| referō, referre, rettulī, relātus | bring or carry back, return; pedem referre, to draw back, retire, retreat; grātiam referre, see grātia |
| mōs, mōris, m. | way, manner, habit, custom |
| enim, conj. | for |
| apud, prep, with acc. | among, with |
| antīquus, -a, -um | ancient |
| gerō, gerere, gessī, gestus | carry, wear; carry on, do |
| vereor, -ērī, -itus | fear |
| ergā, prep, with acc. | toward, for |
| habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | have, hold; consider |
| priusquam, conj. | before than, sooner than, before |
| dō, dare, dedī, datus | give |