Lectitō › Fabulae Faciles › Fabulae Faciles: Ulysses
Fabulae Faciles 86
Trapped in the cave
Ritchie, Fabulae Faciles: Ulysses. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō86.1Dum haec geruntur, Graecōrum animōs tantus terror occupāvit ut nē vōcem quidem ēdere possent, sed omnī spē salūtis dēpositā mortem praesentem exspectārent.
While this was going on, such great terror seized the Greeks' minds that they could not even utter a sound, but gave up all hope of safety and waited for death before their eyes.
86.2Polyphēmus, postquam famēs hāc tam horribilī cēnā dēpulsa est, humī prōstrātus somnō sē dedit.
After his hunger had been satisfied by this horrible supper, Polyphemus stretched out on the ground and went to sleep.
Note. humī is a locative: 'on the ground'.
86.3Quod cum vīdisset Ulixēs, tantam occāsiōnem reī gerendae nōn omittendam arbitrātus, in eō erat ut pectus mōnstrī gladiō trānsfīgeret.
When Ulysses saw this, thinking that so good a chance to act must not be missed, he was on the point of running the monster's chest through with his sword.
Note. in eō erat ut: 'he was on the point of …'. reī gerendae: 'of doing the deed'.
86.4Cum tamen nihil temerē agendum exīstimāret, cōnstituit explōrāre, antequam hoc faceret, quā ratiōne ex spēluncā ēvādere possent.
But since he thought nothing should be done rashly, he decided to find out, before he did this, by what means they could get out of the cave.
86.5At cum saxum animadvertisset quō introitus obstrūctus erat, nihil sibi prōfutūrum intellēxit sī Polyphēmum interfēcisset.
But when he noticed the rock with which the entrance was blocked, he realised that it would do him no good if he killed Polyphemus.
Note. nihil sibi prōfutūrum: future infinitive of prōsum, 'that it would do him no good'.
86.6Tanta enim erat eius saxī magnitūdō ut nē ā decem quidem hominibus āmovērī posset.
For that rock was so large that it could not have been moved even by ten men.
Note. nē … quidem: 'not even'; the word between them is the one stressed.
86.7Quae cum ita essent, Ulixēs hōc cōnātū dēstitit et ad sociōs rediit; quī cum intellēxissent quō in locō rēs essent, nūllā spē salūtis oblātā dē fortūnīs suīs dēspērāre coepērunt.
Since this was so, Ulysses gave up this attempt and went back to his companions; and when they understood what a situation they were in, with no hope of safety in sight, they began to despair of their fortunes.
86.8Ille tamen nē animōs dēmitterent vehementer hortātus est; dēmōnstrāvit sē iam anteā ē multīs et magnīs perīculīs ēvāsisse, neque dubium esse quīn in tantō discrīmine dī auxilium lātūrī essent.
But he urged them strongly not to lose heart; he pointed out that he had already escaped from many great dangers before, and that there was no doubt that in so great a crisis the gods would bring help.
Note. neque dubium esse quīn … lātūrī essent: quīn + subjunctive after a negative expression of doubt.
Vocabulary
| dum, conj. | while, as; as long as; until |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| gerō, gerere, gessī, gestus | carry, wear; carry on, do |
| animus, -ī, m. | mind; heart; spirit, courage |
| tantus, -a, -um | so great or much |
| terror, -ōris, m. | terror, fright |
| occupō, -cupāre, -cupāvī, -cupātus | seize; fill |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| nē, adv. | not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest |
| vōx, vōcis, f. | voice; word |
| quidem, adv. | in fact, indeed, certainly; nē ... quidem, not ... even |
| ēdō, -dere, -didī, -ditus | put forth, give out, utter |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| sed, conj. | but |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| spēs, speī, f. | hope |
| salūs, salūtis, f. | safety, deliverance, escape |
| dēpōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positus | put down, deposit; lay aside, give up; ē memoriā dēpōnere, to forget |
| mors, mortīs, f. | death |
| praesēns, -sentis, adj. | present, immediate, imminent |
| exspectō, -spectāre, -spectāvī, -spectātus | look out for, wait for, await, expect; wait |
| postquam, conj. | later than, after, when |
| famēs, -is, abl. famē, f. | hunger |
| tam, adv. | so |
| horribilis, -e | dreadful, terrible, horrible |
| cēna, -ae, f. | dinner |
| dēpellō, -pellere, -pulī, -pulsus | drive off or away, drive |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| humī, adv. | on the ground |
| prōsternō, -sternere, -strāvī, -strātus | strew or spread before, throw or knock down |
| somnus, -ī, m. | sleep, drowsiness |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| dō, dare, dedī, datus | give |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus | see; pass., seem |
| occāsiō, -ōnis, f. | chance, opportunity |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| omittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | let go, neglect, disregard, throw away, lose |
| arbitror, -ārī, -ātus | consider, think, judge |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| pectus, pectoris, n. | breast |
| mōnstrum, -ī, n. | wonder, monster |
| gladius, -ī, m. | sword |
| trānsfīgō, -fīgere, -fīxī, -fīxus | thrust or pierce through, transfix |
| tamen, adv. | however, yet, nevertheless |
| nihil, n., indecl. | nothing |
| temerē, adv. | rashly |
| agō, agere, ēgī, āctus | drive; do; pass, lead; grātiās agere, see grātia |
| exīstimō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | consider, believe, think |
| cōnstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus | set together or up; appoint; determine |
| explōrō, -plōrāre, -plōrāvī, -plōrātus | search out, explore |
| antequam, conj. | before than, sooner than, before |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| quī, quae, quod, interrog. pron. adj. | what? |
| ratiō, -ōnis, f. | plan, means, method, manner; reason; account |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| spēlunca, -ae, f. | cave, cavern |
| ēvādō, -vādere, -vāsī, -vāsus | go forth, get away, escape |
| at, conj. | but |
| saxum, -ī, n. | rock, stone |
| animadvertō, -vertere, -vertī, -versus | turn the mind to, observe |
| introitus, -ūs, m. | entrance |
| obstruō, -struere, -strūxī, -strūctus | build against, block up |
| prōsum, prōdesse, prōfuī | be of advantage, profit, avail, assist |
| intellegō, -legere, -lēxī, -lēctus | perceive, understand |
| sī, conj. | if |
| interficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | put out of the way, kill |
| enim, conj. | for |
| magnitūdō, -tūdinis, f. | greatness, size |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| decem, indecl. adj. | ten |
| homō, hominis, m. | man |
| āmoveō, -movēre, -mōvī, -mōtus | move away |
| ita, adv. | in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as |
| cōnātus, -ūs, m. | attempt, effort |
| dēsistō, -sistere, -stitī, -stitus | set down; leave off, desist, cease, stop |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| socius, -ī, m. | companion, comrade, ally |
| redeō, -īre, -iī, -itus | go back, return |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| nūllus, -a, -um | not any, none, no |
| offerō, offerre, obtulī, oblātus | bear to, proffer, offer |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| fortūna, -ae, f. | fortune |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| dēspērō, -spērāre, -spērāvī, -spērātus | despair |
| coepī, coepisse, coeptus (used in tenses of completed action) | have begun, began |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| dēmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send down, let fall; animōs dēmittere, to lose courage |
| vehementer, adv. | violently, vehemently; earnestly; exceedingly, greatly |
| hortor, -ārī, -ātus | exhort, encourage, urge |
| dēmōnstrō, -mōnstrāre, -mōnstrāvī, -mōnstrātus | point out, show; make known |
| iam, adv. | now, already |
| anteā, adv. | before |
| multus, -a, -um | much, great; plur., many |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| perīculum, -ī, n. | danger, peril, risk |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| dubius, -a, -um | doubtful, uncertain |
| quīn, conj. | so that ... not, but that, but |
| discrīmen, -crīminis, n. | crisis, peril, danger |
| deus, -ī, m. | god |
| auxilium, -ī, n. | help, aid |
| ferō, ferre, tulī, lātus | bear, bring |