Lectitō › Fabulae Faciles › Fabulae Faciles: Ulysses
Fabulae Faciles 97
Mercury's herb
Ritchie, Fabulae Faciles: Ulysses. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō97.1Aliquantum itineris prōgressus ad vīllam magnificam pervēnit, quam cum oculīs perlūstrāsset, statim intrāre statuit; intellēxit enim hanc esse eandem domum dē quā Eurylochus mentiōnem fēcisset.
After going some distance he came to a magnificent country-house, and when he had looked it over, he decided to go in at once; for he realised that this was the same house which Eurylochus had spoken of.
97.2At cum in eō esset ut līmen intrāret, subitō eī obviam stetit adulēscēns fōrmā pulcherrimā aureum baculum gerēns.
But when he was on the point of crossing the threshold, suddenly a young man of very handsome appearance, carrying a golden wand, stood in his way.
Note. in eō esset ut: 'he was on the point of'. fōrmā pulcherrimā: ablative of description.
97.3Hic Ulixem iam domum intrantem manū corripuit et, "Quō ruis?"
He seized Ulysses with his hand as he was already entering the house and said, "Where are you rushing?"
97.4inquit.
he said.
97.5"Nōnne scīs hanc esse Circēs domum?
"Don't you know that this is Circe's house?
97.6Hīc inclūsī sunt amīcī tuī ex hūmānā speciē in porcōs conversī.
Here your friends are shut up, changed from human shape into pigs.
97.7Num vīs ipse in eandem calamitātem venīre?"
Surely you don't want to come into the same disaster yourself?"
Note. Num expects the answer 'no': 'Surely you don't want …?'
97.8Ulixēs simul ac vōcem audīvit, deum Mercurium agnōvit; nūllīs tamen precibus ab īnstitūtō cōnsiliō dēterrērī potuit.
As soon as Ulysses heard the voice, he recognised the god Mercury; but no entreaties could turn him from the plan he had formed.
97.9Quod cum Mercurius sēnsisset, herbam quandam eī dedit, quam contrā carmina multum valēre dīcēbat.
When Mercury saw this, he gave him a certain herb, which he said was very powerful against spells.
97.10"Hanc cape," inquit, "et ubi Circē tē baculō tetigerit, tū strictō gladiō impetum in eam vidē ut faciās."
"Take this," he said, "and when Circe has touched you with her wand, draw your sword and see that you make an attack on her."
Note. vidē ut faciās: 'see that you make'. tetigerit is future perfect: 'when she has touched'.
97.11Mercurius postquam fīnem loquendī fēcit, "mortālīs vīsūs mediō sermōne relīquit, et procul in tenuem ex oculīs ēvānuit auram."
When Mercury had finished speaking, "he left mortal sight in the middle of his speech, and vanished far from their eyes into thin air."
Note. Another line from the Aeneid (4.277–278).
Vocabulary
| aliquantum, -quantī, n. | somewhat |
| iter, itineris, n. | a going, journey, march; iter facere, to journey, march |
| prōgredior, -gredī, -gressus | go forward, advance |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| vīlla, -ae, f. | country-house, villa |
| magnificus, -a, -um | splendid, magnificent |
| perveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventus | come through, come, arrive, reach |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| oculus, -ī, m. | eye |
| perlūstrō, -lūstrāre, -lūstrāvi, -lūstrātus | look over, examine, survey |
| statim, adv. | on the spot, forthwith, at once, immediately |
| intrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | go within or into, enter |
| statuō, statuere, statuī, statūtus | cause to stand; decide, resolve |
| intellegō, -legere, -lēxī, -lēctus | perceive, understand |
| enim, conj. | for |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron. | the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also |
| domus, -ūs, f. | house, home |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| mentiō, -ōnis, f. | mention |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| at, conj. | but |
| 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 |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| līmen, -minis, n. | threshold; door |
| subitō, adv. | unexpectedly, suddenly |
| obviam, adv. | in the way, opposite, face to face; obviam fierī, to meet; obviam īre, to go to meet |
| stō, stāre, stetī, status | stand |
| adulēscēns, -entis, m. | youth, young man |
| fōrma, -ae, f. | form, appearance; beauty |
| pulcher, pulchra, pulchrum | beautiful |
| aureus, -a, -um | of gold, golden |
| baculum, -ī, n. | stick, wand |
| gerō, gerere, gessī, gestus | carry, wear; carry on, do |
| iam, adv. | now, already |
| manus, -ūs, f. | hand |
| corripiō, -ripere, -ripuī, -reptus | seize, snatch, snatch up |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| quō, adv. | to what place? whither? to which place, whither; for which reason, wherefore, therefore; quō ūsque, till when? how long? |
| ruō, -ere, -ī, -itūrus | rush |
| inquam, inquis, inquit, defective verb | I say, you say, he says |
| nōnne, adv., introducing a question to which an affirmative answer is expected | not? |
| sciō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus | know |
| hīc, adv. | here; hereupon |
| inclūdō, -clūdere, -clūsī, -clūsus | shut up in, inclose, imprison |
| amīcus, -ī, m. | friend |
| tuus, -a, -um | thy, thine, your |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| hūmānus, -a, -um | of man, human |
| speciēs, -ēī, f. | sight, appearance, shape |
| porcus, -ī, m. | pig, hog, swine |
| convertō, -vertere, -vertī, -versus | turn round, turn, change; in fugam convertere, to put to flight |
| num, adv., introducing a question to which a negative answer is expected | untranslatable |
| volō, velle, voluī | wish |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| calamitās, -tātis, f. | misfortune, calamity, disaster |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| simul, adv. | at the same time; simul atque or ac, as soon as |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| vōx, vōcis, f. | voice; word |
| audiō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus | hear; listen or attend to |
| deus, -ī, m. | god |
| agnōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus, recognize | |
| nūllus, -a, -um | not any, none, no |
| tamen, adv. | however, yet, nevertheless |
| precēs, -um, f. plur. | prayer, entreaty |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| īnstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus | decide upon, determine |
| cōnsilium, -ī, n. | advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence |
| dēterreō, -terrēre, -terruī, -territus | frighten off, deter |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| sentiō, sentīre, sēnsī, sēnsus | perceive, feel |
| herba, -ae, f. | herb, plant |
| quīdam, quaedam, quoddam, indef. pron. | a certain, certain |
| dō, dare, dedī, datus | give |
| contrā, prep, with acc. | against, contrary to |
| carmen, -minis, n. | song, charm |
| multum, adv. | much, greatly, far |
| valeō, -ēre, -uī, -itūrus | be strong or effectual, have effect, prevail |
| dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus | say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day |
| capiō, capere, cēpī, captus | take, catch, seize; receive, suffer; adopt |
| ubi, adv. | where; conj., when |
| tū, tuī, pers. pron. | thou, you |
| tangō, tangere, tetigī, tāctus | touch |
| stringō, stringere, strinxī, strictus | draw, unsheathe |
| gladius, -ī, m. | sword |
| impetus, -ūs, m. | attack; impetum facere, to charge |
| videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus | see; pass., seem |
| postquam, conj. | later than, after, when |
| fīnis, -is, m. | end, boundary; plur., borders, territory, country |
| loquor, loquī, locūtus | speak |
| mortālis, -e | mortal |
| vīsus, -ūs, m. | sight |
| medius, -a, -um | mid, middle |
| sermō, -ōnis, m. | conversation, talk, speech |
| relinquō, -linquere, -līquī, -lictus | leave behind, leave |
| procul, adv. | at or from a distance, far |
| tenuis, -e | thin |
| ēvānēscō, -vānēscere, -vānuī | vanish away |
| aura, -ae, f. | air, breeze |