Pliny, Letter 4.21

Death of the Helvidian sisters

LatinLatin and EnglishEnglish onlyRead it word by word

Ep. 4.21.1Trīstem et acerbum cāsum Helvidiārum sorōrum!What a sad and bitter fate has befallen the Helvidian sisters! Ep. 4.21.1Utraque ā partū, utraque fīliam ēnīxa dēcessit.Both died in childbirth, each after giving birth to a daughter. Ep. 4.21.2Afficior dolōre, nec tamen suprā modum doleō: ita mihi lūctuōsum vidētur, quod puellās honestissimās in flōre prīmō fēcunditās abstulit.I am afflicted with grief, and yet I do not grieve beyond measure: so mournful does it seem to me that childbearing has carried off such virtuous girls in the first flower of youth. Ep. 4.21.2Angor īnfantium sorte, quae sunt parentibus statim et dum nāscuntur orbātae, angor optimōrum marītōrum, angor etiam meō nōmine.I am distressed at the lot of the infants, who were bereft of their parents at once, even as they were born, distressed for their excellent husbands, distressed too on my own account. Ep. 4.21.3Nam patrem illārum dēfūnctum quoque persevērantissimē dīligō, ut āctiōne meā librīsque testātum est;For I love their father, though he is dead, with unwavering constancy, as my speech and my books bear witness; Ep. 4.21.3cui nunc ūnus ex tribus līberīs superest, domumque plūribus adminiculīs paulō ante fundātam dēsōlātus fulcit ac sustinet.of his three children only one now survives, who, left alone, props up and supports a house that a little while ago rested on several pillars.

Ep. 4.21.4Magnō tamen fōmentō dolor meus acquiēscit, sī hunc saltem fortem et incolumem, paremque illī patrī illī avō fortūna servāverit.Yet my grief will be greatly soothed and find rest if fortune preserves this one at least safe and sound, and equal to that father and that grandfather of his. Ep. 4.21.4Cuius ego prō salūte prō mōribus, hōc sum magis ānxius quod ūnicus factus est.For his safety and his character I am all the more anxious because he has become the only one. Ep. 4.21.5Nōstī in amōre mollitiam animī meī, nōstī metūs;You know how tender my heart is in affection, you know my fears; Ep. 4.21.5quō minus tē mīrārī oportēbit, quod plūrimum timeam, dē quō plūrimum spērō.so you will have less reason to wonder that I fear most for the one of whom I hope most. Ep. 4.21.5Valē.Farewell.

Read the Latin itself: tap any word for its meaning and grammar, save words to review, and keep your place.

Read in Lectitō

Grammar in this passage: indirect statement ×2

Latin vocabulary for this passage (106 words)

trīstis, -e	sad, gloomy
et, conj.	and; et ... et, both ... and
acerbus, -a, -um	bitter, harsh, painful
cāsus, -ūs, m.	fall; chance, accident
soror, -ōris, f.	sister
uterque, utraque, utrumque	each, either, both
ā, ab (prep. + abl.)	away from, from; by (ā only before consonants)
partus, -ūs m.	birth; offspring
fīlia, -ae, f.	daughter
ēnītor, -ī, -nīsus (-nīxus) sum	struggle upward; strive, exert oneself
dēcēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessus	go away, depart
afficiō, -ere, -fēcī, -fectum	affect, afflict
dolor, -ōris, m.	pain, grief; anger
neque or nec, conj.	and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not
tamen, adv.	however, yet, nevertheless
suprā, adv. and prep. with acc.	above, before
modus, -ī, m.	way, manner
doleō, -ēre, doluī, dolitum	grieve, be pained
ita, adv.	in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as
ego, meī, pers. pron.	I
lūctuōsus, -a, -um	mournful, causing grief
videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus	see; pass., seem
quod, conj.	that, in that, because
puella, -ae, f.	girl, maiden
honestus, -a, -um	respected, honourable
in, prep. with acc. and abl.	with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
flōs, flōris m.	flower
prīmus, -a, -um	first, foremost
fēcunditās, -ātis f.	fertility, fruitfulness
auferō, auferre, abstulī, ablātus	bear away, carry off
angō, -ere, ānxī	choke; (pass.) be vexed, be distressed
īnfāns, -fantis, m. and f.	infant, babe
sors, sortis, f.	lot
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.	who, which
sum, esse, fuī, futūrus	be
parēns, -entis m./f.	parent
statim, adv.	on the spot, forthwith, at once, immediately
dum, conj.	while, as; as long as; until
nāscor, -ī, nātus sum	be born; rise, begin
orbō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	bereave, deprive (of)
bonus, -a, -um	good
marītus, -ī, m.	husband
etiam, adv.	and now, also, too, even
meus, -a, -um	my, mine
nōmen, -minis, n.	name (that by which one is known)
nam, conj.	for
pater, patris, m.	father
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.	that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
dēfungor, -fungī, -fūnctus sum	finish, be done with; dēfūnctus: dead
quoque, adv.	also
persevēranter (adv.)	persistently, steadily, without letting up
dīligō, -ere, -lēxī, -lēctus	love, value highly
ut, conj.	as; when; that; ita ut, as
āctiō, -ōnis f.	doing, action; a public act or measure
liber, librī m.	book; record
que, enclitic conj.	and
testor, -ārī, -ātus sum	bear witness, declare, call to witness
nunc, adv.	now
ūnus, -a, -um	one; only, alone
ex, ē (prep. + abl.)	out of, from; of (ē only before consonants)
trēs, tria, plur. adj.	three
līberī, -ōrum, m. plur.	children
supersum, -esse, -fuī	be over or left, remain
domus, -ūs, f.	house, home
plūrēs, -a, plur. adj.	more, many, several
adminiculum, -ī n.	prop, support; aid
paulō, adv.	by a little, a little, somewhat
ante, prep, with acc. and adv.	before
fundō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	lay the foundations of, found, establish
dēsōlō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	leave alone, abandon, desert
fulciō, -īre, fulsī, fultus	prop up, support, hold up
atque, ac (conj.)	and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
sustineō, -tinēre, -tinuī, -tentus	hold or bear up, sustain, withstand
magnus, -a, -um	large, big, great, mighty; loud
fōmentum, -ī n.	warm compress, poultice; soothing remedy, relief
acquiēscō, -ere, -quiēvī	rest; find peace; die
sī, conj.	if
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.	this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
saltem (adv.)	at least
fortis, -e	brave
incolumis, -e	unhurt, safe
pār, paris	equal
avus, -ī, m.	grandfather
fortūna, -ae, f.	fortune
servō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	save, preserve
prō, prep. with abl.	before, in front of; for, in behalf of; for, as; in return for, for
salūs, salūtis, f.	safety, deliverance, escape
mōs, mōris, m.	way, manner, habit, custom
magis, comp. adv.	more, rather
ānxius, -a, -um	anxious
ūnicus, -a, -um	one and only; unique, unequalled
faciō, facere, fēcī, factus	make, do; iter facere, see iter
nōscō, -ere, nōvī, nōtum	get to know (perf. nōvī: know)
amor, -ōris, m.	love
mollitia, -ae f.	softness; weakness, lack of spirit
animus, -ī, m.	mind; heart; spirit, courage
metus, -ūs m.	fear, dread
minus, comp. adv.	less
tū, tuī, pers. pron.	thou, you
mīror, -ārī, -ātus	wonder, wonder at
oportet, -ēre, oportuit (impersonal)	it is right, it is necessary
plūrimum (adv.)	most, very much (plūrimum posse: be most powerful)
timeō, -ēre, -uī	fear
dē, prep, with abl.	down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of
spērō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	hope
valeō, -ēre, -uī, -itūrus	be strong or effectual, have effect, prevail

Pliny, Epistulae IV. Latin text: the Perseus digital text of Pliny's Letters, public domain; digital text from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA. Word analysis: drafted by our own tagger (trained on the hand-checked texts on this site), with every doubtful word checked by hand. English translation and section titles: written for this app, each checked against the Latin by a second reader.