Pliny, Letter 9.7

Tragedy and Comedy on Lake Larius

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Ep. 9.7.1Aedificāre tē scrībis.You write that you are building. Ep. 9.7.1Bene est, invēnī patrōcinium;Good, I have found a defence; Ep. 9.7.1aedificō enim iam ratiōne quia tēcum.for now I build with reason, since I build with you. Ep. 9.7.1Nam hoc quoque nōn dissimile quod ad mare tū, ego ad Lārium lacum.For in this too we are not unalike, that you build by the sea and I by Lake Larius. Ep. 9.7.2Huius in lītore plūrēs meae vīllae, sed duae maximē ut dēlectant ita exercent.On its shore I have several villas, but two of them, as they especially delight me, so they especially keep me busy. Ep. 9.7.3Altera imposita saxīs mōre Bāiānō lacum prōspicit, altera aequē mōre Bāiānō lacum tangit.One, set upon rocks in the manner of Baiae, looks out over the lake; the other, likewise in the manner of Baiae, touches the lake. Ep. 9.7.3Itaque illam tragoediam, hanc appellāre cōmoediam soleō, illam quod quasi cothurnīs, hanc quod quasi socculīs sustinētur.So I usually call the former Tragedy and the latter Comedy, the former because it is raised as if on tragic boots, the latter as if on low slippers.

Ep. 9.7.3Sua utrīque amoenitās, et utraque possidentī ipsā dīversitāte iūcundior.Each has its own charm, and each is the more delightful to its owner for the very contrast. Ep. 9.7.4Haec lacū propius, illa lātius ūtitur;This one enjoys the lake at closer quarters, that one more widely; Ep. 9.7.4haec ūnum sinum mollī curvāmine amplectitur, illa ēditissimō dorsō duōs dirimit;this one embraces a single bay in a gentle curve, that one, on a very high ridge, divides two; Ep. 9.7.4illīc rēcta gestātiō longō līmite super lītus extenditur, hīc spatiōsissimō xystō leviter īnflectitur;there a straight drive stretches along a lengthy path above the shore, here it curves gently round a very spacious terrace; Ep. 9.7.4illa flūctūs nōn sentit haec frangit;that one does not feel the waves, this one breaks them; Ep. 9.7.4ex illā possīs dēspicere piscantēs, ex hāc ipse piscārī, hāmumque dē cubiculō ac paene etiam dē lectulō ut ē nauculā iacere.from that one you can look down on people fishing, from this one you can fish yourself, and cast your hook from your bedroom and almost from your bed, as if from a little boat.

Ep. 9.7.4Hae mihi causae utrīque quae dēsunt astruendī ob ea quae supersunt.These are my reasons for adding to each what it lacks, on account of what each has in abundance. Ep. 9.7.5Etsī quid ego ratiōnem tibi?And yet why do I give you reasons? Ep. 9.7.5apud quem prō ratiōne erit idem facere.with you, doing the same will count as a reason. Ep. 9.7.5Valē.Farewell.

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Grammar in this passage: indirect statement ×1, gerunds and gerundives ×1

Latin vocabulary for this passage (113 words)

aedificō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	make a building, build
tū, tuī, pers. pron.	thou, you
scrībō, scrībere, scrīpsī, scrīptus	write
bene, adv.	well; successfully
sum, esse, fuī, futūrus	be
inveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventus	come upon, find
patrōcinium, -ī n.	protection, patronage; legal defence
enim, conj.	for
iam, adv.	now, already
ratiō, -ōnis, f.	plan, means, method, manner; reason; account
quia (conj.)	because
nam, conj.	for
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.	this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
quoque, adv.	also
nōn, adv.	not
dissimilis, -e	unlike, different
quod, conj.	that, in that, because
ad, prep. with acc.	to, toward; at, near; for
mare, maris, n.	sea
ego, meī, pers. pron.	I
lacus, -ūs, m.	lake
in, prep. with acc. and abl.	with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
lītus, lītoris, n.	shore
plūrēs, -a, plur. adj.	more, many, several
meus, -a, -um	my, mine
vīlla, -ae, f.	country-house, villa
sed, conj.	but
duo, -ae, -o, plur. adj.	two
maximē, adv.	very greatly, exceedingly, especially
ut, conj.	as; when; that; ita ut, as
dēlectō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	please, delight; passive: enjoy, take pleasure in
ita, adv.	in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as
exerceō, -ercēre, -ercuī, -ercitus	exercise
alter, -era, -erum	one or the other (of two); another, second
impōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positus	place or lay upon, impose; embark
saxum, -ī, n.	rock, stone
mōs, mōris, m.	way, manner, habit, custom
Bāiānus, -a, -um	of Baiae (the resort on the Bay of Naples)
prōspiciō, -ere, -spexī, -spectum	look ahead, provide for (+ dat.)
aequē (adv.)	equally, just as; aequē ac: just as
tangō, tangere, tetigī, tāctus	touch
itaque, adv.	and so, accordingly, therefore
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.	that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
tragoedia, -ae f.	tragedy; (fig.) bombast, theatrical fuss
appellō, -pellāre, -pellāvī, -pellātus	call, name
cōmoedia, -ae f.	comedy
soleō, -ēre, solitus sum	be accustomed, usually do
quasi, conj.	as if
cothurnus, -ī m.	high hunting boot
socculus, -ī m.	little slipper (worn by comic actors)
sustineō, -tinēre, -tinuī, -tentus	hold or bear up, sustain, withstand
suus, -a, -um	his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their
uterque, utraque, utrumque	each, either, both
amoenitās, -ātis f.	pleasantness, charm (of a place)
et, conj.	and; et ... et, both ... and
possideō, -sidēre, -sēdī, -sessus	hold, possess
ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron.	self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very
dīversitās, -ātis f.	difference, variety; contrast, contradiction
iūcundus, -a, -um	sweet, pleasant
propius (comp. adv. and prep. + acc.)	nearer, closer (to)
lātē	widely
ūtor, ūtī, ūsus	use
ūnus, -a, -um	one; only, alone
sinus, -ūs, m.	bosom, lap
mollis, -e	soft, weak
curvāmen, -inis n.	a bend, curve
amplector, -plectī, -plexus sum	embrace, hug; welcome, adopt
ēditus, -a, -um	raised, high
dorsum, -ī n.	back; ridge (of a hill)
dirimō, -ere, dirēmī, dirēmptum	break off, interrupt
illīc (adv.)	there
rēctus, -a, -um	direct, straight
gestātiō, -ōnis f.	drive or walk for taking exercise in a litter; being carried
longus, -a, -um	long; tedious
līmes, -itis m.	path, track; boundary
super (prep. + acc. or abl.; also adv.)	over, above, on top of; upon; about, concerning
extendō, -ere, -tendī, -tentum	stretch out, extend
hīc, adv.	here; hereupon
spatiōsus, -a, -um	roomy, spacious
xystus, -ī m.	open terrace, garden walk
leviter, adv.	slightly
īnflectō, -ere, -flexī, -flexum	bend
flūctus, -ūs m.	wave
sentiō, sentīre, sēnsī, sēnsus	perceive, feel
frangō, frangere, frēgī, frāctus	break; dash to pieces, wreck
ex, ē (prep. + abl.)	out of, from; of (ē only before consonants)
possum, posse, potuī	be able, have power, can
dēspiciō, -ere, -spexī, -spectum	look down on, despise
piscor, -ārī, -ātus sum	fish, go fishing
hāmus, -ī m.	hook, barb
que, enclitic conj.	and
dē, prep, with abl.	down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of
cubiculum, -ī, n.	bedroom
atque, ac (conj.)	and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
paene, adv.	almost, nearly
etiam, adv.	and now, also, too, even
lectulus, -ī m.	small couch, bed
naucula, -ae f.	small boat
iaciō, iacere, iēcī, iactus	throw, cast, hurl
causa, -ae, f.	cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.	who, which
dēsum, deesse, dēfuī	be lacking, fail
astruō (adstruō), -ere, -strūxī, -strūctus	build on; add
ob, prep. with acc.	on account of, for; in compounds, to, against
is, ea, id, dem. pron.	this, that; he, she, it, they
supersum, -esse, -fuī	be over or left, remain
etsī, conj.	even if, although
quis, quid, interrog. pron.	who? which? what?
apud, prep, with acc.	among, with
prō, prep. with abl.	before, in front of; for, in behalf of; for, as; in return for, for
īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron.	the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also
faciō, facere, fēcī, factus	make, do; iter facere, see iter
valeō, -ēre, -uī, -itūrus	be strong or effectual, have effect, prevail

Pliny, Epistulae IX. 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.