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Vergil · Aeneid III

Aeneid 3.356–373

Aeneas consults the seer Helenus

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Aen. 3.356Iamque diēs alterque diēs prōcessit, et aurae
vēla vocant tumidōque īnflātur carbasus austrō.
And now one day and a second has passed, and the breezes call to the sails, and the canvas swells with a filling south wind.
Aen. 3.358Hīs vātem adgredior dictīs ac tālia quaesō:
Trōiugena, interpres dīvom, quī nūmina Phoebī,
360quī tripodas, Clariī laurus, quī sīdera sentīs,
et volucrum linguās et praepetis ōmina pennae,
fāre age—namque omnem cursum mihi prospera dīxit
religiō, et cūnctī suāsērunt nūmine dīvī
Ītaliam petere et terrās temptāre repostās:
365sōla novum dictūque nefās Harpȳia Celaenō
prōdigium canit, et trīstīs dēnūntiat īrās,
obscēnamque famem—quae prīma perīcula vītō?
I approach the seer with these words and ask thus: 'Trojan-born, interpreter of the gods, who understand the will of Phoebus, the tripods, the laurels of the Clarian, the stars, the tongues of birds and the omens of the swift wing, come, speak — for every sign has told me of my course with favour, and all the gods by their will have urged me to make for Italy and try remote lands: only the Harpy Celaeno prophesies a strange portent, impious to tell, and announces grim wrath and foul hunger — what dangers do I avoid first?

Aen. 3.368Quidve sequēns tantōs possim superāre labōrēs?Or by following what course could I overcome such great toils?' Aen. 3.369Hīc Helenus, caesīs prīmum dē mōre iuvencīs,
370exōrat pācem dīvom, vittāsque resolvit
sacrātī capitis, mēque ad tua līmina, Phoebe,
ipse manū multō suspēnsum nūmine dūcit,
atque haec deinde canit dīvīnō ex ōre sacerdōs:
Here Helenus, first slaughtering bullocks as custom is, begs the peace of the gods, unbinds the ribbons from his consecrated head, and with his own hand leads me to your threshold, Phoebus, in awe at the god's great presence, and then the priest prophesies these words from his inspired lips:

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Grammar in this passage: indirect statement ×2

Latin vocabulary for this passage (94 words)
iam, adv.now, already
que, enclitic conj.and
diēs, -ēī, m. and f.day
alter, -era, -erumone or the other (of two); another, second
prōcēdō, -ere, -cessī, -cessumgo forward, advance
et, conj.and; et ... et, both ... and
aura, -ae, f.air, breeze
vēlum, -ī n.sail
vocō, -āre, -āvī, -ātuscall, summon
tumidus, -a, -umswollen, swelling
īnflō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusblow into; inspire
carbasus, -ī f. (pl. carbasa)fine linen; a sail
auster, -trī m.the south wind
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
vātēs, -is m. and f.prophet, seer, soothsayer
adgredior, -gredī, -gressus sumapproach; address; attack; undertake
dictum, -ī n.word, order (dictō audiēns: obedient)
atque, ac (conj.)and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
tālis, -esuch
quaesō (defective)I beg, please
interpres, -pretis m.interpreter
dīvus, -ī m. (gen. pl. also dīvum, dīvom)god
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.who, which
nūmen, -inis n.divine power, divinity
tripūs, -odis m.tripod (as an oracle seat or prize)
Clarius, -a, -umof Claros, site of Apollo's oracle in Ionia; epithet of Apollo
laurus, -ī f.laurel, bay tree
sīdus, -eris n.star, constellation
sentiō, sentīre, sēnsī, sēnsusperceive, feel
volucris, -is, f.bird
lingua, -ae f.tongue; language
praepes, -etisswift-flying; (of wings) outspread
ōmen, ōminis n.omen, sign; hīsce ōminibus: with these words of ill omen
penna, -ae f.feather; (pl.) wings
for, fārī, fātus sumspeak, say
agō, agere, ēgī, āctusdrive; do; pass, lead; grātiās agere, see grātia
namque, conj.for
omnis, -eall, every
cursus, -ūs, m.running, speed; course, route, voyage; race
ego, meī, pers. pron.I
prosperus, -a, -umfavourable, successful, prosperous
dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictussay, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day
religiō, -ōnis f.religious scruple, religious duty
cūnctus, -a, -umall, the whole
suādeō, -ēre, suāsī, suāsusadvise, urge
petō, -ere, -īvī or -iī, -ītusseek, ask; attack
terra, -ae, f.land, earth
temptō, -āre, -āvī, -ātustry, attempt
repōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positusput or set back; store up or away
sōlus, -a, -umalone
novus, -a, -umnew; novissimus, last
nefās n. (indecl.)a sin, a wrong; something forbidden by divine law
prōdigium, -ī n.portent; monster
canō, -ere, cecinī, cantussing; of a trumpet: sound (receptuī canere: sound the retreat)
trīstis, -esad, gloomy
dēnūntiō, -āre, -āvī, -ātumannounce, declare; warn
īra, -ae, f.anger, wrath
obscēnus, -a, -umill-omened, foul, loathsome
famēs, -is, abl. famē, f.hunger
quī, quae, quod, interrog. pron. adj.what?
prīmus, -a, -umfirst, foremost
perīculum, -ī, n.danger, peril, risk
vītō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusavoid, escape
quis, quid, interrog. pron.who? which? what?
sequor, sequī, secūtusfollow
tantus, -a, -umso great or much
possum, posse, potuībe able, have power, can
superō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusovercome, defeat, conquer
labor, -ōris, m.labor, toil
hīc, adv.here; hereupon
caedō, -ere, cecīdī, caesumcut, cut down; kill
prīmum, adv.first, in the first place
dē, prep, with abl.down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of
mōs, mōris, m.way, manner, habit, custom
iuvencus, -ī m.young bull, bullock
exōrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātuswin over by asking, beg for, obtain by entreaty
pāx, pācis f.peace
vitta, -ae f.headband, ribbon
resolvō, -ere, -solvī, -solūtusuntie, loosen; release; break (bonds, oaths)
sacrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusconsecrate, dedicate
caput, capitis, n.head
ad, prep. with acc.to, toward; at, near; for
tuus, -a, -umthy, thine, your
līmen, -minis, n.threshold; door
ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron.self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very
manus, -ūs, f.hand
multus, -a, -ummuch, great; plur., many
suspendō, -pendere, -pendī, -pēnsushang up, hang
dūcō, dūcere, dūxī, ductuslead; make, dig; with or without in mātrimōnium, marry
deinde, adv.then, next
dīvīnus, -a, -umdivine, of the gods
ex, ē (prep. + abl.)out of, from; of (ē only before consonants)
ōs, ōris, n.mouth
sacerdōs, -dōtis, m. and f.priest, priestess
Vergil, Aeneid III. Latin text: J. B. Greenough, The Bucolics, Aeneid, and Georgics of Virgil (Boston, 1881), 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.