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Vergil · Georgics

Georgics 3.157–178

Rearing and training calves

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Georg. 3.157Post partum cūra in vitulōs trādūcitur omnis,
continuōque notās et nōmina gentis inūrunt
et quōs aut pecorī mālint submittere habendō
160aut ārīs servāre sacrōs aut scindere terram
et campum horrentem frāctīs invertere glaebīs.
After birth all care is transferred to the calves; and straightaway they brand on them marks and the names of their stock, and which they prefer to rear for breeding, or keep sacred for the altars, or for breaking the ground and turning over the plain rough with broken clods.
Georg. 3.162Cētera pāscuntur viridīs armenta per herbās:
Tū quōs ad studium atque ūsum fōrmābis agrestem,
iam vitulōs hortāre viamque īnsiste domandī,
165dum facilēs animī iuvenum, dum mōbilis aetās.
The rest of the herd grazes over the green grass: but those you will train for the pursuits and uses of the farm, encourage while still calves, and set out on the path of taming while their young spirits are docile, while their age is pliant.
Georg. 3.166Ac prīmum laxōs tenuī dē vīmine circlōs
cervīcī subnecte;
And first fasten loose collars of slender osier round their necks;
Georg. 3.167dehinc, ubi lībera colla
servitiō adsuērint, ipsīs ē torquibus aptōs
iunge parēs et cōge gradum cōnferre iuvencōs;
then, when their free necks have grown used to servitude, join matched bullocks, fitted together by the very collars, and make them keep step;
Georg. 3.170atque illīs iam saepe rotae dūcantur inānēs
per terram et summō vestīgia pulvere signent;
and now let empty wheels often be drawn by them over the ground and mark their tracks on the surface of the dust;
Georg. 3.172post validō nitēns sub pondere fāginus axis
īnstrepat et iūnctōs tēmō trahat aereus orbēs.
afterwards let the beech axle creak, straining under a heavy load, and a bronze pole draw the coupled wheels.

Georg. 3.174Intereā pūbī indomitae nōn grāmina tantum
175nec vescās salicum frondēs ulvamque palūstrem,
sed frūmenta manū carpēs sata;
Meanwhile for the unbroken young you will pluck by hand not only grass and the meagre leaves of willows and marsh sedge, but sown corn;
Georg. 3.176nec tibi fētae
mōre patrum nivea implēbunt mulctrāria vaccae,
sed tōta in dulcīs cōnsūment ūbera nātōs.
nor will the cows that have calved fill snowy milk-pails for you, as in our fathers' day, but spend their whole udders on their sweet offspring.

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Grammar in this passage: gerunds and gerundives ×2, ablative absolute ×1

Latin vocabulary for this passage (127 words)
post, adv.after, later; prep. with acc., after, behind
partus, -ūs m.birth; offspring
cūra, -ae f.care, concern (cūrae esse: to be a concern)
in, prep. with acc. and abl.with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
vitulus, -ī m.bull calf, young bullock; (Vulgate) the golden calf
trādūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductuslead across
omnis, -eall, every
continuō (adv.)at once, immediately
que, enclitic conj.and
nota, -ae f.mark, sign; brand, stigma
et, conj.and; et ... et, both ... and
nōmen, -minis, n.name (that by which one is known)
gēns, gentis, f.race, nation
inūrō, -ere, -ussī, -ustusburn in, brand
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.who, which
aut, conj.or; aut ... aut, either ... or
pecus, pecoris, n.herd, flock, cattle
mālō, mālle, māluīwish rather, prefer
submittō, -ere, -mīsī, -missumsend (as help)
habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itushave, hold; consider
āra, -ae, f.altar
servō, -āre, -āvī, -ātussave, preserve
sacer, sacra, sacrumsacred, holy
scindō, -ere, scidī, scissumtear down, cut
terra, -ae, f.land, earth
campus, -ī, m.plain, field
horreō, -ēre, horruīshudder at, dread
frangō, frangere, frēgī, frāctusbreak; dash to pieces, wreck
invertō, -ere, -vertī, -versusturn upside down, upturn; reverse, invert
glaeba, -ae f.clod, soil
cēterī, -ae, -a, plur. adj.the other, the remaining, the rest of
pāscō, pāscere, pāvī, pāstusfeed
viridis, -egreen
armentum, -ī n.herd (of cattle)
per, prep, with ace.through, by means of
herba, -ae, f.herb, plant
tū, tuī, pers. pron.thou, you
ad, prep. with acc.to, toward; at, near; for
studium, -ī, n.eagerness, zeal; study, pursuit
atque, ac (conj.)and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
ūsus, -ūs, m.use; experience
fōrmō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusshape, form, fashion
agrestis, -eof the country, rustic; boorish
iam, adv.now, already
hortor, -ārī, -ātusexhort, encourage, urge
via, -ae, f.road, way
īnsistō, -ere, īnstitīstand on
domō, -āre, -uī, -itustame, subdue, master
dum, conj.while, as; as long as; until
facilis, -e (comp. facilior)easy
animus, -ī, m.mind; heart; spirit, courage
iuvenis, -is, m.young man, youth
mōbilis, -emovable, quick; fickle, changeable
aetās, -tātis, f.age
prīmum, adv.first, in the first place
laxus, -a, -umloose, slack
tenuis, -ethin
dē, prep, with abl.down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of
vīmen, -minis, n.osier
circulus, -ī m.circle; a group of people gathered to talk
cervīx, -īcis f.neck (often pl.)
subnectō, -ere, -nexuī, -nexumtie underneath, fasten
dehinc (adv.)from here; next, then, secondly
ubi, adv.where; conj., when
līber, lībera, līberumfree
collum, -ī, n.neck
servitium, -ī n.slavery; (pl.) slaves
assuēscō, -ere, -suēvī, -suētusbecome accustomed, get used to
ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron.self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very
ex, ē (prep. + abl.)out of, from; of (ē only before consonants)
torquis (torquēs), -is m.a neck-chain, collar (worn or given as a military decoration)
aptus, -a, -umfit, suited
iungō, iungere, iūnxī, iūnctusjoin; yoke, harness
pār, parisequal
cōgō, cōgere, coēgī, coāctusdrive together, collect; compel
gradus, -ūs m.step, stage; rank
cōnferō, cōnferre, contulī, conlātusbring together; grant, confer; sē cōnferre, to betake oneself, make one's way
iuvencus, -ī m.young bull, bullock
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
saepe, adv.often, frequently
rota, -ae f.wheel
dūcō, dūcere, dūxī, ductuslead; make, dig; with or without in mātrimōnium, marry
inānis, -eempty
summus, -a, -umuppermost, highest, greatest
vestīgium, -ī, n.track, foot-print
pulvis, -eris m.dust
signō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusmark, seal; certify
validus, -a, -umstrong
niteō, -ēre, -uīshine, glisten, be sleek
sub, prep. with acc. and abl.under; sub vesperum, towards evening
pondus, ponderis, n.weight
fāgineus (fāginus), -a, -umof beech, beechen
axis, -is m.axle; the axis of the heavens, the sky
īnstrepō, -ere, -uī, -ituscreak, rattle
tēmō, -ōnis m.pole (of a chariot)
trahō, trahere, trāxī, trāctusdraw, drag
aereus, -a, -umof bronze
orbis, -is, m.circle; orbis terrae or terrārum, circle of the earth or lands, earth, world
intereā, adv.in the meantime, meanwhile
pūbēs, -erisadult, grown-up (of men of military age)
indomitus, -a, -umuntamed, ungovernable
nōn, adv.not
grāmen, -inis n.grass, turf
tantum, adv.so much or far, only
neque or nec, conj.and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not
vescus, -a, -umsmall, thin, feeble
salix, -icis f.willow
frōns, frondis f.leafy branch, foliage
ulva, -ae f.sedge, marsh grass
palūster, -tris, -tremarshy, swampy
sed, conj.but
frūmentum, -ī, n.grain
manus, -ūs, f.hand
carpō, -ere, -sī, -tuspluck
serō, serere, sēvī, satussow, plant
fētus, -ūs m.offspring, young; fruit, produce (of plants)
mōs, mōris, m.way, manner, habit, custom
pater, patris, m.father
niveus, -a, -umsnowy, snow-white
impleō, -ēre, -plēvī, -plētumfill; fulfil, complete
mulctrārium, -ī n.milking pail
vacca, -ae f.cow
tōtus, -a, -umall the, the whole or entire
dulcis, -esweet
cōnsūmō, -sūmere, -sūmpsī, -sūmptustake completely, use up, consume, spend
ūber, -eris n.teat, breast
nātus, -ī m.son; (pl.) children
Vergil, Georgics. 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.