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Vergil · Georgics

Georgics 3.414–439

Snakes around the stalls

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Georg. 3.414Disce et odōrātam stabulīs accendere cedrum
415galbaneōque agitāre gravīs nīdōre chelydrōs.
Learn also to burn fragrant cedar in the stalls and to drive off noxious water-snakes with the smell of galbanum.
Georg. 3.416saepe sub immōtīs praesēpibus aut mala tāctū
vīpera dēlituit caelumque exterrita fugit,
aut tēctō adsuētus coluber succēdere et umbrae,
pestis acerba boum, pecorīque aspergere vīrus,
420fōvit humum.
Often under undisturbed mangers either a viper, harmful to touch, has lain hidden and fled the daylight in terror, or a snake, used to creeping under roof and shade, a cruel plague to oxen, and to spraying venom on the flock, has hugged the ground.
Georg. 3.420Cape saxa manū, cape rōbora, pāstor,
tollentemque minās et sībila colla tumentem
dēice.
Take stones in your hand, shepherd, take clubs, and as he rears up threatening and swells his hissing neck, strike him down.
Georg. 3.422Iamque fugā timidum caput abdidit altē,
cum mediī nexus extrēmaeque agmina caudae
solvuntur, tardōsque trahit sinus ultimus orbis.
And now in flight he has hidden his timid head deep, while his middle coils and the windings at the end of his tail are loosened, and the last fold drags its slow curves.

Georg. 3.425Est etiam ille malus Calabrīs in saltibus anguis,
squāmea convolvēns sublātō pectore terga
atque notīs longam maculōsus grandibus alvum
quī, dum amnēs ūllī rumpuntur fontibus et dum
vērē madent ūdō terrae ac pluviālibus austrīs
430stagna colit, rīpīsque habitāns hic piscibus ātram
improbus ingluviem rānīsque loquācibus explet;
There is also that evil serpent in the Calabrian glades, rolling his scaly back with breast upraised, his long belly spotted with large markings, who, while any streams burst from their springs and while the lands are wet with moist spring and rainy south winds, haunts the pools, and dwelling on the banks, insatiably crams his black maw with fish and croaking frogs;
Georg. 3.432postquam exusta palūs, terraeque ardōre dēhīscunt,
exsilit in siccum et flammantia lūmina torquēns
saevit agrīs asperque sitī atque exterritus aestū.
once the marsh is burned up and the lands gape with heat, he darts out onto dry ground and, rolling his flaming eyes, rages through the fields, fierce with thirst and maddened by the heat.
Georg. 3.435Nē mihi tum mollis sub dīvō carpere somnōs
neu dorsō nemoris libeat iacuisse per herbās,
cum positīs novus exuviīs nitidusque iuventā
volvitur, aut catulōs tēctīs aut ōva relinquēns
arduus ad sōlem et linguīs micat ōre trisulcīs.
Let me not then wish to snatch soft sleep under the open sky, or to lie on the grass on a wooded ridge, when, his slough cast off, new and gleaming with youth, he rolls along, leaving his young or his eggs in his lair, towering towards the sun, and flickers in his mouth with three-forked tongue.

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Grammar in this passage: ablative absolute ×2

Latin vocabulary for this passage (152 words)
discō, discere, didicīlearn
et, conj.and; et ... et, both ... and
odōrātus, -a, -umsweet-smelling
stabulum, -ī, n.standing-place, stall, stable, inclosure
accendō, -cendere, -cendī, -cēnsuskindle, light
cedrus, -ī f.cedar; cedar-wood
galbaneus, -a, -umof galbanum, a strong-smelling resin burnt to drive off snakes
que, enclitic conj.and
agitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusdrive about; discuss, debate
gravis, -eheavy; severe, grievous, serious
nīdor, -ōris m.smell of burning, reek
chelydrus, -ī m.a foul-smelling water snake
saepe, adv.often, frequently
sub, prep. with acc. and abl.under; sub vesperum, towards evening
immōtus, -a, -umunmoved, unchanging
praesaepe, -is n.stall, enclosure; (of bees) hive
aut, conj.or; aut ... aut, either ... or
malus, -a, -umbad
tāctus, -ūs m.touch
vīpera, -ae f.viper, snake
dēlitēscō, -ere, -lituīhide oneself, lie hidden
caelum, -ī, n.heaven, sky
exterreō, -ēre, -uī, -itusfrighten badly, terrify
fugiō, fugere, fūgī, fugitūrusflee, run away
tēctum, -ī n.roof; house
assuēscō, -ere, -suēvī, -suētusbecome accustomed, get used to
coluber, -brī m.snake, serpent
succēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessusgo or come under, follow after, succeed
umbra, -ae, f.shadow, shade
pestis, -is f.plague, pest; ruin, destruction
acerbus, -a, -umbitter, harsh, painful
bōs, bovis, gen. plur. boum, dat. and abl. plur. bōbus, m. and f.ox, bull, cow
pecus, pecoris, n.herd, flock, cattle
aspergō (adspergō), -inis f.a sprinkling, spray, splash
vīrus, -ī n.slime, venom, poison; rank fluid
foveō, -ēre, fōvī, fōtuskeep warm; cherish, favour
humus, -ī f.ground, earth; humī: on the ground
capiō, capere, cēpī, captustake, catch, seize; receive, suffer; adopt
saxum, -ī, n.rock, stone
manus, -ūs, f.hand
rōbur, rōboris, n.oak
pāstor, -tōris, m.shepherd
tollō, tollere, sustulī, sublātuslift, raise; take away, remove; ancorās tollere, to weigh anchor
minae, -ārum, f. plur.threats
sībilus, -a, -umhissing
collum, -ī, n.neck
tumeō, -ēreswell, be swollen
dēiciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectusthrow down, cast, drive out of one's course
iam, adv.now, already
fuga, -ae, f.flight
timidus, -a, -umfearful, timid
caput, capitis, n.head
abdō, -dere, -didī, -ditusput away, hide
altē (adv.)high; deep
cum, conj.when, while, after; since; although
medius, -a, -ummid, middle
nectō, -ere, nexuī, nexustie, bind; contrive (a plot)
extrēmus, -a, -umlast, extreme, furthest
agmen, -minis, n.band, column
cauda, -ae, f.tail
solvō, solvere, solvī, solūtusloosen, unbind, release; pay; with or without nāvem, cast off, set sail, put to sea
tardus, -a, -umslow
trahō, trahere, trāxī, trāctusdraw, drag
sinus, -ūs, m.bosom, lap
ultimus, -a, -umfarthest, last
orbis, -is, m.circle; orbis terrae or terrārum, circle of the earth or lands, earth, world
sum, esse, fuī, futūrusbe
etiam, adv.and now, also, too, even
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
Calaber, -bra, -brumCalabrian
in, prep. with acc. and abl.with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
saltus, -ūs m.wooded pass, forest glade, woodland
anguis, -is, m. and f.serpent, snake
squāmeus, -a, -umscaly
convolvō, -ere, -volvī, -volūtusroll up, coil
pectus, pectoris, n.breast
tergum, -ī, n.back
atque, ac (conj.)and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
nota, -ae f.mark, sign; brand, stigma
longus, -a, -umlong; tedious
maculōsus, -a, -umspotted, dappled
grandis, -elarge, big
alvus, -ī f.belly, womb; hollow
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.who, which
dum, conj.while, as; as long as; until
amnis, -is m.river
ūllus, -a, -umany
rumpō, rumpere, rūpī, ruptusbreak, burst
fōns, fontis, m.fountain, spring
vērē (adv.)truly, really
madeō, -ēre, -uībe wet
ūdus, -a, -umwet, damp, moist
terra, -ae, f.land, earth
pluviālis, -erainy, rain-bringing
auster, -trī m.the south wind
stagnum, -ī n.pool, standing water
colō, colere, coluī, cultustill, cultivate; inhabit; worship
rīpa, -ae, f.bank
habitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusdwell, inhabit
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
piscis, -is m.fish
āter, ātra, ātrumblack, dark; gloomy
improbus, -a, -umwicked, shameless; persistent, relentless; as noun: rogue
ingluviēs, -ēī f.gullet, maw; gluttony
rāna, -ae f.frog
loquāx, -ācistalkative, chattering
expleō, -ēre, -plēvī, -plētusfill up, complete; make good
postquam, conj.later than, after, when
exūrō, -ere, -ussī, -ustumburn down
palūs, -ūdis, f.swamp, marsh
ardor, -ōris m.blaze, fire, glow; ardor caelī: a light in the sky
dēhīscō, -ere, -hīvīsplit open, gape
exsiliō, -silīre, -siluīleap out or forth
siccus, -a, -umdry; (n. as noun) dry land
flammō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusset on fire, inflame
lūmen, -minis, n.light
torqueō, torquēre, torsī, tortusturn
saeviō, -īre, -iī, -ītumrage
ager, agri, m.field, land
asper, -era, -erumrough, harsh; difficult
sitis, -is f.thirst
aestus, -ūs m.heat; tide
nē, adv.not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest
ego, meī, pers. pron.I
tum, adv.then, at that time
mollis, -esoft, weak
dīvum, -ī n.the open sky; sub dīvō (sub diō): in the open air
carpō, -ere, -sī, -tuspluck
somnus, -ī, m.sleep, drowsiness
nēve or neu, conj.and that not, and not, nor
dorsum, -ī n.back; ridge (of a hill)
nemus, -oris n.grove, wood
libet, -ēre, libuit (impers.)it pleases; mihi libet: I like, I want
iaceō, -ēre, -uīlie, be prostrate
per, prep, with ace.through, by means of
herba, -ae, f.herb, plant
pōnō, pōnere, posuī, positusplace, put; pōnī with in and abl., to be placed in, rest or depend on
novus, -a, -umnew; novissimus, last
exuviae, -ārum f. pl.spoils; the skins (of animals) stripped off
nitidus, -a, -umshining, sleek, well-groomed
iuventa, -ae f.youth, the time of youth
volvō, -ere, volvī, volūtusroll, turn over; ponder (multa sēcum volvere)
catulus, -ī m.young animal, cub, whelp
ōvum, -ī n.egg
relinquō, -linquere, -līquī, -lictusleave behind, leave
arduus, -a, -umsteep, difficult
ad, prep. with acc.to, toward; at, near; for
sōl, sōlis, m.sun
lingua, -ae f.tongue; language
micō, -āre, -uīflash, glitter
ōs, ōris, n.mouth
trisulcus, -a, -umthree-forked
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.