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Vergil · Georgics

Georgics 4.228–250

Taking the honey; pests of the hive

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Georg. 4.228Sī quandō sēdem angustam servātaque mella
thēsaurīs relinēs, prius haustū sparsus aquārum
230ōra fovē fūmōsque manū praetende sequācēs.
Whenever you unseal their narrow dwelling and the honey kept in its treasuries, first, sprinkled with a draught of water, rinse your mouth, and hold out searching smoke in your hand.
Georg. 4.231Bis gravidōs cōgunt fētūs, duo tempora messis,
Taygetē simul ōs terrīs ostendit honestum
Plēas et Oceanī sprētōs pede reppulit amnēs,
aut eadem sīdus fugiēns ubi Piscis aquōsī
235trīstior hībernās caelō dēscendit in undās.
Twice they gather the heavy produce, there are two seasons of harvest: as soon as Taygete the Pleiad shows her comely face to the earth and spurns the streams of Ocean with her foot, or when the same star, fleeing the constellation of the watery Fish, goes down more sadly from the sky into the wintry waves.
Georg. 4.236Illīs īra modum suprā est, laesaeque venēnum
morsibus īnspīrant et spīcula caeca relinquunt
adfīxae vēnīs animāsque in vulnere pōnunt.
Their anger knows no bounds, and when hurt they breathe venom into their bites, and leave their hidden stings fixed in the veins, and lay down their lives in the wound.

Georg. 4.239Sīn dūram metuēs hiemem parcēsque futūrō
240contūnsōsque animōs et rēs miserābere frāctās,
at suffīre thymō cērāsque recidere inānēs
quis dubitet?
But if you fear a hard winter and will spare for the future, and pity their bruised spirits and broken fortunes, who would hesitate to fumigate with thyme and cut away the empty wax?
Georg. 4.242nam saepe favōs ignōtus adēdit
stelliō et lūcifugīs congesta cubīlia blattīs
immūnisque sedēns aliēna ad pābula fūcus
245aut asper crābrō imparibus sē immiscuit armīs,
aut dīrum tiniae genus, aut invīsa Minervae
laxōs in foribus suspendit arānea cassēs.
for often an unseen lizard has gnawed the combs, and the chambers are crowded with light-shunning beetles, and the drone sits idle at another's food; or the fierce hornet has joined battle with unequal arms, or the dread race of moths, or the spider, hateful to Minerva, hangs her loose nets in the doorway.
Georg. 4.248Quō magis exhaustae fuerint, hōc ācrius omnēs
incumbent generis lapsī sarcīre ruīnās
250complēbuntque forōs et flōribus horrea texent.
The more they have been drained, the more keenly they will all bend to repairing the ruins of their fallen race, and will fill the rows of cells and weave their granaries from flowers.

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Latin vocabulary for this passage (129 words)
sī, conj.if
quandō (adv.)when; (after sī) ever
sēdēs, -is, f.seat, abode
angustus, -a, -umnarrow, cramped
servō, -āre, -āvī, -ātussave, preserve
que, enclitic conj.and
mel, mellis n.honey
thēsaurus, -ī m.treasure; storehouse
relinō, -ere, -lēvī, -litusunseal, open (a sealed jar or store)
prius, adv.before, first
haustus, -ūs m.a drawing (of water); a draught, drink
spargō, spargere, sparsī, sparsusscatter, sprinkle
aqua, -ae, f.water
ōs, ōris, n.mouth
foveō, -ēre, fōvī, fōtuskeep warm; cherish, favour
fūmus, -ī, m.smoke
manus, -ūs, f.hand
praetendō, -ere, -tendī, -tentushold out in front; put forward, make a pretext of
sequāx, -ācisfollowing closely, pursuing; pliant, clinging
bis (adv.)twice
gravidus, -a, -umpregnant
cōgō, cōgere, coēgī, coāctusdrive together, collect; compel
fētus, -ūs m.offspring, young; fruit, produce (of plants)
duo, -ae, -o, plur. adj.two
tempus, temporis, n.time, season
messis, -is f.harvest, harvest time
simul, adv.at the same time; simul atque or ac, as soon as
terra, -ae, f.land, earth
ostendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentusstretch out before, show, explain
honestus, -a, -umrespected, honourable
et, conj.and; et ... et, both ... and
spernō, spernere, sprēvī, sprētusdespise, scorn
pēs, pedis, m.foot
repellō, repellere, reppulī, repulsusdrive back or away, repulse, repel
amnis, -is m.river
aut, conj.or; aut ... aut, either ... or
īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron.the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also
sīdus, -eris n.star, constellation
fugiō, fugere, fūgī, fugitūrusflee, run away
ubi, adv.where; conj., when
piscis, -is m.fish
aquōsus, -a, -umwatery, rainy
trīstis, -esad, gloomy
hībernus, -a, -umwintry, of winter
caelum, -ī, n.heaven, sky
dēscendō, -scendere, -scendī, -scēnsusclimb down, descend
in, prep. with acc. and abl.with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
unda, -ae, f.wave
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
īra, -ae, f.anger, wrath
modus, -ī, m.way, manner
suprā, adv. and prep. with acc.above, before
sum, esse, fuī, futūrusbe
laedō, -ere, laesī, laesushurt, injure; break (an oath)
venēnum, -ī, n.poison
morsus, -ūs m.bite; jaws
īnspīrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusbreathe into, blow into
spīculum, -ī n.point, sharp tip; dart, arrow
caecus, -a, -umblind
relinquō, -linquere, -līquī, -lictusleave behind, leave
affīgō, -ere, -fīxī, -fīxumfasten to
vēna, -ae f.vein
anima, -ae, f.breath, soul, life
vulnus, vulneris, n.wound
pōnō, pōnere, posuī, positusplace, put; pōnī with in and abl., to be placed in, rest or depend on
sīn (conj.)but if
dūrus, -a, -umhard; harsh; difficult
metuō, -ere, metuīfear, be afraid of
hiems, hiemis f.winter
parcō, -ere, pepercī, parsūrusspare, show mercy to (+ dat.)
contundō, -ere, -tudī, -tūsumcrush, pound; subdue
animus, -ī, m.mind; heart; spirit, courage
rēs, reī, f.thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really
miseror, -ārī, -ātus sumlament, pity
frangō, frangere, frēgī, frāctusbreak; dash to pieces, wreck
at, conj.but
suffiō, -īre, -īvī, -ītusfumigate, purify with smoke
thymum, -ī n.thyme
cēra, -ae f.wax; a wax-covered writing tablet
recidō, -ere, reccidī, -cāsūrusfall back; (of a matter) come down to, devolve on
inānis, -eempty
quis, quid, interrog. pron.who? which? what?
dubitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusdoubt, hesitate
nam, conj.for
saepe, adv.often, frequently
favus, -ī m.honeycomb
ignōtus, -a, -umunknown
adedō, -ēsse, -ēdī, -ēsuseat into, eat up
stelliō, -ōnis m.a spotted lizard, gecko
lūcifugus, -a, -umshunning the light
congerō, -ere, -gessī, -gestusheap up, bring together
cubīle, -is n.bed, resting place
blatta, -ae f.cockroach, a light-shunning insect; moth
immūnis, -efree from tribute or public burdens, exempt
sedeō, sedēre, sēdī, sessussit
aliēnus, -a, -umbelonging to another, out of place
ad, prep. with acc.to, toward; at, near; for
pābulum, -ī, n.food, fodder
fūcus, -ī m.drone (bee)
asper, -era, -erumrough, harsh; difficult
crābrō, -ōnis m.hornet
impār, imparisunequal, ill-matched
suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron.himself, herself, itself, themselves
immisceō, -ēre, -miscuī, -mixtusmix in; (reflexive) vanish into, mingle with
arma, -ōrum, n. plur.arms, weapons
dīrus, -a, -umdreadful
tinea (tinia), -ae f.moth, bookworm, grub that eats wax or cloth
genus, generis, n.kind, nature
invīsus, -a, -umhated, hateful (to: dat.)
laxus, -a, -umloose, slack
forēs, -ium f. pl.door, double door; entrance
suspendō, -pendere, -pendī, -pēnsushang up, hang
arānea, -ae f.spider; spider's web
cassis, -is m. (usu. pl. cassēs)hunting net; spider's web
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.who, which
magis, comp. adv.more, rather
exhaurio, -haurīre, -hausī, -haustusdrink up or off, drain
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
ācriter, adv.sharply, fiercely
omnis, -eall, every
incumbō, -ere, -cubuī, -cubitumlean on; throw oneself into, devote oneself to
lābor, lābī, lapsusslip, glide, fall
sarciō, -īre, sarsī, sartuspatch, repair; make good (a loss)
ruīna, -ae f.fall, collapse, ruin
compleō, -plēre, -plēvī, -plētusfill full, fill up
forus, -ī m.gangway, tier of seats (in the circus)
flōs, flōris m.flower
horreum, -ī n.granary, storehouse
texō, -ere, -uī, -tusweave
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.