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Vergil · Georgics

Georgics 4.67–87

Battles between rival kings

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Georg. 4.67Sīn autem ad pugnam exierint, nam saepe duōbus
rēgibus incessit magnō discordia mōtū,
continuōque animōs vulgī et trepidantia bellō
70corda licet longē praescīscere;
But if they go out to battle (for often discord has come upon two kings with great commotion), at once you can foretell from far off the passions of the crowd and their hearts throbbing for war;
Georg. 4.70namque morantēs
Mārtius ille aeris raucī canor increpat et vōx
audītur frāctōs sonitūs imitāta tubārum;
for that martial ring of the hoarse brass rebukes the laggards, and a sound is heard imitating the broken blasts of trumpets;
Georg. 4.73tum trepidae inter sē coeunt pennīsque coruscant
spīculaque exacuunt rōstrīs aptantque lacertōs
75et circā rēgem atque ipsa ad praetōria dēnsae
miscentur magnīsque vocant clamōribus hostem.
then they gather excitedly together and flash their wings, sharpen their stings on their beaks and ready their arms, and around the king and right by his headquarters they throng together and call the enemy with loud cries.
Georg. 4.77Ergō ubi vēr nactae sudum campōsque patentēs,
ērumpunt portīs;
So when they have found a clear spring day and open fields, they burst out of the gates;
Georg. 4.78concurritur, aethere in altō
fit sonitus, magnum mīxtae glomerantur in orbem
80praecipitēsque cadunt;
they clash, there is a noise high in the air, they mass together into a great ball and fall headlong;
Georg. 4.80nōn dēnsior āere grandō,
nec dē concussā tantum pluit īlice glandīs.
hail is no thicker from the air, nor do so many acorns rain down from a shaken holm-oak.

Georg. 4.82ipsī per mediās aciēs īnsignibus alīs
ingentēs animōs angustō in pectore versant,
ūsque adeō obnīxī nōn cēdere, dum gravis aut hōs
85aut hōs versā fugā victor dare terga subēgit.
The kings themselves, amid the battle-lines, with conspicuous wings, wield mighty spirits in narrow breasts, so resolved not to yield, until the heavy victor has forced either these or those to turn in flight and show their backs.
Georg. 4.86Hī mōtūs animōrum atque haec certāmina tanta
pulveris exiguī iactū compressa quiēscent.
These passions and these mighty contests will be checked and quieted by the throwing of a little dust.

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Grammar in this passage: ablative absolute ×1

Latin vocabulary for this passage (117 words)
sīn (conj.)but if
autem, conj.moreover; but, however; now
ad, prep. with acc.to, toward; at, near; for
pugna, -ae, f.fighting, battle, combat
exeō, -īre, -iī, -itusgo out
nam, conj.for
saepe, adv.often, frequently
duo, -ae, -o, plur. adj.two
rēx, rēgis, m.king
incēdō, -ere, -cessī, -cessumwalk, step, advance
magnus, -a, -umlarge, big, great, mighty; loud
discordia, -ae f.disagreement, discord, strife
mōtus, -ūs m.motion, movement; uprising
continuō (adv.)at once, immediately
que, enclitic conj.and
animus, -ī, m.mind; heart; spirit, courage
vulgus, -ī n.the common people, the crowd
et, conj.and; et ... et, both ... and
trepidō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusbe in a panic, hurry about in alarm
bellum, -ī, n.war
cor, cordis n.heart
licet, -ēre, -uit or -itum est, impers.is lawful or permitted
longē, adv.far
praescīscō, -ere, -scīvīfind out beforehand
namque, conj.for
moror, -ārī, -ātusdelay, linger, stay
Mārtius, -a, -umof Mars; campus Mārtius, the Field of Mars outside the old city
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
aes, aeris, n.copper, bronze
raucus, -a, -umhoarse; harsh-sounding, clanging
canō, -ere, cecinī, cantussing; of a trumpet: sound (receptuī canere: sound the retreat)
increpō, -āre, -uī, -itusmake a noise, rattle; rebuke
vōx, vōcis, f.voice; word
audiō, -īre, -īvī, -ītushear; listen or attend to
frangō, frangere, frēgī, frāctusbreak; dash to pieces, wreck
sonitus, -ūs, m.sound, noise
imitor, -ārī, -ātus sumcopy, imitate
tuba, -ae f.trumpet
tum, adv.then, at that time
trepidus, -a, -umanxious, alarmed; critical, dangerous
inter, prep, with acc.among, between
suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron.himself, herself, itself, themselves
coeō, -īre, -iī, -itumcome together, assemble
penna, -ae f.feather; (pl.) wings
coruscō, -ārebrandish, shake; flash, glitter
spīculum, -ī n.point, sharp tip; dart, arrow
exacuō, -ere, -uī, -ūtussharpen; spur on, rouse
rōstrum, -ī, n.beak
aptō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusfit, adjust, make ready
lacertus, -ī m.upper arm, arm
circā (adv. and prep. + acc.)around, about
atque, ac (conj.)and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron.self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very
praetōrium, -ī n.governor's residence, headquarters
dēnsus, -a, -umthick
misceō, miscēre, miscuī, mīxtusmix, mingle
vocō, -āre, -āvī, -ātuscall, summon
clāmor, -ōris, m.shout, cry
hostis, -is, m. and f.enemy, foe
ergō (adv.)therefore, then; quid ergō? what then?
ubi, adv.where; conj., when
vēr, vēris n.spring
nancīscor, nancīscī, nactusget, obtain, find
sudis, -is f.stake, pile
campus, -ī, m.plain, field
pateō, -ēre, -uīlie open; extend, stretch
ērumpō, -ere, -rūpī, -ruptumburst out, sally
porta, -ae, f.gate; door
concurrō, -currere, -currī, -cursusrun, rush, or dash together
aethēr, -eris m. (acc. aethera)the upper air, the sky
in, prep. with acc. and abl.with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
altum, -ī n.the deep, the open sea; a height
fīō, fierī, factus sumbe done or made, become, happen
glomerō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusgather into a ball, mass together
orbis, -is, m.circle; orbis terrae or terrārum, circle of the earth or lands, earth, world
praeceps, -cipitisheadlong
cadō, cadere, cecidī, cāsūrusfall
nōn, adv.not
āēr, āeris, m.air
grandō, -inis f.hail
neque or nec, conj.and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not
dē, prep, with abl.down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of
concutiō, -ere, -cussī, -cussusshake violently; shake, weaken
tantum, adv.so much or far, only
pluō, -ere, pluīrain; make it rain
īlex, -icis f.holm-oak, evergreen oak
glāns, glandis f.acorn; sling-bullet (of lead or clay)
per, prep, with ace.through, by means of
medius, -a, -ummid, middle
aciēs, -ēī, f.line of battle
īnsignis, -enotable, remarkable
ala, -ae, f.wing
ingēns, -gentis, adj.huge, vast
angustus, -a, -umnarrow, cramped
pectus, pectoris, n.breast
versō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusturn about; (pass. or reflexive) move about, be engaged
ūsque, adv.all the time; ūsque ad, as far as, until; quō ūsque, see quō
adeō (adv.)so far, to such a degree; so
obnītor, -ī, -nīxus sumpush or strain against; struggle, resist
cēdō, -ere, cessī, cessumgo, withdraw, give way
dum, conj.while, as; as long as; until
gravis, -eheavy; severe, grievous, serious
aut, conj.or; aut ... aut, either ... or
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
vertō, vertere, vertī, versusturn
fuga, -ae, f.flight
victor, -ōris m.conqueror, victor
dō, dare, dedī, datusgive
tergum, -ī, n.back
subigō, -ere, -ēgī, -āctusbring under, subdue; force, compel
certāmen, -minis, n.struggle, contest
tantus, -a, -umso great or much
pulvis, -eris m.dust
exiguus, -a, -umsmall, scanty, short
iactus, -ūs m.throwing, a throw; fulminum iactūs: strokes of lightning
comprimō, -primere, -pressī, -pressuspress together, squeeze, compress
quiēscō, -ere, quiēvī, quiētusrest, keep quiet
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.