PERSEUS
The numbers refer to the page of text and the line on the page respectively.
3.6. Danaé. Many proper names in this book are words borrowed by Latin from Greek, and have forms not given in the regular Latin declensions. It will not be necessary to learn the declension of such words.
7. enim. This word commonly stands second in its clause.
8. turbábat. Notice that this verb and dormiébat below are in the imperfect tense to denote a state of things existing at the past time indicated by territa est.
autem. This word has the same peculiarity of position as enim; so also igitur, which occurs in line 11.
12. Seríphum. Notice that Latin says 'the island Seriphos,' but English more often 'the island of Seriphos.'
13. appulsa est. Postquam is regularly followed by the perfect or present indicative, but the English translation usually requires the pluperfect.
15. quódam. Quídam means 'certain' as applied to some person or thing not fully described, while certus means 'certain' in the sense of 'determined.' 'sure,'
ad domum. This means 'to the house'; 'to be brought home' would be domum addúcí, without the preposition.
16. Ille is often used, as here, when the subject is changed to a person mentioned in the preceding sentence. In this use it is to be translated 'he.'
18. benefició. See the derivation of this word in the vocabulary.
20. multós annós. Duration of time is regularly expressed in the accusative case.
22. eam. Latin has no pronoun of the third person, and is often takes the place of one; it is then to be translated 'he,' 'she,' 'it,' 'they,' according to its form.
25. haec. The literal translation would be 'these things,' but we must say 'thus' or 'as follows.'
4. 1. es. With iam dúdum and similar expressions of duration, the present indicative is often used to denote an action or state begun in the past but continuing in the present. The English equivalent is the perfect.
híc, is not the pronoun, but an adverb.
2. mihi. This dative may be translated 'for me.' How would 'to me' with a verb of motion be put?
3. refer. Dícó, dúcó, fació, and feró have the imperative forms díc, dúc, fac, and fer, instead of díce, etc.
4. Perseus. When the subordinate and the principal clause of a Latin sentence have the same subject, this usually stands first, followed by the subordinate clause.
haec. Here a different rendering is required from that suggested in the note on 3, 25. What is it? Notice that it is necessary to know the literal significance of the Latin words, but that the translation must often be something quite different if it is to be acceptable English. The rule for translation is: Discover the exact meaning of the original; then express the same idea correctly and, if you can, elegantly in the language into which you are translating.
5. continentem. What is the derivation of this word?
vénit. Is this present or perfect? How do you know?
8. Graeás. The Graeae were three old women who had one eye and one tooth in common, and took turns in using them.
9. galeam. This belonged to Pluto, the god of the underworld of the dead, and whosoever wore it was invisible. The story is that Perseus compelled the Graeae to tell him how to obtain the helps to his enterprise by seizing their tooth and eye.
11. pedibus, 'on his feet,' dative of indirect object.
induit. See the note on 3, 13.
áera. Áér is borrowed from Greek, and keeps this Greek form for its accusative.
12. volábat. Distinguish between voló, voláre, and voló, velle.
13. céterís. Céterí is used to denote all not already named ('the other'), while alií denotes some of those who have not been already named ('other').
14. specié horribilí, 'of terrible appearance.' ablative of description. A noun never stands alone in this construction,
eárum. See the note on 3, 22.
15. contécta. This and factae below are used as predicate adjectives, not to form the pluperfect passive with erant. Translate, therefore, 'were covered.' not 'had been covered.'
18. vertébantur. The imperfect here denotes customary action, one of its regular uses.
19. Ille. See the note on 3, 16.
20. hóc modó, ablative of manner.
21. vénit, dormiébat. The perfect simply expresses an action which took place in past time, the imperfect tells of a state of things existing at that past time.
25. fugit. When dum means 'while,' 'as,' it is followed by the present indicative, even when used of past events.
26. fécit. Like postquam, ubi has the present or perfect indicative, where English would use the pluperfect.
5. 2. illó tempore, ablative of time.
régnábat. Observe the force of the tense, and try to find the reason for each change of tense in this paragraph.
Híc. This must here be translated simply 'he.' Compare the use of Ille, 3, 16.
4. veniébat. See the note on 4, 18.
6. omnium, 'of all men.' or 'of all.' The adjective is used as a noun, as in the second of the English expressions.
óráculum. It was believed in antiquity that the will of the gods and a knowledge of future events might be learned at certain shrines, of which the most famous were those of Apollo at Delphi, of Zeus or Jupiter at Dodona, and of Hammon in Egypt. Hammon was really an Egyptian god, represented as having the horns of a ram, but he was identified by the Greeks with Zeus and by the Romans with Jupiter.
7. fíliam. Where there is no ambiguity, the possessive is often omitted in Latin.
8. autem, often, as here, simply introduces an explanation ('now'),
nómine, 'by name.'
9. Cépheus. See the note on Perseus, 4, 4.
10. cívís suós, 'his subjects.'
13. certam. See the note on quódam, 3, 15. Diés is regularly masculine, but when used of an appointed day it is often feminine.
omnia, 'all things,' 'everything,' or 'all.' See the note on omnium, line 6.
16. déplórábant, tenébant. Be careful to show the meaning of the tense by your translation.
18. quaerit. The present is often used of a past action instead of the perfect, to bring the action more vividly before us as if it were taking place now. This is called the historical present.
19. haec geruntur, 'this is going on.'
20. horribilí. Here the adjective is made emphatic by being put before its noun; in 4, 14 the same effect is gained by putting horribilí last in its clause.
22. omnibus, dative of indirect object after the compound verb (in+iació). Translate 'inspired in all,' but the literal meaning is 'threw into all.'
26. induit. See the note on 3, 13.
áera. See the note on 4, 11.
6. 2. suó, éius. Distinguish carefully between these words. Suus is used of something belonging to the subject, éius of something belonging to some other person or thing just mentioned.
5. volat. See the note on 4, 25.
7. sustulit. Notice that the perfect forms of tolló are the same as those of sufferó (sub + feró), 'endure.'
8. neque, here to be translated 'and … not.' Neque is thus used regularly for et nón.
13. exanimáta, used here as a predicate adjective.
16. rettulit. 'To give thanks' or 'thank' is usually grátiás agere, as in 3, 19; grátiam referre means 'to show one's gratitude,' 'to recompense' or 'requite.'
18. dúxit. This word came to mean 'marry,' because the bridegroom 'led' his bride in a wedding procession to his own home. It will be seen, therefore, that it can be used only of the man.
Paucós annós. See the note on 3, 20.
20. omnís. What does the quantity of the i tell you about the form?
7. 1. quod, not the relative pronoun, but a conjunction.
3. eó, the adverb.
in átrium. Although inrúpit means 'burst into,' the preposition is nevertheless required with the noun to express the place into which he burst.
6. ille. See the note on Perseus, 4, 4.
8. Acrisí. In Nepos, Caesar, Cicero, and Vergil, the genitive singular of second-declension nouns in -ius and -ium ends in í, not ií; but the nominative plural ends in ií, and the dative and ablative plural in iís.
10. istud. Remember that iste is commonly used of something connected with the person addressed. Here the meaning may be 'that oracle I told you of.' See 3, 4.
12. Lárísam. See the note on 3, 12.
neque enim, 'for … not,' as if simply nón enim, but Latin uses neque to connect the clauses.
14. in omnís partís, 'in all directions' or 'in every direction.'
15. Multí. See the note on omnium, 5, 6.
17. discórum. The discus was a round, flat piece of stone or metal, and the athletes tried to see who could throw it farthest.
18. cású. This is one of the ablatives of manner that do not take cum.
19. stábat. Notice the tense.