15.09.25: Level 3; Sonnenschein; Prō Patriā [9]; Anglī et Saxonēs [6]

Sed fīnis diēī illīus bellī iam adventābat, et necesse erat domum properāre. Intrā sēmihōram vehiculum parātum erat, et in viam nōs dedimus. Dum in vehiculō sedēbāmus, mūrōs castellī lūnā plēnā illūstrātōs vīdimus. Pulchrum erat spectāculum. Mox domī erāmus. Nōs puerī longō diē fatīgātī et sēmisomnī erāmus. “Nōn pigēbit vōs” inquit amita mea “ad lectum properāre.” Eā nocte Mārcus et Alexander apud nōs mānsērunt. Postrīdiē Dubrās redambulāvērunt.

Hodiē iam quīnque diēs post Īdūs Septembrēs ēlāpsī sunt, et diēs ille āter appropinquat quī ultimus fēriārum erit. Omnium diērum ille trīstissimus est quī fīnis est fēriārum. Nam trīste est verbum “valē,” cum scholae īnstant. Intrā paucōs diēs patruum meum et amitam meam et Lȳdiam valēre iubēbō. Quam bellae fuērunt fēriae ā māne usque ad vesperum! Quae mūtātiō rērum īnstat! Paucī erunt diēs fēriātī, multī profestī.

Ille profēstus erit, per quem tria verba silentur:

Et quī fēstus erit, māne profēstus erat.

Nam tribus illīs verbīs trēs rēs significantur quae puerīs cārissimae sunt — pila, follis, trigōn.

Vocabulary

ēlābor, ēlābī, ēlāpsus sum [3/deponent]: slip / glide away

fēriātus, -a, -um: on holiday; idle; unoccupied; diēs fēriātus: holiday

fēstus, -a, -um: pertaining to holidays

profēstus, -a, -um: weekday (i.e. a day not kept as a holiday)

pigeō, -ēre, -uī [2]: feel annoyance / reluctance; used impersonally: mē piget │ it pains / irks / grieves me; mē nōn piget │ I don’t mind

“Nōn pigēbit vōs … ad lectum properāre.” │ “You won’t mind [ = literally: it will not vex you] hurrying to bed.”

Notes

[1] post Īdūs Septembrēs │ after the Ides of September

Īdūs, -uum (Id.) the Ides

[i] fifteenth day of March, May, July, October:

In March, July, October, May

The Ides were on the fifteenth day.

[ii] thirteenth day of all other months

Therefore: quīnque diēs ¦ post Īdūs Septembrēs │ five days ¦ after the 13^th of September = September 18^th

The Roman system of expressing the date and the year will be discussed in detail in later posts.

[2]

Ille profēstus erit, per quem tria verba silentur: │ That will be a weekday, during which three words are silenced:

Et quī fēstus erit, māne profēstus erat. │ And what will be a holiday, was in the morning a working day

This is an imitation of two lines by Ovid (Fasti I)

Exercise

Find the Latin and focus on the translation of the 5^th declension nouns in bold:

1. five days have already slipped away
2. it is the saddest of all days
3. that dark day is approaching
4. the end of that beautiful day
5. there will be few holidays
6. three things are meant
7. we boys were half asleep from the long day
8. what a change of circumstances is drawing near!
9. within a few days

Links: 5^th declension; all posts

https://mega.nz/file/vMECUCYD#dC55FRXnm99i4-yzgY5Y5bAnjKb8EClf-_kujBI6olM