10.11.26: Level 1-2 (review): Julia (a Latin Reader) [4] (4)

CERĒS ET PERSEPHONĒ (4)

Iam lūna et stēllae in caelō fulgēbant. Umbrae terrās et pontum profundum cēlābant. Per terrās virī et fēminae animōs somnō laxābant. Sed somnus Metanīram nōn tenēbat; fūrtim Deam cum puerō spectābat.

Cerēs prope puerī cūnās stābat. Verba mīra et dīvīna cantābat. Tum puerum in gremiō tenuit, et ad focum ambulāvit. Ecce! Triptolemus in focō inter flammās iacēbat; sed laetus erat puer neque focum neque flammās timuit. Sed Metanīra perterrita, “Ō fīlī mī,” exclāmāvit, et ad focum properāvit.

Tum Dea īrāta puerum ē flammīs raptāvit et humī iactāvit, et Metanīrae, “Ō fēmina,” inquit, “stulta et scelerāta fuistī. Nōn deus erit Triptolemus, quod stultae fēminae est fīlius. Sed in deae gremiō iacuit; itaque vir magnus erit. Et ego et Persephonē, fīlia mea, Triptolemum docēbimus et cūrābimus. Agricolārum magister erit, nam frūmentum et vīnum agricolīs mōnstrābit.”

[1]

focus, -ī [2/m]: hearth

flamma, -ae [1/f]: flame

umbra, -ae [1/f]: shadow

pontus, -ī [2/m]: sea

[2]

profundus, -a, -um: deep

stultus, -a, -um: foolish

scelerātus, -a, -um: wicked

[3]

fulgeō, fulgēre [2]: shine

cēlō, cēlāre [1]: hide

laxō, laxāre [1]: relax

timeō, timēre [2]: fear

doceō, docēre [2]: teach

[4]

fūrtim: secretly

humī: on the ground

___________________

Now the moon and stars were shining in the sky. Shadows were hiding the lands and the deep sea. Through the lands men and women were relaxing their minds in sleep. But sleep did not hold Metanira; secretly she watched the goddess with the boy.

Ceres stood near the boy’s cradle. She was singing wondrous and divine words. Then she held the boy in her lap and walked to the hearth. Look! Triptolemus lay in the fire among the flames; but the boy was happy and did not fear the fire or the flames. But Metanira, terrified, cried out, “O my son!” and rushed to the hearth.

Then the angry goddess snatched the boy from the flames and threw him to the ground, and said to Metanira, “O woman, you have been foolish and wicked. Triptolemus will not be a god, because he is the son of a foolish woman. But he has lain in the lap of a goddess; therefore he will be a great man. Persephone and I will teach and care for him. He will be a teacher of farmers, for he will show grain and wine to farmers.”