the shee, 8. | fēmella,
8.
layeth eggs, 10. | pōnit ōva, 10.
in a nest, 9. | in nīdō, 9. and sitting upon them, | iīsque incubāns,
hatcheth young ones, 11. | exclūdit pullōs, 11.
[4]
an egg is cover'd | ōvum tegitur
with a shell, 12. | testā, 12.
under which is | sub quā est
the white, 13. | albūmen, 13.
in this the yolk, 14. | in hōc vītellus, 14.
____________________
vocabulary
albūmen, -inis [3/n]: (Late
Latin) white of an egg
exclūdō,
-ere [3]: the main meaning of the verb is ‘shut out’ (Engl. deriv: exclude)
but also has the figurative sense of ‘hatch’
fēmella, -ae [1/f]: girl; young
woman; (here) the ‘female’ (of the species)
nīdus, -ī [2/m]: nest
ōvum, -ī [2/n]: egg
pullus, -ī [2/m]: any young
animal, especially young fowl e.g. chick(en)
testa, -ae [1/f]: the original
meaning is ‘burned clay’, ‘brick’, ‘tile’, but its meaning extends to the shell
of a shellfish and, later, to other hard protective coverings
vītellus, -ī [2/m]: yolk of an
egg
notes
(1) iīsque incubāns,| and
(while) sittingupon them [or: as / while she
sitsupon them]; present active participle
(2) iīsque incubāns
< incubō, -āre [1]: lie upon; this is an example of a compound
verb [in + cubō], many (but not all) of which are followed by the dative case
[4] Complete the Latin text with the words and phrases listed
below:
“The column of barbarians (1) kept marching all the way
to the river. They crossed the river in small boats. The barbarians (2) were
approaching the fort. (3) They did not turn their backs, and when (4)
they came up to the fort, (5) they launched an attack. The battle
was long. The farmers inside the fort (6) fought fiercely, but they were
not able (7) to drive the barbarians away from the fort. A fort
of this kind was not strong. The barbarians (8) were breaking down the
gate of the fort. They came right into the fort and (9) drove out the
terrified farmers. Many (10) had been killed.”
Intereā usque ad flūmen agmen barbarōrum (1) __________.
Nāviculīs flūmen trānsībat. Barbarī castellō (2) __________. (3) __________
et ubi ad castellum (4) __________, (5) __________. Proelium
erat longum. Agricolae intrā castellum (6) __________ sed barbarōs ā
castellō (7) __________ nōn poterant. Castellum huius generis nōn erat
validum. Barbarī iānuam castellī (8) __________. Usque in castellum
vēnērunt et agricolās perterritōs (9) __________. Multī (10) __________.
Subitō in cōnspectū agricolārum agmen sociōrum vidēbātur. Apud
agricolās laetitia erat magna. Quamquam sērī erant sociī (paene prīma vigilia
erat) agricolās servābant. Agmen ad castellum succēdēbat. Statim dux
sociōrum perīculum vīdit. Signa vertī iussit et barbarōs ante sē pepulit.
Post proelium discipulī castellum restituērunt. Fenestrae et
iānuae frāctae restitūtae sunt. Crās aliud proelium erit.
[i] “Apud agricolās laetitia erat magna.” Give the
reason for this. (1)
[ii] How do we know that this event happened in the early evening?
Quote and translate the Latin phrase, and explain the use of the noun. (3)
[iii] “Quamquam sērī erant sociī …” Translate this
phrase and identify the clause type. (2)
[iv] What danger was seen? (1)
[v]
[a] What is the literal translation of “signa vertī iussit”? (1)
[b] How might it be more fluently conveyed in English? (1)
[vi] What was the outcome of the commander’s order? (1)
[vii] How do we know that the fort had been damaged? Quote and
translate the Latin phrases. (4)
____________________
[4]
Intereā usque ad flūmen agmen barbarōrum (1)
iter faciēbat. Nāviculīs flūmen trānsībat. Barbarī castellō (2) appropinquābant.
(3) Terga nōn vertēbant et ubi ad castellum (4) succēdēbant, (5) impetum
fēcērunt. Proelium erat longum. Agricolae intrā castellum (6) ācriter
pugnābant sed barbarōs ā castellō (7) pellere nōn poterant.
Castellum huius generis nōn erat validum. Barbarī iānuam castellī (8) frangēbant.
Usque in castellum vēnērunt et agricolās perterritōs (9) expulērunt.
Multī (10) occīsī erant.
[5]
[i] the farmers suddenly caught sight of the
column of allies (1)
[ii] paene prīma vigilia (1) | almost the first
vigil (1); vigilia, -ae [1/f]: (military) refers to one of the four ‘watches /
vigils’ i.e. divisions of the night (1)
[iii] Although the allies were late (1);
concessive (1)
[iv] column approaching the fort
[v]
[a] He ordered the standards to be turned.
[b] He ordered the troops to turn around.
Note: although signa refers physically to
the military standards, they represent in this context all the troops who are
marching behind them i.e. if the standards are turned around, then the troops
will also reverse their direction
[vi] He drove the barbarians ahead of him (1)
[vii]
discipulī castellum restituērunt (1) | the
pupils repaired the fort (1)
fenestrae et iānuae frāctae (1) | the broken /
smashed windows and doors (1)
Cīvēs Rōmānī
intereā pontem summīs vīribus excīdunt. Mox pontem in flūmen prōsternent. Tum
Lartius et Herminius hastās in hostem iaciunt, et summīs vīribus per pontem in
tūtum locum ruunt. Horātius autem adhūc in extrēmō ponte stat, et sōlus in
Etrūscōs ferōciter pugnat.
Rōmānī autem, iam
terrōris plēnī, "Ō Horātī retrō," exclāmant, "retrō – nunc tūta
est via; mox nūllus pōns trāns flūmen erit, et hostēs tē vincent et
necābunt." Sed magnō fragōre pōns in flūmen cecidit, et inter undās
spūmōsās omnia ad pontum natābant.
The Roman citizens
meanwhile are cutting down the bridge with all their strength. Soon they will
cast the bridge into the river. Then Lartius and Herminius throw their spears
at the enemy, and with all their strength rush across the bridge to a safe place.
But Horatius still stands at the end of the bridge, and alone he is fighting
fiercely against the Etruscans.
But the Romans,
now full of fear, cry out: “O Horatius, go back! Go back – now the way is safe;
soon there will be no bridge across the river, and the enemy will defeat and
kill you.” But with a great crash the bridge fell into the river, and among the
foaming waves everything was floating toward the sea.
I: America patriameaest. Americapatria tua est. Americam
amō. Patriam meam amō. Americam amās.
II: Hibernia īnsula est.
Britannia īnsula est. America nōn est īnsula. Italia nōn est īnsula.
III: Hibernia nōn est patria
mea. Italia nōn est patria mea. Amīca mea Italiam amat. Amīca tua quoque
Italiam amat. Italia est terra pulchra.
IV: Hibernia est īnsula
pulchra. Britannia quoque est īnsula pulchra. Britannia est magna īnsula.
Hibernia est magna īnsula.
V: America est terra pulchra.
Amīca tua Americam amat. Amīca mea Britanniam amat. Patria mea terra pulchra
est. Patria tua īnsula est. Īnsulam amō.
(1) vocabulary
amō: I love
amās: you love
amat: (he / she / it) loves
est: (he / she / it) is
amīca: friend (female)
īnsula: island
terra: land
magna: large
pulchra: beautiful
mea: my; mine
tua: your; yours
quoque: also
(2) In Latin there is no definite article ('the') or indefinite article ('a / an'); īnsula can mean 'the island' or ''an island' or 'island'.
Britannia est magna īnsula. | Britain is a large island.
(3) Two endings are shown in the text:
[i] -a
America patria mea est. | America
is my homeland.
[ii] -am
Americam amō. | I love America.
(4) Nouns in Latin belong to declensions; this is the term
used to describe a pattern of endings which the nouns share. There are five
declensions in Latin:
all the nouns here belong to the first declension; almost all
nouns in the first declension are feminine:
amīca; Britannia;Hibernia;īnsula;
Italia; patria; terra
[i] -a: the nominative case
[a] the subject of the sentence, the person / thing
that performs the action:
Amīca mea [subject; nominative case] ¦ Italiam amat.
My friend ¦ loves Italy.
[b] The subject may not be performing an action, but is being
described:
America [subject; nominative case] ¦ patriamea est.
America ¦ is my homeland.
[c] the predicate of the sentence, most often after the
verb ‘to be’:
America ¦ patria mea [predicate; nominative
case] ¦ est.
America ¦ is ¦ my homeland.
[ii] -am: the accusative case
This indicates the direct object of the sentence, the
person / thing affected by the action:
Americam [direct object; accusative case] ¦ amō.
I love ¦ America.
This text deals with the nominative and accusative singular of
1st declension nouns:
1st declension: nouns end in -a
[i] Nominative singular: īnsula
[ii] Accusative singular: īnsulam
(5)
[i] nominative case singular: -a
Britannia īnsula est.
Britain is an island.
Italia nōn est īnsula.
Italy is not an island.
[ii] accusative case singular: -am
Īnsulam amō.
I love ¦ the island.
Amīca mea ¦ Britanniam ¦ amat.
My friend loves ¦ Britain.
The same endings apply to 1st / 2nd
declension adjectives* i.e. not to all adjective types:
Amīca mea ¦ Italiamamat.
My friend ¦ loves Italy.
Italia est ¦ terra pulchra.
Italy is ¦ a beautiful country.
Patriam meam ¦ amō.
I love ¦ my homeland.
*Adjectives will be discussed in more detail in the next post.
I: America is my homeland. America is your
homeland. I love America. I love my homeland. You love America.
II: Ireland is an island. Britain is an island.
America is not an island. Italy is not an island.
III: Ireland is not my homeland. Italy is not my
homeland. My friend loves Italy. Your friend also loves Italy. Italy is a
beautiful country.
IV: Ireland is a beautiful island. Britain is
also a beautiful island. Britain is a large island. Ireland is a large island.
America is a beautiful country. Your friend loves America. My friend loves
Britain. My homeland is a beautiful country. Your homeland is an island. I love
the island.
This is a ‘gentler’ version of the same song but still has that Mediaeval colour.
Note: for those who have been following the posts and / or the alternative site, every feature of Latin has been discussed before, and so this is a tremendous example of all the jigsaw pieces coming together.
Each verse is only a couple of lines. I’ll begin with verse #1 [V1] and the refrain
[V1] Tempus est iocundum, ō virginēs, modo congaudēte vōs iuvenēs │ The time is pleasing, you virgins, just rejoice, you young men
congaudeō, congaudēre [2]: (Late Latin) rejoice; here it’s in the imperative / command form (talking to more than one person) i.e. gaudēte
[ii] novus, novus [1st/ 2nd declension adjective] amor [3rd declension noun] est, quō pereō
It is a new, new love from which I’m dying.
The adjective and the noun agree in gender, number and case but they retain their own endings.
Here are the rest of the verses:
[V2] Cantat philomena sīc dulciter, et modulāns audītur; intus caleō │The nightingale sings so sweetly, and it is heard singing, and I am hot inside
caleō, calēre [2]: to be hot (check the posts on weather!)
cantō, cantāre [1]: sing
dulcis, -e [3]: sweet; and there is an example of how Latin forms some adverbs: dulciter: sweelty
intus: (adverb) within; inside
modulāns, modulantis [3]: (here) singing
Note: passive
audit: he / she / it hears
audītur: he / she / it is heard
[V3] Flōs est puellārum, quam dīligō, et rosa rosārum, quam sepe videō; │ She is the flower of the girls whom I love, and the rose of the roses whom I often see
dīligō, dīligere [3]: love
flōs, flōris [3/m]: flower
sepe = saepe (often); Mediaeval spelling shift from /ae/ > /e/ to reflect pronunciation change
videō, vidēre [2]: see
[V4] Mea mē cōnfortat prōmissiō, mea mē dēportat negātiō. │ My promise strengthens me, my refusal carries me away
[V5] Mea mēcum lūdit virginitās, mea mē dētrūdit simplicitās. │My virginity plays with me, my innocence pushes me down
Note: in some versions the ‘mea’ becomes ‘tua’ i.e. your promise strengthens me etc. I’m following the exact lyrics from the Youtube version.
cōnfortō, cōnfortō [1]: strengthen
dēportō, dēportāre [1]: carry off
dētrūdō, dētrūdere [3]: push down
lūdo, lūdere [3]: play
mē¦cum: with me
Four 3rd declension nouns that always have the same type of stem change: -iō, -tās
Imperātor Iapōniae
Akihītō potestātem dēposuit. Kalendīs Maiīs Naruhītō fīlius maximus nātū illī
successit. In Iapōniā Imperātor hīs ducentīs annīs numquam sē mūnere abdicāvit,
sed petītū imperātōris Akihītō, quī octōgintā quīnque annōs nātus valētūdine
labōrat, lēx mūtāta est. Dynastīa Iapōniae, quae potestātem inde ā quīntō
saeculō tenet, est in mundō vetustissima.
[i] The article
concerns:
A: a royal death
B: an abdication
C: a political
overthrow
D: the birth of a
son
[ii] When did this
take place?
[iii] Who is the
successor? (2)
[iv] When was the
last time such a decision was taken?
[v] Who has made
this request?
[vi] How old is
he?
[vii] Why did he
make this request?
[viii] What has
been changed?
[ix] What two
pieces of information are given about the dynasty? (2)
____________________
[i]
B
[ii]
May 1st
[iii]
Naruhito (1); Akihito's eldest son (1)
[iv]
more than 200 years ago / over 200 years previously
[v] the
Emperor (Akihito)
[vi]
85
[vii]
(suffering from) ill health / health reasons
[viii]
the law
[ix]
has held power since the fifth century (1); oldest in the world (1)
____________________
Emperor Akihito has
abdicated. On 1 May, his eldest son, Naruhito, succeeded him. In Japan, no
emperor has abdicated from office during the previous two hundred years, but at
the request of Emperor Akihito, who at the age of eighty-five is suffering from
ill health, the law has been changed. The Japanese dynasty, which has held
power since the fifth century, is the oldest in the world.
