2018 ICA Latin 3 Ritchie 1 The Ark Course Notes

2018 Fall ICA Latin 3 Ritchie 1 The Ark Course Notes

Haec nárrantur á poétís dé Perseó. Perseus fílius erat Iovis, máximí deórum; avus éius Acrisius appellábátur. Acrisius volébat Perseum nepótem suum necáre; nam propter óráculum puerum timébat. Comprehendit igitur Perseum adhúc infantem, et cum mátre in arcá lígneá inclúsit. Tum arcam ipsam in mare coniécit. Danaé, Perseí máter, mágnopere territa est; tempestás enim mágna mare turbábat. Perseus autem in sinú mátris dormiébat.

Haec, is a pronoun, neuter plural, ‘these things’, can be translated as ‘this’.
Narrantur, is present tense, third person plural passive = they are told. The present tense is often used for dramatic effect when telling a story’.
A poetis and de Perseo: 'a' and 'de' are followed by the ablative case. Also 'in', as 'in sinu' in the last line and 'cum' as in 'cum matre'.
filius … Iovis: son (nominative case) Iovis (genitive case = of Juppiter); matris in the last line is also in the genitive case ‘of (his)mother’. Latin doesn't put in possessive adjectives (his, her etc)when it is obvious; here it is obvious Perseus is on 'his' mother's lap.
maximi ‘greatest’ is a superlative adjective.
avus eius appellabatur: his grandfather was called (passive).
nepotem suum: his grandson, suum is used here because it is the subject of the verb to kill: he wanted to kill = same subject.
Danae is a name borrowed by Latin from Greek.
Igitur often comes second in the sentence as does enim (see below) and autem in the last line.
turbabat and dormiebat are in the imperfect tense because they describe the state of things existing at a past time and are not reporting a completed action.

Haec nárrantur á poétís dé Perseó.

“haec” is nominative neuter plural of hic,haec, hoc.  “narrantur” is third person plural present indicative passive of narro, narrare, narravi, narratum (1).  “a” controls the ablative.  “poetis” is ablative plural of poeta, poetae f. (1), “poet.”  “de” controls the ablative.  “Perseo” is ablative of Perseus, Persei m. (2), “Perseus.” 

Perseus fílius erat Iovis, máximí deórum; avus éius Acrisius appellábátur.

“filius” is nominative singular of filius, filii m. “son.”  “erat” is third person singular imperfect indicative active of sum, esse, fui, futurus.  “Iovis” is genitive singular of Iuppiter, Iovis m. “Jupiter.”  The superlative adjective “maximi,” modifying “Iovis,” is genitive singular of maximus, maxima, maximum, “greatest.”  “avus” is nominative singular of avus, avi m., “grandfather.”  “eius” is masculine genitive singular of is, ea, id.  “appellabatur” is third person singular imperfect indicative passive of appello, appellare, appellavi, appellatum (1), “to call by name.”

Acrisius volébat Perseum nepótem suum necáre; nam propter óráculum puerum timébat.

“volebat” is third person singular imperfect indicative active of volo, velle, volui [irr.; no passive], “to wish.”  “Perseum” is accusative of Perseus, Persei m. (2), “Perseus.”  “nepotem” is accusative singular of nepos, nepotis m. “grandson, descendant.”  The reflexive possessive adjective “suum” is masculine accusative singular of suus, sua, suum. NB:  The choice of gender is determined by the noun possessed, and not by the gender of the person who possesses the object.  AG 145:  “These [possessive pronouns] are really adjectives of the 1st and 2nd Declensions, and are so declined

“necare” is infinitive of neco, necare, necavi, necatum, “to kill, slay.”  The conjunction “nam” = “because.”  The preposition “propter” + accusative = “because, on account of.”  “oraculum” is accusative singular of oraculum, oraculi n. (2) “oracle.” “puerum” is accusative singular of puer, pueri m. (2) “boy.”  “timebat” is third person singular imperfect indicative active of timeo, timere, timui [no passive] (2), “to fear.”

Comprehendit igitur Perseum adhúc infantem, et cum mátre in arcá lígneá inclúsit.

“comprehendit” is third person singular perfect indicative active of comprehendo, comprehendere, comprendi, comprensum, “to grasp, seize.”  The conjunction “igitur” = “therefore.”  The adverb “adhuc” = “thus far, still.”  “infantem” is accusative singular of infans, infantis m. “youth.”  The preposition “cum” + ablative = “with.”  “matre” is ablative singular of mater, matris f. “mother.” The preposition “in” + ablative = “in.”  “arca” is ablative singular of arca, arcae f.  “chest, box.”  The adjective “lignea,” modifying “arca,” is ablative feminine singular.  “inclusit” is third person singular perfect indicative active of include, includere, inclusi, inclusum, “to close in, shut in.”   

Tum arcam ipsam in mare coniécit.

The adverb “tum” = “then.”  “ipsam” is accusative feminine singular of the ipse, ipsa, ipsum.  “coniecit” is third person singular perfect indicative active of conicio, conicere, conieci, coniectum, “to throw, hurl.” The preposition “in” + accusative = “into.”  “mare” is accusative singular of mare, maris n. (3), “sea.” 

Danaé, Perseí máter, mágnopere territa est; tempestás enim mágna mare turbábat. Perseus autem in sinú mátris dormiébat.

“Persei” is genitive of Perseus, Persei m. “Perseus.”  “mater” is nominative singular of mater, matris f. “mother.”  The adverb “magnopere” = “greatly.” “territa est” is third person singular perfect indicative passive of terreo, terrere, terrui, territum, “to terrify, scare.” “tempestas” is nominative singular of tempestas, tempestatis f. (3), “storm.”  The conjunction “enim” = “for, truly.”  The adjective “magna,” agreeing with “tempestas,” is feminine nominative singular of magnus, magna, magnum.  “turbabat” is third person singular imperfect indicative active of turbo, turbare, turbavi, turbatum, “to disturb, stir up.”  “sinu” is ablative singular of sinus, sinus m. “bosom, lap.”  “dormiebat” is third person singular imperfect indicative active of dormio, dormire, dormivi, [no passive] (4), “to sleep.”

Haec nárrantur á poétís dé Perseó.
These things are told by the poets about Perseus
Perseus fílius erat Iovis, máximí deórum;
Perseus was the son of Juppiter, the greatest of the gods;
avus éius Acrisius appellábátur. 
his grandfather was called Acrisus. 
Acrisius volébat Perseum nepótem suum necáre; 
Acrisius wanted to kill Perseus his grandson; 
nam propter óráculum puerum timébat.
for, on account of an oracle, he feared the boy
Comprehendit igitur Perseum adhúc infantem,
He therefore seized Perseus, when still an infant,
et cum mátre in arcá lígneá inclúsit. 
and with his mother closed him up in a wooden ark. 
Tum arcam ipsam in mare coniécit. 
Then that same ark, he hurled into the sea.
Danaé, Perseí máter, mágnopere territa est;
Danae, Perseus’ mother, was very frightened;
tempestás enim mágna mare turbábat.
for a great storm was stirring up the sea.
Perseus autem in sinú mátris dormiébat.
Perseus however, on his mother’s lap, was sleeping.