Translation 2: Nessus and Deianira

Concepts to review

relative clauses
participial expressions
use of ablative to express means or instrument

Vocabulary and notes

expressing possession with the dative
auxilium, auxilii (n): “aid, help”
configo, configĕre, configi, confixi: “pierce, transfix”
fel, fellis (n): “bile or poisonous liquid”
fides, fidei (f): “faith; trustworthiness; protection or help”
flumen, fluminis (n): “river”
huc, adverb: “to this place” (Victorian English: “hither” 😀)
imploro, implorare, imploravi, imploratus: “beg with tears, implore”
philtrum, i (n): “love potion”
rogo, rogare, rogavi, rogatus: “to ask for”; can take two direct objects: the person you’re asking, and the thing you’re asking for
sanguis, sanguinis (m): “blood”
sagitta, sagittae (f): “arrow”
tingo, tingĕre, tinxi, tinctus: “soak in”
transeo < trans + eo : “to cross”
violo, violare, violavi, violatus: “injure, do violence to, rape”
vis, vis (f): “strenght, potency, power”

Passage to analyze

(From Hyginus, chapter 34.)

Highlighting like this indicates words or phrases referred to in the following grammatical questions.

Deianira, uxor Herculis, flumen magnum, cui nomen Evenus erat, non poterat transire, et centaurum Nessum, qui filius Ixionis et Nubis erat, auxilium rogavit. Hic Deianiram sublatam in flumine ipso uiolare uoluit. huc Hercules cum interuenisset et Deianira cum fidem eius implorasset, Nessum sagittis confixit.

ille moriens, cum sciret sagittas Hydrae Lernaeae felle tinctas magnam vim habere, sanguinem suum exceptum Deianirae dedit et id philtrum esse dixit.

A. Grammatical analysis

Place each verbal idea (clause, indirect statement, participial expression) on a separate line, indented to show its level of subordination. Italicize the verb of each unit by surrounding it with asterisks.

B. Grammatical questions

Identify the antecedent of cui, and its gender and number. Then explain what case cui is, and how it functions in the relative clause. (I.e., why is cui in this case?)
Identify the form of transire. Explain why you placed it in the clause you chose.
sublatam is from a verb that is a compound of sub plus a verb you should know very well. Identify the form of this participle (which for participles means: gender, case, number, tense voice). Find the dictionary entry for this word in thed Lewis-Short’s Latin Dictionary, and give its URN here.
Identify the form of sagittis. Why does Hyginus use this case?
Identify the form of moriens.
Identify felle. Why does Hyginus use this case?
Identify the form of tinctas.
Identify the form of exceptum.
William Faulkner’s novel As I lay dying takes its title from an English translation of a single word in Odyssey 11.424. In Greek, where participles function very differently from English but similarly to Latin, that word is a present active participle. Suggest one or more possible translations of Faulkner’s title into Latin.

C. Translation

Please translate the passage into idiomatic English.

Submitting your work

In your github repository, create a file named translation2.md.

You can copy and paste this page in to set up a template for your submission. Enter your answer next to each question.

Please include questions as well as your answers.