AM. Nunc ēde nātī nōbilem pugnam meī.760
patruī volentis mūnus an spolium refert?
THE. Fērāle tardīs imminet saxum vadīs,
stupente ubi undā sēgne torpēscit fretum.
hunc servat amnem cultū et aspectū horridus
pavidōsque mānēs squālidus gestat senex.765
impexa pendet barba, dēfōrmem sinum
nōdus coercet, concavae lūcent genae;
regit ipse longō portitor contō ratem.
hic onere vacuam lītorī puppem applicāns
repetēbat umbrās; poscit Alcīdēs viam;770
cēdente turbā dīrus exclāmat Charōn:
"Quō pergis audāx? siste properantem gradum."
nōn passus ūllās nātus Alcmēnā morās
ipsō coāctum nāvitam contō domat
scanditque puppem. cumba populōrum capāx775
succubuit ūnī; sēdit et gravior ratis
utrimque Lēthēn latere titubantī bibit.
tum victa trepidant mōnstra, Centaurī trucēs
[Lapithaeque multō in bella succēnsī merō;]
* * *
Stygiae palūdis ultimōs quaerēns sinūs780
fēcunda mergit capita Lernaeus labor.
Notes
Amphitryon finally asks about the Labor itself, the retrieval of Cerberus. Theseus describes how Charon ferried him and Hercules across the river Styx.
The passage adapts Virgil, Aeneid 6.384–416. Note the careful arrangement of nouns, adjectives, and verbs in 762, 765, and 771.
761 patruī: Dis, Jupiter’s brother, Hercules’ uncle.
762 imminet: governs the dative vadīs, used after a verb of place or motion (AG 371).
763 stupente … undā: “with languid waters,” ablative of quality (AG 415), a poetic use of stupeo (“to be stunned”) referring to an inanimate object (LS stupeo I.B).
764 cultū et aspectū: ablative of specification (AG 418)
765: gestat: “transports,” poetic for portat or fert
766 sinum: “garment,” a poetic use of the word (LS sinus II.A.b.β), which normally means the hanging fold of the upper part of the toga, or the bosom of a garment.
767: lucent: “glow,” presumably a reference to Charon’s eyes, rather than his sunken (concāvae) cheeks.
768 contō: ablative of means (AG 408)
769 onere: ablative of separation after vacuam (AG 400). applicāns: governs the dative litori, used after a verb of place or motion (AG 371).
771 cedente turbā: ablative absolute (AG 419)
772 quō: adverb of place, “to where” (AG 217.a)
773 passus: “permitting” (LS patior II.A). nātus Alcmēnā: a periphrasis for Hercules.
774 coāctum: “compelled” to admit a living passenger (> cogo -ere coēgī coāctum). contō: ablative of instrument (AG 409)
776 unī: dative
777 utrimque … latere titubantī: “on both tottering sides”
778: victa: “beaten,” by Hercules. There follows a list of some of the monsters Hercules killed in his earlier labors. They now cower before him (trepidant) in the Underworld.
779 This line is likely an interpolation by a later writer than Seneca. Hercules did not participate in the famous battle of the Centaurs and Lapiths, described by Ovid at Metamorphoses 12.210–315.
781 Lernaeus labor: the Hydra
Vocabulary
edō ēsse ēdī ēsus: to eat
patruus patruī m.: uncle
volēns –entis: willing
spolia –ōrum n.: plunder; hide (of an animal), arms
fērālis –e: pertaining to the dead
immineō imminēre: to threaten; overhang
vadum –ī n.: shallow; ford, body of water
stupeō –ēre –uī: to be stunned, amazed
sēgnis sēgne: slow, sluggish, lazy
torpēscō torpuī: to grow stiff; to become useless
fretum fretī n.: strait, channel; the sea
cultus –a –um: cultivated; sophisticated
aspectus aspectūs m.: sight
horridus –a –um: rough, bristly; savage; rude
pavidus –a –um: scared, frightened
mānēs –ium m. pl: souls or ghosts of the dead
squālidus –a –um: rough; filthy
gestō gestāre gestāvī gestātus: to carry, bear
senex senis: old, aged
impexus –a –um: uncombed, untrimmed
barba –ae f.: beard
dēfōrmis dēfōrme: ugly
nōdus –ī m.: knot
coerceō coercēre coercuī coercitus: to enclose, control
concavus –a –um: completely hollow
lūceō lūcēre lūxī: to shine
gena –ae f.: cheek; eyelid; eye
portitor –ōris m.: carrier; ferryman
contus –ī m.: pole
ratis ratis f.: raft; boat
puppis puppis f.: stern of a ship; ship
applicō applicāre applicāvī applicātus: to apply to, place to/near
Alcīdēs –ae. m.: a descendant of Alceus; Hercules
dīrus –a –um: ominous, fearful, horrible; dire
exclāmō exclāmāre exclāmāvī exclāmātus: to exclaim
sistō sistere stitī status: to set up
Alcmēna or Alcumēna –ae or Alcmēnē –ēs f.: Alcmene, mother of Hercules
coāctus –ūs m.: compulsion, constraint
nauta nautae m.: sailor
contus –ī m.: pole
domō domāre domuī domitus: to tame, subdue
scandō scandere scandī scānsus: to climb
puppis puppis f.: stern of a ship; ship
capāx –ācis: spacious
succumbō –ere –cubuī –cubitus: to fall down; succumb
ratis ratis f.: raft; boat
utrimque: on or from either side
titubō titubāre titubāvī titubātus: to be in doubt, waver
bibō bibere bibī: to drink
trepidō trepidāre trepidāvī trepidātus: to be agitated
mōnstrum mōnstrī n.: monster; omen
Centaurus –ī m.: a Centaur
trux trucis: wild, rough, savage
Lapitha –ae m./f.: Lapitha
succendō –ere –cendī –cēnsus: to set on fire from beneath; (fig.)
merus –a –um: pure undiluted
Stygius –a –um: Stygian; pertaining to Styx (river)
palūs –ūdis f.: swamp, marsh
fēcundus –a –um: bringing forth, productive
mergō –ere –mersī –mersus: to dip, immerse, plunge
Lernaeus –a –um: of Lerna; Lernaean