760-781

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.

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

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

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