4. Exercises in Elegiac Verse I. EXERCISES IN BROKEN VERSE Exercise 34 (Each line complete in itself.) (a) Thomas ecce furens! sensus fugere ullam nec Cura insano opem medentis suggerit. (b) Sed ista iuvant nihil; ista tamen iuvabunt forsan (c) Flamina sonant rauca, fluctus in litora reboant (d) Ira Noti saeviat, aquarum montes volvantur, (e) At mater puerum ademptum graviter lugebit Exercise 35 (Both lines mingled together.) (a) Et cum voce pia parentem saepe me poscent, quod responsum illa suis pueris dabit? (b) Iam, peregrinus et exsul, toto orbe vagus feror et solus eo trans mare circumfusum. (c) At licet in oras externas hospes missus sim, cur, cum nemo doleat, ipse miser gemam? (d) Mercator, ut dissimulator opes intactas vehat, falso sub nomine currit trans mare. (e) Cum dolor atque angor gravis supercilio imminet, sola ministerio angelico fungeris. II. MODEL EXERCISE IN ELEGIAC VERSE The exercise to be translated is one of the verses taken from Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. "In my youth," said the father, "I took to the law, And the muscular strength it gave to my jaw For hints we have the following paraphrase:— To this the father (expressed by ille); (1) " Formerly I was a lawyer (publicus agere causas) (2) and the house itself on my return (redux, dative) became a little court (forum); (3) which practice hardened my jaws with such (hic) strength (pl.) (4) that the vigor of the old man has remained unbroken." 66 Translating this and marking the quantities we have : Sub haec illě: "Ego pūblicus ōlīm causās ēgī, ēt īpsă dămăs mihi rědůcī pārvūm fit fŏrūm; Qui ūsus his vīrībās māxillās měās (or mihi) înduit ut illě vígðr sĕnis haud (nōn) fractus (or infractus) mānsĕrit." For the first hexameter line we have: Sub haec ille: "ego publicus olim causas egi." As this is a complex sentence, the two parts should be kept separate or at least the first three words should be together. Publicus is a good word for the fifth foot and egi in preference to olim for the sixth. Thus : — Publicus ēgi. If we use the first three words in the first part of the sentence it will be easy to place them thus: Illě sŭb | haec || . . . | pūblĭcŭs | ēgī. Olim will complete the first part of the line up to the caesura thus: Illě sub haec ōlīm || . . . publicus | ēgī. : We have only two words left. As we lack one foot and one long or two short syllables, causas followed by ego will complete the line: : Illě sub haec: ōlīm || causās ĕgo | pūblicus | ēgi. For the pentameter line we have: reduci fit parvum forum. et domus ipsa (mihi) We should determine upon the word for the last part of the line first. As this should be preferably a dissyllable, and a noun or verb, domus or forum will satisfy the rule. If ipsa be placed with it, we have the last foot and final syllable. Thus : — Ipsă dŏ/mus fō rūm If we were to use fit with domus leaving forum for the final word, we should have the second half of the line. (We cannot use forum as it would elide before ipsa.) || fit domus | īpsă fŏ|rūm. We have three words left for the first half of the line. As we should begin preferably with a dactyl, et reduci can be placed first, followed by parvum, thus completing the line : — Et reduci pār vūm || fit domus | īpsă fŏ|rūm. As material for the second couplet we have: Qui usus his viribus maxillas meas (or mihi) induit ut senis infractus manserit ille vigor. Viribus (or induit) and usus make a good ending to the hexameter; thus: Vīribus | ūsus. It will depend upon the word preceding as to which will be used, since one word begins with a vowel and the other with a consonant. As qui introduces the sentence, it should go first if possible. Using mihi instead of meas, we have a dactyl to introduce the sentence, and maxillas, having three long syllables, will complete the first half of the line: His will complete the third foot, and viribus makes a dactyl when followed by induit, and thus our line is completed : Qui mihi | maxillās || his | viribus | induit | ūsus. For the pentameter line we have left:infractus (or haud fractus) manserit. ut ille vigor senis We can use either senis or vigor for the last word, as both are nouns and have the first syllable short. Ille with either makes the ending of the verse, thus : | illě vilgōr se nis Manserit makes a perfect dactyl before ille, and thus we have the second half of the line: vi gör se nis As ut introduces the clause it should go first. With it we can use either of the two possible words for the end of the line. The final syllable will remain short before haud or infractus but not if we use non fractus. Either haud fractus or infractus will complete our line. Ut senis | haud frāc|tūs mānsĕrīt | illě vi|gðr se nis Either of these combinations may be used, and, selecting one, we thus complete the stanza: Ille sub haec: "Olim causas ego publicus egi Et reduci parvum fit domus ipsa forum ; II. ELEGIAC EXERCISES (Connected) Exercise 36 Slept you well?— Very well. - My draught did good?- HINTS. 1. Did you sleep? good? Well. — Then my draught did 2. It did not harm; it stands now in the place in which it stood before. Exercise 37 Jack and Jill Jack and Jill went up the hill, To fetch a pail of water; Jack fell down and broke his crown, And Jill came tumbling after. HINTS. 1. Jack (Iulius) and Jill (Iulia), accompanying (him), ascend the hill, 2. A pail (urceus) (is) in their hands which is to be filled (subj.) with water ; 3. Jack falls headlong and breaks his crown, 4. And Jill with a similar fate follows after. Exercise 38 Home They Brought Her Warrior Dead, Tennyson HINTS. Home they brought her warrior dead: She nor swooned nor uttered cry: All her maidens watching said; "She must weep or she will die.” Then they praised him soft and low; Yet she neither spoke nor moved. The dead warrior is brought from the war to his home (atria) : 2. His wife neither swooned (ruere ad terram) nor uttered cry (ulla gemere). 3. All her maids (puella) watch and prophesy thus (haec verba): 4. "Alas, tears must flow, lest she may soon die." 5. Then they repeat in low (submissus) tones (sing.) the praises of the hero. |
