273.

Niobe – The noun is the same

in nominative and ablative.
274. submoverat – note the tense -
the action took place in 202.
275. gressus – 4th declension noun .
resupina – what case? Meter
help at all? Explain.
276. invidiosa – check animosa on
line 206 or formosa on 167?
suis is a reflexive adjective
Niobid - - 4th Cent. BCE
used as noun (a substantive).
What is the case and reason? Clue: hosti is the same and depends on miseranda.
277. corporibus – dative or ablative? Is it a thing or a person? Check the verb? incumbit? A clue? See how
easy it is? Ask yourself the right questions after you look at the endings. ordine – ablative (-ine as in
cardine, etc). What does it mean? A clue? In a manner of speaking, if your thinking is in order.
278. Note the arrangement of words. Remember that omnes is a 3rd declension adjective.
279. quibus is that connecting relative equal to et (ab) illis. Note tollens is the participle, comes last, is
nominative and modifies the subject (she) of ait, and everything before it should be translated after it.
280. Pascere – passive imperative. The reason this word is important is that it looks like an infinitive but is
not; also, keep in mind all those other deponent verbs. I wonder what their imperatives will look like.
Note also the arrangement of the words here. What goes with what? Punctuation helps. dolore – the
case and reason requires you to check the verb and think.
281. satia – thank goodness for normal imperatives, especially when repeated. Note the word arrangement
here and with luctu, think back to dolore for the case and reason.
282. Remember that from quattuor (4) on, Latin numbers are indeclinable: septem is such a one.
283. efferor – note the period. Much stress
on this word. Think. Get a picture.
If you were staging this, what would
Niobe be doing now?
284. If told that miserae was the same
case as mihi, would you believe it?
What would be the case and reason?
Where is that verb? Note that the
statement holds true for tibi felici.
287. qui - the antecedent is the entire
preceding clause, which one should
not do in English, but can in Latin.
288. malo – for the case and reason, Amphion, Niobe and the daughters after the sons’ deaths - Refinger Fresco, 1542
consider the relationship between malo and
audax. See at least two possible answers? What? Any more? Explain.
289. fratrum – remember, a 3rd declension noun. demisso crine – case and reasons? Which? Why?
290. quibus can be taken either as a relative pronoun, which it is here, or to make your translation smoother
take it as the connecting relative (et (ex) illis). For the case and reason of viscere, check trahens.
291. Realize what ore agrees with and the line becomes simple, especially when the meter tells you the
final letter of moribunda is short and therefore nominative. For fratri, look back to line 289 for the
declension and check the verb or verb form that the word depends upon here.
292. altera – note the gender, like una in 290. This word indicates sister # 2. Note that they have no names.
Any guesses why? Note the deponent participle and infinitive.
293. subito is the adverb: suddenly.
294. ora – 3rd declension neuter: os, oris. English derivatives?
*created by Donald Connor
 Heu! Quantum haec Niobe Niobe distabat ab illa,
quae modo Latois populum submoverat aris
et mediam tulerat gressus resupina per urbem 275
invidiosa suis; at nunc miseranda vel hosti!
Corporibus gelidis incumbit et ordine nullo
oscula dispensat natos suprema per omnes;
a quibus ad caelum liventia bracchia tollens
“Pascere, crudelis, nostro, Latona, dolore, 280
pascere” ait “satiaque meo tua pectora luctu!
Corque ferum satia!” dixit. “Per funera septem
efferor. Exsulta victrixque inimica triumpha!
Cur autem victrix? Miserae mihi plura supersunt,
quam tibi felici; post tot quoque funera vinco!” 285
Dixerat, et sonuit contento nervus ab arcu;
qui praeter Nioben unam conterruit omnes:
illa malo est audax. Stabant cum vestibus atris
ante toros fratrum demisso crine sorores;
e quibus una trahens haerentia viscere tela 290
inposito fratri moribunda relanguit ore;
altera solari miseram conata parentem
conticuit subito duplicataque vulnere caeco est,
oraque compressit, nisi postquam spiritus ibat.

273. disto (1) - stand apart, differ 285. felix, felicis (adj) - lucky*
274. modo (adv) - just now, recently tot (indeclinable adj.) - so many*
Latous, a, um - of Latona 286. sono, sonare, sonui, sonitus - sound, make a
submoveo, submovere, submovi, submotus - drive noise*
away contentus, a, um - drawn taut
275. gressus, us - step arcus, us - bow (as in bow and arrow)
resupinus, a, um - with head thrown back, proud 287. praeter (prep. with acc) - except
276. invidiosus, a, um - envied conterreo, conterrere, conterrui - frighten, alarm
miserandus, a, um - to be pitied (as an adj) 288. malum, i - evil (Eng: malice)
vel - even* ater, atra, atrum - black, dark*
hostis, hostis - enemy* (Eng: hostile) 289. torus, i - cushion, bed
277. gelidus, a, um - cold (Eng: to gel) crinis, crinis (m) - hair*
incumbo, incumbere, incubui, incubitus - fall upon* 290. traho, trahere, traxi, tractus - draw, drag*
278. osculum, i - kiss* (Eng: traction)
dispenso (1) - dispense haereo, haerere, haesi, haesurus - cling* ((Eng: adherent,
supremus, a, um - final, last, supreme adhesive)
279. livens, liventis (adj.) - dark blue; bruised viscus, visceris (n) - entrails, guts* (Eng: visceral
280. pasco, pascere, pavi, pastus - feed response)
281. satio (1) - satiate, feed full telum, i - weapon*
pectus, pectoris (n) - breast, heart, chest* (Eng: 291. impono, imponere, imposui, impositus -
pectoral) place upon*
luctus, us - grief* moribundus, a, um - dying
282. ferus, a, um - wild, fierce* (Eng: feral animals) relanguesco, relanguescere, relangui - fail, faint, sink
funus, funeris (n) - death, funeral* down (Eng. languish)
283. exsulto - exult, leap forth (in joy) 292. solor (1) - comfort (Eng. solace, consolation)
victrix, victricis (f.) - winner conor (1) - try*
triumpho (1) - celebrate a triumph 293. conticesco, contiscere, conticui - become silent
284. miser, misera, miserum - sad, wretched* duplico (1) - double up
supersum, superesse, superfui, superfuturus - caecus, a, um - blind; unseen*
survive* 294. spiritus, us - breath, spirit
*created by Donald Connor