ego sub quadam fici arbore stravi me nescio quomodo, |
stravi: s.v. sterno nescio: this is not a real verb, but an idiom (nescio quomodo: I don't know how, somehow or other) |
where did Augustine throw himself down on the ground? | |
et dimisi habenas lacrimis, et proruperunt flumina oculorum meorum, acceptabile sacrificium tuum, |
proruperunt: s.v. prorumpo flumina: neuter pl. (subject of proruperunt) sacrificium: in apposition with flumina |
what did Augustine start to do? | |
et non quidem his verbis, sed in hac sententia multa dixi tibi: et tu, domine, usquequo? usquequo, domine, irasceris in finem? |
multa: neuter acc. plural (object of dixi) |
what question did Augustine ask of God? | |
ne memor fueris iniquitatum nostrarum antiquarum; sentiebam enim eis me teneri. |
ne memor fueris: ne plus subjunctive as negative
imperative memor: takes genitive (iniquitatum) iniquitatum: s.v. iniquitas enim: postpositive teneri: passive infinitive me teneri: accusative + infinitive in indirect statement, introduced by sentiebam |
what did Augustine ask God to forget? | |
iactabam voces miserabiles: quamdiu, quamdiu? cras et cras? quare non modo? quare non hac hora finis turpitudinis meae? |
voces: s.v. vox |
what did Augustine want to happen that day, that very moment? | |
Dicebam haec, et flebam, amarissima contritione cordis mei. et ecce audio vocem de vicina domo |
haec: neuter acc. plural (object of dicebam) amarissima: ablative (with contritione) cordis: s.v. cor vocem: s.v. vox domo: ablative (remember: domus is feminine) |
what did Augustine hear? | |
cum cantu dicentis, et crebro repetenis, quasi pueri an puellae, nescio: |
cum: preposition, takes ablative
(cum cantu: with a melody, in a sing-song style) dicentis: genitive singular ("of somebody speaking") repetentis: genitive singular pueri...puellae: genitive singular |
what was the voice like? who did the voice belong to? | |
tolle lege, tolle lege. | |
what was the voice saying? | |
statimque mutato vultu intentissimus cogitare coepi utrumnam solerent pueri in aliquo genere ludendi cantitare tale aliquid. |
mutato vultu: ablative absolute intentissimus: agrees with subject of coepi (ego) solerent: subjunctive in indirect question, introduced by cogitare genere: s.v. genus cantitare: complementary infinitive with solerent tale aliquid: neuter acc. (object of cantitare) |
what was Augustine's first thought when he heard the voice saying "pick it up, read; pick it up, read"? | |
nec occurrebat omnino audisse me uspiam, |
nec = et non omnino: adverb audisse me: accusative + infinitive in indirect statement, introduced by occurrebat uspiam: adverb |
but what did he then conclude? | |
repressoque impetu lacrimarum surrexi, nihil aliud interpretans divinitus mihi iuberi, nisi ut aperirem codicem et legerem quod primum caput invenissem. |
represso impetu: ablative
absolute |
what did Augustine conclude about the voice? | |
[...] arripui, aperui et legi in silentio capitulum, quo primum coniecti sunt oculi mei: |
quo: relative pronoun (antecedent
is capitulum) quo: dative, with coniecti sunt primum: adverb oculi mei: nominative plural (subject of coniecti sunt) |
what did Augustine do? | |
"non in comissationibus et ebrietatibus, non in cubilibus et inpudicitiis, non in contentione et aemulatione, |
(the passage is from Romans 13.13-14) |
what does Paul say must be rejected? | |
sed induite dominum Iesum Christum, et carnis providentiam ne feceritis in concupiscentiis. " |
ne feceritis: ne + subjunctive as negative imperative |
what does Paul say should be done? | |
nec ultra volui legere, nec opus erat. |
ultra: adverb opus: in the sense of opus est, there is need of something, it is necessary |
did Augustine keep reading, or stop? |