image of Grammatica (by Abbess Herrad)

Week 14: Hrotsvitha.

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Reading #2b

Next reading ->

  (we have skipped a small scene where Dulcitius and the soldiers hear the women singing hymns long into the night)

Agapes.
quid strepat pro foribus?
Hirena.
infelix Dulcitius ingreditur.
Chionia.
deus nos tueatur!
Agapes.
amen.

tueatur: jussive subjunctive
  what noise do the women hear outside the door that scares them?
Chionia.
quid sibi vult
collisio ollarum,
caccaborum et sartaginum?
Hirena.
lustrabo.
accedite, quaeso,
per rimulas perspicite!

quid sibi vult ____ : what does ____ mean

caccaborum = cacaborum (from the Greek kakkabos, "pot")
sartaginum: s.v. sartago

lustrabo: future tense

rimulas: diminutive of rima

  what exactly is the sound that they are hearing?
Agapes.
quid est?
Hirena.
ecce, iste stultus,
mente alienatus,
aestimat
se nostris uti amplexibus.

mente alienatus = alienated from his mind ("out of his mind")

se uti: indirect statement (introduced by aestimat)
se: refers tback to subject of main verb (iste stultus = Dulcitius)
uti: deponent infinitive (takes ablative: enjoy, make use of...)

amplexibus: s.v. amplexus

  when they light a lamp, what do they see through a crack in the door?
Agapes.
quid facit?
Hirena.
nunc ollas
molli fovet gremio,
nunc sartagines et caccabos
amplectitur,
mitia libans oscula.
Chionia.
ridiculum.

amplectitur: deponent verb, takes object (sargatines, caccabos)

mitia: s.v. mitis (neuter plural accusative, agrees with oscula)

oscula: neuter accusative plural

ridiculum: note that this is neuter, not masculine (not "he is ridiculous" but "he is a ridiculous thing)

  why is Dulcitius hugging and kissing the pots and pans?
Hirena.
nam facies, manus ac vestimenta
adeo sordidata,
adeo coinquinata,
ut nigredo,
quae inhaesit,
similitudinem Aethiopis exprimit.

sordidata...coinquinata: neuter plural, agrees with nearest noun (vestimenta)

nigredo: nominative case (feminine singular, third declension noun)

inhaesit: s.v. inhaereo
similitudinem: s.v. similitudo
Aethiopis: s.v. Aethiops

  what does Dulcitius look like after hugging and kissing the pots and pans?
Agapes.
decet,
ut talis appareat corpore,
qualis a diabolo possidetur
in mente.
ut...appareat: ut + subjunctive
  why is it appropriate for Dulcitius to have this physical appearance?
Hirena.
en, parat regredi.
intendamus,
quid illo egrediente
agant milites
pro foribus expectantes.

en: a verbal interjection, very similar to "ecce!"

regredi: infinitive of deponent verb

illo egrediente: ablative absolute
quid agant: indirect question (introduced by expectantes)

  what are the soldiers doing as Dulcitius leaves the pantry?

Next reading ->


Modern Languages 4970 / MRS 4903: Medieval Latin. Spring 2003 Online Course at the University of Oklahoma. Visit http://www.ou.edu/online/ for more info.
Laura Gibbs, University of Oklahoma - Information Technology © 2003.  laura-gibbs@ou.edu. Last updated: December 29, 2002 7:12 PM