Printable version of this week's readings.
|
[...] attende, obsecro, |
attende: imperative |
| is the thing that Heloise asking Abelard to do something that is easy for him, or hard? | |
| dum tui praesentia fraudor, verborum saltem votis, quorum tibi copia est, tuae mihi imaginis praesenta dulcedinem. frustra in rebus liberalem expecto, si in verbis avarum sustineo. |
praesentia: ablative (praesentia tui: the presence of you) fraudor: this deponent verb takes the ablative quorum: relative pronoun, antecedent is verba praesenta: imperative dulcedinem: s.v. dulcedo (accusative object of praesenta) frustra: adverb liberalem...avarum: masculine accusative singular (predicate, agrees with implied te) |
| how could Abelard cheer Heloise up? | |
| nunc vero plurimum a te me promereri credideram, cum omnia propter te compleverim, nunc in tuo maxime perseverans obsequio; |
credideram: s.v. credo (pluperfect) me promereri: indirect statement, introduced by credideram promereri: infinitive (deponent verb, s.v. promereor) cum...compleverim: cum+subjunctive maxime: adverb |
| does Heloise think her past deeds have been appropriately rewarded? | |
| quam quidem iuvenculam ad monastice conversationis asperitatem non religionis devotio, sed tua tantum pertraxit iussio; |
quam: relative pronoun, antecedent is ego (subject of credideram), object of pertraxit iuvencula: diminutive of iuvenca monastice: adverb devotio...iussio: nominative singular, subject of pertraxit tantum: adverb (only) |
| why did Heloise agree to become a nun? | |
| ubi si nihil a te promerear, quam frustra laborem diiudica. |
promerear: s.v. promereor (deponent verb; object is nihil) frustra: adverb quam: adverb, how (quam frustra! how in vain!) laborem: subjunctive in indirect question, introduced by quam diiudica: imperative |
| what does Heloise expect should be the outcome of her efforts? | |
| nulla mihi super hoc merces expectanda est a Deo, cuius adhuc amore nihil me constat egisse. |
merces: feminine nominative singular (agrees with nulla) |
| why does Heloise not expect a reward from God? | |
| properantem te ad Deum secuta sum habitu, immo praecessi; |
properantem: masculine accusative participle, object of secuta sum secuta sum: deponent verb, transitive (object is te) praecessi: s.v. praecedo (object is te) |
| who put on the monastic habit first: Heloise or Abelard? | |
| quasi enim memor uxoris Loth retro conversae, prius me sacris vestibus et professione monastica quam te ipsum Deo mancipasti: |
uxoris: s.v. uxor (genitive, with memor) |
| why did Abelard want Heloise to become a nun right away, before he even became a monk? | |
| in quo, fateor, uno minus te de me confidere vehementer dolui atque erubui. |
fateor: deponent verb in quo uno: in this one thing minus: comparative adverb te ... confidere: indirect statement, introduced by dolui, erubui vehementer: adverb dolui: s.v. doleo erubui: s.v. erubesco |
| how does Heloise feel about Abelard's lack of trust in her obedience to him? | |
| aeque autem - Deus scit - ad Vulcania loca te properantem praecedere vel sequi pro iussu tuo minime dubitarem. |
aeque: adverb |
| how much loyalty does Heloise feel towards Abelard? | |
| non enim mecum animus meus, sed tecum erat; sed et nunc maxime, si tecum non est, nusquam est: esse vero sine te nequaquam potest. |
si tecum non est (animus meus) |
| what is life like for Heloise without Abelard? | |
| sed ut tecum bene sit, age, obsecro. bene autem tecum fuerit, si te propitium invenerit, si gratiam referas pro gratia, modica pro magnis, verba pro rebus. |
ut...sit: ut+subjunctive (si) verba (referas) pro rebus |
| if things are going well for Abelard, what does Heloise expect from him? | |
| utinam, dilecte, tua de me dilectio minus confideret, ut sollicitior esset! sed quo te amplius nunc securum reddidi, negligentiorem sustineo. |
dilecte: vocative utinam... confideret: ut+subjunctive tua...dilectio: nominative singular, subject of confideret sollicitior: comparative adjective (feminine, agrees with tua dilectio) amplius: comparative adverb securum: masculine accusative, predicate adjective with te negligentiorem: comparative adjective; predicate adjective with te |
| why does Heloise wish that Abelard had less trust in her love? | |
| memento, obsecro, quae fecerim et quanta debeas attende. |
memento: imperative ("future imperative") quae: relative pronoun, neuter accusative plural (antecedent is unexpressed haec, these things which...) attende: imperative debeas: subjunctive in indirect question, introduced by quanta |
| what does Heloise ask Abelard to keep in mind? | |
| dum tecum carnali fruerer voluptate, utrum id amore vel libidine agerem incertum pluribus habebatur; |
fruerer: s.v. fruor (this deponent verb takes the ablative) carnali voluptate: ablative, with fruerer agerem: subjunctive in indirect question, introduced by utrum id: neuter accusative, object of agerem libidine: s.v. libido (ablative, "because of lust") habebatur: passive of habeo in the sense of "it is held, it is known" (incertum pluribus habebatur = it was unclear to many) |
| when Heloise and Abelard were lovers, how did people judge Heloise's motives? | |
| nunc autem finis indicat quo id inchoaverim principio. |
inchoaverim = incohaverim, subjunctive in indirect question, introduced by quo id: neuter accusative, object of inchoaverim |
| what does the current state of affairs prove about Heloise's original motivations? | |
|
omnes mihi denique voluptates interdixi [...] |
interdixi: s.v. interdico omnes voluptates: s.v. voluptas (accusative plural, object of interdixi) parerem: s.v. pareo ut...parerem: ut+subjunctive tuae voluntati: dative, with parerem (me) fieri tuam: s.v. fio ("to become yours") |
| Heloise has denied herself every kind of pleasure, with one exception: what is that? | |
| per ipsum itaque cui te obtulisti Deum, te obsecro ut quomodo potes tuam mihi praesentiam reddas, consolationem videlicet mihi aliquam rescribendo, |
cui: relative pronoun (antecedent is Deus) ut...reddas: ut+subjunctive |
| what does Heloise beg Abelard to do? | |
| hoc saltem pacto ut sic recreata divino alacrior vacem obsequio. |
hoc pacto: ablative absolute ut...vacem: ut+subjunctive vacem: s.v. vaco alacrior: comparative adjective, feminine (predicate with ego, subject of vacem) |
| what will be the positive result if he does this? | |
| cum me ad turpes olim voluptates expeteres, crebris me epistulis visitabas, frequenti carmine tuam in ore omnium Heloisam ponebas; |
cum...expeteres: cum+subjunctive |
| when they were lovers, how did Abelard treat Heloise? | |
| me plateae omnes, me domus singulae resonabant. |
plateae omnes: nominative plural, subject of resonabant domus singulae: nominative plural, subject of resonabant me: object of resonabant (resounded my name, resounded with my name) |
| why was Heloise famous everywhere when they were lovers? | |
| quanto autem rectius me nunc in Deum, quam tunc in libidinem excitares? |
rectius: comparative adverb me: accusative object of excitares quam: relative pronoun, antecedent is ego (I, whom...) me nunc (excitares) in Deum, quam tunc in libidinem excitares libidinem: s.v. libido |
| Abelard used to make Heloise excited in a sexual way: now what kind of passion should he try to instill in her? | |
|
perpende, obsecro, quae debes, |
perpende... attende: imperative brevi fine: ablative |
| what is the "brief ending" with which Heloise concludes her letter to Abelard? |
