The Story of King Midas


King Midas was greedy and vain but he had once helped the god Dionysus and the grateful god granted him a wish: he could have whatever he wanted.

deus Dionysus ad regem Midam venit et dixit:
“O Midas, quod tu me adiuvisti, ego unum desiderium tibi concedo.”
Midas, qui erat semper avarus, aurum cupivit et ad deum respondit: “unum desiderium habeo: quidquid ego tango, aurum fiat.”
Dionysus hoc desiderium concedit. Midas erat valde laetus et cogitabat solum de divitiis immensis. tam commotus est ut filiam oscularet. sed statim corpus calidum et molle in statuam auream se transformavit. Midas, dolore oppressus, obsecrat ut Dionysus hoc desiderium terribile auferrat.

Later, Midas offended the god Apollo who found a way to punish him which would have a serious effect on his vanity.

tum Midas deum Apollinem offendit. Apollo Midam punire volebat et consilium callidum invenit. dum Midas dormit, deus aquam in testa sparsit. Midas, ex somno excitatus, suam imaginem in speculo vidit horrificatus. nam in testa duas aures ingentes asininas habebat. ex illo die Midas pileum semper induit quod aures celare volebat. tonsor regius secretum consciebat et Midas linguam eius exsecuit ne quid diceret.

 

Wordlist

ad (+ acc.) = to
adiuvare = to help
Apollo; Apollinem = Apollo
aqua = water
assininas = asse’s
auferrat = take away
auris = ear
aurum = gold
avarus = greedy
calidum = warm
callidum = clever
celare = to hide
cogitabat = “kept thinking”
commotus = excited
concedere = to grant
consciebat = knew
consilium = plan
corpus = body
cupere = to want
de (+ abl.) = about
desiderium = wish
deus = god
dicere = to say
dies = day
Dionysus = Dionysus
divitiae = wealth; riches
dixit = said
dolor = grief
dormire = to sleep
duas = two
dum =while
ego = I
eius = his
erat = was
et = and
ex (+ abl.) = from
excitatus = woken
exsecare = to cut out
fiat = “turns to”
filia = daughter
habere = to have
hoc = this
horrificatus = horrified
illo = that
imago; imaginem = reflection
immensus = immense
in (+ abl.) = on; in
in (+ acc.) = into
induit = wore
ingens = huge
invenire = to dream up


laetus = happy
lingua = tongue
me = me
Midas = Midas
molle= soft
nam = for
ne = in case
O = Oh
obsecrare = to beg
offendere = to offend
oppressus = crushed
osculare = to kiss
pileus = cap
punire = to punish
qui = who
quid = anything
quidquid = whatever
quod = because
regius = royal
respondere = to reply
rex; regem = king
se transformavit = changed
secretum = secret
sed = but
semper = always
somnus = sleep
sparsit = sprinkled
speculum = mirror
statim = immediately
statua = statue
suam = his
tam = so
tangere = to touch
terribile = terrible
testa = head
tibi = to you
tonsor = barber
tu = you
tum = then
unus= one
ut = that
valde = very
venire = to come
vidit = saw
volebat = wanted

Latin — National Unit 1

Learning Outcome 2 — Translating a passage of Latin into English

 

Translate the following passage into English; use the wordlist to help you.

N.B. In the word list, verbs areusually given in their infinitive and you have to work out what tense the author has used.
         Nouns are given in the nominative singular, and you have to work out what case they are.

To check your translation, click here.