An unexpected Invitation
I am back to translating Latin to keep it fresh [and it is about as rotten as can be right now]. Today I pick up the adventures of Petronius in The Millionaires’ Dinner Party. Did the first four lines and memorized the vocab therein today.
1 Itaque maesti deliberabamus de malis quae nobis imminebant cum
2 servus Agamemnon intravit et “quid?” inquit “nonne scitis? hodie
3 ad cenam invitati estis a Trimalchione, lautissimo homine. venite
4 igitur; nolite morari?”
And therefore, we were sternly considering the troubles which were threatening us when the slave of Agamemnon entered and said “What, Do you now know? Today you all have been invited to dinner by Trimalchio, the finest man." Therefore, come; Do you wish to be late? [of course not]”
By the way, as I translate this, think of Trimalchio as Tracy Jordan from 30 Rock. The man is rich and absolutely nuts.
Vocab:
Vocab:
itaque and therefore
maesti (maestus) sad, stern, gloomy, mourning
deliberabamus (delibero, deliberare) weigh, consider, ponder, think, consult
de the
malis (malum) bad, evil
quae who, which, that, etc
nobis us
imminebant (immineo, imminere) threaten, be a threat
cum with, when
servus slave, servant
intravit (intro, intrare) enter, go, into,
et and
inquit (inquiam) it is said, one says
nonne not
scitis (scio, scire) know, understand
hodie today
ad by, to up to
cenam (cena, cenae) dinner/supper
invitati (invito, invitare) invite, summon
estis (sum, esse, fui, futurus) be, exist
a by
lautissimo (lautus, lauta -um) elegant, fine
homine man, person, fellow
venite (venio, venire) come
nolite (nolo, nolle) be unwilling, wish not to, refuse to
morari (moror) delay, stay/behind
igitur postpositive therefore
