ARE: Lesson - Sight Reading Passage, Part 2

Sight Reading Passage, Part 2

Let's finish reading the last chapter of our story! Once you have read through the story, please use the Arena Sight Passage Reading Guide Links to an external site. to take a closer look at the passage. The Reading Guide contains several vocabulary and grammar notes to help you understand what you are reading more clearly. The reading guide will help prepare you for the module test.

If you would like additional practice with the sight passage, please download the Arena Sight Passage Work File Links to an external site.. It contains questions and exercises about the content and grammar found in the passage. How does our story conclude?

Please listen to the narration of the Latin passage as you read along with the text below.

Sight Reading Passage, Part 2 - Ad ludos

Latin Text

Notes and Vocabulary Help

Note: words/phrases that are in bold are explained in the Notes section

Familia Imperatoria erant una in cubiculo. Ludi paene coeperat. Decimus Imperatorem ad bisellium duxerat. Nunc Decimus Flaviam conspexit.

Flavia Decimum vidit et risit. Decimus non ridebat. Flavia rogavit, “Quid est, Decime? Quid evenit?”

Decimus respondit, “Nonne audivisti?”

Flavia: “Minime. Quid non audivi?”

Decimus suspiravit, “Fama bona: necesse est tibi Clementem nubere. Hodie ludos una celebramus! Cras matrimonium tuum celebrabimus. Hodie nos delectabit.”

Flavia paene lacrimabat sed tum risit et annuit. Dixit, “Hodie nos delectabit!”
  • una - together (note: this is an adverb)
  • bisellium - imperial seat; royal chair
  • suspiravit - (Decimus) sighed (suspiro, suspirare, suspiravi, suspiratus)
  • Hodie...Cras - This is not being used literally: Flavia is not getting married the next day, rather Decimus is speaking rhetorically comparing "today" (present) and "tomorrow" (the future)
  • Hodie nos delectabit. - Today will be a delight for us.
  • annuit - nodded (annuo, annuere, annui, annutus)

Decimus vertit. Turbam caveasque et gladiatores arenamque spectavit. Quod in cubiculo stetit, tota clare videre poterat. Erant milia populorum: virorum et feminorum et liberorum. Ubi gladiator celebratus arenam intravit, clamor turbae crevit. Simul atque populi pardos aut zebras aut leones viderunt, cum studio spectaverunt et clamaverunt. Ludi erant perfecti! Dum Decimus et Flavia ludos delectant, Decimus Flaviae fabulas de certaminibus claris narravit: de Arachna et Ulixe et Atalanta.
  • crevit - (clamor turbae) grew (cresco, crescere, crevi, cretus)
  • pardos - panthers
  • zebras - zebras
  • leones - lions
  • cum studio - with zeal (studium, studii, n. - this is ablative of manner)
  • de certaminibus claris - about famous contests (certamen, certaminis, n.)

Illo tempore, malefici poenas dabant. Captivi in arena steterunt et sine gladiis nec armis nec hastis nec telis pugnabant. Multi leones magni captivos circumambulabant. Subito, infans parvus in arenam cecidit! Infans autem erat non modo ullus puer: erat filius Domitiani, fratris Imperatoris! Primo, turba puerum non conspexit sed mox clamor auxit et timor magnus inter turbam crevit. Decimus autem statim puerum vidit. Sine mora miles in arenam post liberum desiluit. Leones ad puerum et militem cite verterunt.
  • Illo tempore - At that time (ablative of time)
  • poenas dabant - (malefici) were being punished (note: common idiom: poenas dare = to pay the penalty = to be punished)
  • non modo ullus puer - not just any boy
  • cite - swiftly (adverb from citus, a, um - swift)

Decimus puerum parvum in cubiculum surgere temptavit sed leo erat in via. Praefectus statim puerum in terra posuit et infantem scuto operuit. Leo militem petivit! Decimus autem erat doctus et e via leonis movit. Statim leonem gladio fixit. Nunc erat via: Decimus puerum cepit et in cubiculum ad matrem tradidit. Subito secundus leo petivit. Simul atque mater infantem cepit, Decimus vertit et leonem secundum interfecit. Quamquam Decimus erat citus, tamen leo Decimum vulneraverat! Flavia clamavit, “Decime!”
  • surgere - to life (direct object of temptavit; surgo, surgere, surrexi, surrectus)
  • scuto operuit - (Praefectus) covered the (infantem) with his shield (operio, operire, operui, opertus; scuto = ablative of means)
  • tradidit - (Decimus) handed the (puerum) over (trado, tradere, tradidi, traditus)

Hoc tempore decem domitores leonum arenam intraverant. Clamaverunt et scuta gladiis verberaverunt. Reliqui leones a Decimo verterunt. Turba exhilaravit! Decimus virtutem magnam iterum demonstraverat. Simul atque Decimus ad cubiculum reddidit, demisit et dixit, “Me, Imperator, magnopere paenitet! Me relinquere te erat iniquum.” Imperator Titus Decimum compressit et respondit, “Tu, Decime, es verus Romanus. Nemo umquam memoriam Decimi deponent!”
  • Hoc tempore - By this time (ablative of time)
  • domitores leonum - lion tamers (literally: handlers of lions)
  • scuta gladiis verberaverunt - they beat their shields with swords (verbero, verberare, verberavi, verberatus; gladiis = ablative of means)
  • exhilaravit - (Turba) cheered! (exhilaro, exhilare, exhilavi, exhilatus)
  • demisit - (Decimus) bowed (demitto, demittere, demisi, demissus)
  • Me paenitet - I'm sorry (literally: It pains me)
  • compressit - (Titus) embraced... (comprimo, comprimere, compressi, compressus)
  • umquam - ever
  • memoriam Decimi deponent - (Nemo) will forget Decimus! (common idiom: memoriam deponere + genitive = to forget. Literally: to set aside the memory of)

Practice Activity