21 First Labour: the Nemean Lion (primer)
Primum Hercules iussus est ab Eurystheo occidere leonem
Firstly Hercules was ordered by Eurytheus to kill a lion
qui illo tempore reddebat Nemeaeam [Nem-e-ae-am] vallem infestam
which at that time was making the Nemean valley dangerous.
igitur statim contulit se in silvas in quibus leo habitabat..
So immediately he took himself into the woods in which the lion lived .
Mox vidit feram, et intendit arcum, quem attulerat se-cum.
Soon he saw the beast, and stretched the bow, which he had brought with himself .
Tamen non potuit traicere pellem eius, quae erat densissima.
However he was not able to pierce the skin of it, which was very thick.
Tum percussit leonem magna clava quam semper gerebat ;
Then he struck the lion with a big club which always he carried;
frustra tamen, enim neque hoc modo potuit occidere eum.
in vain however; for and not by this way was he able to kill it .
Tum demum suis bracchiis complexus est collum monstri
Then finally with his hands he clasped the neck of the monster
et compressit fauces eius omnibus viribus.
and squeezed the throat of it with all his strength.
Hoc modo leo exanimatus est brevi tempore ,
In this way the lion was killed in a short time ,
enim nulla facultas respirandi dabatur ei.
for not any means of breathing was being given to it.
Tum Hercules rettulit cadaver ad oppidum in umeris ;
Then Hercules carried back the dead body to the town on his shoulders;
et postea pellem quam detraxerat gerebat pro veste.
and afterwards the hide, which he had stripped off.
he wore in place of a cloak. autem omnes qui incolebant eam regionem gaudebant vehementer,
And all who lived in this region, rejoiced passionately
ubi acceperunt famam de morte leonis,
when they received word about the death of the lion,
et habebant Herculem in magno honore .
and held Hercules in great honour .