38. Tenth Labour: the Oxen of Geryon (primer)
tum vero Hercules missus est ad insulam Erythiam,
Then indeed Hercules was sent to the island Erythia,
ut reduceret boves Geryonis.
so that he might bring back the oxen of Geryon .
res erat summae difficultatis,
The matter was of the highest difficulty,
quod boves custodiebantur
because the oxen were guarded
a quodam Eurytione et a bicipite cane.
by a certain Eurytion and by a two-headed dog.
autem Geryon ipse praebebat diram speciem;
And Geryon himself showed a fearsome appearance;
enim habebat tria corpora coniuncta inter se.
for he had three bodies joined between themselves .
Hercules tamen suscepit negotium;
Hercules however took up the task;
etsi intellegebat quantum periculum esset,
although he understood how great the danger was,
ac postquam fecit iter per multas terras,
and after he made journey through many lands,
pervenit ad eam partem Africae
he arrived to that part of Africa
quae est proxima Europae .
which is nearest to Europe .
ibi in utroque litore maris
There on each shore of the sea
quod dividit Europam ab Africa ,
which separates Europe from Africa ,
constituit ingentes columnas,
he set up the huge columns,
quae postea appellabantur Columnae Herculis.
which afterwards were called the Columns of Hercules.