45. Eleventh Labour: Golden Apples of the Hesperides (primer)

postquam ac-cepit boves Geryonis, After the capture of cattle-Geryonis,

after he received the oxen of Geryon,

Eurystheus imposuit Herculi undecimum laborem, Eurystheus imposed eleventh labor of Hercules;

Eurystheus imposed on Hercules an eleventh labour, Eurystheus imposed on Hercules an eleventh labor;

graviorem quam quos narravimus supra. a worse state than we have mentioned above.

heavier than which we have described above.

mandavit enim ei ut auferret

For he ordered to him that he should carry off

aurea poma ex horto Hesperidum . the golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides.

the golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides .

Hesperides autem erant quaedam nymphae praestantissima forma , There were, however, of outstanding beauty, a kind of the nymphs of the Hesperides,

Now the Hesperides were certain nymphs with most beautiful appearance ,

quae habitabant in longinqua terra , who lived in a distant land;

who lived in a far-away land,

et quibus quaedam aurea poma commissa erant a Iunone .

and to whom certain golden apples had been entrusted by Juno.

multi homines inducti cupiditate auri

Many men led on by desire of gold

iam antea conati erant auferre haec poma.

already before now had tried to carry off these apples.

res tamen fuit difficillima,

The thing however was very difficult;

namque hortus in quo poma erant For the fruits of the garden, into the which they were

for the garden in which the apples were

erat circumdatus ingenti muro undique;

was surrounded by an enormous wall on all sides;

praeterea quidam draco cui erant centum capita Bovendien hebben sommige honderd hoofden van de draak, voor wie ze zouden

besides this a certain dragon to which were a hundred heads

diligenter custodiebat portam horti .

watchfully guarded the gate of the garden .

opus igitur quod Eurystheus imperaverat Herculi erat summae difficultatis,

The task therefore which Eurystheus had ordered to Hercules was of the highest difficulty,

non modo ob causas quas memoravimus,

not only because of the reasons which we have stated,

sed etiam quod Hercules omnino ignorabat

but also because Hercules wholly did not know

in quo loco ille hortus esset situs .

in which place that garden was situated .