Unit I reading

Lectio: Phoebus Apollo et Hyacinthus

Instructions: 

Read aloud the passage below, paying attention to how much you can understand as you read in Latin. Then, read through the passage more carefully, working to understand the sense of the passage; don’t write out a translation! As you do so, label all conjunctions, subjects and predicate nominatives, verbs and infinitives, direct objects, adjectives, and prepositions in the passage, and put all (prepositional phrases) in parentheses. Finally, answer the questions below.

Phoebus Apollo et Hyacinthus

Hyacinthus est adulēscēns bellus et hūmānus. Phoebus, deus magnus, Hyacinthum amat. Hyacinthus quoque Phoebum amat. Phoebus et Hyacinthus saepe discum iaciunt. Sed stultī perīculum nōn vident. 

Nunc discus Phoebī Hyacinthum pellit. Phoebus vītam Hyacinthī nōn servāre potest. Propter Hyacinthī mortem, Phoebus est miser. Phoebus hyacinthum, flōrem pulchrum, dē Hyacinthī sanguine facit. Hyacinthus glōriam perpetuam semper habēbit. 

Glossary:

All vocabulary not found in capita 1-6 are glossed below. Words in bold on DCC Latin Core Vocabulary List.

• Phoebus, Phoebī, m. - Phoebus Apollo, the Roman god of the sun, medicine, and poetry (among other things)

• Hyacinthus, Hyacinthī, m. - Hyacinthus, a young man from Sparta and the mortal lover of Phoebus Apollo

• adulēscēns, adulēscentīs, m. - young person, young man

• quoque (adv.) - also 

• discus, discī, m. - discus 

• iaciō iacere iēcī iactum - to throw (iaciunt = 3rd person plural present active indicative)

• pellō, pellere, pepulī, pulsum - to hit, strike (pellit = 3rd person singular present active indicative)

• mors, mortis, f. - death (mortem = accusative singular)

• miser, misera, miserum (adj.) - miserable, wretched

• hyacinthus, hyacinthī, m. - hyacinth, a blue flower, named for Hyacinthus

• flōs, flōris, m. - flower (flōrem = accusative singular)

• sanguis, sanguinis, m. - blood (sanguine = ablative singular)

• faciō, facere, fēcī, factum - to make (facit = 3rd person singular present active indicative)

Comprehension Questions:

• What is the relationship between Phoebus and Hyacinthus?

• How are Phoebus and Hyacinthus different from each other?

• Why might it be dangerous for Phoebus and Hyacinthus to play with a discus together?

• Who is struck by the discus?

• What does Phoebus do after Hyacinthus dies?