Textkit Greek and Latin Forums

I tried again after leaving it for three months to translate "Plinius Nepoti Suo S." in Loci Immutati, and this time I think I got it. But I still have some grievances and some confusion.

This piece is confusing because Plinius is writing about Fannia talking about Arria taking a course of action, so it's super-3rd person. It is confusing because the boy dies, but Arria seems to hide the funeral service from her husband, although in the next sentence the husband has a breakdown of sorts over the boy's death. It is confusing because Plinius switches between Arria and Paenus without saying who the subject is. After the husband play-acts with his dead son, it reads:

Deinde, cum diu cohibitae lacrimae vincerent prorumperentque, egrediebatur; tunc se dolori dabat.

Does Paenus give himself to grief or is it Arria?

Then:

Satiata, siccis oculis, compositu vultu redibat, tamquam orbitatem foris reliquisset.

Here, I assumed Plinius switched back to Arria because 'Satiata' is feminine, but to where was she returning?

Finally, I know "Paete, non dolet," means "It does not hurt," but I first thought it meant "Paete, the boy does not suffer," because the boy's pain through death had finally been relieved, and Wheelock states that 'to give pain' for 'dolere' is not the verb's primary use.

W should have explained this one far better than he did.

ah, I remember that part!

not the "dolet" part though I am afraid.

anyway, it is she that gives herself to grief. She goes out of the room where here husband lies ill and has a good cry; then when she had 'enough' she dries her eyes and with dry eyes she goes back into her husband room

I don't have a good recollection of the rest I'm afraid (and God knows why I remember that part so well!)

Gratias IreneY,
But how would anyone know that Arria gave herself to grief without first knowing the story? And where Plinius writes that Arria returns to Paeneus' room, I was entirely confused as to where she was. I wish W would give a 'spatial' hint as to where all this is happening.

I haven't read W really so I don't know where he starts the story from but doesn't he mention that Paenus is sick? Perhaps he sort of takes it as a given that people would understand he is a room somewhere (just asking, haven't read it there as I mentioned)

Hi elduce,

Thanks for pointing me to the Wheelock excerpt and giving me a chance to try my hand at a new text. After I'd more or less got it straight, I did the usual Google search and came up with the following:

http://www.stoa.org/diotima/anthology/w ... e170.shtml

It gives some background + a complete translation.

Cheers,
Int