tamen iussa deorum exsequitur

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pmda
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tamen iussa deorum exsequitur

Post by pmda »

In LLPSI Cap XL Orberg Scripsit:

At pius Aeneas, quamquam amicam dolentem solari cupit, tamen iussa deorum exsequitur classemque revisit. Ibi vero Troiani studiose laborant, robur e silvis conferunt et iam de toto litore naves celsas deducunt. Novae carinae natant, socii tota ex urbe concurrunt.

I translate: But truthful Aeneas, though he wished to console his love, [note the comma] despite the orders of the Gods went after her and then returned to his ships...

Presumably it was the going after her 'exsequitur' that is 'despite the order of the Gods' and not the returning to his fleet - which is, in fact, exactly what the Gods have ordered him to do.

If my translation is wrong then what exactly is it that Aeneas is doing 'tamen' the orders of the Gods..?

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bedwere
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Re: tamen iussa deorum exsequitur

Post by bedwere »

Sorry, but he follows the orders of the gods, dumps his girlfriend, doesn't go after her, but directly to the ships. :D

Aeneas iussa exsequitur et classem revisit.

pmda
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Re: tamen iussa deorum exsequitur

Post by pmda »

bedwere wrote:Sorry, but he follows the orders of the gods, dumps his girlfriend, doesn't go after her, but directly to the ships. :D

Aeneas iussa exsequitur et classem revisit.
Betwere, many thanks......

But if it's exsequitur in the sense of completing or following through on my question about 'tamen' remains... why 'tamen iussa deorum...' this means literally 'despite having followed the orders of Gods...what was it he did 'despite the orders of the Gods'...is is that he tried to console her...? And if so then Orberg has put the comma in the wrong place. It should be after exsequitur or not there at all....

At pius Aeneas, quamquam amicam dolentem solari cupit, tamen iussa deorum exsequitur classemque revisit.

in literal translation, accepting your translation of exsequitur would be:

But trustworthy Aeneas, though he wished to console his love, followed the orders of the Gods and returned to the fleet.

What role does 'tamen' play in this sentence....? I don't see why it's there.

thanks..

Paul

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Re: tamen iussa deorum exsequitur

Post by Qimmik »

Tamen means "nevertheless," "however", not "in spite of."

pmda
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Re: tamen iussa deorum exsequitur

Post by pmda »

...so it does!. I think I have understood it in the sense of despite ....

Orberg in line 63 of Cap XIX of LLPSI defines it as follows:

tamen <---> itaque

If 'itaque' means 'and so', or 'accordingly' or 'therefore' then I took 'tamen' to mean 'despite' - following Orberg's note...

Do you think Orberg's definition is misleading...?

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Re: tamen iussa deorum exsequitur

Post by Qimmik »

"Pious", in the modern English sense, would be a better translation of Aeneas' stock epithet pius. Not only does he carry his aged father out of the burning city; throughout the Aeneid he demonstrates his piety by performing, with scrupulous attention to detail, all sorts of atavistic Roman religious ceremonies. Many of these had fallen into disuse by the end of the Roman republic, but were revived under Augustus, as part of his efforts to restore Roman institutions and traditional morality. Vergil has Aeneas perform these ceremonies in order to fabricate a history for them that supposedly went back to Troy.

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Re: tamen iussa deorum exsequitur

Post by Qimmik »

"therefore" <---> "nevertheless".

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Re: tamen iussa deorum exsequitur

Post by pmda »

Many thanks...

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