Latin To English Translator....?

Phoebus autem virginem amat et flammae amoris in deo crescunt. Deus virginem videt et laudat caput, capillos, oculos; laudat digitos et manus et bracchia. Daphne autem non manet. Fugitat in silvas.

"Mane, nympha! Non sum hosits. Nympha, mane! Amor est mihi causa doloris. Nescis me esse Phoebum. Iuppiter est mihi pater. Sum deus solis, musicae, medicinae, artium."

Daphne iterum fugitaverat. Phoebus virginem iterum petivit. Eam superare temptavit. Daphne aquas fluminis patris vidit et dixit: "Da mihi auxilium, pater, si potentiam habes, muta formam meam."

Statim pater bracchia pulchra in ramos mutat. Daphne virgo formosa nunc est laurus, arbor pulchra. Phoebus oscula arbori dat et dicit: :Si coniunx mea esse non potes, arbor eris certe mea; stabis prima in capitibus regum ducumque Romae."

Latin To English Translator....?
Not sure where you’re having difficulties, if any, so I annotated somewhat heavily.



------



Phoebus, however, loves the young girl and the flames of love increase/grow great within the god. The god sees the young girl and praises her face[1], her hair, her eyes; he praises her fingers and hands[2] and arms. But Daphne does not stay. She flees into the forest.



“Wait, O nymph[3]! I am not an enemy[4]. O nymph, stay! I suffer for your love[5]. You know that I am Phoebus[6]. Jupiter is my father[7]. I am the god of the sun, of music, of medicine, and of the arts.”



Daphne had run away again. Phoebus again chased after her[8]. She tried to get away[9]. Daphne saw the waters of her father’s river and she said: “Help me[10], father, if you have the power, change my form.”



Immediately, her father changes her beautiful arms into branches. Daphne the beautiful young girl is now a laurel, a beautiful tree. Phoebus kisses the tree[11] and says: “If you cannot be my wife, you will surely be my tree; you will stand (out) first in the minds[12] of the kings and leaders of Rome.”



-----



[1] “caput”, though literally means “head”, here “face” sounds more suitable.



[2] “manus”. Fourth declension nouns can be a little tricky, especially in situations like this in which the plural accusative looks exactly like its singular nominative (and genitive). This instance is a bit easier, though, since it’s listed with other accustaive nouns (i.e. “digitos” and “brachia”). But, often, you’ll have to go by context.



[3] “nympha”. The vocative is usually translated into english as “O nymph”. Although not as common as other cases, you can easily identify the vocative whenever you see a noun associated with an imperative verb, like “mane”. Most locatives look like the nominative – consult your textbook for the exceptions.



[4] “hostis” = “enemy”. There’s a typo with the original, “hosits”.



[5] “amor...doloris” = lit. “love is the cause of pain for me”. Alternatively, “causa” and a genitive can be translated into “for the sake of”. But, while you could translate it this way (i.e. “for the sake of pain I have love”), it sounds even more awkward. Also, see note [6] regarding usage of “mihi”.



[6] This is an example of an indirect statement. You should review this concept if you’re unsure about it. Learn it well - it is very common in Latin.



[7] “Iuppiter est mihi pater” = lit. “Jupiter is to/for me a father”. This is the dative of possession, and is also fairly common. It’s generally used in conjunction with “esse”. So, if you see a dative and the verb “esse” together, think about the dative of possession. Even taken literally, the idea is such that someone/something exists for or is possessed by someone/something else; cp. “nobis canis est” = “we have a dog”.



[8] “petivit”. The verb “petere” can mean “to attack, aim at; beg, ask; head towards, make for”. Here I extend the translation to “chase”, since that is what he is doing.



[9] “superare”. In a similar way, this verb has several meanings, including, “to overcome, conquer; be above, have the upper hand; survive”. To fit the context of the sentence, however, I’ve altered it to “get away”, since that’s what she was trying to do.



[10] “da mihi auxilium” = lit. “give help to/for me”. Note that, since it lacks the verb “esse”, this is the simple dative case (i.e. not of possession). Compare “da mihi veniam” = “give pardon to me” = “pardon me”.



[11] “oscula arbori dat” = lit. “[he] gives kisses to the tree”.



[12] “in capitibus” = lit. “in [their] heads”. Again, for context, translated as “minds”.



-----



As indicated in the notes, this exercise contains some important concepts, such as indirect statement, dative (simple and possessive), and a full set of indicative tenses (minus the imperfect). Make sure you know them well, as much of what’s to come will depend on them, especially the verb tenses.



Also, watch your word usage: when translating, don’t always go for the literal or the first word you see. Use your imagination and creativity to find the right word. Where the literal sounds awkward, search for an alternative every-day word or expression.



-----



P.S. Sorry, I don’t do MySpace – cool page though ;)

If you have any questions just post or email.
Reply:I'll be happy to help you in detail if you post what you've done so far. I'll check back later.