A.P.* Multiple Choice: Waltharii Poesis (After the Final Combat)
* = Abney Practice
Important Background: As children, Hagen, Walther, and princess Hildegund went as hostages to the court of Attila the Hun. Years later, Hagen escaped home to his brother Gunther. Some time later, Walther and his fiancee Hildegund fled with the treasure of the Huns, some of which belonged to Gunther’s kingdom. When Walther passes through Gunther's realm, the king demands the return of the treasure and sends warriors to fight Walther. Hagen, uncertain what to do, sits out the duels until everyone else is dead. Then he and Gunther attack Walther.
Read the following passage about the aftermath of the combat.
Then choose the correct answer for the questions that follow.
For vocabulary help, move the cursor over the underlined words, and a definition will appear.
Ekkehard's Waltharii Poesis
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Postquam finis adest, insignia quemque notabant:
illic Guntharii regis pes, palma iacebat
Waltharii nec non tremulus Haganonis ocellus.
Sic sic armillas partiti sunt Avarenses!
Consedere duo, nam tertius ille iacebat, 5
sanguinis undantem tergentes floribus amnem.
Haec inter timidam revocat clamore puellam
Alpharides, veniens quae saucia quaeque ligavit.
His ita compositis sponsus praecepit eidem:
"Iam misceto merum Hagaoni et porrige primum; 10
est athleta bonus, fidei is iura reservet.
Tum praebeto mihi, reliquis qui plus toleravi.
Postremum volo Guntharius bibat, utpote segnis
inter magnanimum qui paruit arma virorum
et qui Martis opus tepide atque enerviter egit." 15
Obsequitur cunctis Heririci filia verbis.
Francus at oblato licet arens pectore vino,
"Defer," ait prius Alpharidi sponso ac seniori,
virgo, tuo, quoniam, fateor, me fortior ille
nec solum me, sed cunctos supereminet armis. 20
Waltharii Poesis 1401-20
(Excerpts from Ekkehard's Waltharii Poesis, available online in four parts here. )
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1. What do we learn is the outcome of the combat
(lines 1-3)?
Gunther has attacked on foot and knocked Walther
to the ground.
Hagen has not been scared to fight.
They have each distinguished themselves.
They have each been maimed.
2. Why does the poet mention the stolen Hunnish
treasure (line 4)?
They have paid a high price for it.
They have just battled the Huns for it.
The Huns have rewarded them for their bravery.
It has united the combatants.
3. What is the scansion of the first four feet of line 5?
spondee-spondee-dactyl-spondee
dactyl-spondee-dactyl-dactyl
dactyl-spondee-dactyl-spondee
dactyl-spondee-spondee-dactyl
4. What are the men doing with the floribus (line 6)?
commemorating the dead
wearing them as a token of victory
lying on them dying
staunching the bleeding
5. What figure of speech occurs in line 7?
synecdoche
chiasmus
anastrophe
hyperbole
6. What first thing does Hildegund do here (line 10)?
She reunites the men.
She rages at the men for their foolishness.
She runs away.
She tends the men's wounds.
7. Identify the form misceto in line 10?
perfect passive participle
perfect active participle
1st person singular present
future active imperative
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8. How many elisions occur in line 10?
0
1
2
3
9. While praising Hagen, Walther still manages to get
in a dig at him. In what characteristic does he find
Hagen deficient (line 11)?
fortitudo
amor
humilitas
pietas
10. Why is Hildegund to serve Gunther last
(lines 13-15)?
Gunther is a puppet king.
She must "save the best for last."
He is the bravest.
He has exhibited cowardice.
11. What figure of speech occurs in Martis opus
(line 15)?
metonymy
anastrophe
synecdoche
assonance
12. What is the best translation of arens pectore in
its context (line 17)?
although dry in his chest
the drying of his chest
who had a dry chest
after his chest was dry
13. On what word does tuo depend (line 19)?
seniori (line 18)
virgo (line 19)
fateor (line 19)
ille (line 19)
14. What compliment does Hagen pay Walther
(19-20)?
Walther is the bravest of all.
Walther has conquered the Huns.
Walther has captured all the weapons.
Walther has defeated everyone but Hagen.
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