Alexander the Great

[john abshire]

Alexander the Great and the Power of Literature

Magnus ille Alexander multos scriptores factorum suorum secum semper habebat. Is enim ante tumulum Achilllis olim stetit et dixit haec verba: "Fuisti fortunatus, O adulescens, quod Homerum laudatorem virtutis tuae invenisti. Et vere! Nam, sine Iliade illa, idem tumulus et corpus eius et nomen obruere potuit. Nihil corpus hamanum conservare potest; sed litterae magnae nomen viri magni saepe conservare possunt.

Alexander the Great always had many writers of his achievements with him. For at one time he himself stood before the tomb of Achilles and said these words: "O young man, you have been fortunate, because you found Homer, a praiser of your virtue." And really! For without that Iliad, the same tomb could have destroyed both his body and name. Nothing was able to preserve the human body; but great literature is often able to preserve the name of a great man.

??
edits:
edits: could obruere potuit translate to "could have destroyed"? I think this is what the author means, but I am thinking that a phrase "would have/ should have/ could have" would have to be a subjunctive verb??

 

[scrabulista]

I see this is an exercise on quizlet.com....probably not the best Latin.

I think ille could have been left out. Consider Albertus Magnus, Carolus Magnus, ...
What case is tumulus?

 

[MIB]

Edited due to scrabulista's reply beating me as I typed.

For the sentence beginning with Nam.
et ... et looks like both ... and.
(Iliad should lack the e in English)
For Nihil...
tenses need attention.
I think litterae could be 'literature'

 

[cinefactus]

idem tumulus et corpus eius et nomen obruere potuit

the subject for this part is specified, it is not he

 

[john abshire]

Et vere! Nam, sine Iliade illa, idem tumulus et corpus eius et nomen obruere potuit.
And really! For without that Iliad, the same tomb could have destroyed both his body and name.

--could obruere potuit translate to "could have destroyed" as it is written here and in the original post?
--I think this is what the author means, but I am thinking that a phrase "would have/ should have/ could have" would have to be a subjunctive verb??

 

[cinefactus]

--could obruere potuit translate to "could have destroyed" as it is written here and in the original post?

Yes

I am thinking that a phrase "would have/ should have/ could have" would have to be a subjunctive verb??

No—that is the function of potuit. You just have to learn the rules for using the subjunctive in Latin—you can't extrapolate from the English.