Primo (at first), natura ab viris adorabatur. Antequam (afterwards), viri et feminae deos et deas laudabant. Tum (Then) animas naturae laudabant. Animae naturae timebantur. Viri rogabant: De quo luna (moon) venit (comes)? De quo sol (sun) venit (comes)? Quid est causa fulminis (of lightning) et tonitrus (of thunder)? Dei et deae creabantur; hoc modo (in this manner) explanationes (explanations) inveniebantur (were found).
Dei deaeque* agrorum et silvarum et caelorum et aquarum ab viris creabantur. Rex(king, nom. sing.) deorum erat Iuppiter*. Dei ab rege (by the king) deorum imperabantur. Jupiter fulmine (lightning, abl. sing.) viros et deos imperabat. In regia in Olympo (on Mount Olympus) habitabat*. Regina deorum erat Iuno*. Ceres* erat dea agrorum et frumentorum. Bacchus*, deus vini, thyrso (staff, abl. sing.) imperabat. Undae et aquae tridente (trident, abl. sing.) ab Neptuno* imperabantur. Erant multi dei deaeque*.
In terra, viri aras aedificabant. Arae deis dedicabantur ab viris. Ad aras ambulabant et auxilium sacrificiis rogabant.
My translation:
First, nature was loved by men, Afterward, men and women praised gods and goddesses. Then spirits praised nature. Nature was feared by spirits. Men asked: By what does the moon come? By what does the sun come? What is the cause of lightning and of thunder? They were created by gods and goddesses; in this manner explanations were found.
Gods and goddesses of fields and forests and skies and waters were created by men. The king of the gods was Jupiter. Gods were commanded by the king of gods. Jupiter commanded men and gods by means of lightning. He lived in the palace on Mount Olympus. The queen of the gods was Juno. Ceres was the goddess of fields and corn. Bacchus, the god of wine, commanded by means of a staff. Waves and water were commanded by Neptune by means of a trident. There were many gods and goddesses.
On the land, men built cities. Cities were dedicated to gods by men. They walked to the cities and asked for help through sacrifices.
Is this right??
adorabatur = worshiped, in this context
animas naturae laudabant = "animas" is not nominative and cannot be the subject; "naturae" is genitive in this sentence.
Animae naturae timebantur = Again "naturae" is genitive, not nominative.
Go back and double-check all verbs, making sure that what you have translated as active are truly active, and what you have translated as passive are truly passive.
Double-check on all words with endings that can occur in different cases. For example, -ae can be genitive singular or nominative plural, depending on the context.
Double-check and re-think.
Your translation is mostly correct. However, there are a few errors and suggestions to improve clarity:
1. Instead of "nature was loved by men," a more accurate translation would be "nature was adored by men." The word "adorabatur" suggests a greater level of reverence and worship.
2. Instead of "spirits praised nature," it would be more appropriate to say "souls praised nature" or "spirits of nature praised." The original text refers to "animae naturae," which can be interpreted as the spirits or souls associated with nature.
3. Instead of "men asked," it would be more accurate to say "men were asking" or "men used to ask." The Latin verb "rogabant" is in the imperfect tense, indicating a past continuous action.
4. Instead of "by what does the moon come?" a better translation would be "from where does the moon come?" The verb "venit" means "comes" or "arrives," but "from where" clarifies the question.
5. Instead of "by what does the sun come?" it would be better to say "from where does the sun come?" for the same reason as mentioned above.
6. Instead of "lightning, abl. sing." it would be more accurate to say "with lightning." The ablative case "fulmine" indicates the means or instrument by which Jupiter commanded.
7. Instead of "he lived in the palace on Mount Olympus," it would be more correct to say "he dwelled in the palace on Mount Olympus." The Latin verb "habitabat" translates as "dwelled" or "lived."
8. Instead of "They walked to the cities," it would be more accurate to say "They walked to the altars." The original text mentions "aras" (altars) rather than cities.
Overall, your translation provides a good understanding of the text. Keep up the good work!
Your translation is largely correct, but there are a few errors and areas that could be improved. Here is a revised version:
"First, nature was worshipped by men. Afterwards, men and women praised gods and goddesses. Then, spirits praised nature. The spirits of nature were feared. Men asked: From where does the moon come? From where does the sun come? What is the cause of lightning and thunder? Gods and goddesses were created; in this way, explanations were found.
Gods and goddesses of fields, forests, skies, and waters were created by men. The king of the gods was Jupiter. The gods were commanded by the king of the gods. Jupiter commanded men and gods with the power of lightning. He lived in the palace on Mount Olympus. The queen of the gods was Juno. Ceres was the goddess of fields and crops. Bacchus, the god of wine, commanded with a thyrsus. Waves and waters were commanded by Neptune with a trident. There were many gods and goddesses.
On the earth, men built altars. Altars were dedicated to the gods by men. They walked to the altars and asked for help through sacrifices."
Overall, your translation captures the main ideas of the original text. Keep practicing, and you'll continue to improve!