The making of
Honey │ Mellificium
The Bees send out a swarm, 1. and
set over it a Leader, 2. │ Āpēs ēmittunt Exāmen, 1.
adduntque illī Ducem (Rēgem), 2.
That swarm being
ready to fly away is recalled by the Tinkling of a brazen Vessel,
3. and is put up into a new Hive, 4. │ Exāmen illud, āvolātūrum,
revocātur tinnītū Vāsis æneī, 3. & inclūditur novō Alveārī,
4.
They make little Cells
with six corners, 5. and fill them with Honey-dew, and make Combs,
6. out of which the Honey runneth,
7. │ Struunt Cellulās sexangulārēs, 5. et complent eās Mellīgine,
& faciunt Favōs, 6. ē quibus Mel effluit, 7.
The Partitions
being melted by fire, turn into Wax, 8. │ Cratēs liquātī
igne abeunt in Cēram, 8.
Vocabulary
alvear, alveāris
[3/n]: (Mediaeval) beehive
Also:
alveārium, -ī [2/n]
or mellārium, -ī [2/n]; alvus, -ī [2/f]
The term apiārium,
-ī [2/n] from which the English word apiary is derived refers to an area
where bees are kept
[a]
āpis, -is [3/f]:
bee
cēra, -ae [1/f]:
wax; beeswax; a seal made of wax
exāmen, exāminis
[3/n]: swarm; especially of bees, but can refer to other creatures
favus, -ī [2/m]:
honeycomb
mel, mellis [3/n]:
honey-dew
mellificium, -ī
[2/n]: honey-making
mellīgō,
mellīginis [3/f]: honey-dew
[b]
aeneus, -a, -um:
[i] copper, bronze [ii] (here) ‘brazen’ referring to something that is loud and
strident e.g. made by the striking of something metal (see notes)
crātis, -is [3/f]:
[i] wickerwork [ii] a ‘hurdle’ in the sense of an artificial barrier;
Caesar uses this term when describing the defending of a bridge
sexangulāris, -e:
(Late Latin) hexagonal; (CL) sexangulus, -a, -um
tinnitus, -ūs
[4/m]: ringing, tinkling, jingling; the condition known as tinnitus i.e.
a ringing in the ears is obviously derived from the word
vās, -is [3/m]:
vessel
Notes
[i] Something to
spot which will be discussed in detail in a later post since there is much more
to it. Look out for the ending: -ūrus, -a, -um which indicates
something that is about to or going to happen; it conveys a sense
of near future
exāmen illud,
āvolātūrum │ that swarm (which is) about to fly away
[ii] Careful! -ur
at the end of the verb indicates a passive:
Exāmen … revocātur
│ the swarm is called back
(Exāmen) … inclūditur
│ (the swarm) is kept in / enclosed
[iii] liquātus,
-e, -um: (having been) melted
Cratēs liquātī
¦ igne │the partitions (having been) melted ¦ by fire
[iv] Exāmen illud …
revocātur tinnītū Vāsis æneī │ that swarm is called back by the sound of a
brazen vessel
What is
tanging? Basically, beekeepers use some sort of device, an old cooking pot for
instance, to make a loud noise by beating it with a spoon or stick, while
chasing an escaping swarm. It is thought this may convince the bees that a
storm with thunder is approaching and they need to find a place to land, now,
and then the beekeeper can capture them and return them to their home.
https://www.honeybeeobscura.com/tanging-whats-all-that-banging-023/
“the winged attendants
of the Muses”; Marcus Terentius Varro on bees …
Quae cum causa
Musarum esse dicuntur volucres, …│ They
are with good reason called 'the winged attendants of the Muses’
… quod et, si
quando displicatae sunt, cymbalis et plausibus numero redducunt in locum unum │
… because if at any time they are scattered they are quickly brought into
one place by the beating of cymbals or the clapping of hands
Apes non sunt
solitaria natura, ut aquilae, sed ut homines. │ Bees are not of a solitary
nature, as eagles are, but are like human beings.
Tria enim harum:
cibus, domus, opus, neque idem quod cera cibus, nec quod mel, nec quod domus. │
They have three tasks: food, dwelling, toil; and the food is not the same as
the wax, nor the honey, nor the dwelling.
Neque ipsae sunt
inficientes │ They are themselves not idle
Non in favo sex
angulis cella, totidem quot habet ipsa pedes? │ Does not the chamber in the
comb have six angles, the same number as the bee has feet?
intus opus
faciunt, quod dulcissimum quod est, et deis et hominibus est acceptum │ and
within (the hive) they produce a substance which, because it is the sweetest of
all, is acceptable to gods and men alike
Media alvo, qua
introeant apes, faciunt foramina parva dextra ac sinistra. │ At the middle of
the hive small openings are made on the right and left, by which the bees may
enter
