06.05.25: Level 3; Beasts in Egypt and Libya [4]; The Winged Serpents and the Ibis; ablative of separation

Translate into English:

Ineunte vēre in Aegyptum advolant volucrēs serpentēs. Ibidēs autem avēs illīs occurrentēs, aditū prohibent, necantque serpentēs. Ob hanc causam magnī aestimantur ībidēs ab Aegyptiīs. Speciēs autem ībidis tālis est; colōre nigrō avis est, pedibus gruis, rōstrō aduncō. Serpentum fōrma similis est fōrmae hydrārum. Ālās habent nōn pennātās, sed vespertīliōnis ālīs similēs.

Vocabulary

aditus, -ūs [4/m]: approach

aduncus, -a, -um: hooked, bent, curved

aestimō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus [1]: value, rate, consider, judge

āla, -ae [1/f]: wing

grūs, gruis [3m/f]: crane (species of bird)

hydra, -ae [1/f]: water-snake; in Greek mythology, the hydra refers to a many-headed serpent and it is the second labour of Hercules to kill the Learnaean Hydra

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lernaean_Hydra

occurrō, -ere, occurrī [3]: (+ dative): (go to) meet; resist, oppose

rostrum, -ī [2/m]: beak

vespertīliō, vespertīliōnis [3/m]: bat

volucer, volucris, volucre: winged

Notes

[1] ablative absolute: present active participle + noun

iniēns, ineuntis: present active participle < ineō, inīre, inī(v)ī: [i] enter; [ii] (here) begin / make a beginning

ineunte vēre │ with spring beginning = at the beginning / commencement of spring

[2] ablative of separation

The ablative is used when x is “separated” from y, that separation being physical or abstract, positive or negative. Some verbs use a preposition with this construction and others do not or there is inconsistency in use of a preposition. The focus, however, should be on recognising the idea of separation which is already conveyed in the verbs themselves.

[i] hostēs ¦ [ii] fīnibus prohibuērunt │ They kept [i] the enemy ¦ [ii] from (their) borders.

[i] praedōnēs ¦ [ii] ab īnsulā prohibuit │ He kept [i] the pirates ¦ [ii] from the island.

[i] urbem ¦ [ii] ā tyrannō  līberāvērunt │ They freed [i] the city ¦ [ii] from the tyrant.

[i] liberāmur ¦ mortis [ii] mētū │ [i] We are freed [ii] from the fear of death.

There is more to the ablative of separation than has been discussed here and it will be looked again when all forms of the ablative are reviewed. However, this is enough to explain the sentence from the text:

aditū prohibent │ they prevent (their) approach i.e. they prevent (the birds) from approaching

[3] dative usage

[i] with compound verbs:

occurrō, -ere, occurrī [3]: (+ dative): (go to) meet; resist, oppose

ibidēs autem avēs illīs [dative] occurrentēs … │ the ibises, however, going to meet / opposing them … 

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/02/130425-level-3-verbs-with-dative-case-1.html

or

https://adckl2.blogspot.com/2025/02/level-3-verbs-with-dative-case-1.html

[ii] … fōrma similis est fōrmae hydrārum │ the shape … is similar to the shape of water-snakes

[4] genitive of value

magnī [genitive] aestimantur ībidēs │ the ibises are highly / greatly valued

The genitive case can be used to convey value or worth, but in an indefinite rather than an actual price. The extent of the “value” is expressed by an adjective in the genitive case although, as the quotation from Catullus illustrates, it can also be a noun

magnī aestimō sapientiam │I value his wisdom highly

suōs parvī fēcit │ he considered his (own men) to be of little (value)

floccus, -ī [2/m]: wisp / tuft of wool > Nōn ego tē floccī faciō; nē mē territēs (Plautus) │ I don't care a straw for you; don't be bullying me.

Plūris aestimō beneficium quam iniūriam (Seneca) │ I  reckon a benefit at a higher rate than an injury.

Catullus:

Vivamus, mea Lesbia, atque amemus, │ let us live, my Lesbia, and let us love

rumoresque senum severiorum │ and the rumours of rather stern old men

omnes unius aestimemus assis! │ let us value them all at one penny

____________________

At the commencement of spring winged serpents fly to Egypt. But the ibis birds going to meet / opposing them, prevent (their) approach, and kill the serpents. For this reason they are highly valued by the Egyptians. The appearance of the ibis is as follows; it is a bird of a black colour, with the claws of a crane, and a curved beak. The shape of the snakes resembles the shape of water snakes. They do not have feathered wings but similar to the wings of a bat.