Friday, May 16, 2025

23.08.25: topic: the elements [4]; Comenius (1658); the Water

The water springeth out of a fountain, │ Aqua scatet ē fonte,

floweth downwards in a brook (rushing stream),  │ dēfluit in torrente,

runneth in a beck (small stream), │ mānat in rīvō,

standeth in a pond, │ stat in stāgnō,

glideth in a stream (river), │ fluit in flūmine,

is whirled about in a whirl-pit │ gȳrātur in vortice,

and causeth fens (marshland). │ & facit palūdēs.

The river hath banks. │ Flūmen habet rīpās.  

Note: in the second part, all the nouns listed are accusative plural i.e. they are all the direct objects of mare facit │ the sea makes …, and, the final one, (mare) habet │ (the sea) has

The sea maketh shores, │ Mare facit lit(t)ora,

bays, capes, │ sinūs, prōmontōria,

islands, “almost islands”, │ īnsulās, penīnsulās,

necks of land, straights (straits), │ isthmōs, frēta,

and hath (in it) rocks. │ & habet scopulōs.

fluō, -ere, flūxī [3]: flow > fluctus, -ūs [4/m]: wave; also unda, -ae [1/f]: wave

fluō, -ere, dēflūxī [3]: flow down

flūmen, flūminis [3/n]: river; also: fluvius, [2/m]

fōns, fōntis [3/m]: [i] water issuing from the ground; spring [ii] artificial fountain; well

frētum, -ī [2/n]: strait; channel; the satellite image is of the Strait of Messina between Sicily and Italy which, in Roman history, is of major significance; this was the location of the first military clash between the Romans and the Carthaginians i.e. the beginning of the First Punic War.

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

gȳrātur │ is turned around, rotated < gȳrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus [1]: revolve; turn in a circle

īnsula, -ae [1/f]: island; Engl. deriv. insular, insulate

isthmus, -ī [2/m]: isthmus; strip of land between two seas

litus, litoris [3/n]: shore; also: ōra, -ae [1/f] maritima

mānō, -āre, -āvī [1]: flow; run; trickle

paenīnsula, -ae [1/f] < paene: almost + īnsula: island; also: pēnīnsula, -ae [1/f]: the word ‘peninsula’ entered English in the 16th century although Hoole, the translator, still refers to it as an “almost island”; the Latin term was coined by Livy to describe New Carthage

palūs, palūdis [3/f]: marsh; swamp; fen

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fens [See: “Roman farming and engineering”]

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

prōmontōrium (or: prōmunturium), -ī [2/n]: (Mediaeval) promontory; cape; headland. The image is of the Capo Miseno, the promontory and town in Campania (La: Mīsēnum).  This was the location of the Roman fleet, of which Pliny the Elder was the commander, and it was from here he sailed in the direction of the erupting Mount Vesuvius in AD79 - unwisely in retrospect since everybody else was trying to sail away from it.

rīpa, -ae [1/f]: bank of a river

rīvus, -ī [2/m]: small stream of water, brook

scateō, -ēre, -uī [2]: spring; gush; bubble

scopulus, -ī [2/m]: crag; cliff; rock, specifically a rock in or under the sea, hence Hoole’s translation:

… and hath in it rocks. │ … & habet scopulōs.

sinus, -ūs [4/m]: gulf; bay

stāgnum, -ī [2/n]: pond; swamp; any form of standing water

torrēns, torrentis [3/m]: (rushing) stream

vortex, vorticis [3/m], older form of vertex, verticis [3/m]: (here) whirlpool










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