[2]
a bird, | avis,
(here the King's Fisher,
1.* | (hīc Halcyōn, 1.
making her nest in the sea.) | in
marī nīdulāns.)
is covered with feathers,
2. | tegitur plūmīs, 2.
flyeth with wings, 3. |
volat pennīs, 3.
hath two pinions, 4. |
habet duās ālās, 4.
as many feet, 5. | totidem
pedēs, 5.
a tail, 6. | caudam,
6.
and a bill, 7. | et rōstrum,
7.
____________________
vocabulary
(1) halcyōn, halcyonis [3/f]:
kingfisher; see note (1)
also: alcyōn, -onis; alcēdō, -inis [3/f]
Both alcedo and halcyon
are used in the zoological descriptors of the species
(2) plūma, -ae [1/f]: small, soft
feather; plumage that covers the entire body of the bird
(3) penna, -ae [1/f]: larger
flight feather; (pl.) wing
The English noun ‘pen’ (the
writing instrument) is derived, via Old French, from Latin.
(4) āla, -ae [1/f]: wing
The noun is also used in transferred
senses:
[i] as a military term, it refers
to the wing of an army “(thus conceived of as a bird of prey), commonly
composed of the Roman cavalry and the troops of the allies, esp. their horsemen
(Lewis & Short)”
dextra āla — in ālās
dīvīsum sociālem exercitum habēbat — in prīmā aciē locāta est (Livy)
- The right brigade (for he
had the troops of the allies divided into brigades) was placed in the
first line.
Asinius Polliō, ālae
praefectus (Tacitus)
- Asinius Pollio, prefect of a cavalry
squadron
[ii] usually in the plural (ālae,
-ārum), it can refer to the wings of a house, two small quadrangular apartments
or recesses on the left and right sides of the ātrium [image #8;
figure 5]
While pennae and ālae
are often used interchangeably as synonyms for ‘wings’ in everyday Classical
Latin, technical and textbook contexts distinguish them. Here, pennīs refers
to the flight feathers that make aviation possible, while ālās denotes
the two structural limbs of the bird's body. Charles Hoole mirrors this
pedagogical distinction by translating pennīs as ‘wings’ and utilizing
the archaic English term ‘pinions’ for ālās to avoid repetitive
phrasing.
(5) pēs, pedis [3/m]: foot
(6) cauda, -ae [1/f]: tail
(7) rōstrum, -ī [2/n]: beak; bill
[i] Resembling a bird’s beak, the
term rōstrum also refers to the protruding battering ram at the bow of a
Roman ship [image #9: rōstrum of a Roman warship].
[ii] The English term rostrum
(pl. rostra), a raised platform, originates in the decoration in Ancient
Rome of the public speaking platform with the rōstra of captured enemy
ships.
[images #10 and #11]: artist’s
reconstruction of the Ancient Roman rōstra; reproduction of the Rostral Column
of Gaius Duilius (c. 260 BC)
notes
* (1) Comenius made no
contribution to natural science, and he was profoundly alienated from the
developments in science that occurred during his lifetime.
https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/social-sciences-and-law/education-biographies/john-amos-comenius
Whether that is an accurate
assessment of Comenius is beyond the scope of the work here. It was certainly
not the author’s aim to tutor his pupils in scientific and natural discoveries,
but to make the Latin language accessible, interesting, and relevant. In
reality, kingfishers burrow into the earth along rivers, streams, or ponds to
create their nests. Comenius' statement that the kingfisher makes its nest in
the sea is based entirely on classical mythology. He is referencing the ancient
Greek and Roman myth of the Halcyōn, where the gods transformed the grieving
Alcyone into a bird that nested upon the ocean waves during a period of
supernatural calm:
perque dies placidos hiberno
tempore septem / incubat Alcyone pendentibus aequore nidis (Ovid)
- and in wintertime for seven
peaceful days Alcyone sits on her nest floating on the sea.
(2) hīc Halcyōn in marī nīdulāns
| Here (is) the kingfisher (who is) making her nest in the sea.
Present active participle:
https://adckl.blogspot.com/search/label/present%20active%20participle
(3) tegitur plūmīs | is
covered with / by feathers;
Ablative of means / instrument:
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/02/240525-level-3-summary-of-of-uses-of.html
