VI.
Terra finesque qua ad Orientem vergunt qua ad Orientem vergunt (qua ad Orientem vergunt: ‘where they tend towards the east’) Arabia terminantur, a meridie Aegyptus obiacet, (a meridie Aegyptus obiacet: ‘Egypt provides a limit from the south’.) ab occasu Phoenices et mare, septentrionem e latere Syriae longe prospectant. (septentrionem e latere Syriae longe prospectant: ‘they view the north far and wide from the side of Syria’; the subject is terra finesque or the Jewish people.) Corpora hominum salubria et ferentia laborum. Rari imbres, uber solum: [exuberant] fruges nostrum ad morem (nostrum ad morem: ‘after our own fashion’, ‘like ours’) praeterque eas balsamum et palmae. Palmetis proceritas et decor, (palmetis proceritas et décor: palmetis is dat. of possessor with implied form of esse, ‘the palm-groves have height and grace’.) balsamum modica arbor: ut quisque ramus intumuit, si vim ferri adhibeas, pavent venae; (ut quisque ramus intumuit, si vim ferri adhibeas, pavent venae: ‘when any branch swells, if you apply the force of steel, the veins recoil in horror’. ut …intumuit: though temporal ut is most often found with perf. indicative, intumuit here is Sententious or Gnomic Perfect, which applies to an action having occurred in the past and having no relation to the present, but one that will necessarily occur again given the same or similar circunstances. In English the present is used instead. Cf. A.G. 475, Note and G. 236, Note. si adhibeas: subjunctive in protasis of a conditional sentence of the potential type (Type II); pavent in the apodosis is Universal Present; cf. G. 596, 1. and 227. adhibeas is use of the second person sing. in an indefinite sense –found in English also—especially common with potential subjunctive.) fragmine lapidis aut testa aperiuntur; umor in usu medentium est. (umor in usu medentium est: ‘the sap is in the service of healers’.) Praecipuum montium Libanum erigit, mirum dictu, tantos inter ardores opacum fidumque nivibus; (Libanum erigit, mirum dictu, tantos inter ardores opacum fidumque nivibus: the subject of erigit is terra, borrowed from the outset of the chapter: ‘their territory raises into the air Libanus, wonderful to say, amid so much heat densely shaded and loyal to its snows’. The Libanus is actually in northern Lebanon (ancient Phoenicia) and is over 10,000 feet (3100 meters) high. mirum dictu: dictu is abl. supine, ‘marvelous in the saying’.) idem amnem Iordanen alit funditque. (idem amnem Iordanen alit funditque: ‘the same mountain feeds, and opens the way for, the river Jordan’. In actual fact, the source of the Jordan is not in the Lebanon mountains, but southeast in the Anti-Lebanon, in the Hula valley of Mt. Hermon.) Nec Iordanes pelago accipitur, sed unum atque alterum lacum integer perfluit, tertio retinetur. (Iordanes … unum atque alterum lacum integer perfluit, tertio retinetur: the first lake is the marshy Lake Merom –now drained– in the Hula valley, the second is the Sea of Galilee or Lake Tiberius or Lake Gennesareth, the third is the Dead Sea.) Lacus immenso ambitu, (immenso ambitu: abl. of quality) specie maris, sapore corruptior, (specie maris, sapore corruptior: ‘in the guise of a sea, with a taste more offensive [than seawater]’; sapore ia abl. of specification.) gravitate odoris accolis pestifer, neque vento impellitur neque piscis aut suetas aquis volucris patitur. Inertes undae superiacta ut solido ferunt; (inertes undae superiacta ut solido ferunt: ‘its motionless waters support [any] objects thrown on them, as on a solid surface’.) periti imperitique nandi perinde attolluntur. (periti imperitique nandi perinde attolluntur: ‘those who cannot swim stay afloat just as well as esperienced swimmers’. periti impertique nandi: objective genitive gerund after an adj. expressing knowledge, experience, etc. Cf. A.G. 349, a. and 504.) Certo anni bitumen egerit, cuius legendi usum, ut ceteras artis, experientia docuit. (certo anni bitumen egerit, cuius legendi usum, ut ceteras artis, experientia docuit: the subject of egerit is lacus, the Dead Sea: lit. ‘at a fixed time of the year it will force (‘it will have forced’) bitumen to the surface; the method of the gathering of it experience has taught, in the same way as [it teaches] all othe arts’. The Latin perfect docuit corresponds here to the English present perfect.) Ater suapte natura liquor et sparso aceto concretus innatat; (concretus innatat: ‘it floats as a solid on the surface’) hunc manu captum, quibus ea cura, (quibus ea cura: ellipsis for eis quibus ea cura est; quibus is dat. of possessor, ‘those who have this occupation’) in summa navis trahunt: (in summa navis trahunt: ‘they haul it to the top of the ship’, i.e. onto the deck.) inde nullo iuvante influit oneratque, donec abscindas. (inde nullo iuvante influit oneratque, donec abscindas: ‘from that point on it keeps flowing into the ship and fills it, no one helping, until one cuts it’. donec with subjunctive to express intention. Cf. B. 356, 3. For use of second person sing. cf. note for si vim ferri adhibeas above.) Nec abscindere aere ferrove possis: (nec abscindere … possis: possis is potential subjunctive with generic second person, ‘you could not cut it’;) fugit cruorem vestemque infectam sanguine, quo feminae per mensis exolvuntur. Sic veteres auctores, sed gnari locorum tradunt undantis bitumine moles pelli manuque trahi ad litus, mox, ubi vapore terrae, vi solis inaruerint, (ubi …inaruerint: ubi is found with any tense of the indicative to indicate action habitual or repeated; here with future perfect, ‘will have dried’; inaruerint is from inarescere.) securibus cuneisque ut trabes aut saxa discindi. (discindi: hist. infinitive)