Phaselus ille, quem videtis, hospites,
ait fuisse navium celerrimus,
neque ullius natantis impetum trabis
nequisse praeterire, sive palmulis
opus foret volare sive linteo.....................................15.5
et hoc negat minacis Hadriatici
negare litus insulasve Cycladas
Rhodumque nobilem horridamque Thraciam
Propontida trucemve Ponticum sinum,
ubi iste post phaselus antea fuit....................................10
comata silva; nam Cytorio in iugo
loquente saepe sibilum edidit coma.
Amastri Pontica et Cytore buxifer,
tibi haec fuisse et esse cognitissima
ait phaselus: ultima ex origine ....................................1.15
tuo stetisse dicit in cacumine,
tuo imbuisse palmulas in aequore,
et inde tot per impotentia freta
erum tulisse, laeva sive dextera
vocaret aura, sive utrumque Iuppiter.............................20
simul secundus incidisset in pedem;
neque ulla vota litoralibus deis
sibi esse facta, cum veniret a mari
novissimo hunc ad usque limpidum lacum.
sed haec prius fuere: nunc recondita..............................25
senet quiete seque dedicat tibi,
gemelle Castor et gemelle Castoris.
ait fuisse: se, the subject of the indirect statement, is implied.
3.
neque...nequisse: litotes; also used at ll. 6-7, negat...negare;
ullius: Genitive singular form of ullus.
5.
opus foret: from opus est, "there is need".
foret is equivalent to esset.
6.
hoc: referring to the aforementioned claims of the ship's prowess
7.
litus insulasve, etc.: the Subject Accusative of
negare.
10.
post: an adverb used adjectivally; "that boat later on", "that future boat"
11.
Cytorio in iugo: the coast along Mt. Cytorus used to have large forests that supplied lumber for shipbuilding.
12.
loquente...coma: Ablative of Means.
13.
Amastri: Vocative.
14.
tibi: a singular pronoun, though referring to both Amastris and
Cytorus; likewise with tuo.
tuo on line 16 refers to Cytorus.
tuo on line 17 refers to Amastris.
16.
stetisse, imbuisse: Infinitives of an Ind.
Statement, with se implied as Subject Accusative.
20.
Iuppiter: In poetry the weather was often called Jupiter.
21.
pedem: refers to the sheet or rope attached the bottom corners of the square sail; goes with
utrumque.
23.
sibi: Dative of Agent.
24.
novissimo: the last sea on the journey. lacum: probably Lacus Benacus (Lago di Gardo).
26.
fuere: Perfect Indicative 3rd Person Perfect (i.e.,
fuerunt).