[15] “Ascendentibus nōbīs et nāvigantibus, nebulae cooperuērunt nōs undique, in tantum ut vix potuissēmus puppim aut prōram nāviculae vidēre. [16] Trānsāctō vērō spatiō quasi ūnīus hōrae, circumfulsit nōs lūx ingēns, et appāruit terra spatiōsa et herbōsa pomiferōsaque valdē. [17] Cum stetisset nāvis ad terram, ascendimus nōs et coepimus circuīre et perambulāre per quīndecim diēs illam īnsulam, et nōn potuimus fīnem ipsīus invenīre.
[18] “Nihil herbae vīdimus sine flōre et arborum sine frūctū; lapidēs enim ipsīus omnēs pretiōsī generis sunt. [19] Porrō quīntodecimō diē invēnimus fluvium vergentem ab orientālī parte ad occāsum; cumque cōnsīderāssēmus haec omnia, dubium nōbīs erat quid agere dēbuissēmus. Placuit nōbīs trānsīre flūmen, sed expectāvimus Deī cōnsilium.
notes
Barrind describes the Land Promised to the Saints. First there was fog, but then a bright light. They explored the island and found it amazingly rich in vegetation and fruit, and the stones were precious stones. On the fifteenth day they came to a river, and were not sure whether to cross it.
[15] Ascendentibus nōbīs et nāvigantibus: ablative absolute; in CL the subject of the ablative absolute should not be used in the main sentence. Note that ascendō can mean “embark, board a ship” even without a word for ship (OLD 4a), though it can also mean the opposite, as in 1.17 below.
in tantum: "to such a degree," "to such and extent," "to the point that"
nebulae cooperuērunt nōs undique: the clouds are largely metaphorical: the travelers find their way through the darkness to the light of the Promised Land (see also 28.3). But the clouds have also been associated with the fog banks off Newfoundland.
[17] ascendimus nōs: here, given the context, ascendō has to mean “disembark”; usually, but not always, a prepositional phrase or direct object will specify whether the word means “climb on board ship” or “climb onto to the land."
per quīndecim diēs: the number fifteen may reflect the fifteen steps of Solomon’s temple, and the fifteen “gradual” psalms (see chapter 17), and it is the number of Brendan’s fourteen original followers with himself as leader.
[18] enim: CL would be et.
ipsīus: i.e., of the island; CL would probably be lapidēs ... eius.
pretiōsī generis: appositional genitive AG § 343.d (also called defining genitive or genitive of definition).
[19] cumque cōnsīderāssēmus: CL would probably be cumque cōnsīderārēmus.
dubium nōbīs erat: "we were uncertain as to."
quid agere dēbuissēmus: CL would be quid agere dēbuerēmus.
vocabulary
| nāvigō nāvigāre nāvigāvī nāvigātus | to go by ship, sail; to row 15 |
| nebula –ae f. | cloud |
| co-operiō –operīre –operuī –opertum |
to cover over |
| puppis puppis f. (acc. usually puppim) | stern of a ship |
| prōra –ae f. | the extreme forward part of a ship; the prow |
| nāvicula –ae f. | boat (ML); (CL) small boat |
| trānsigō trānsigere trānsēgī trānsāctum | to carry through, complete; to spend, pass 16 |
| spatium spati(ī) n. | space; expanse [OLD 3] |
| circumfulgeō circumfulgēre circumfulsī — | shine around |
| spatiōsus –a –um | wide, spacious, large |
| herbōsus –a –um | grassy |
| pōmiferōsus –a –um | fruit-bearing, fruitful (ML; CL pōmifer pōmifera pōmiferum) |
| stō stāre stetī statum | to stand; to stand firm [OLD 3a] 17 |
| circumeo (circueō ) –īre –iī (–īvī) circuitus | to go around |
| perambulō perambulāre perambulāvī perambulātus | to go through |
| per | through; by means of [OLD 14] |
| quīndecim; quintus –a –um decimus –a –um |
15; 15th |
| herba herbae f. | grass; herb, edible plant 18 |
| pretiōsus –a –um | expensive, costly, precious |
| porrō | next 19 |
| quīntodecimus -a -um | fifteenth |
| fluvius (fluvidus) fluvi(ī) m. | river |
| vergō –ere | to move as on a downward slope, sink |
| orientālis –e | of the east, easterly |
| occāsus –ūs m. | setting (of the sun); the west |
| placet placere placuit (+ dat.) | it is pleasing to [me], I decide |