[6] Porrō ascendentibus dē nāvī, vīdērunt terram spatiōsam ac plēnam arboribus pōmiferīs, sīcut in tempore autumnālī. Cum autem circuībant illam terram, nihil affuit illīs nox. [7] Accipiēbant tantum dē pōmīs, et dē fontibus bibēbant; et ita per quadrāgintā diēs perlūstrābant tōtam terram, et nōn poterant fīnem illīus invenīre. [8] Quādam vērō diē, invēnērunt flūmen magnum vergentem per medium īnsulae. [9] Tunc sānctus Brendānus, conversus frātribus suīs, ait: “Istud flūmen nōn possumus trānsīre, et ignōrāmus magnitūdinem illīus terrae.”
[10] Cum haec intrā sē volvissent, ecce iuvenis occurrit illīs obviam, ōsculāns illōs cum magnā laetitiā, et singulōs nōminātim appellābat, atque dīcēbat: [11] “Beātī quī habitant in domō tuā; in saeculum saeculī laudābunt tē.” [12] Cum haec dīxisset, ait ad sānctum Brendānum: “Ecce terram quam quaesīstī per multum tempus. [13] Ideō nōn potuistī statim invenīre illam, quia Deus voluit tibi ostendere dīversa sua sēcrēta in ōceanō magnō.
notes
The island is full of trees laden with ripe fruit. They explore for forty days, living off the land, and eventually come to a river; Brendan says they cannot cross, and do not know the extent of the island. A young man appears and welcomes them. He tells Brendan that this is the the land they have been looking for. They could not find it for so long because God wanted to show them the wonders of the ocean.
[6] Porrō ascendentibus dē nāvī, vīdērunt: in CL the subject of the ablative absolute would not also be the subject of the sentence.
nihil affuit illīs nox: CL would probably be nōn affuit illīs nox.
[7] Accipiēbant tantum dē pōmīs, et dē fontibus bibēbant: “they helped themselves only to fruits (etc.), and they drank from the springs.” We learn at 28.14 that there were also precious stones.
[9] Istud flūmen: see 1.21.
[10] ecce iuvenis: another angelic figure.
[11] “Beātī quī habitant, etc.: Psalm 83.5 (84.4): Blessed are they that dwell in thy house, O Lord: they shall praise the for ever and ever” (Beati qui habitant in domo tua, Domine; in saecula saeculorum laudabunt te).
in saeculum saeculī: “for ever and ever”; more common is in saecula saeculōrum. The combination of accusative and genitive is a Latinization of a Hebrew superlative.
[13] Ideō ... quia: "for this reason, ... namely that."
vocabulary
| porrō | next6 |
| spatiōsus –a –um | wide, spacious, large |
| pōmifer –fera –ferum | fruit-bearing |
| autumnālis –e | of autumn |
| circumeo (circueō ) –īre –iī / –īvī circuitus | to go around |
| pōmum –ī n. | fruit (esp. orchard-fruit)7 |
| bibō bibere bibī | to drink |
| per | through; by means of (OLD 14) |
| quādrāginta; quādrāgesimus –a –um | 40; 40th |
| perlūstrō perlūstrāre –āvī –ātus | to travel over, range over |
| vergō –ere | to move as on a downward slope, sink8 |
| per | through; by means of (OLD 14) |
| medium –iī n. | middle |
| īgnōrō īgnōrāre īgnōrāvī īgnōrātus | to not know; ignore9 |
| volvō volvere voluī volūtum | to ponder; to roll10 |
| iuvenis iuvenis m. | youth |
| obviam (adv.) | in the way, so as to meet |
| ōsculō (1) | to kiss (usually but not always deponent in CL) |
| laetitia laetitiae f. | joy, happiness |
| nōminātim | by name |
| habitō habitāre habitāvī habitātus | to inhabit11 |
| per | through; by means of (OLD 14)12 |
| quia | because; that13 |
| sēcrētum –ī n. | secret |
| ōceanus –ī m. | the ocean |