Quo consolante doleres!

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anatta
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Quo consolante doleres!

Post by anatta »

Hi all!

I have a question on the grammar of this sentence:

Quo consolante doleres! (Ovid, Met. I, 360)


Quis tibi, si sine me fatis erepta fuisses
nunc animus, miseranda, foret? Quo sola timorem
ferre modo posses? Quo consolante doleres!

It should be translated as: Who would comfort you when you felt sad? ---Is that right?

The main idea lies in Abl. abs. "quo consolante", doens't it? How is this phenomenon grammatically called?

Thanks in advance for every answer!

Ioannes
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Post by Ioannes »

yes, it's an ablativus absolutus:
Quo consolante doleres!:
Whom would you grieve being consoled by? -- giving us:
who would then console your bitter grief?

("doleres" is sub. conj. 2 singular, imperfect. )

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