Aeneid 4.445
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Aeneid 4.445
"ipsa[the oak tree] haeret scopulis et quantum vertice ad auras/ aetherias, tantum radice in Tartara tendit:" I translated this, " it clings to the rocks and as far as the peak stretches to the ethereal breezes, so far does the root stretch into Tartarus. I do not understand why vertex and and radix are in the ablative case.
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True enough, but in this case they seem to be instrumental ablatives. The tree is reaching toward the sky with its crown, reaching toward Tartarus with its roots. location is indicated in this sentence (miselli lectores gratias ei agamus!) with "ad" and "in" (except for "scopulis haeret"). I guess the alternate reading is possible - locative ablative, but instrumental makes more sense to me.Vergil loves locatival ablatives... or any other vague sort of ablative for that matter.
-david
*edited (eo -> ei)
Last edited by bellum paxque on Mon Jan 02, 2006 3:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
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