“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.
The oak tree is still the subject, and the ablatives are of location, perhaps:
As far as it (the oak) stretches to the ethereal breezes at its peak, so far it stretches to Tartarus at its root.
An ablative will never ever ever be the subject of a finite verb.
Vergil loves locatival ablatives… or any other vague sort of ablative for that matter.
Vergil loves locatival ablatives… or any other vague sort of ablative for that matter.
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.
-david
*edited (eo → ei)
Trying to translate “sunt lacrima rerum” will make you realise how “poetic” Vergil’s use of cases is.