In message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Neven Jovanovic <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes >Dear Vergiliani, >working on a Croatian translation of Vergil's Bucolica, I was not >satisfied with Clausen's commentary (or reticence) on B. 2,3: > >tantum inter densas, umbrosa cacumina, fagos (assidue ueniebat...) > >How can _cacumina_, that is, the tree-tops, be _umbrosa_? They're on >top, aren't they? Would you prefer to take _umbrosa_ as passive or active >adjective?
Isn't it both, in the poet's characteristic manner: they cast shadows not only on the ground but on each other (the trees are close together), and therefore receive shadows too. We ought not to be too rigorously logical in these matters. > > >Yours, > >Neven *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_* Leofranc Holford-Strevens 67 St Bernard's Road usque adeone Oxford scire MEVM nihil est, nisi ME scire hoc sciat alter? OX2 6EJ tel. +44 (0)1865 552808(home)/267865(work) fax +44 (0)1865 512237 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (home) [EMAIL PROTECTED] (work) *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_* ----------------------------------------------------------------------- To leave the Mantovano mailing list at any time, do NOT hit reply. Instead, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message "unsubscribe mantovano" in the body (omitting the quotation marks). You can also unsubscribe at http://virgil.org/mantovano/mantovano.htm#unsub
