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The Latin reading blog: Asmenius on the delight of a garden.
In the book `Fifty Latin Lyrics’ by H.W. Franklin I found this poem by a certain Asmenius. He lived at the end of the 4th century, but a research on internet gave no further information: Asmenius is the first Roman writer I have encountered who has no lemma on Wikipedia…
It is a charming poem about the delights of a garden. As for me, I love to sit in my front garden in summer – when you can call 5 m2 a garden – but I rather like to drink rosé with my neighbour or to bbq with friends, than to cultivate flowers. I have paved it and so now and then I cut the hedge; so far for my gardening. I more enjoy picking flowers from anthologies than picking them from my garden.
In 1596 Jacobus Handi published a setting for 8 voices, but I have been unable to find a recording on internet.
Meter: iambic trimester x - u - x - u - x - u -
Adeste Musae, maximi proles Iovis,
Hortus salubris  corpori preabet cibos
variosque fructus saepe cultori refert,
holus suave, multiplex herbae genus,
uvas nitentis atque fetus arborum.
Non defit hortis voluptas maxima
aquae strepentis vitreus lambit liquor
sulcoque ductus irrigat rivus sata.
Apes sussuro murmurant gratae levi,
cum summae florum vel novos rores legunt.
Fecunda vitis coniuges ulmos gravat
textasve  inumbrat pampinis harundines.
Opaca praebent arbores umbracula
prohibentque densis fervidum solem comis.
Aves canorae  garrulous fundunt sonos
et semper auris cantibus mulcent suis.
Oblectat hortus, avocat pascit tenet
animoque maesto demit angores gravis;
membris vigorem reddit at visus capit,
refert labori pleniorem gratiam,
tribuit colenti multiforme gaudium.
proles, is (f): offspring
ferax, acis: fruitful, rich
praedico ( -are): proclaim
saluber  bris bre: healthy (with cibos: salubris = salubres)
cultor, is (m): cultivator
holus, oris (n): kitchen or garden herbs
niteo: to shine (nitentis  = nitentes)
fetus, us (m): produce
defit: a rare form for deficitur, but in this context deficit (lacks) seems more appropriate.
iucunditas, atis (f): delight
strepo ui: to murmur
lambo, bi, bitum: to lick, of water: to flow by
sulcus: furrow (sulco: abl. `by means of a furrow’)
nitesco: inchoative of niteo `to start to shine’, but in practise there is often no difference in meaning between an inchoative verb and the verb it is derived from.
discolour, oris: of various colours
germen, inis (n): bud
pingo pinxi pictum: to paint
gemmeus: like precious stones
honor, oris (m): here: ornament
apis, apis (f): bee
ros, roris (m): dew
lego legi lectum: to choose
Fecunda vitis coniuges ulmos gravat: abundant vine makes heavy its husband elms.
pampinus (f and m): vine-leave
textas harundines intertwined reed (harundo, inis (f): reed)
fundo fudi fusum: to pour
mulceo: to soothe, delight
Oblectat hortus, avocat pascit tenet a garden delights, diverts, satisfies enthrals`’ (H.W. Franklin)
demo dempsi demptum: to take away
angor, oris (m): anguish, trouble
visus capit `takes the eye’
colo colui cultum: to cultivate
Wall painting of a garden scene with fountain and birds, from Oplontis, first century AD. (VRoma: Barbara McManus)
Posted by Leo Tepper at 12:46
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