Salix, ut dicit Ysidorus, arbor est infructuosa, et dicitur salix eo quod cito salit, id est crescit. Arbor mollis est et inflexibilis, habilis vitibus vinciendis. Floret, sed non fructificat. Cuius florem si quis in cibum sumpserit, liberis carere dicitur. Platearius: Est autem hec arbor frigida et sicca. Cortex, flores et folia competunt medicine. Vim consolidandi et constringendi habent. Succus ex floribus expressus et in potum datus febres tollit. Frondes et folia aspersa aqua circa febricitantes aerem infrigidant.
- Translation
- Vocabulary
- Notes
The willow, as Isidore says, is a tree that produces no fruit, and it is called “willow” for the reason that it jumps up quickly; i.e. it grows. The tree is supple and flexible, fit for the binding of vines. It flowers, but it does not bear fruit. If one should have eaten its flowers as food, it is said that he will be without children. Platearius: However, this tree is cold and dry. The bark, flowers, and leaves coincide as medicine. They have the power of consolidating and squeezing together. The juice expressed from the flowers and given in a drink takes away fevers. The leaves and foliage splashed with water around those having fevers cool the air.
careo, carere, carui, caritus v. to be devoid of, lack
cito adv. rapidly, suddenly
competo, competere, competivi, competitus v. to coincide, meet
cresco, crescere, crevi, cretus v. to arise, be born, grow
eo adv. consequently, therefore, for that reason
febricito, febricitare, febricitavi, febricitatus v. to have a fever
fructifico fructificare, fructificavi, fructificatus v. to bear fruit
habilis, habile adj. fit, apt
infructosus, -a, -um adj. unfruitful
liber, liberi m. child
mollis, molle adj. soft, flexible, supple, pliant
salio, salire, salui, saltus v. to jump, leap forth, discharge
salix, salicis f. willow
tollo, tollere, sustuli, sublatus v. to remove, take away
Ysidorus: Saint Isidore of Seville. Considered the “last scholar of the ancient world,” the first Christian writer to attempt to create an encyclopedia of universal knowledge.
dicitur salix: “it is called ‘willow'” salix is subject complement.
eo quod: introducing a causal clause: for the reason that
id est: as in English: that is/i.e.
vitibus vinciendis: gerundive: “for the binding of vines”
si quis: si aliquis
liberis carere: indirect statement. liberis is ablative case in ablative of separation with carere, a verb of deprivation.
Platearius: Matthaeus Platearius, a twelfth-century physician and physical science writer, who wrote about the medicinal properties of herbs and plants.
hec: haec
medicine: ablative of respect
consolidandi et constringendi: two gerunds in the genitive case with vim
expressus: perfect passive participle with succus
datus: perfect passive participle with succus
aspersa aqua: could be either ablative absolute (“with water splashed“) or could be aspersa, nominative plural neuter perfect passive participle with folia and aqua, ablative of means (“foliage, splashed with water“)
febricitantes: masculine/feminine plural present active participle