# fomite condito cui salis unda natat



## bedefan

Hello all. I’m reading a poem by the Late Latin (d. 600 AD) poet Venantius Fortunatus. In this poem (poem VII.I, Ad Gogonem), he’s praising a minor Merovingian lord named Gogo. He especially praises Gogo’s sweet speech.

I’m having trouble with this sentence:

fomite condito cui salis unda natat

Here’s the context (not the whole poem):

ubere fonte rigat labiorum gratia pollens,
cuius ab arcano vox epulanda fluit.
pervigili sensu dives prudentia regnat,
fomite condito cui salis unda natat;
qui fulgore animi radios a pectore vibras,
et micat interior lux imitata diem.

So Lewis and Short tells us that a Christian meaning of “fomes” is sin, so I’m guessing that’s what’s going on with “fomite.” (“Tinder” doesn’t really make sense here.) But aside from that I’m lost—fomite condito appears to be an abl. abs., or maybe an abl. of respect, but what’s the antecedent of cui? The man being praised, or fomes? And what the heck is it even doing there? And how are we to understand condito? Does a wave move upon the deep unto him with respect to his, what, suppressed sin? If so… What the heck does that mean?

Any help appreciated.


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## PacoBajito

Well your doubts are right. It's not so easy this poem. I think you should look at the parallelism with the verse above, and so fomite condito is not an absolute ablative even because there is cui (I know the absolutiness of the ablative is not strictly respected neither by Caesar...)
Salis and unda in this case must have a metaphorical meaning, and so for fomine [bubble, burst, bloom and similar as derivate from foveo] and condito [as participle of condio so tasty nice and similars]. The most difficult is cui "to you and inside you"
So I'd translate

"with nice blooming you whom a wave of wittiness swims "

I'm not absolutely sure about that but you can surely start from the metaphorical meaning of unda and salis...I'm rather sure about that, the rest is ope ingenii 

Let me know


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## wonderment

Hi, PacoBajito: I agree with your translation of _salis unda_, but have a different reading for _fomite condito_. But to be more certain of my interpretation, I have two questions: last word in 5th line, _vibras_ and not _vibrat_? Is Gogo the direct addressee of the poem? Anyway, it makes less sense to take _fomite _as “sin” in a praise poem.


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## bedefan

Yep, now that I think of it, it doesn't really make sense for fomes to mean "sin" here, and after asking a classicist friend, he said that medieval association of fomes and sin is not so much that fomes means sin but rather "sufficient grounds for sin": i.e., kindling for sin.

And yes, it is vibras. I'm at work now, but will see if I can get the whole poem off of Brepolis and post it. It's a bit long though (50 lines). In any case, the poem is addressed directly to Gogo sometimes in the 2nd person, and in other places describes particular qualities of his in the 3rd person.


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## PacoBajito

wonderment said:


> Hi, PacoBajito: I agree with your translation of _salis unda_, but have a different reading for _fomite condito_. But to be more certain of my interpretation, I have two questions: last word in 5th line, _vibras_ and not _vibrat_? Is Gogo the direct addressee of the poem? Anyway, it makes less sense to take _fomite _as “sin” in a praise poem.



well, what do you think about _fomite condito_? I think it's very difficult and others idea will be surely appreciated. I agree both with you that "sin" makes no sense here and with bedefan about the meaning of _fomite.
_I think that the Christian sense, in a contest where the poet celebrates the rhetoric skills of the lord, has no sense at all.


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## bedefan

OK, here is the full text of the poem, in case it's helpful to you. Our problematic line is about halfway down.

Poem VII.I. Ad Gogonem.

Orpheus orditas moveret dum pollice chordas
verbaque percusso pectine fila darent,
mox resonante lyra tetigit dulcedine silvas,
ad citharae cantus traxit amore feras.
undique miserunt vacuata cubilia dammas,
deposita rabie tigris et ipsa venit.
sollicitante melo nimio filomela volatu,
pignora contemnens fessa cucurrit avis:
sed quamvis longo spatio lassaverat alas,
ad votum veniens se recreavit avis.
sic stimulante tua captus dulcedine, Gogo,
longa peregrinus regna viator adit.
undique festini veniant ut promptius omnes,
sic tua lingua trahit sicut et ille lyra.
ipse fatigatus huc postquam venerit exul,
antea quo doluit te medicante caret.
eruis adflictis gemitus et gaudia plantas;
ne tamen arescant, oris ab imbre foves.
aedificas sermone favos nova mella ministrans,
dulcis et eloquii nectare vincis apes.
ubere fonte rigat labiorum gratia pollens,
cuius ab arcano vox epulanda fluit.
pervigili sensu dives prudentia regnat,
fomite condito cui salis unda natat;
qui fulgore animi radios a pectore vibras,
et micat interior lux imitata diem.
sed vicibus mundum modo sol modo nubila complent:
at tua semper habent corda serena diem.
visceribus promptis templum pietatis haberis
muneribusque sacris es fabricata domus.
forma venusta tibi proprio splendore coruscat,
ut mentis habitum vultus et ipse probet.
omne genus laudum specie concludis in una,
nec plus est aliquid quam tua forma gerit.
principis arbitrio Sigibercthi magnus haberis:
iudicium regis fallere nemo potest.
elegit sapiens sapientem et amator amantem,
ac veluti flores docta sequestrat apes.
illius ex merito didicisti talis haberi,
et domini mores serve benigne refers.
nuper ab Hispanis per multa pericula terris
egregio regi gaudia summa vehis.
diligis hunc tantum quantum meliora parasti:
nemo armis potuit quod tua lingua dedit.
haec bona si taceam, te nostra silentia laudant,
nec voces spectes qui mea corda tenes.
vera favendo cano neque me fallacia damnat,
teste loquor populo: crimine liber ero.
haec tibi longinquos laus ardua surgat in annos,
haec te vita diu servet et illa colat.


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## Cagey

Returning to the original section quoted in Post #1: I wonder whether you would give us the translation you have of it so far.


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## bedefan

Sure, Cagey! Here's how I'm reading those other lines:

The mighty grace of your lips runs in a fruitful stream,
Your hungered-after voice flows from the deep.
Rich prudence rules with all-vigilant perception,
(hard line);
In your soul's splendor you shake out rays from your breast,
and your interior light gleams, imitating the day.

Probably a couple of things are off in there, so feel free to correct me. Perhaps if I read something a little differently, the fomite condito would make a little more sense?

Thanks!


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## Cagey

Lewis and Short cite Gell. "_fomes et incitabulum ingenii virtutisque_", where _fomes _(kindling) has metaphoric meaning of "source/ inspiration" (or similar). 

I wonder whether '_fomite condito_' could be 'with hidden kindling'.  Then, depending on whether we have an ablative absolute or an ablative of source, we might have (in crude translationese):"with source hidden, for whom a wave of wit flows"​Or:"for whom a wave of wit flows from a hidden source"​Do you think that this would work (much revised, of course)?


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## wonderment

bedefan said:


> And yes, it is vibras. I'm at work now, but will see if I can get the whole poem off of Brepolis and post it. It's a bit long though (50 lines). In any case, the poem is addressed directly to Gogo sometimes in the 2nd person, and in other places describes particular qualities of his in the 3rd person.



Thanks. I wanted to be sure that _fomite condito_ and what follows are all of a piece and refer to one individual. (The switch between 2nd and 3rd person threw me off.) Anyhow, I’d translate _fomite condito_ as “hidden spark” (ablative of attendant circumstance...or some such). 

_Fomes_ is a very particular kind of source, for fire and light; it’s the figural (divine) spark that resides in each person (thus hidden), that kindles the soul’s brilliance radiating from inside (_qui fulgore animi radios a pectore vibras/et micat interior lux imitata diem_). We see this usage of _fomes_ in Boethius (Christian philosopher from late antiquity) who alluded to the spark that lies hidden in the heart’s depth: _ni mersus alto uiueret fomes corde_? (_Consolatio Philosophiae_ 3M11.14)

HTH


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## bedefan

Yes, I believe you're right! Thanks so much!


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