Alter remus aquas, alter biti radat harenas

English translation: Let one oar skim the water, the other the sand (stay close to the shore)

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

Latin term or phrase:	Alter remus aquas, alter biti radat harenas
English translation:	Let one oar skim the water, the other the sand (stay close to the shore)
Entered by:	Charles Davis

06:44 Nov 16, 2013

Latin to English translations [PRO]
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters / Poetry

Latin term or phrase: Alter remus aquas, alter biti radat harenas

Same background as last question.

Gad Kohenov KudoZ activity Questions: 1694 (14 open) (118 without valid answers) (37 closed without grading) Answers: 10124 Israel
Local time: 02:40

Let one oar skim the water, the other the sand (stay close to the shore)

Explanation:
"biti" should be "tibi". This is from Propertius, Elegies, Book III, 3, line 23. The translation given above is that of H. E. Butler (1912) from the old Loeb edition, but it's perfectly reliable:
https://archive.org/stream/propertiuswithen00propuoft#page/1...

I've added a paraphrase to suggest the sense of it as a maxim: do not venture too far out to sea; play safe. Something similar is suggested here (though it should be "tibi" not "mihi": you, not me):
http://books.google.es/books?id=rAXHv7KlHxMC&pg=PA228&lpg=PA...

alter... alter means "the one... the other".
remus: oar (nominative)
aquas: waters (accusative)
tibi: to you (dative), here implying possession, in effect
radat: 3 p sing present subj of radere, literally "scrape"; i.e. "let it scrape".
harenas: sands (accusative)

So:
Alter remus [tibi radat] aquas: [Let] one [of your] oar[s scrape] the waters
alter [remus] tibi radat harenas: Let the other of your [oars] scrape the sands

Selected response from:

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 01:40

Grading comment

Thanks a lot!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

5 +5

Let one oar skim the water, the other the sand (stay close to the shore)

Charles Davis

Answers

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): +5

Let one oar skim the water, the other the sand (stay close to the shore)

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 01:40
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 12

Grading comment

Thanks a lot!

Notes to answerer

Asker: Now I see. Remus is rame in French and not the brother of Romulus. radat means to graze in passing or scrape and harena (sand) became arena in modern Spanish. Thank you!

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Alter remus aquas, alter biti radat harenas

English translation: Let one oar skim the water, the other the sand (stay close to the shore)

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Alter remus aquas, alter biti radat harenas

English translation: Let one oar skim the water, the other the sand (stay close to the shore)

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