ICARUS FALLING
hos aliquis tremula dum captat harundine pisces,
aut pastor baculo stivave innixus arator
vidit et obstipuit, quique aethera carpere possent,
credidit esse deos.
dum – while
obstipuit – he stood amazed
quique – and whoever
possent – could
aethera carpere – seize the air
credidit – he believed
esse – to be
deos – gods
Aliquis vidit hos, dum captat pisces tremula harundine. Aut pastor vidit hos, innixus baculo. Aut arator vidit hos, innixus stivave. Et obstipuit, et quique aethera carpere possent, credidit esse deos.
“Someone, while he caught fish with a trembling rod, or a shepherd leaning on a stick or a ploughman on a plough-handle, saw them. And he stood amazed, and whoever could seize the air, he believed to be gods.”
Take a moment to read through the original Latin, until you see how everything works. The order of words in the second line is classic Ovid, and I think it’s quite beautiful.