Metrum 5

Meter: Anapestic dimeter catalectic. Diaeresis between the metra occurs only in lines 1 and 27.

line 4

facili: "ready-to-hand, easy-to-find," picked up randomly from the earth where they lay abundantly. Cf. 1M6.6, where acorns are a less attractive food.
sera: "tardy," modifying ieiunia; people in olden days were less hastily attentive to their hunger.

line 5

glande: "acorn, nut."

line 6

Bacchica: "Bacchic"; see on 1M6.15.
norant: = nouerant; here, "knew [how to]."

line 7

melle: < mel, "honey"; honey wine or mead (mulsum) was a luxury at Rome.

line 8

lucida uellera Serum: (< Seres, "the Chinese") "gleaming fleeces of the Chinese," i.e., silk from China (not long after B.'s death the emperor Justinian sought to import silkworms to the empire to satisfy demand for the fabric).

line 9

Tyrio: Tyrio . . . ueneno: "Tyrian dye," extracted from shellfish and exported from Tyre in Phoenicia to adorn the richest garments. (uenenum is ordinarily "venom," but with proper adjectives is regularly used for "dye" as well.)
ueneno: Tyrio . . . ueneno: "Tyrian dye," extracted from shellfish and exported from Tyre in Phoenicia to adorn the richest garments. (uenenum is ordinarily "venom," but with proper adjectives is regularly used for "dye" as well.)

line 10

herba: "grass."

line 13

secabat: < seco, "cut, cleave"; subject is hospes (line 15).

line 14

mercibus undique lectis: "having gathered merchandise from all over."

line 16

classica: < classicum, "battle signal, trumpet."

line 21

uiderent: effectively "foresaw" for prouiderent; the shorter form is metrically convenient.

line 23

Utinam: Utinam . . . redirent . . . tempora: "If only our times might return"; imperfect subjunctive in a present wish incapable of fulfillment.
redirent: Utinam . . . redirent . . . tempora: "If only our times might return"; imperfect subjunctive in a present wish incapable of fulfillment.

line 24

tempora: Utinam . . . redirent . . . tempora: "If only our times might return"; imperfect subjunctive in a present wish incapable of fulfillment.

line 25

Aetnae: the volcano in Sicily.

line 26

amor ardet habendi: cf. 2M2.18, sitis ardescit habendi.

line 29

latere uolentes: "preferring to remain hidden."

line 30

fodit: "dug [up]," less precise than effodit, but metrically easier.