Breakdown of Cum ventus crescat, gubernator clamat: “Remi parentur; velum firmum maneat.”
manere
to remain
clamare
to shout
cum
when
parare
to prepare
Questions & Answers about Cum ventus crescat, gubernator clamat: “Remi parentur; velum firmum maneat.”
Why doesn’t cum mean with here?
Because here cum is a conjunction, not a preposition.
- As a preposition with an ablative noun, cum means with:
cum amico = with a friend - As a conjunction introducing a clause, cum can mean when, since, or although.
In Cum ventus crescat, cum is followed by a full clause with a verb (crescat), so it means something like when/as/since, not with.
Why is crescat in the subjunctive?
After cum, Latin often uses the subjunctive when the cum-clause gives the circumstances or background for the main action.
So Cum ventus crescat, gubernator clamat is not just a plain time-statement like at that exact moment the wind rises. It is more like:
- when/as the wind is rising
- since the wind is rising
- with the wind increasing
That kind of background idea commonly takes the subjunctive in Latin.
What form is crescat exactly?
is: