Pliny - The Dolphin

• delphinus occurrit et nunc praecedere puerum nunc sequi, nunc circumire postremo subire.

  A dolphin met him and now swam in front of the boy, now behind, now went around him and finally went underneath him (to take him on its back).
• deponere, iterum subire trepidantemque perferre primum in altum, mox flectit ad litus redditque terrae.

  then put him off and then again dived under him, carried the trembling boy first to the open sea, then soon swung back round to shore and returned him to the land.
• serpit per colonial fama; concurrere omnes, ipsum puerum tamquam miraculum adspicere, interrogare, audire, narrare.

  The tale spread through the town. Everyone ran up, looked at the boy as if he were some marvel, asked him questions, listened to his story and told it to others.
• obsident litus prospectant mari, et so quid mari simile.

  The following day they came to the shore in crowds and looked out to sea and anything like the sea.
• delphinus rursus ad tempus, rursus ad puerum venit. fugit ille cum ceteris.

  The dolphin again appeared on time and again approached the boy. He fled/swam away with the others.
• delphinus, quasi invitet et revocet, exsilit, mergitur, variosque robes implicate expeditque.

  The dolphin, as if inviting him and calling him back, jumped out of the water and dived back in, and performed forward and backward flips.
• hoc altero die, hoc tertio, hoc pluribus, donec hormones innutritos mari subiret timendi pudor

  It did this the next day and a third day

  and on several other occasions, until the people brought up by the sea began to be ashamed of their fears.
• accedunt et adlunt et appellant, tangunt etiam pertrectantque praebentem.

  They approached the dolphin, played with it, called it, even touched and stroked it, as it allowed this
• crescit audacia experimento

  Their daring grew with experience
• maxime puer, qui primus expertus est,

  In particular the boy, who had been the first one to try
• adnatat natanti, insilit tergo, fertur referturque


  swam up to it as it was swimming, leapt on its back, and was carried back and forth
• agnosci se, amari putat, amat ipse ;

  He thought that he was recognised (by the dolphin) and loved by it, and he loved it back;
• neuter timet, neuter timetur; huius fiducia mansuetudo illius augetur.

  neither was afraid, neither was; both the boys confidence and the dolphins tameness increased.
• nec non alii pueri dextra laevaque simul eunt hortantes monentesque


  Some of the other boys as well would go with him on the right and on the left, shouting encouragement and warnings.
• ibat una (id quoque mirum) delphinus alius tantum spectator et comes

  What is also amazing, another dolphin would swim with it, but only as spectator and companion.