We get, then,
sator fu: sere Mars limen Saii, sia berber,
'Be thou the sower: sower Mars, sow the soil, moisten the loam'. And this suggests what oughtto be the meaning of enos iuuate. enos oughtto mean harvests, or at any rate something in that kind. And why should it not? Hesychius knew a word ἔнпт which he glosses by ἐнйбхфόт, ἐрέфейпт кбсрόт. See Suidas s.v.and Herwerden Lexicon Suppletorium.
The Hymn is a hymn for Seedtime. We know, however, that the festival at which it was sung fell in the month of May. The explanation of this has been hinted at by Henzen.[23] Henzen points out that the Arval Brothers entered on their duties at the Saturnalia, and that their worship is probably connected in its origin with Saturn, the god of sowing. (See Varro L.L.5, 57, and apudAug. C.D.7. 13 p. 290, 28, Festus s.v.Saturnus.) We must suppose, therefore, that at some date when the meaning of its words had been already lost this hymn was transferred from a seedtime festival to a harvest festival.
1. i.cante: cante(sometimes said to be an Athematic imper. 2 pers. plur.).
ii.quome: cum.
Leucesie: ( Lucerie?) a title of Jupiter as god of lightning.
tet: te.
tremonti: tremunt.
quor: cur.
Curis: 'god of spear-men' (?): Etruscan curis, a spear: (cf. Iunonis Curitis).
decstumum: dextimum, 'on the right' (the suffix -imusis not strictly a superlative suffix, but denotes position: cf. summus( sup-mus), finitimus, citimus).
iii.ulod: illo(?) ( ollod) (cf. Umbrian ulu).
oriese: oriere: future for imperative as in 2 aduocapit.
isse: ipse( ipese): the form isseis merely the vulgar spelling of a later period.
ueuet: uiuit.
po melios: optimus(?) (' popro potissimumpositum est in Saliari carmine', Festus).
eu: heu(admirantis).
recum: regum(as uircofor uirgoin the Duenos Inscription: and so always in early Latin until 312 B.C.).
2. enos: nos(?) cf. ἐмέ], [Greek: ἐмпί.
Lases: Lares.
lue rue: luem et ruinam.
Marmar: Mars.
sins: sinas(?).
sers: siueris(?).
pleoris: pluris(cf. рле(ί)щн = рлепнт = pleios = pleor).
fu: esto( fufere= esto, others: as though fufuere).
sta berber, 'stay thy scourge' (?): sta = ἵуфб; berber: uerbera. Others interpret, 'stand, fierce one' (berber = barbare).
semunis: semones, 'gods of the sown fields'.
aduocapit: aduocabitis.
5. i.Gnaiuod: Gnaeo: the old abl. in -d: cf. meretodin ii.
parisuma: superlative of par.
Taurasia Cisauna Samnio: Taurasiam Cisaunam (in) Samnio(or Samnium). The dropping of -m(cf. oino, aedein ii) is, however, not in any way a peculiarity of early Latin.
subigit: subegit.
abdoucsit: abduxit.
ii.oino: unum.
ploirime: plurimi.
duonoro .. uiro: bonorum .. uirum.
Scipione: Scipionem.
Corsica Aleriaque urbe: Corsicam Aleriamque urbem.
aide: aedem.
meretod: merito.
iii.apice insigne: apicem insignem.
recipit: recepit(as subigitin i).
iv.quei minus: cur minus.
mactus: 'blessed', 'honoured', 'endowed'.
6. i.insece: inseque, imperat. from inquam( in(s)quam): ἔннере.
iv.dacrimas: lacrimas.