Chommoda dicebat, si quando commoda vellet

dicere, et insidias Arrius hinsidias,

et tum mirifice sperabat se esse locutum,

cum quantum poterat dixerat hinsidias.

credo, sic mater, sic liber avunculus eius.

sic maternus avus dixerat atque avia.

hoc misso in Syriam requierant omnibus aures

audibant eadem haec leniter et leviter,

nec sibi postilla metuebant talia verba,

cum subito affertur nuntius horribilis,

Ionios fluctus, postquam illuc Arrius isset,

iam non Ionios esse sed Hionios.

Arrius says "hadvantage", if he wishes to say "advantage"

and "hambush" (when he wishes to say) "ambush"

and then hopes that he spoke remarkably

whenever he was able to the greatest degree to say "hambush".

I believe that as his mother, as his free uncle,

so his maternal grandfather and grandmother spoke.

This one having been sent to Syria, the ears of all relaxed:

They heard these same (things) said gently and quietly,

Nor afterwards did they fear such words

When suddenly a terrifying message was brought

That the Ionian waves, after Arrius had come there

Was no longer Ionian, by Hionian.

• you may want to pay attention to the role that self-deception plays in this poem -- does Arrius know that he is pronouncing things incorrectly?
• notethat when Arrius goes away, the active role in the sentence is played by the ears of many, not by Arrius -- personification, but why?
• Is there something funny about the fact that Arrius's pronunciation is so powerful that it renames the Ionian coastline?