Carmina

Carmina Burana - this is a page at Gavin Betts' website for Teach Yourself Latin (a pretty good text really; I don't know why there is so little discussion of it) - A number of the Carmina Burana are presented with a translation at the bottom - An excellent resource for those learning a little something about the Goliards and the Latin poetry of the middle ages (roughly 12th century).

Laura Gibbs has added a "Disticha Latina" to her blog, two line poems from various eras, to which she adds lots of material for reading and understanding them: @http://distichalatina.blogspot.com/2012/03/distich-slideshows.html

OLD (I forget when) Poems for memorization. It is good to memorize things like poems, and to review them in our minds from time to time. There is no reason that should not be done in Latin as well as in English. Here are some which can be studied, learned and committed to memory. When you're ready, you can earn some extra credit by doing a recitation in class. A really worthwhile recitation would involve proper pronunciation reflecting an understanding of syllable quantity, elision and stress accents as well as an awareness what the poem expresses. It would be very difficult to do a good recitation without having figured out the meaning of all the words and the grammatical structure with which the poet has fit them together to say what he wants to say. In other words, you should be prepared to explain the semantics and syntax of the piece. If you're willing to devote the time and effort to this sort of task I'd be more than happy to reward it with some extra credit.

 The four from Martial last week:

 Thaïs habet nigrōs, niveōs Laecānia dentēs  Quae ratiō est? Emptōs haec habet, illa suōs.  [listen to a recording: media type="file" key="Thaïs.m4a" width="300" height="50"]

 Nōn amo tē, Sabidī, nec possum dīcere quārē.  Hoc tantum possum dīcere, nōn amo tē.  [listen to a recording: media type="file" key="non amo te.m4a" width="300" height="50"]

 Difficile, facile, iucundus, acerbus, es īdem.  Nec tēcum possum vīvere, nec sine tē.

 Cūr nōn mitto meōs, tibi, Pontiliāne, libellōs?  Nē mihi tū mittās, Pontiliāne, tuōs.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> A few more two verse zingers from Martial:

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Nescio tam multīs quid scrībās, Fauste, puellīs. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Hoc scio quod scrībit nūlla puella tibi.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Nīl mihi dās vīvus, dīcis ʻpost fāta datūrum.ʻ <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Sī nōn es stultus, scīs, Maro, quid cupiam!

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Nōn est, crēde mihi, sapientis dīcere "vīvam". <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Sēra nimis vīta est crastina. Vīve hodiē.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Quem recitās meus est, ō Fïdentīne, libellus. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Sed male cum recitās, incipit esse tuus.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Nil recitās, et vīs, Mamerce, poēta vidērī. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Quidquid vīs, estō – dummodo nil recitēs.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Semper pauper eris, sī pauper es, Aemiliāne. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Dantur opēs nūllīs nunc nisi dīvitibus.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Hesternō foetēre merō quī crēdit Acerram <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> fallitur: in lūcem semper Acerra bibit.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Quid mihi reddat ager quaeris, Line, Nōmentānus. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Hoc mihi reddit ager: tē, Line, nōn videō.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Esse nihil dīcis quidquid petis, improbe Cinna. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Sī nil, Cinna, petis, nil tibi, Cinna, negō.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Versiculōs in mē nārrātur scrībere Cinna. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Nōn scrībit, cuius carmina nēmo legit.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Nūbere Paula cupit nōbīs, ego dūcere Paulam <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> nōlō; anus est. Vellem, sī magis esset anus.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Habet Āfricānus milliēns, tamen captat. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Fortūna multīs dat nimis, satis nūllī.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Nūbere vīs Prīscō; nōn mīror, Paula, sapīstī. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Dūcere tē nōn vult Prīscus; et ille sapit!

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> A longer one from Martial about tomorrow:

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Crās tē victūrum, crās dīcis, Postume, semper. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Dīc mihi, crās istud, Postume, quando venit? <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Quam longē crās istud, ubi est? aut unde petendum? <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Numquid apud Parthōs Armeniōsque latet? <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Iam crās istud habet Priamī vel Nestoris annōs. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Crās istud quantī, dīc mihi, possit emī? <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Crās vīvēs? hodiē iam vīvere, Postume, sērum est : <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Ille sapit, quisquis, Postume, vīxit herī.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> A couple short ones from Catullus:

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Odī et amō. Quārē id faciam fortasse requīris. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Nescio, sed fierī sentiō et excrucior. (85)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Nil nimium studeō, Caesar, tibi velle placēre, <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> nec scīre utrum sīs albus an āter homō. (93)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Nūllī sē dīcit mulier mea ʻnūbere mālle <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> quam mihi, nōn sī sē Iuppiter ipse petat!ʻ <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Dīcit. Sed mulier cupidō quod dīcit amantī <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> in ventō et rapidā scrībere oportet aquā! (70)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Unattributed:

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Admiror, pariēs, tē nōn cecidisse ruīnīs, <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> cum tot scriptōrum taedia sustineās. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> (this was some graffiti found in Pompeii)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Miximus in lectō. Fateor, peccāvimus, hospes. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Sī dīcēs: “Quārē?” Nūlla matella fuit. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> (more graffiti)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Tidbits from Ovid:

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Nec quae praeteriit iterum revocābitur unda <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> nec quae praeteriit hōra redīre potest.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Expedit esse deōs, et, ut expedit, esse putēmus <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Dentur in antīquōs tūra merumque focōs.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Barbarus hīc ego sum quī nōn intelligor ullī <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> et rīdent stolidī verba Latīna Getae. ..

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> From Vergilʻs Georgics:

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Fēlix quī potuit rērum cognōscere causās <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> atque metūs omnīs et inexorābile fātum <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> subiēcit pedibus strepitumque Acherontis avāri <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Fortūnātus et ille deōs quī nōvit agrestīs <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Pānaque Sylvanumque senem Nymphasque sorōrēs

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> From the Aeneid:

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Arma virumque cano, Troiae qui primus ab oris <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Italiam, fato profugus, Laviniaque venit <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> litora, multum ille et terris iactatus et alto <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> vi superum saevae memorem Iunonis ob iram; <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> multa quoque et bello passus, dum conderet urbem, <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> inferretque deos Latio, genus unde Latinum, <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Albanique patres, atque altae moenia Romae.