Effigies Glaciei Edulis

Haec glăcĭes quamquam pŏsĭta est ardente călōre

rōbur ceu dūrum, permănĕt usque tămen.

On the Skeleton of a Ship at Visitor's Center, Salem, MA

Fracta carîna iacet; divulsa â marmore; prôrâ

nec sensûra umquam caerula frêta suâ. 

There lies the broken ship, rent from the marble sea.

Nor will it ever feel the azure with its prow again.  

CLAVDIA SAEPE ROGAS (ADVMBRATIO SECVNDA)

CLAVDIA SAEPE ROGAS, CLAVDENTES VNDE ORIANTVR

     VERSVS, CVR MVSAE VERSER IN ARTE LEVIS.

TV MIHI FIS CAVSAE RELIGANS MANANTIA AD ALNVM

     STRAGVLA CVM LALLAS, GAVDET ET OMNE NEMVS

Claudia, you often ask where my limping verses come from;

     why I engage in the art of a trivial muse.

You become their cause then, when, fastening the dripping sheets 

     up to an alder, you sing, and the entire grove rejoices.  

CLAVDIA SAEPE ROGAS (ADVMBRATIO)

CLAVDIA SAEPE ROGAS CLAVDENTES VNDE ORIANTVR

     VERSVS, QVOR MVSAE VERSAR IN ARTE LEVIS?

ESTNE TVVS SERMO LEVIS; EST CREPITANTIBVS AVSTER

     ARBORIBVS LEVIS; EST MAGNVS ET ALTVS AMOR?

HAEC MIHI SVNT CAVSAE, LICET VT SVA MAENALA LVSTRENT        

     PAN FAVNIQVE; SONET FISTVLA PER NEMORA.

VRBS MEA, O, QVAMQVAM NEQVE GRANDIS NEC MEMORANDA

     MAENALA SIT MIHI; VOX ET MEA FISTVLA SIT.

DESINE MIRARI QVOR SIM SEMPER MEDITATVS

     VERSVS: NON SINE TE CARMINA MVSA DABIT.                               

                CLAUDIA SAEPE ROGAS CLAVDENTES VNDE ORIANTVR
                          VERSVS: NON SINE TE DISTICHA MVSA CANET
___
In aliis cod. pro "DISTICHA" legitur "CARMINA"

Claudia, you often ask me where my limping verses come from./ Without you, my Muse won't sing.

Versus Elegiaci super domu nautarum

  Altum qui peragunt mare nautae, illîc habitabant

          Mensî caeruleam – veste madente – viam. 

"They come dear son, to take our land" - Revision 5

adveniunt ut agrōs rapiant, dīlecte, paternōs
fīlī, iam in campōs agmina saeva adigunt.
pugnēmus itaque et lapidēs hōs, arripiāmus
rāmōs, extorta et corde ferōce valent!
oscula dā mātrī; claustrumque impōnere longum
dīc puerīs; et equās celsa ferant stabula!
lūceat adsiduē fulvus (nam spēcula nostrīs
cordibus ardēbit) igne micante focus!

They come dear son, to seize ancestral land;
now drive their savage throngs towards our fields.
And so let's fight, let's grasp these rocks,
these boughs: when hurled with valorous heart
they avail quite well for arms.

Kiss your mother, and tell the boys
to put the long bolt on the door;
to bring the mares to stables high,
and to keep the hearth (for a glimmer
of hope will continue to blaze in our hearts)
lit with glittering fire.

Fragment, revised (iv)

adveniunt ut agrōs rapiant, dīlecte, paternōs
fīlī, iam in campōs agmina saeva adigunt.
pugnēmus itaque et lapidēs hōs, arripiāmus
rāmōs, extorta et corde ferōce valent!
oscula dā mātrī; claustrumque impōnere longum
dīc puerīs; et equās celsa ferant stabula!


They come, dear son, to take our land
and into fields lead savage troops.
And so let's fight, let's seize these rocks,
these boughs: if hurled with courageous heart,
they'll do quite well for arms.

Kiss your mother, tell the boys
to bolt the doors up tight; make sure
they bring the mares to their high stables.

End of the Road

(based on Viva La Vida, by Coldplay)

Photo (detail): Margaret Bourke-White, 1944. Source: LIFE/Google

"Quondam omnēs gentēs diciōne sōlus

ūnicā rēxī, pelagusque nūtū

aestuat meō; placidē resēdit

dicta facessens.

Fortūnae in palmō positus superbō

hostium timens pavidumque sensī

pectus; victorem et populus canēbat:

'Aemule dīvīs,

iō!' saevō ingressus milite ōlim in urbēs

gemmārum et aurī rapiēbam acervōs

templa infracta et foedera fracta līquī

turbinis instar.

mox terrōre armīsque regō cruentīs

ossibus trītīs procerum corōna est

et cruōre facta thronusque fūsō

sanguine fultus.

Cārius praedīs caput esse opīmīs

ōra per vulgī volitat susūrrus

nōvī stāre mōbilibus deinde

rēgiam harēnīs."

tālī garrulus mihi fātus ōre

senex nunc verrens trivium celebre

quod tyrannus tum numerāret inter

spōlia regnī.

Translation:

"Once I alone ruled all nations

with unparalleled might

and the sea at my nod

swells; and - eager to do my bidding -

there! has settled down again.

Placed in Fortune's haughty palm,

I sensed the quaking, timid heart

of my enemy, and as victor

the people would hymn me:

"Hail, O Rival to the Gods!"

Once, I invaded cities with savage armies

and seized heaps of gems and gold,

broken temples, and broken treaties

I left behind, like a savage tornado.

Then with terror and by cruel arms I rule;

From the ground bones and the gore

of princes has my diadem been made

and my throne supported

on their spilled blood.

The whisper flits across the people's lips

that my head is dearer than rich plunder

Then I know my palace stands

on shifting sand."

With such words did the talkative

old man address me, as now he swept

the crowded public square -

which back then as monarch - so he claimed -

he reckoned as a prize of war.

Model:

I used to rule the world

Seas would rise when I gave the word

Now in the morning I sleep alone

Sweep the streets I used to own

I used to roll the dice

Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes

Listen as the crowd would sing:

"Now the old king is dead, Long live the king"

One minute I held the key

next the walls were closed on me

and I discovered that my castles stand

on pillars of salt ʻnʻ pillars of sand

[refrain 1]

It was the wicked and wild wind

blew down the doors to let me in

shattered windows and the sound of drums

people couldn't believe what I'd become

Revolutionaries wait

for my head on a silver plate

Just a puppet on a lonely string

Oh, who would ever want to be king?

[refrain 2 x 2]

Viva La Vida in Latin Sapphics

(original lyrics by Coldplay)

[in progress]

Quondam omnēs gentēs diciōne sōlus

ūnicā rēxī, pelagusque nūtū

aestuat meō; placidē resēdit

dicta facessens.

Fortūnae in palmō positus superbō

hostium timens pavidumque sensī

pectus; victorem et populus canēbat:

'Aemule dīvīs,

iō!' saevō ingressus milite ōlim in urbēs

gemmārum et aurī rapiēbam acervōs

templa infracta et foedera fracta līquī

turbinis instar.

mox terrōre armīsque regō cruentīs

ossibus trītīs procerum corōna est

et cruōre facta thronusque fūsō

sanguine fultus.

Translation:

Once I alone ruled all nations

with unparalleled might

and the sea at my nod

swelled; and eager to do my bidding

settled down again.

Placed in Fortune's haughty palm,

I sensed the quaking, timid heart

of my enemy, and as victor

the people would hymn me:

"Hail, O Rival to the Gods!"

Once, I invaded cities with savage armies

and seized heaps of gems and gold,

broken temples, and broken treaties

I left behind, like a savage tornado.

Then with terror and by cruel arms I rule;

From the ground bones and the gore

of princes has my diadem been made

and my throne supported

on their bloodshed.

Model:

I used to rule the world

Seas would rise when I gave the word

Now in the morning I sleep alone

Sweep the streets I used to own

I used to roll the dice

Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes

Listen as the crowd would sing:

"Now the old king is dead, Long live the king"

One minute I held the key

next the walls were closed on me

and I discovered that my castles stand

on pillars of salt ʻnʻ pillars of sand

[refrain]

It was the wicked and wild wind

blew down the doors to let me in

shattered windows and the sound of drums

people couldn't believe what I'd become

Fragment of Work in Progress:

Parce mihi, mors atra, precor, diem in alterum, et index

ne digitus monstret - signa timenda - tuus!

Spare me Death, I pray, spare me over

'til another day; and let not your finger

- fearsome sign! - point at me today.

Laguna Beach, California (Sapphics)

Rough Draft

lītorī crēdunt decus aureumque

līquidumque undae; reboat (u _ _)

cautes immōtusque repellit agmen

vīgil aquārum.

Lūna scintillīs nitidīs corusca

caerulum spargit pelagus, fragōsa

saxa; corda et Pacificī serēnant

anxia ventī.

To the shores the waves endow

their golden, flowing trust.

The serene cliff re-echoes, and repels

the onward march of waters,

unmoving watch.

The moon - look! - sprinkles the

azure gulf, the rugged cliffs

with glittering pin-pricks

of light...

Laguna Beach, California (Sapphics)

lītorī crēdunt decus aureumque

līquidumque undae; reboat serēnus

cautes immōtusque repellit agmen

vīgil aquārum.

Lūna scintillīs - vide! - jam coruscīs

caerulum spargit pelagus, fragōsa

saxa; [convīvarum hilarī taberna est

plēna corōnā.]

To the shores the waves endow

their golden, flowing trust.

The serene cliff re-echoes, and repels

the onward march of waters,

unmoving watch.

The moon - look! - sprinkles the

azure gulf, the rugged cliffs

with glittering pin-pricks

of light. [The bar is packed with

a cheerful throng of merrymakers.]

Fragment

Hīc 'nova nupta, iō!' clāmārant laeta iuventae

turba atque aerea tum Sancta Marīa canit

Tum placet hūc nōbīs - foedera firma - redīre

'dēserere est thalamum fās sine amōre meum,'

haec tua tum dicta et potuit convīvium alacre

audīrī procul et carmina canta tibi.

coniunx et celebrat, celebrat iūcunda corōna

quamquam et stant longē, nostra susūrra placent!

Here the happy throng of youth

had shouted 'hurray for the new bride!'

Then Saint Mary sings her songs of bronze.

Then does it please us to return here -

a firm pact - then these were your words:

'It's right to desert my marriage bed

without love as it is.' Then the lively

festivities, and the songs sung for you

could be heard from afar, and your husband

celebrates, and the merry multitude.

And though they stand far off, nonetheless

our whispers please us.

St. Mary's Bells (Take One)

(inspired by Jacques Brel, "Je ne sais pas")

Alta suōs ulmus, fāgī et posuēre colōrēs

sōlus apud callem tē maneō solitum.

Clangōrēs, mea amāta, Marīam ēmittere Sanctam

audiō et exspectō; tempus abīre premit!

convēnit nōbīs cum Plīada (mense Novembrī)

vīdimus in summō - hūc rediisse - polō.

At ventī quīdam sonitus crispantia flantis

fōlia; cornīcis vox et acūta monent:

Lītora tē nāvī procul hinc illō comitante

Mīra petītūram; excēdere amōre novō.

The tall elm and the beech

have set aside their colors.

I await you alone, by the accustomed path.

Saint Mary sounds her brazen bells:

I listen and watch out for you.

The time to depart presses (upon us)!

We agreed to return here, when saw the Pleiads

at the sky's summit.

And yet a certain sound - of the wind

blowing the trembling leaves; that,

and the crow's sharp cry advise me:

that you aim to reach strange shores

with him as your companion,

that you depart with new love.

Patroclus and Achilles - Take Four

Dūrīs, Achille, ex cautibus et gelū

numquam solūtō nāte, movent neque haec

dīrae bucīnae nuntiantēs

Dardana tēla fugasse nostrōs;

nec celsa virtus nunc morientium?

vallō minātur Trōica pīneō

pūbēs, resistet firma porta

illa diū neque fortis Ājax.

silvās velut cum flamma vorat, velut

nīvēs perennēs Thrēiciae cadunt

sīc ista saevit semper īra

rōbora quā pereunt Achaea.

Born of the hard rock, Achilles,

and of ice never-dissolved,

do neither the dread trumpets

move you, announcing that

Dardan weapons have put our own to flight,

nor the lofty courage of the dying?

Trojan youth now threaten the pine-wood

rampart, nor will that firm gate,

nor brave Ajax long withstand (them).

As when a fire devours forests, like

Thracian snows fall, year-round,

so does your anger ever rage,

for which the picked men of Achaea perish.

Patroclus and Achilles - Take Three

Dūrīs, Achille ex cautibus et gelū

numquam solūtō nāte, movent neque haec

vōcēs bucīnae nōn valentēs

rōbora nec moritūra Achaea?

vī pugnat Ājax Hectoreae tenax

vallō et minātur Trōica pīneō

pūbēs, resistet firma postis

ille diū neque fortis hērōs.

silvās velut cum flamma vorat; velut

nīvēs perennēs Thrēiciae cadunt

ignis furōris semper ardet,

nunc animōs ruit iste nostrōs.

"Achilles, born of the hard crags, born

of ice never-dissolved,

Do neither the failing calls of the war-trumpet,

nor Achaea's picked troops, about to die,

move you?

Stubborn Ajax fights 'gainst Hector's might,

and the Trojan youth threaten the pine-wood

rampart. Now the firm door post will not,

nor will that brave hero, resist for long.

As when a fire devours forests; as

the Thracian snows fall, year-round,

so does the fire of your rage e'er blaze,

(and) now it lays our courage low."

Patroclus to Achilles

Alternative Stanzas

(2)

Altīs, Achille ex rūpibus et gelū

numquam solūtō nāte, movent neque haec

vōcēs bucīnae nōn valentēs

rōbora nec moritūra Achaea?

Born of the high crags and never-dissolving frost

do neither these failing calls of the war trumpet,

nor the picked troops of Greece, about to die,

move you?

Patroclus to Achilles

alternative first stanzas

(1)

Ō nāte dūrā ex caute, leōnibus

nūtrīte, flectī cor sine ferreum

ut fonte pūrō cum minūta est

flamma, furensve fugātus Auster...

Patroclus Achillem orat, ut īram dēponat

Patroclus begs Achilles to put aside his anger (Revised Version)

in Alcaics

"Ō nāte dūrā ex rūpe, leōnibus

nutrīte, mollīrī sine tē, precor,

ut fonte pūrō cum minūta est

flamma, furensve fugātus Auster

maris potentī; nam cohibet manūs

vī turma Grāiās Hectoreā tenax:

Lux nostra, nunc exstingue saevum

rōbora quō pereunt Achaea

furōris ignem, tē morientium

clāmor, bucīna et admoneat gravis

nōn sustinērī posse Phoebo

tēla diū Lycia adiuvante."

O, born of the harsh cliff, nourished

by lions, allow yourself to be won over,

I pray, as when fire has been lessened

by clear water, or raging Auster

put to flight by Neptune. For a squadron,

tenacious thanks to Hector’s might,

hems in the Greek forces.

O our light, now quench the fire

of savage anger, through which

the flower of Achaea perish.

Let the cry of the dying, and the

deep-pitched trumpet now remind you

that Lycian spears cannot be sustained

for long, with Phoebus helping (them).