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tarigwaemirAd Mundo Exteriore,
I'm in love with Vergil. Or maybe it's just the Mandelbaum translation. But wow, I never knew I was such a sucker for beautiful poetry, but apparently I am.
Listen to this, from Eclogue IV:
"Child, for your first presents earth itself will pour out romping ivy,
foxgloves, bouquets of gipsy lilies and smiling acanthus.
Goats shall walk home, their udders taut with milk, with none
to herd them: cattle will have no fear of the lion:
soft blossoms will spring up from your very cradle.
But snakes will die, and so will fair-seeming, poisonous plants.
Assyrian spice and incense will blossom everywhere.
"But when you are old enough to read of famous men
and your father's deeds, to learn what manhood means,
then a slow flush of tender gold shall mantle the great plains,
then shall grapes hang wild and reddening on thorn-trees,
and honey sweat like dew from the hard bark of oaks."
The Aeneid is even more gorgeous. ::sighs:: So lovely...I think I'm getting to be a sap in my "old age".
...Tari
Post-script: At the end of the last lecture, Professor Tarrant recited Catallus' poem in English translation and then in Latin. No notes. Completely memorized. And we were in Sanders Theater, which is one of the grandest halls on campus, at least in my opinion, and the acoustics were perfect. I forgot to write about that. We listened to the rolling fluid sounds of spoken Latin echoed throughout the hall, where classical statues stood next to the stage and Latin inscriptions could be read on the ceiling. Positively amazing. I do love my classes even if I agonize about the homework. ^_^
I'm in love with Vergil. Or maybe it's just the Mandelbaum translation. But wow, I never knew I was such a sucker for beautiful poetry, but apparently I am.
Listen to this, from Eclogue IV:
"Child, for your first presents earth itself will pour out romping ivy,
foxgloves, bouquets of gipsy lilies and smiling acanthus.
Goats shall walk home, their udders taut with milk, with none
to herd them: cattle will have no fear of the lion:
soft blossoms will spring up from your very cradle.
But snakes will die, and so will fair-seeming, poisonous plants.
Assyrian spice and incense will blossom everywhere.
"But when you are old enough to read of famous men
and your father's deeds, to learn what manhood means,
then a slow flush of tender gold shall mantle the great plains,
then shall grapes hang wild and reddening on thorn-trees,
and honey sweat like dew from the hard bark of oaks."
The Aeneid is even more gorgeous. ::sighs:: So lovely...I think I'm getting to be a sap in my "old age".
...Tari
Post-script: At the end of the last lecture, Professor Tarrant recited Catallus' poem in English translation and then in Latin. No notes. Completely memorized. And we were in Sanders Theater, which is one of the grandest halls on campus, at least in my opinion, and the acoustics were perfect. I forgot to write about that. We listened to the rolling fluid sounds of spoken Latin echoed throughout the hall, where classical statues stood next to the stage and Latin inscriptions could be read on the ceiling. Positively amazing. I do love my classes even if I agonize about the homework. ^_^
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(no subject)
Date: 2003-10-09 12:03 am (UTC)I'll still dig around for Juvenal's works, though. From the little I know about him, our sense of humor seems to jive in some sick, demented way.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-10-09 11:09 am (UTC)But yeah, reading classics is pretty hard, especially with the epics. The shorter poems are a lot less taxing. ^_^ I should check out Juvenal sometime, especially if he has your sense of humor.
...Tari