What Does The Prayer Really Say?
W D T P R S

I have received a tip that Peter Needham has translated another Harry Potter book into Latin. Here is the book review. The first was called Harrius Potter et Philosophi Lapis. I am not sure about that "Harrius" for "Harry". When I am in St. Paul, Minnesota, where the Archbishop is named "Harry" (that is his baptismal name) we use Latin "Henricus".

Ecce Romanus verissmus
Reviewed by Philip Howard
Harrius Potter Et Camera Secretorium
by J.K. Rowling
translated by Peter Needham

Haud Dubito Quin Harrius Potter Romanus sit puer. nam fecundissimi linguae Latinae, divites morum Romanorum sunt libri eius. quis sit Scholae Harrii Hogvardensis sententia propria quaerisne? quippe “Draco Dormiens Numquam Titillandus” — consilium melius de republica praeclara atque egregia sentiendi non potuit Quintus Horatius Flaccus dare: veri simile est in Arte Poetica sic dedit. Quid nomen habet Harrii inimicus maleficus Schola? Draco Malfoy, scilicet, id est, Draco malae fidei. Quidditch Ludus ritu gladiatorum nostrorum cum manubriis scoparum loco gladiorum tridentumque exercitur. num opus plus dicendi est?

novus puer Romanus est Harrius, sic ut verba nova reperiat: mystax fruticosus; perspecilla rotunda; autocineta; ludus Caledonicus; caligae aqua impenetralibes. felicitatem verborum curiosam novorum proponit. siquid inexpertum codicis committit et audet personam formare novam, servitur ad imum, qualis ab incepto processerit, et sibi constat. optimus est narrator qui historiam suam narrando animos liberorum legentum et docet, et delectat, et permovet. Docere, debitum est; delectare honorarium; permovere necessarium. et docet, et delectat, et permovet Harrius Potter. age vero, quid esse potest in otio aut jucundius, aut magis proprium humantitatis, quam historias facetas, ac nulla in res rudes scribere.

historiam Harrii edidisse dicunt Petrum Needham, Scholae Etonensis magistrum emeritum. Rex Henricus, conditor collegii illius, semper est amicus nobis in angustia, cuius prece nos a taedio inepto salvemur perpetue. genus scribendi Marci Tullii imitatur lucidum Petrus, non Publii Cornelii Taciti abruptum sermonis genus ac difficile. opus adgreditur ille opimum casibus, atrox terroribus, discors nodis ambiguis, lascivum cacchinis, ipsa etiam Schola mirabile ac magicum. magi, scilicet, veri et primigeni sunt Romani ac Graeci. Aspicite origines antiquas Abracadabrae atque Hocorum Pocorum: Hocus Pocus, toutous talontus, vade celerita jubes, ut animos Mugglum dubios faciatis. praestantissimi ingenii est ille Needham, capax persaepe leporis et facetiarum sine fuco et fallaciis. historiam Harrii Potter eius praestat in lingua Latina legere quam ex Latino in Anglicum verba translata. felicissima J. K. Rowling, quae talem fontem et originem rerum magicarum et puerilum repperit. Felicissimi nos qui nunc possumus et legere in lingua primigenia et praeclariore, et gaudere, et maxime ridere.

In English.

By coinsidence, I mentioned in another entry that I am reading Chesterton’s The Ball and the Cross. In the introduction, I read this comment by Sean P. Dailey, editor in chief of Glibert Magazine:

The harm caused by divorcing faith from reason manifests itself in practically every aspect of modern thought and popular culture. For example, we see it in the ongoing debate between Darwinists and Creationists, and in the argument over whether Harry Potter is healthy literature or diabolical occultism. In the debate over Darwinism, neither side stops to consider one radical possibility: that evolution has nothing whatsoever to say regarding the validity of Christianity. Similarly, the possibility that Harry Potter may actually be rooted in Christian theology occures to neither side.

I am presently ensconced in the veep lounge in Amsterdam for a fairly lengthy layover before continuing on to Rome.

My Slingbox is functioning perfectly and I am watching a Univ. of MN v. Minnesota State Hockey game on a very smooth stream. The speed increase I wrote about a few days ago makes a difference. I will probably be able to watch the Sunday talking heads shows, also (Chris Wallace and Russert).

On the uneventful flight (who wants an eventful flight over the North Atlantic?) I watched a spectacular movie called in Chinese Huo Yuanjia or in English Fearless with Jet Li. I was delighted by this movie for many reasons. Not only were the martial arts sequences wonderful, but the film told a story of intercession and redemption. The main character, Huo Yuanjia, based on a real person, falls in several ways, even in being victorious in fighting. Important people in his life serve to bring him back from the edge of despair. While the film has some strong Confucian elements, as one would expect, you could interpret it in light of Catholic themes. For example, there is a lovely scene when Huo Yuanjia is in serious trouble with his father and is about to be whipped. His mother intercedes with his father and smoothly obtains mercy. In any event, I think I will add this to my grown collection of Chinese films.

I also spent some time reading G.K. Chesterton’s The Ball and the Cross, which so far is a wonderful parable about the relationship of faith and reason, as well as the place of both reason and religion in the public square. It is a decidedly appropriate book to read these days, I think. Though written about a century ago, you would think it was contemporary.