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Chorus: “Dic nigrum, rubrum fac….”
From Levabo, which recently gave us another little tune in Latin a while back.
Thanks!
One of my best friends will go to the proseminary in Novosibirsk soon. And what I’m doing? I write the new Latin verse. More, it is a song. Melody – "Greensleeves"
In hospita Siberia
te vocant, frater, studia.
In muris proseminarii
expectant Jesuites.
Chorus:
"Dic nigrum, rubrum fac" -
memento, frater, verba haec.
Usque ad tuum obitum
dic nigrum et fac rubrum.
Persolves horas canonicas,
ad Missam quoque servies,
disce, ora et labora,
sed noli hoc oblivisci:
Chorus:
"Dic nigrum, rubrum fac" -
memento, frater, verba haec.
Usque ad tuum obitum
dic nigrum et fac rubrum.
Et quando eris presbyter
et celebrabis primitiam,
manus tuas deosculans
cum reverentia dicam:
Chorus:
"Dic nigrum, rubrum fac" -
memento, pater, verba haec.
Usque ad tuum obitum
dic nigrum et fac rubrum.
I believe the phrase is ROFLMAO!
I just love the fact that someone who has the language skills to write in Latin (although I’ve personally got absolutely no idea how good the Latin is!) and the talent to write in verse chooses to deliver us all of these deliciously silly ditties. More please!
Comment by Al — 7 September 2008 @ 2:21 amHere’s my rough attempt at translation:
In hospitable Siberia
your studies call you, brother.
Inside seminary walls,
the Jesuits wait and hope.
“Say the black, do the red”:
Pay heed, brother, to these words!
At all times, all the way to your death,
say the black and do the red.
You will pray the canonical hours,
and likewise serve at Mass,
and learn, and pray, and work,
but dare not forget this:
“Say the black, do the red”:
Pay heed, brother, to these words!
At all times, all the way to your death,
say the black and do the red.
And when you become a priest
and offer up your first-fruits,
as I kiss your hands with reverence
I will say to you:
“Say the black, do the red”:
Comment by Jeff Pinyan — 7 September 2008 @ 6:47 amPay heed, Father, to these words!
At all times, all the way to your death,
say the black and do the red.
Al,
Translation please:
What, pray tell, does the “MAO” portion of ROFLMAO mean?
Gratias tibi,
Comment by Meeting Christ in the Liturgy — 7 September 2008 @ 7:24 amPater C
Pater Cusick,
Comment by Pater G — 7 September 2008 @ 7:40 amROFLMAO = rolling on the floor laughing my ass (arse) off
Verse 2: oblivisci: I always thought ‘obliviscor’ took the genitive, so I wonder whether ‘hoc’ is a mistake. But I’ve been reading confessions and noticed today that Augustine used an accusative with obliviscor. Is this an acceptible classical alternative?
Comment by Daniel Canaris — 7 September 2008 @ 7:57 amHow about “Dic nigrum, rubrum fac” products alongside the “Say The Black, Do The Red” T-shirts, coffee mugs, buttons, &c.?
Comment by PMcGrath — 7 September 2008 @ 9:21 amHow about “Dic nigro, fac rubro” ?
The verbs dic, duc, fac, fer!
Comment by Fachtna — 7 September 2008 @ 9:30 amI believe that “Jesuita” is first declension, not third. It is like Poeta and other words with the operator suffix “ita.” The plural would be Jesuitae. But I am be wrong . . . Is there a Jesuit in the house to confirm this?
Comment by Fr. Augustine Thompson O.P. — 7 September 2008 @ 9:35 amLet’s hope the friend runs into Fr. ???? ?????? also from Novosibirsk who translated some Russian songs into Latin, such as “Mirabile Futurum”, and even got some singers to perform the song:
http://www.binetti.ru/artes/poesia/mirabile_futurum.mp3
Comment by Andreas — 7 September 2008 @ 9:59 amI like it!
Comment by Iosephus — 7 September 2008 @ 10:06 amThis is as cool as the Holy Father at the North Pole.
Comment by Maureen — 7 September 2008 @ 11:57 am2 Jeff Pinyan: “primitia” means “the first Holy Mass”. Thank you for your translation!
2 fr. Augustine: I thought about it, but didn’t found this word in dictionaty and in Google with gen. The form “Jesuites” I have seen somewhere, and decided to use it.
2 Andreas: fr. ???? ?????? is my good friend and inspirated me for my Latin verses in the beginning.
Comment by ekurlowa — 7 September 2008 @ 12:10 pmFr. Thompson: Yes.. Iesuita is the nominative. And we all know the jokes about that.
Comment by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf — 7 September 2008 @ 12:39 pmDear Ekurlowa,
Try William Whitaker’s Words at: http://archives.nd.edu/words.html
It has lots of neo-Latin that L&S, great as it is, does not. And it works for English to Latin as well as Latin to English. And it parses. Sheesh, I wish I had this back during my Virgil and Ovid class in college durning 1970s.
Comment by Fr. Augustine Thompson O.P. — 7 September 2008 @ 1:18 pm“Dic nigrum, rubrum fac.” Where have I heard that before? LOL.
Comment by John Enright — 7 September 2008 @ 4:50 pmFather Augustine, you are right. I’ll change it to “Jesuitae” in my blog and ask fr. Z do it here.
Comment by ekurlowa — 8 September 2008 @ 12:07 pm