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.
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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!
Here’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”:
Pay 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,
Pater C
Pater Cusick,
ROFLMAO = 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?
How about “Dic nigrum, rubrum fac” products alongside the “Say The Black, Do The Red” T-shirts, coffee mugs, buttons, &c.?
How about “Dic nigro, fac rubro” ?
The verbs dic, duc, fac, fer!
I 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?
Let’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
I like it!
This is as cool as the Holy Father at the North Pole.
2 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.
Fr. Thompson: Yes.. Iesuita is the nominative. And we all know the jokes about that.
Dear 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.
“Dic nigrum, rubrum fac.” Where have I heard that before? LOL.
Father Augustine, you are right. I’ll change it to “Jesuitae” in my blog and ask fr. Z do it here.