The nice
thing about mediaeval Latin is that it is often not that difficult. This piece
of Latin is far less difficult than my previous post. It is a charming story
about St Columba, founder of the monastry on the isle of Iona.
He was born on 7 december 521
in Ireland
and passed away onn 8 june 597
in front of the altar at his monastry. On the morning 0f 7 december 597 he returns to
his moneastry with his servant Diarmuid, after having blessed a barn. At that
blessing God revealed to him that he would die that night. On his way home he
meets his old horse, who wants to take leave of his master for the last time.
The text is
taken from the Vita Columba c.23, by
Adomnan of Iona (627/8-704).
Post haec
Sanctus horreum egreditur, et ad monasterium revertens, media residet via, in
quo loco postea crux, molari infixa lapidi hodieque stans, in margine cernitur
viae. Dumque ibidem Sanctus, ut praefatus sum, senio fessus, paululum sedens,
requiesceret, ecce albus occurit caballus, obediens servitor, qui scilicet lactaria
bocetum inter et monasterium vascula gestare consueverat. Hic ad Sanctum
accedens, mirum dictu, caput in sinu ejus ponens, ut credo inspirante Deo, cui
omne animal rerum sapit sensu quo jusserit ipse Creator, dominum a se suum mox
emigraturum, et ipsum ultra non visurum sciens, coepit plangere, ubertimque,
quasi homo, lacrymas in gremium Sancti fundere, et valde spumans flere. Quod
videns minister, coepit illum flebilem repellere lamentatorem: sed Sanctus
prohibuit eum, dicens, ‘Sine hunc, sine nostri amatorem, ut in hunc meum sinum
fletus effundant amarissimi plangoris. Ecce tu, homo cum sis, et rationalem
animam habeas, nullo modo scire de meo exitu potuisti, nisi quod tibi ego ipse
nuper manifestavi: huic vero bruto et irrationali animanti, quoque modo ipse
Conditor voluit, egressurum a se dominum manifeste revelavit.’ Et haec dicens
maestum a se revertentem equum benedixit ministratorem.
horreum storehouse,
barn
egredior to
leave
reverto to
return
media via urbs condita construction: on the middle of
the way
resideo to
sit down
crux, crucis cross
lapis molaris mill-stone
infixus fastened
in (infigo)
hodie today
margo, marginis side
cerno to
see
dum while
ibidem at that place
ut praefatus sum as I told earlier
senium the feebleness of age
paululum a
little, a short time
requiesco to
rest
albus white
caballus horse
(maybe a loan-word from Celtic. in classical Latin it denotes
an inferior horse, but not so in later Latin.)
oboedio to
obey
servitor servant
scilicet as
you may know, namely (but often this particle gives only a slight emphasis)
lactaria bocetum inter et monasterium vascula
gestare consueverat: lactaria vascula inter bocetum et monasterium
gestare consueverat
lactaria vascula milk-jugs
bocetum stall
for cows (non-classical Latin)
gesto to
bring
consuevo to
be used to
cui omne animal rerum sapit sensu quo jusserit
ipse Creator: to (= of) whom every animal intuitively (sensu
rerum) knows, what (quo litt. `to what’)
the Creator self has deceided (iusserit
coni. perf.)
accedo to
come closer
mirum dictu dictu is a supine form, actually a u-class
noun used as infinitive:
sinus, -us bosom
dominum a se suum mox emigraturum, et ipsum
ultra non visurum sciens : sciens (+ aci) dominum etc.
mox soon
emigraturum prtc. fut., like visurum below.
ultra further
plango to
lament, wail
ubertim abundantly
lacrymas = lacrimas
gremium lap
spumo to
foam
minister the servant Diarmuid
coepo to begin, start
flebilis weeping,
crying
lamentator, oris weeper
sino to
let, allow
amator, -oris friend
fletus, -us tears
(acc. pl.!)
effundo to
pour out
amarus bitter
plangor, -oris
nomen agentis from plango
exitus, -us departure
manifesto to
make manifest
nollo modo in no way
huic vero bruto et irrationali animanti, quoque
modo ipse Conditor voluit, egressurum a se dominum manifeste revelavit: And in the way the Founder (of the world)
himself wanted, he revealed clearly (manifeste) to this truelydull (brutus) and
irrational animal, that his master was to depart from him.
equum ministratorem ministratorem stands in apposition to equum:
the servant horse
maestus sad
The abbey
at Iona, founded by Saint Columba.
No comments:
Post a Comment