Salvete Omnes,

With Thanksgiving just around the corner in the United States, I could have written a blog about all the facets of Thanksgiving-like traditions that the Roman had. However, in all honesty, the idea of ONLY one event/day/celebration to celebrate the discovery of their home, “defeating” their new homes’ inhabitants, and giving thanks for family, country, and all their well off prospects – is unheard of. These types of celebrations would be held all year on different anniversaries.

Learn more about The Roman Family, Roman Religion, or last year’s post on Giving Thanks in Ancient Rome for more information.

HOWEVER, this year – I am hoping to give you something to talk about via Zoom or the dinner table – depending on your situation. The moment anyone mentions,”Oh I study Latin” almost everyone around them sorta tunes them out due to not wanting to engage in someone due to their pretentiousness, being intimidated, not understanding or not caring.

I am about to give you a really cool way to make Latin relevant by encouraging to share this video and how the translation works below. Enjoy!

 

LATIN LYRICS WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION AND NOTES:

Salvé, salvé, salvé, parve?
Hello, hello, hello, how low? parve is the adverb or vocative adjective form of parvus meaning low

Pará pílís, trahe amícós
Prepare (your) javelin, bring (your) friends pilis is from pilum for javelin as guns are not present in Ancient Rome

Perdere, fingere fruor
To lose, To devise, it is enjoyable. Often in Latin the verb is the last word in the sentence, in an English translation, we should autocorrect this. Think Latin is similar to Yoda.

Perlassus est et superbus
Thoroughly tired is he and arrogant. Now, this is where we run into some issues – the endings for perlassus (similar to lassus) and superbus is that they are masculine endings. They should be feminine endings based on the original lyrics of “She’s over bored and self-assurend”.

Ó nón, cupídinem sció
Oh No! A lusty thing, I know The word cupidinem is ambivalent on what it is in – in this case it should be a “Word” but truly it is uncertain which is why I said thing.  

Sine lúce, angor minus
Without light, torment (is) less. I have to say this is one of my favorite word choices. The word angor does not mean danger is means internal danger – which may have been what lyrics meant all along. However, angor is masculine and so should minus – “angor minor” – but I imagine exception are made for rhythm.  

Oblectáte, nunc híc sumus
Entertain, now here we are I have to admit the form of oblectate stumps me. It could be the singular masculine vocative form of the perfect passive participle of oblectō. But then this would mean – I guess “(You) entertain (us)! but then why would it be plural vocative: Oblectati  

Mé sentió aeger, stultus
I feel (myself) ill, stupid

Oblectáte, nunc híc sumus
Entertain, now here we are Repeat of the above line.

Barbarus, albínus, culex et, mea libídó  
A Barbarian, an albino, a mosquito and my libido I know this lyric has caused some issues for many different people. Barbarian, however rude, seems to be the sense the original lyrics were trying to convey. This sense of “otherness” or “foreignness” 

Hei! Hae, ha ha ha ha!
(Same as in English)

Peior est bonitás meá
(I am the) worst (at) my virtue/excellence/goodness It looks deceiving but bonitas is singular.

Ipsó múnere beátus sum
For this very gift, I am blessed Oh! An ablative absolute for “ipso munere”

Noster globus semper fuit
Our circle always has been The word globus refers to a globe, sphere but can always mean troop or band so in that sense the English word “circle” makes sense.

Et úsque ad fínem erit
And continuously to (the) end will be Pretty straight forward, erit is a future tense of esse

Et cúr sapere dédiscó
And why to taste I forget/ And I forget why I taste – The verb dedisco can take an infinitve.

Ita, ut rídére, putó
Thus, so that I smile/laugh, I reckon; Oh year, I reckon that it makes me smile. I am having issues with this as it seems to be a result clause (thus the use of ut+ infinitive) but there is no subjunctive in sight. Hmm. Perhaps as seen in some examples ut is used with puto to the effect of “as I think, in my opinion,”

Dúrum rébar, dúrum rérí
I found it hard, hard to find Very nice to use that same verb in both parts of the sentence

O vah, bene, níl tantí
Oh yeah, whatever, nothing of measure What an elegant way of saying nevermind “nil tanti”

Negátió! Negátió! Negátió! Negátió! Negátió!