A Place of Brightness: Jingle Bells in Latin!

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Jingle Bells in Latin!

Here's my latest musical offering, a Latin language version of Jingle Bells, just in time for the holidays!

I use a translation by the esteemed Latin scholar Charles Mierow, PhD (1883-1961). It first appeared in The Classical Weekly, Vol 15, No. 21. There are minor variations to this circulating on the Internet, but I went with the original.

Below I provide a discussion of the translation and some grammatical points worth noting in the piece. A PDF of the translation and grammar points is downloadable, in case any Latin teachers want to make a lesson out of the song (what a perfect final day before break fun-but-still-learning thing to do!)

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https://www.amazon.com/Saecula-Saeculorum-Keith-Massey/dp/0984343253?ie=UTF8&creativeASIN=0984343253&linkCode=w00&linkId=5WIF2DJM6ZHW3LFX&redirect=true&ref_=as_sl_pc_tf_til&tag=keitmassintea-20

If you're interested in Latin or ancient history, or even just an entertaining read, check out the time-travel thriller In Saecula Saeculorum. Click to learn more.

You'll travel back to ancient Rome on a harrowing mission to save the modern world. It's the adventure of four lifetimes.

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Jingle Bells in Latin!

Translated by Charles Mierow, PhD (1883-1961)

Performed by Keith Massey, PhD

For more Latin resources by Dr. Massey, visit:

http://www.keithmassey.com

Here is the Latin text of Dr. Mierow’s translation, along with reverse translation and grammatical notes by Dr. Massey.

Verse One: Nives, glacies, nox, puertia!

Snow, ice, night, childhood!

Nota bene: alternate form - pueritia

Risus decet, nunc decent carmina!

Laughter is proper, now songs are proper!

NB: impersonal verb decet: to be proper, fitting.

Laetos iuvat nos ire per agros!

It helps us, happy, to go through the fields!

Traha fert velociter, et cachinemus nos!

The sleigh brings (us) quickly, and let us laugh/cackle!

NB: cachinemus: hortatory subjunctive.

Chorus: Tinniat, tinniat tintinnabulum.

Rings, rings the bell.

Labimur in glacie post mulum curtum!

We slide on the ice behind a castrated mule!

NB: Deponent verb labor, from which we get the English word lapse (a slip). Worth memorizing is the quote “lapsus calami” a slip of the pen. As for “castrated mule,” while it seems harsh, that’s life on the farm.

Verse Two: Me nuper miserum temptavit lunae lux!

Recently the light of the moon tempted miserable me!

Mox assidebat tum puella facti dux!

Soon she was sitting by (me), then the girl was the leader of the deed!

NB: Allusion to Aeneid 1.364, dux femina facti (referring to Queen Dido).

Vecti subito in nivis cumulos

Suddenly (we are) drawn into piled snow

NB: Poetic accusative plural of 3^rd Declension noun, nivis.

Caballus est perterritus et tunc eversi nos!

The horse is terrified and then we (are) overturned!

NB: Latin equus survives today only in Romanian iapa, ‘mare’ (cf. Romanian apa ‘water’). The other Romance languages preserved the colloquial word caballus.

Verse Three: Solum scintillat, nive candidum,

The ground sparkles, white with snow,

Repetatur nunc concentus carminum!

Now may a concert of songs be sought again!

Canities abest morosa omnibus!

Old age, hypercritical to everyone, is absent!

Puellulas cum pueris delectat hic cursus.

Little girls with boys like this course.

NB: puellulas is a diminutive from puella (which is somehow a diminutive from puer!). delectat literally means ‘pleases’. Here it is rendered similarly to Spanish gustar.

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In Saecula Saeculorum, the 4th Novel in the Valquist Series

In this fourth novel of the Valquist Series, Andrew Valquist is retired (?) from the National Security Agency and teaching Latin at a Classical Academy in the Washington DC area. But in the world of espionage, looks can be deceiving. He's not necessarily happy with the role he has played in all this, but the school was actually a joint NSA/MI-6 Project in which four young people have been unwittingly prepared for a mission to travel back in time to ancient Rome to retrieve information from a library that may save the modern world from certain destruction. They know they have to at least try to save humanity, but can they also save each other?

Next Stop: Spanish, the 3rd Novel in the Valquist Series

This third novel in the Valquist Series can be read as an espionage action-adventure in its own right, but also you can use it as a way to either brush up on your Spanish or learn functional Spanish for the first time! John Valquist needs to learn Spanish. But he's in luck, since his uncle Andrew is a language expert and a former (?) spy who is taking him on a vacation to Spain so he can study the language. In Next Stop: Spanish, you have the chance to see and study the words John studies, and then watch him add more and more Spanish into his dialogue as the story progresses. During this vacation, they get pulled into espionage intrigue (why do these things always happen to the Valquist family?). In the dramatic conclusion, John will need to put together everything he has learned to save his uncle!

Amor Vincit Omnia: the 2nd Novel in the Valquist Series

In this second novel of the Valquist Series, Keith Massey takes you into the halls of the National Security Agency, where he himself worked for four years after 9/11 and an Arabic linguist. You follow our hero Andrew Valquist, as he starts work as a new recruit at the NSA. Little does he know that on his first on the job, he's about to fly off on an unexpected overseas assignment. He'll be even more surprised when he learns that his background in ancient Latin will be crucial to the mission!

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Jingle Bells in Latin!

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