Saint Nicolas helps three poor girls

By: Leo Tepper

http://thelatinreadingblog.blogspot.nl/2012/11/saint-nicolas-helps-three-poor-girls.html

 

 

Yesterday Sinterklaas has arrived in the Netherlands. Who? Well, Saint Nicolas, the patron of sailors, thieves and children. Every year around this time he arrives from Spain with his ship and leaves in the night of 5 to 6 December. As long as he is here, children, when going to bed, can put now and then their shoe next to the chimney (by lack of chimneys the central heating is also allowed) and the next morning they find a small present in it. On the evening of the 5^th of December there is the grand finale: Sinterklaas is then celebrating his birthday, but instead of accepting presents, he gives presents away to children!

Various things are utterly wrong from a historical point of view: he is not from Spain, but from Asia Minor, it is not his birthday, but his death that is celebrated on the 6^th of December – in earlier times a new day started at the sunset – and finally, he is not alive anymore. My parents told me that when I was 7 or 8 and as a staunch believer in Sinterklaas I was shocked. My dear daughter spoiled the fun for me when she was 6. Having watched the arrival of Sinterklaas at the place where my parents live, she said: `Dad, it is impossible that the same man arrives in various places at the same time and besides he has a false beard!’

 

Contrary to many early saints, Saint Nicolas was real, living from 270- 6^th December 343. He was bishop of Myra, modern-day Demre on the Turkish Mediterranean coast. He was from rich parents and used his wealth to help poor people. That is to say according to legend, but as after his death his tomb soon became a pilgrim place, he must have been a remarkable man and there might well be some truth in the legend. Saint Nicolas has become one of the most popular saints both in the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches.

 

It is from Sinterklaas that Santa Claus has been evolved, that obese and ugly fellow. When in 2000 the Russian government donated a statue of Saint Nicolas to Demre to be put in the centre of the city, the following happened (I quote from the wiki link below): `In 2005, mayor Suleyman Topcu had the statue replaced by a red-suited plastic Santa Claus statue, because he wanted the central statue to be more recognizable to visitors from all over the world. Protests from the Russian government against this action were successful only to the extent that the Russian statue was returned, without its original high pedestal, to a corner near the church.’ How tasteless!

 

The following extract is taken from the Legenda Aurea by Jacobus de Voragine (1228/9 – 1298). The Legenda Aurea is a large collection of the lives of saints and became widely popular in the late Middle Ages. To be honest, after reading 3 lives it becomes pretty boring and predictable.

Saint Nicolas hears that out of poverty one of his neighbours has no other option but to let his three daughters work as prostitutes. He decides to help the poor children.

 

Tunc quidam contermineus suus satis nobilis tres filias ob inopiam prostituere cogitur, ut sic earum commercio aleretur. Quod ubi sanctus comperit, scelus abhorruit et massam auri panno involutam in domum eius per fenestram nocte clam iecit et clam recessit. Mane autem surgens homo massam auri reperit et Deo gratiam agens primogenitae nuptias celebravit. Non multo post tempore Dei famulus simile peregit opus. Quod rursus ille reperiens etiam laudes immensas prorumpens de cetero vigilare proposuit, ut sciret, quis esset, qui suae inopiae subvenisset. Post paucos etiam dies duplicatam auri massam in dornum proiecit, ad cuius sonitum ille excitatur et Nicolaum fugientem insequitur talique voce alloquitur: “Siste gradum teque aspectui ne subtrahas meo.” Sicque accurrens velocius Nicolaum hunc esse cognovit. Mox humi prostratus osculari volebat pedes eius, quod ille refutans ab eo exegit, ne eum, quamdiu viveret, publicaret.

 

contermineus = neighbour

satis nobilis =  though of noble birth

ob inopiam = because of poverty

commercio, –onis =  income (commercio is mediaeval  Latin forcommercium)

alo  alui altum/alitum = to feed, nourish, increase

comperio peri pertum = to gain knowledge of

scelus, sceleris (n) = shameful deed

massa = mass. With this gold the neighbour had a dowry for his eldest daughter.

pannus = piece of cloth

involutus (involvo) = wrapped

clam =  secretly

reperio repperi (reperi) repertus = to find

primogenita =  firstborn daughter

nuptiae – arum = marriage

famulus = servant

perago opus = perform a work

rursus = again

ille: the poor neighbour

prorumpo rupi ruptum = to break out

de cetero = for the rest

propono  posui positum = propose, decide

subvenio + dat. = come to the help of

sonitus , -us = sound

excito =  to rouse

talis = such

Siste gradum teque aspectui ne subtrahas meo: Stop your pace, in order that you do not withdraw from my sight.

velocius = faster

mox = soon

humi = on the ground

osculor = to kiss

refuto = to refuse

exigo egi actum =  to demand

publico = to make known

 

Translation (the extract is the third paragraph)

http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/golden133.htm

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinterklaas

 

 

EGO FLOS CAMPI

By: Leo Tepper

http://thelatinreadingblog.blogspot.nl/

 

Last Sunday I went to a concert by one of the choirs of a friend of mine. She is a devoted amateur soprano and whenever she has a concert, I attend it. This time the theme was: `Rise up my love.’ with various settings of the Song of Songs in Latin, German and English and by composers from  Fransesco Guerrero (1528-1599) till still living composers like Sven Sandström and Paul Mealor. I bought a booklet containing information and the texts with  translations. Often I frown upon translations of Latin texts in such booklets, but here the Vulgate text of Ego flos campi and a modern Dutch bible translation went wide apart. I always assumed that the Vulgate was a translation of the Hebrew Bible and not from the Septuagint, so where do the differences come from? Time to sort this out! That was less easy than I thought. Internet has terabytes and terabytes of information and some people, especially youngsters, think that books and libraries are completely out of fashion – unfortunately the managers of the academic library here at Groningen think that too – but the fact is that a simple question like: `Dear mister Internet, did Jerome translate the Canticus Canticorum from the Septuagint or from the Hebrew Bible?’ will give only a massive silence from the other side of the computer. So I went to the library of the theological faculty to sort this out. Very handy as 10 commentaries on the Song of Songs where there neatly put together on a shelf. From next year, all decentralized libraries of the university will be closed and all the books which are now easily accessible on shelves will be put in the central store of the university library, inaccessible and every single copy has to be asked for by pc. Why? Students don’t look for books anymore, so the librarians can be fired. And what about the empty libraries? Students can sit there with their Ipods and laptops, studying and looking for information on the internet…

 

Hieronymus (347 – 420), better known in English as St. Jerome was a troublemaker and a religious zealot, but a highly prolific writer. In 382 he was asked by Pope Damasius 1 to make a new translation in Latin of the Bible. There was already a translation, known as the Vetus Latina, but this was considered as a poor translation. Initially St. Jerome translated anew from the Septuagint and had already completed a number of books under which the Song of Songs, when he heard of the decision of the Rabbinical council at Jamnia to reject the Septuagint in favor of the Hebrew Bible. The Septuagint was a translation of the Hebrew Bible made in Alexandria, started around 200 BC and ended decades later. It was made because many Jews were unable to read their holy scriptures. Hebrew had already for a long time been replaced by Aramaic as the spoken language and apart from that, Greek was  the first language of many Jews living in Egypt. However, the Hebrew text on which the Septuagint was based, differed from Hebrew text which was later seen as authoritative and known as the Masoretic text. It also contained more books, some of which written in Greek from start. With the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple in 70 AD, the cultic center of the Jews shifted from the temple to the Hebrew holy scriptures. As there was no longer a physical place, a spiritual place had to be the focus of devotion.  Jewish communities were living wide apart, and in the course of centuries there various texts of the Hebrew bible came into use. Out of these various versions a single text was adopted as constitutive for all Jews and the Septuagint was rejected as not inspired by God, because it was in Greek and not in God’s own language.

So St. Jerome started to translate from the Hebrew text. According to tradition he had to learn for this task Hebrew from rabbis. There might be some truth in this, but modern scholars believe that his Hebrew was not that good at all and that he made use of the Hexapla, a massive edition of the Old Testament containing the Hebrew text, a transliteration of the Hebrew in the Greek alphabet and four Greek translations of which one contained notes where the Greek differed from the Hebrew. The Hexapla was the work of Origen of Alexandria (184-253), one of the greatest minds Christianity ever had, but as religions find it difficult to cope with great minds, he was later condemned as a heretic – also by St. Jerome. The same fate happened to Averroes (1126-1198), the greatest scholar of the Islamic world and one of the best commentators on Aristotle’s philosophy.

If modern scholars are right, St. Jerome was translating in the way many people translate from a Loeb edition: looking at the English text with now and then a glance at the Greek or Latin. This is also evident from the new translation he made in 398 of the Song of Songs: often it agrees more with the Septuagint than with the Hebrew text, but there can be another reason to for this, namely the sheer difficulty of the text of the Song of Songs.

The Song of Songs is attributed to king Solomon but on linguistic grounds this is impossible as it contains many Aramaic forms and even a Persian word, so a date later than 500 BC and even the early Hellenistic period has been proposed. I must say that this is heretical to evangelical and orthodox protestant commentators. It  contains many difficult words or words which only appear in this text and this may also have contributed to St.Jerome’s use of the Septuagint. The translators contributing to the Septuagint themselves had difficulty with the Hebrew of the Song of Songs too and many divergences between the Greek and the Hebrew masoretic text are mainly not due to a different Hebrew text, but to misunderstanding the words. The Song of Songs is not a unity, but consists of various love songs. These love songs are reminiscent of Egyptian and even Sumerian love songs, so they reflect a long history of a common Near Eastern literary heritage. Probably these songs were used for wedding festivities. They have the form of a dialogue between a man and a woman, with sometimes a choir too . It is unknown for what reasons these songs were put together and put to the canon of the Hebrew Bible, but it was not with the agreement of every rabbi. Only a spiritual interpretation could save it from being expelled and so it is now considered as a reflection of the love between God and Israel and for Christians as symbolizing the love between Jesus and the church. But whatever spiritual meaning can be attached to this work, it is first and foremost love poetry and that has been better understood by pop artists like Kate Bush and Sinéad O’Connor than by many theologians. 

PS. I forgot to mention: the concert was beautiful!

 

Let us now turn to chapter two of the Song of Songs. I will consider this as a text in its own  occasionally I will refer to the Hebrew in order to understand the modern translation of the New Standard Version to which I have a link below, but mostly I will refrain from that, partly because of my rusty Biblical Hebrew, partly to make the notes not too tedious.

Where the Latin widely diverges from the translation, it is due to the problems mentioned above. I have punctuated the text and put it in its poetic structure. I have given more text than what is usually set on music of the ego flos campi. It would be disappointing to read such a long introduction with only a few lines of Latin…

 

Canticus canticorum 2.

 

She:

[1] Ego flos campi et lilium convallium.

 

He:

[2] Sicut lilium inter spinas,

sic amica mea inter filias.

 

She:

[3] sicut malum inter ligna silvarum,

sic dilectus meus inter filios,

sub umbra illius quam desideraveram sedi,

et fructus eius dulcis gutturi meo.

[4] Introduxit me in cellam vinariam,

ordinavit in me caritatem

[5] Fulcite me floribus,

stipate me malis quia amore langueo.

[6] Leva eius sub capite meo

et dextera illius amplexabitur me.

[7] Adiuro vos, filiae Hierusalem,

per capreas cervosque camporum,

ne suscitetis neque evigilare faciatis

dilectam quoadusque ipsa velit.

[8] Vox dilecti mei, ecce,

iste venit saliens in montibus,

transiliens colles.

[9] Similis est dilectus meus capreae

hinuloque cervorum.

en ipse stat post parietem nostrum,

despiciens per fenestras,

prospiciens per cancellos

[10] et dilectus meus loquitur mihi:

surge, propera amica mea,

formonsa mea et veni.

[11] Iam enim hiemps transiit,

imber abiit et recessit.

[12] Flores apparuerunt in terra,

tempus putationis advenit,

vox turturis audita est in terra nostra.

[13] Ficus protulit grossos suos,

vineae florent, dederunt odorem.

Surge amica mea speciosa mea et veni.

 

He:

[14] Columba mea in foraminibus petrae,

in caverna maceriae.

Ostende mihi faciem tuam.

Sonet vox tua in auribus meis,

vox enim tua dulcis et facies tua decora

[15] capite nobis vulpes,

vulpes parvulas quae demoliuntur vineas,

nam vinea nostra floruit.

 

She:

[16] Dilectus meus mihi et ego illi,

qui pascitur inter lilia.

[17] Donec adspiret dies

et inclinentur umbrae revertere,

similis esto, dilecte mi,

capreae aut hinulo cervorum super montes Bether.

 

ego flos campi et lilium convallium: a so-called parallelismus membrorum. It is a feature of Hebrew poetry to say the same thing twice with a difference in phrasing.You will find lots of examples in this short text.

flos campi: not any flower of the field, but a specific flower, though it is unclear what. It is often considered as a rose. The word campus is a translation of Hebrew Sharonand is taken by Hebrew commentators as a geographical designation, hence the translation `I am a rose of Sharon’.

convallius: belonging to a valley

spina: thorn

malum: apple

ligna: tree

silva: wood

dilectus: lovely, beloved

umbra: shadow

desideraveram sedi: plusquam perfect and perfect. In Hebrew it is perfect, but modern translations take the Hebrew original as a present. Originally, Semitic languages had no tenses in the way Indo-European languages have and what is called the perfect tense also has a punctual aspect: I desire now to sit under the shadow, whom I love.

guttur, -uris (n): throat

cella: store-room

vinarius: wine-

ordino: to place

caritas, -atis (f): love, charity

fulcio fulsi fultum: to bolster.  fulcite: directed to the filiae Hierusalem.

stipo (1): to surround

langueo (2): to be faint, be languid

leva: not from levare, but laevus: left (suppl. manus)

amplexor amplexatus sum: to embrace

adiuro (1): to swear to

caprea: a wild she goat

cervus: deer

suscito (1): to raise

evigilo (1):  to be awake

dilecta: love

quoadusque: till

dilectus: lover

salio: (4): to leap

transilio: to jump over

collis,-is: hill

hinulus: young deer (class. Latin: hinnuleus)

en: behold

paries, –etis (m): wall

cancelli: a lattice of a window

propero (1): to hasten

formonsa = formosa, formosus: beautiful (probably the n was not strongly pronounced but a nasalisation like in French)

hiemps = hiems, -emis (f): winter

transeo: pass by

imber, imbris (m): heavy rain

putatio, -onis (f): a pruning or lopping of trees

turtur, -uris (m) turtle dove

ficus (f): fig tree

profero, -tuli, -latum: bring forth, produce

grossus (m): an unripe fig

speciosus: beautiful

colomba: dove

foramen, –inis (n): hole

caverna: cave, hole

maceria: enclosure

vulpes, es (f): fox

parvulus: little

pasco pavi pastum: to feed, pasture

donec: untill

adspiro (1): to come: (litt: to breath forward)

inclinentur umbrae revertere: the shadows (= darkness of the night) are inclined to draw themself back.

esto: a formal form of the imperative `you must be’.

Bether: genitive. Hebrew names in Greek or Latin often have no declination.           

 

 

Translation

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Song%20of%20Songs+2&version=NIV

 

About St. Jerome:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome

 

About Song of Songs, but when you can read German, go also to the German wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_of_Songs

 

Guerrero:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF8USMY6sac

 

Kate Bush!:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJwnmnMKwrM

 

 

Lovis Corinth, Das hohe Lied (1911)

 

 

 

Sulpicius Severus, How Saint Martin cut down a sacred tree…

By : Leo Tepper

http://thelatinreadingblog.blogspot.com/

 

 

There are some reasons for me to pay attention to Saint Martin. First of all the main church of the city where I live – Groningen – is dedicated to this saint. It is visible from far outside the city and for students living here the point of orientation when deep in the night lost in some outer part of Groningen. Secondly, Saint Martin’s day is approaching: 11 November. At around 5 in the afternoon children are going with lampoons from door to door, sing a song about Saint Martin and get some candy in return. Apparently I live in a part of the city where reproduction has dramatically dropped: the last 6 years the number of children at my door varied between one and zero, leaving me with a bag full of candies. And no I am not a candy eater, but some female friends are and they had no problems with helping me to get rid of the stuff….

Saint Martin (316-397) was born in Pannonia, current Hungary. His father was a senior cavalry officer in the Roman army. At 10 he went to the church, against the will of his parents, who were not Christians. Initially he was destined to follow the career of his father and so at the age of 15 he joined the Roman cavalry. He was stationed at Gaul, when at the age of 18 he got a mystical experience: he met a beggar asking for some clothing and Saint Martin cut his army cloak in two and gave one part to the poor man. That night he got a dream in which Jesus appeared, urging him to be baptized.  And indeed, he became now a baptized Christian and being convinced that the life of the military is incompatible with being a Christian, he left the army. From that moment he worked for the church. He was mainly working in Gaul, spreading Christianity there and in 371 He was elected bishop of Tours. Apart from building churches he also propagated monastic life and founded monasteries in Gaul. Already during his lifetime he was very famous and seen as a miracle worker. A follower of him, Sulpicius Severus, of whom little is known, not even the dates of his birth and death, wrote after the death of Saint Martin a biography about him, or rather a hagiography, the Vita Sancti Martini.Martin was the first to be called a saint without dying as a martyr. It is the earliest example of a hagiography and thus set the pattern for later hagiographies. The Latin is remarkably good for that period.

Saint Martin is the patron saint of soldiers, a bit strange for someone with conscience objections.

In Chapter 13 Sulpicius describes how Saint Martin wants to destroy a sacred tree at some village. This was not an unusual practice: in 754 Bonifatius tried to do the same at Dokkum, a Frisian place not fat away from here, but he was less lucky than Saint Martin and the Frisians killed him!

13 (1) Item, cum in vico quodam templum antiquissimum diruisset et arborem pinum, quae fano erat proxima, esset aggressus excidere, tum vero antistes loci illius ceteraque gentilium turba coepit obsistere. (2) et cum idem illi, dum templum evertitur, imperante Domino quievissent, succidi arborem non patiebantur. ille eos sedulo commonere, nihil esse religionis in stipite: Deum potius, cui serviret ipse, sequerentur: arborem illam succidi oportere, quia esset daemoni dedicata. (3) tum unus ex illis qui erat audacior ceteris: si habes, inquit, aliquam de Deo tuo, quem dicis te colere, fiduciam, nosmet ipsi succidemus hanc arborem, tu ruentem excipe: et si tecum est tuus, ut dicis, Dominus, evades. (4) tum ille intrepide confisus in Domino facturum se pollicetur. hic vero ad istius modi condicionem omnis illa gentilium turba consensit, facilemque arboris suae habuere iacturam, si inimicum sacrorum suorum casu illius obruissent. (5) itaque cum unam in partem pinus illa esset acclinis, ut non esset dubium, quam in partem succisa corrueret, eo loci vinctus statuitur pro arbitrio rusticorum, quo arborem esse casuram nemo dubitabat. (6) succidere igitur ipsi suam pinum cum ingenti gaudio laetitiaque coeperunt. aderat eminus turba mirantium. iamque paulatim nutare pinus et ruinam suam casura minitari. (7) pallebant eminus monachi et periculo iam propiore conterriti spem omnem fidemque perdiderant, solam Martini mortem exspectantes. (8) at ille confisus in Domino intrepidus opperiens, cum iam fragorem sui pinus concidens edidisset, iam cadenti, iam super se ruenti, elevata obviam manu, signum salutis opponit. tum vero – velut turbinis modo retro actam putares – diversam in partem ruit, adeo ut rusticos, qui toto in loco steterant, paene prostraverit. (9) tum vero in caelum clamore sublato gentiles stupere miraculo, monachi flere prae gaudio, Christi nomen in commune ab omnibus praedicari: satisque constitit eo die salutem illi venisse regioni. nam nemo fere ex immani illa multitudine gentilium fuit, qui non impositione manus desiderata Dominum Iesum, relicto impietatis errore, crediderit. et vere ante Martinum pauci admodum, immo paene nulli in illis regionibus Christi nomen receperant: quod adeo virtutibus illius exemploque convaluit, ut iam ibi nullus locus sit, qui non aut ecclesiis frequentissimis aut monasteriis sit repletus. nam ubi fana destruxerat, statim ibi aut ecclesias aut monasteria construebat.

 

item: in the same way. In later Latin item is often used to introduce a new topic.

vicum: village

diruo (3) destroy, demolish

pinus:  pine-tree, fir (arborem is a bit superfluous). pinus is feminine, because arbor is femine, see at 5 pinus illa.

fanum = templum

aggredi, agressi sum: to approach

excido (3): to cut down

antistes, -itis: priest

gentilis: `belonging to a clan’, but here it is used as noun

turba: crowd

coepio: to begin

everto: to turn upside down

imperante Domino: it is more likely that this was a Roman temple with no religious significance for the Cetls, provided there is some truth in this episode.

quiesco, -evi: to be quiet

succido (3): to cut down

patior: to endure

sedulo: eagerly, zealously

commoneo: to put in mind commonere is a historic infinitive, to be translated as a main verb. Also nutare and minitari at 6, stupere, flereand praedicari at 9. The historic infinitive is known to everybody who has struggled with Livy. It is used to make a story more lively. Compare a live report of a football match: Manchester coming forward.  X passing the ball to y and GOAL!!!!

nihil + gen.

stipes, stipites, m.: trunk

oportet: it is proper. It occurs only as an impersonal verb

audax: courageous

colo (3): to worship

fiducia: trust

nosmet is a strengthened nos.

ruo (3) to fall. The English to ruin comes from the noun ruina `a falling, crushing down’ which has the same root ru as ruo.

excipit: i.e. on his body.

intrepide : unshakably. In 8 the adjective intrepidus is used, where in English the adverb is required

confido  – confisus sum: to trust on, believe in

polliceor: to promise

hic: then

istius modi condicionem: litt. `on the condition of that way’ = on that condition

facilemque arboris suae habuere iacturam; `taking the loss of their tree easy

inimicus: enemy

casus, -us: fall

obruo: to destroy

acclinis: hanging over

casurus: fut. participle  of cado (3) : to fall

vincio – vinxi  – vinctus: to bind

statuo (3): to set

arbitium: judgement

rusticus: a person living in the countryside (rus), hence: heathen. This word is derived from heath and so has undergone the same semantic development

ingens, -entis: great

eminus (adv.): at a distance

paulatim: slowly

nuto: waver, to be ready to fall

ruinam suam probably for ruinam eius: the tree was not threatening its own destruction but that of St. Martin, but the translation takes it  – with some hesitation – as it stands and referring to the tree.

minitor: to threaten

palleo: to turn pale

periculo propiore: by very the imminent danger

conterritus: frightened

solam mortem: solam must be translated as an adverb: solely

opperior: to wait, attend

fragor,- oris, (m): a crashing noise

obviam (adv.): against

signum salutis: The sing of the cross: he stretches one hand towards falling tree while with his other making the sign of the cross.

oppono + dat.

velut turbinis modo retro actam putares:  you would think as led by way of a whirlwind  (it turned) back. Note how whole section 8 gives a lively description

paene: almost  

prosterno- prostravi – prostratus: to throw to the ground

clamor (m): cry, loud noise

suffero –sustuli –sublatum: to take up, carry

caelum clamore sublato: standard expression in Latin, but here significant because of the Christian context.

stupeo + dat.: to be stupefied about

praedico: to proclaim

satisque constitit: it has been sufficiently ascertained

fere: almost

immanis: immense

qui non impositione manus desiderata Dominum Iesum, relicto impietatis errore, crediderit. non with crediderit. The imposition of the hand by a priest means that one is allowed to become acatechumenen, the first stage of becoming a member of the church.

paucus: few

admodum: only

immo paene: nay, almost

quod =  Christi nomen

adeo: to such extent

convalesco – convalui: to grow strong

frequens, -entis:  crowded

repletus: filled

statim: immediately

 

Translation:

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf211/Page_10.html

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_of_Tours

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulpicius_Severus

 

Boethius, De Consolatione, book 1 poem 5: facing an unjust death penalty

By : Leo Tepper

http://thelatinreadingblog.blogspot.nl/2012/10/beothius-de-consolatione-book-1-poem-5.html

In my post on Jordanes I mentioned Theodoric the Great (451-526), the Gothic emperor of the Italy. He was a successful ruler, praised for his cleverness and his support of  Roman culture, but there is one very black stain on his life: he was responsible for the death of the philosopher Boethius (480-524 or 525). Boethius was of high Roman descent with good connections with the Roman upper-class. He was a Platonist with a great knowledge of the logic of Aristotle. He wrote various treatises on logic and music and though a layman, he was also asked to write treatises on various aspects of the Christian faith, especially on such difficult topics as the Trinity, because of his deep knowledge of logic. He held a high position at the court of Theodoric, but in 523 he accused of having a treacherous correspondence with Justian 1, emperor of the Eastern Roman empire with whom  Theodoric had bad relations.  Boethius disputed the charge, but was not believed and was put into prison. It was under such circumstances that he wrote his De consolatione Philosophiae , The consolation of Philosophy. It would become one of the most wide read texts of the Middle Ages, being translated in various languages such as Old High German and Anglo-Saxon. The latter translation was made by Alfred the Great (849-899), king and scholar, in order to introduce his people into philosophy..

What is remarkable about this work is that – facing death – Boethius seeks consolation in philosophy, not in Christian faith. It is possible of course that philosophy is an allegory for Christianity and indeed since it was published, or rather copied, readers have sought all kind of allusions to Christianity.
There are, but living in a Christian culture and Christianity being explained within the concepts of Neo-Platonism , this is not surprising. Somehow I have the feeling that Boethius turned away from Christianity or maybe he was more platonic than Christian all his life and with his execution imminent, he sought consolation with his true love…

Boethius was executed and according to one version a rope was attached round his head and tightened till his eyes bulged out, but this seems to me more belonging to hagiography, than to historical truth, but you never know.

The De consolatione  Philosophiae consists of both prose and poetry, a form known as the mennipean satire. Don’t misunderstand here the word satire: it comes from Latin satura, dish with various ingredients offerd to the gods and hence a literary work with both prose and poetry. The modern word `satire’ comes from Greek Satyr,

In the beginning Boethius complains about his situation, but then a woman appears to him, at one moment a normal woman, but at the other of infinite height with her head reaching the stars. He recognizes her as Philosophia and she tells him that he has always been a faithful pupil and she will not let him down in these moments of distress and misery. Ah yes, but what does it help me that I am innocently imprisoned and waiting for my execution? And Boethius starts complaining about the injustice in the world. He addresses the maker of the universe accusing him of having made laws for everything, but not for human behavior:

O stelliferi conditor orbis,

qui perpetuo nixus solio

rapido caelum turbine uersas

legemque pati sidera cogis,              5

ut nunc pleno lucida cornu

totis fratris obuia flammis

condat stellas luna minores,

nunc obscuro pallida cornu

Phoebo propior lumina perdat                  10

et qui primae tempore noctis

agit algentes Hesperos ortus

solitas iterum mutet habenas

Phoebi pallens Lucifer ortu.

Tu frondifluae frigore brumae                   15

stringis lucem breviore mora,

tu cum fervida uenerit aestas

agiles nocti dividis horas.

Tua vis varium temperat annum,

ut quas Boreae spiritus aufert

revehat mites Zephyrus frondes,      20

quaeque Arcturus semina vidit

sirius altas urat segetes:

nihil antiqua lege solutum

linquit propriae stationis opus.

Omnia certo fine gubernans,            25

hominum solos respuis actus

merito rector cohibere modo.

Nam cur tantas lubrica uersat

Fortuna uices? Premit insontes

debita sceleri noxia poena,               30

at peruersi resident celso

mores solio sanctaque calcant

iniusta vice colla nocentes .

Latet obscuris condita virtus

clara tenebris iustusque tulit            35

crimen iniqui.

Nil periuria, nil nocet ipsis

fraus mendaci compta colore.

Sed cum libuit viribus uti,

quos innumeri metuunt populi                  40

summos gaudent subdere reges.

O iam miseras respice terras,

quisquis rerum foedera nectis!

Operis tanti pars non vilis

homines quatimur fortunae salo.     45

Rapidos, rector, comprime fluctus

et quo caelum regis immemsum

Firma stabiles foedere terras.

The poem is in anapestic dimeters, but let’s not worry about that.

stellifer, – feri: star-bearing, starry

conditor:  this word does not necessarily refer to the Christian god

orbis, orbis: circle

nitor, nixus sum: here: to rest

solium: throne

turbo, turbinis: whirl

verso (1): keep turning

patior,  passus sum: undergo, endure

pleno lucida (luna r.8) cornu: the shining (moon) with full horn (i.e. with full crescent)

obvius: exposed

fratris: the Sun. In Latin the sun is masculine, whereas in Germanic languages it is feminine (German: die Sonne) and the moon is masculine (German: der Mond).  Latin sol, English sun, Greek helios, Sanskrit svar all go back to the same Indo-European root *séh2u-l with originally a root n in the oblique cases. This explains the variance between sol and sun. In Sanskrit l and r are interchangeable in some cases, so therefore svar. The complexity of this word indicates that it belongs to the earliest strata of Indo-European. The difference in grammatical gender between Germanic and the other languages is unexplained.

condo (3): to hide

nunc obscuro pallida cornu Phoebo propior lumina perdat  =  nunc(luna),  Phoebo propior, obscuro cornu pallida lumina perdat

Phoebus: the sun. Originally an epithet for Apollo, who was from the 4^th century BC regarded as the sungod.

propior + dat.: closer to

obscuro cornu: with dark crescent

pallidus: bleak

perdo (3): to lose

et qui…Hesperos = et Hesperos, qui. Hesperos is Venus as Eveningstar and is a Greek nominative.

agit algentes ortus: brings cooling risings = who brings coldness, when she rises.

Solitas iterum mutet habenas: The idea is that Venus as Morningstar halts her car (mutet habenas: brings her reins to silence. The conjunctive is because it is still dependent on ut in line 5) when the sun arises. Solitas (usual) and iterum emphasizes that this is all in tune with the laws of the Conditor.

frondifluae frigore brumae: wintertime

frondifluus: leaf-falling

frigor, -oris: cold

bruma: the shortest day

stringo: draw tight, compress

breviore mora: into a very short interval  (mora: lapse of time, interval)

fervidus: glowing, burning

venerit: conjuntive of the perfect where classical Latin uses the conjunctive of the imperfect.

aestas, –atis: summer

agilis; quick, agile

vis, viris: power

varius: changing

tempero (1):  to regulate, arrange

ut quas Boreae spiritus aufert revehat mites Zephyrus frondes = ut frondes, quas Boreae spiritus aufert, mites Zephyrus revehat

Boreas, Boreae: the northern wind

spiritus, -us: breath, air

aufero (3): to take away

reveho (3): bring back

mites, is: soft

Zephyrus: a gentle west wind, western breeze, zephyr

quaeque Arcturus semina vidit =  et semina, quae Arcturus vidit

Arcturus: The brightest star in Bootes,, whose rising and setting was supposed to portend tempestuous weather.

semen, seminis: seed

Sirius: the Dog star

uro (3): to burn

seges, segitis (f): corn, crop

nihil antiqua lege solutum linquit propriae stationis opus. (asyndeton) = nihil antiqua lege solutum (est et) (re)linquit propriae stationis opus.

solutus + abl.: free from

linquit propriae stationis opus: and leaves the work of it proper position (i.e. the work it is ordered to do)

finis, -s (f): limit, boundary

solos… actus: solos is predicate: the acts of mankind as the only.

respuo (3): to dislike

merito: justly

rector: predicate:  as ruler

cohibeo: to confine, contain

lubricus: slippery

vicis, -is: change, alternation

Premit insontes debita sceleri noxia poena =  noxia poena debita sceleri insontes premit

poena: punishment

insons, -ontis: innocent

debita sceleri: which ought to be given to a wicked deed (scelus,sceleris (n))

perversi with mores

celsus: high

calco (1): trample, tread on

vice: instead of

collum: the neck

nocens, -entis: wicked (noceo: to hurt)

Latet obscuris condita virtus clara tenebris = virtus clara (in) obscuris tenebris latet

lateo: to lie hidden

tenebrae. -arum: darkness, gloom

tulit: fero ferre tuli latum: to bear, carry

iniquus: wicked, evil (person)

periurium: false oath

noceo + dat.: to hurt

fraus, fraudis (f): fraud

mendax, –acis: cheatful (with colore, adjectives with a consonant stem have the ablative  in i, though e is also possible.)

comptus: adorned

libet, libuit: it pleases

utor + abl.: to make use of

metuo (3): to fear

subdo (3): to subdue

respicio: to look down

quisquis, not qui: whoever that god might be.

rerum: genitivus obiectivus: for the world. Res has her the meaning `material world’, cf. De Rerum Naturae

foedus, foederis (n): treaty, but here more or less equivalent with lex.Also in line 48.

necto (3):  bind, fasten

Operis tanti pars non vilis is apposition to homines: we human beings, not the meanest part of such a creation, etc.

quatio: shake, break, crush

salum: open sea

comprimo (3): press together, restrain

fluctus, -us: wave, tide

quo: where, in what place

regis: verb!

firmo, to make firm, strengthen

stabiles: resultative adjective: in order that the world is stabile ..

In a school edition I have from the German catholic publishing house Aschendorff, the editor  wants to see in the last two lines a rephrasing of fiat voluntas tau, sicut in caelo et in terra from the Lord’s prayer, but I am not so sure…

In one of the next posts I will give Philosophia’s answer.

Links

Translation:

 http://www.gutenberg.org/files/14328/14328-h/14328-h.htm#Page_27

Boethius: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boethius

On the Consolatione:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consolation_of_Philosophy

A Lesson in Kamasutra, by Palestinian poet: Mahmoud Darwish

Mahmoud Darwish and the Trio Joubran produced this eternal piece.

Lucretius I.80-101: tantum religio potuit suadere malorum or on the crimes of religion.

The Roman poet Lucretius (99-55 BC) was a follower of the Greek philosopher Epicurus  (341-270 BC). Epicurus did not believe in gods and created a cosmology in which everything had a natural explanation.  The basis of this cosmology was grounded on the views of the Greek atomists Leucippus and Democritus. As the name `atomists’ already suggests, they were the first to introduce the idea of atoms: invisible small parts out of which everything is constructed, though their idea that atoms are indivisible (Greek atomoj) proved wrong. This idea was not only a revolutionary step in physics, but had also its consequences for morality and religion: if there are no gods who intervene in our lives, there is no reason to fear them.

Lucretius expounded the philosophy of  Epicurus in his De Rerum Natura  (About the nature of things), a poem in six books written in the heroic meter of the Greek hexameter. Latin is not particularly suited for this meter and Lucretius is clearly fighting to have the words fitting into the metrical pattern. In doing so he sometimes invents new words and now and then the Latin syntax is a bit awkward.

In the following extract Lucretius takes away the fear of the reader that doing away with religion opens the door for immoral behavior. He refers to the story of the sacrifice of Iphigenia, eldest daughter of Agamemnon. There are various versions of this story and Lucretius is mainly following the version by Euripides: Agamemnon, one of the Greek leaders sailing to Troy, had once promised Artemis to sacrifice the most beautiful thing the year had produced. It happens that Iphigenia was born that year and Agamemnon `forgets’ all about his promise. When sailing with his fleet to Troy he stops at Aulis and then unfavorable winds withheld him from going further. Agamemnon goes to the seer Calchas, who tells him that it is Artemis who is preventing him from going further, unless he fulfills his promise and sacrifices his own daughter. Iphigenia is still at home, but Odysseus devices a plan to get her to Aulis without any suspicion. Under the pretext of marrying Achilles, she comes over… In some versions she is saved by Artemis, who replaces her on the altar with a deer, but in the version told by Lucretius there is no room for the goddess to show any mercy.

Illud in his rebus vereor, ne forte rearis               80

impia te rationis inire elementa viamque

indugredi sceleris. quod contra saepius illa

religio peperit scelerosa atque impia facta.

Aulide quo pacto Triviai virginis aram

Iphianassai turparunt sanguine foede               85

ductores Danaum delecti, prima virorum.

cui simul infula virgineos circum data comptus

ex utraque pari malarum parte profusast,

et maestum simul ante aras adstare parentem

sensit et hunc propter ferrum celare ministros               90

aspectuque suo lacrimas effundere civis,

muta metu terram genibus summissa petebat.

nec miserae prodesse in tali tempore quibat,

quod patrio princeps donarat nomine regem;

nam sublata virum manibus tremibundaque ad aras               95

deductast, non ut sollemni more sacrorum

perfecto posset claro comitari Hymenaeo,

sed casta inceste nubendi tempore in ipso

hostia concideret mactatu maesta parentis,

exitus ut classi felix faustusque daretur.               100

tantum religio potuit suadere malorum.

illud refers to ne: `I fear this in these matters, that….’

forte:   perhaps

rearis: Lucretius addresses his reader

reor, ratus sum: to be of the opinion, think

ratio, – onis: system of philosophy

indugredi:  Lucretius has a preference for archaic forms : indu is old Latin for in

ingredior, ingressus sum: to enter

scelus, sceleris: wicked deed, crime

quod contra: whereas on the contrary

pario peperi partum: to bring forward

Aulide …virorum: The skeleton of this sentence is ductores aram turparunt: `the leaders defiled the altar’ Whose altar? Triviai virginis. With what? sanguine foede Iphianassai.

Aulide: locative case `at Aulis’. The locativus  was lost in Latin, except in place names (Romae: at Rome) and in some words (humi: on the ground)

quo pacto: `on the grounds of a certain pact’  the promise of Agamemnon.

Triviai virginis : Artemis. Triviai is an old genitive. The adjective itself does not apply to Artemis, but to Diana, the Roman goddess equated with Artemis. Trivius means `of the crossways’ and as tri makes clear those crossways where three ways meet. At such crossways altars for Diana were erected.

Iphianassai: again an old genitive. In Homer Iphianassa is the youngest daughter of Agamemnon, but Lucretius uses the name here as an alternative for Iphigenia.

turparunt = turpaverunt.

sanguis, sanguinis: blood

foedus, foederis:, horrible, repulsive

Danai, Danaum: the Greek

delectus: singled out, elected

prima virorum =  primi virorum. prima is neuter plural. Lucretius imitates Greek usage of neuter plural adjective plus genitive to qualify a noun even when the noun is not neuter.

cui: Iphiginea

simul = simul atque : as soon as

infula: A sacred fillet (a woolen band, white and red, worn upon the forehead by priests, victims, and suppliants, as a badge of consecration. The end of the strands were hanging down at either side.)

virgineos with comptus.

comptus, –us: ornament of the hair, but here = coma `hair’.

ex utraque pari malarum parte profusast: ambigious sentence. Read: (infula) profuse est pari parte ex utraque malarum

profusus: hanging down

pari parte: in equal lengths

ex utraque malarum: from both sides of her cheeks

maestus: sad

sensit gouverns a) parentem adstare,  b) ministros celare and c) civis effundere

parentem: Agamemnon

hunc propter: beside him

ferrum:  sword

celo: to conceal

aspectu suo: `at sight of her’

civis (acc. plur.!):  the citizens of Aulis

tremibundus = tremens

metus – us: fear

genibus summissa: lowered by her knees,  kneeling

peto: to fall upon, sink down

prosum + dat.: to be useful for

in tali tempore: tempus has here the meaning of  `circumstance, danger,’

queo: to be able to. The subject is the quod clause:  `It could not serve the poor  girl, that…’

princeps = prima: she as first

donarat  = donaverat . to whom one gives is in the acc. and what is given is in the abl.

patrio nomine = nomine `pater’

sublatus  ppp of suffer: to take up

tremibundus = archaic form of tremens

deductast = deducta est. Both sublata and deducta are taken from the Roman marriage ceremony at which at a certain point the bride was lifted off the ground, and finally escorted home by the marriage company.

sollemni more sacrorum perfecto:  on the customary way of rites done

clarus: loud

comitari is here passive form of the rare word comito: to accompany. Normally comitari is a deponent verb

Hymenaeus: wedding choir. At Roman weddings `Hymen , o hymeneae’ were shouted. Hymen was the Roman god of marriage.

casta inceste…tempore…hostia…maesta: as a sinless sorrowful victim on a sinful moment. The e in incestus is because of the influence of the preceding i.

nubo: to marry

concido: to fall down

mactatus, – us: sacrifice. The word is coined by Lucretius and is only found here.

mactatu parentis: parentis is subjective genitive `of the father’.

exitus ut = ut exitus

exitus, -us: way out

classis. –is: fleet

felix faustusque: a stock combination in Latin `happy and favorable’

tantum + gen.: such a degree of

suadeo: persuade

malum: evil

I found a translation by William Ellery Leonard, published in 1916. His English is even more archaic than the Latin of Lucretius…

  I fear perhaps thou deemest that we fare

An impious road to realms of thought profane;

But ’tis that same religion oftener far

Hath bred the foul impieties of men:

As once at Aulis, the elected chiefs,

Foremost of heroes, Danaan counsellors,

Defiled Diana’s altar, virgin queen,

With Agamemnon’s daughter, foully slain.

She felt the chaplet round her maiden locks

And fillets, fluttering down on either cheek,

And at the altar marked her grieving sire,

The priests beside him who concealed the knife,

And all the folk in tears at sight of her.

With a dumb terror and a sinking knee

She dropped; nor might avail her now that first

‘Twas she who gave the king a father’s name.

They raised her up, they bore the trembling girl

On to the altar- hither led not now

With solemn rites and hymeneal choir,

But sinless woman, sinfully foredone,

A parent felled her on her bridal day,

Making his child a sacrificial beast

To give the ships auspicious winds for Troy:

Such are the crimes to which Religion leads.

Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucretius

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicureanism

POTATORES EXQUISITI! YOU STUDENTS, JOIN THE PARTY AND GET DRUNK!

 

When looking through the book Mediaeval Latin by K.P. Harrington, published in 1950, I saw this poem, listed as Carmina Burana 179. Strange enough it does not correspond with my edition of the Carmina Burana, a bilingual Latin-German edition. However, poem 202 in this edition is very much the same, but with more strophes and some textual variations, for instance the first line `O potores exquisiti’. Strange, are there two different editions? Anyway, this song is one of the many songs sung by students and scholars going from university to university all over Europe. They were calledvagabundi  `the roamers’ form Latin vago. And wherever there are students, there are parties, where sometimes a little bit more is consumed than the WHO would advise.

This lighthearted song takes up that theme:

 

Potatores exquisiti,

licet sitis sine siti,

et bibatis expediti

et scyphorum inobliti,

scyphi crebro repetiti

non dormiant,

et sermones inauditi

prosiliant.

 

Potatores exquisiti: vocative

potator: drinker,  toper, boozer

exquisitus:  excellent, exquisite

sitis: thirst

bibo (3): to drink

expeditus: free, unimpeded (Latin can use an adjective where English requires an adverb)

scyphus: cup

inoblitus + gen: not forgetting

crebro (adv): repetedly, often

repeto (3) : to demand anew, retake

inauditus: unheard of. i.e. talks which are not heard when people are sober

prosilio: to spring up, break forth

 

 

Qui potare non potestis

ite procul ab his festis,

non est locus hic modestis

Inter letos mos agrestis

modestie

et est sue certus testis

ignavie.

 

 

procul (adv): far away

modestis: substantized adjective

laetus: gay

mos agrestis modestie: agrestis is predicate to mos: `the way of modesty is’ or in better English: `modest behavior  is’.

agrestis: litt: `pertaining to the land’. In the Lewis and Short dictionary you will find `wild, coarse, boorish, clownish’ etc.. Classical Latin was the Latin of the urbane upper class…  here `clownish, ridiculous, stupid’ fits the context.

ignavia: laziness, worthlessness

 

Si quis latitat hic forte,

qui non curat vinum forte

ostendantur illi porte,

exeat ab hac cohorte:

plus est nobis gravis morte,

si maneat,

si recedat a consorte,

tunc pereat.

 

latito  (1): to hide (frequentative of lateo.  A frequentative is a verb that denotes that an action often takes place)

forte is used twice, but in with a different meaning and actually from different  roots. The first is an adverb from fors (gen. fortis) `chance’ (cf. fortuna), so `by chance, perhaps’, the second forte is from fortis`strong’ and goes with vinum.

curo: to take care for

ostendo (1): to show.  ostendantur  the plural is general: who ever… they are shown the way out!

cohors, -ortis: company

plus est nobis gravis morte = (ille) est nobis plus gravis morte. (plus gravis morte = gravior quam mors)

recedo (3): to go away

consors,  -ortis: company, group (meant is the company of potatores exquisiti)

pereo = per-eo: to go down, perish

 

Cum contingat te prestare,

ita bibas absque pare,

ut non possis pede stare,

neque recta verba dare,

sed sit tibi salutare

potissimum

semper vas evacuare

quam maximum.

 

contingo (3): to happen

praesto (1): to stay

absque pare: and without `the mate’ (of wine: i.e. water)

verba do = dico, loquor

sit tibi salutare potissimum semper vas evacuare: may it be to you to greet always the biggest cup for emptying

quam maximum:   `as deep as possible’,  `to the bottom’.

 

 

Dea deo ne iungatur,

deam deus aspernatur,

nam qui Liber appellatur

libertate gloriatur,

virtus eius adnullatur

in poculis,

et vinum debilitatur

in copulis.

 

dea is pure water,  deus is wine

iungo (3): to join together, unite, marry

aspernor: to dispise

Normally wine was mixed with water, but this was something not done amongst vagabonds.

Liber: Roman god equated with Bacchus/Dionysus, the god of wine, but also a pun on liber `free’ as the next line shows.

virtus eius: the virtue of the goddess

adnullo (1): (Eccl. Latin) to cancel, annihilate

debilito (1): to crush

in copulis i.e. in the wedding of wine and water

 

Cum regina sit in mari,

dea potest appellari,

sed indigna tanto pari,

quem presumat osculari,

nunquam Bacchus adaquari

se voluit,

nec se Liber baptizari

sustinuit.

 

cum: as long as

indigna tanto pari: not worthy for such a match (Liber)

praesumo (3): to expect, presume (subject: dea)

osculor (1): to kiss

adaquor (1): to fetch water

sustineo (2): to endure

 

Here is a (rather free) translation by HelenWaddell from herMediaeval Latin Lyrics, published in 1929:

 

To you, consummate drinkers,

Though little be your drought,

Good speed be to your tankards,

And send the wine about.

Let not the full decanter

Sleep on its round,

And may unheard of banter

In wit abound.

 

If any cannot carry

His liquor as he should,

Let him no longer tarry,

No place here for the prude.

No room among the happy

For modesty.

A fashion only fit for clowns,

Sobriety.

 

If such by chance are lurking

Let them be shown the door;

He who good wine is shirking,

Is one of us no more.

A death’s head is his face to us,

If he abide.

Who cannot keep the pace with us,

As well he died.

 

Should any take upon him

To drink without a peer,

Although his legs go from him,

His speech no longer clear,

Still for his reputation

Let him drink on,

And swig for his salvation

The bumper down.

 

But between god and goddess,

Let there no marriage be,

For he whose name is Liber

Exults in liberty.

Let none his single virtue

Adulterate,

Wine that is wed with water is

Emasculate.

 

Queen of the sea we grant her,

Goddess without demur,

But to be bride to Bacchus

Is not for such as her.

For Bacchus drinking water

Hath no man seen;

Nor ever hath his godship

Baptized been.

Juan telling a joke

Chiste :)

 

Mind Your Language – Chiste

Guantanamera

Guantanamera, guajira guantanamera
Guantanamera, guajira guantanamera

Yo soy un hombre sincero
De donde crece la palma
Y antes de morir yo quiero
Echar mis versos del alma
Guantanamera…

No me pongan en lo oscuro
A morir como un traidor
Yo soy bueno y como bueno
Moriré de cara al sol
Guantanamera…

Con los pobres de la tierra
Quiero yo mi suerte echar
El arroyo de la sierra
Me complace más que el mar
Guantanamera…

Tiene el leopardo un amigo
En su monte seco y pardo
Yo tengo más que el leopardo
Porque tengo un buen amigo

Guantanamera, guajira guantanamera
Guantanamera, guajira guantanamera
¡Dilo Compay!
¡Ahí na’ ma’!
Guantanamera, guajira guantanamera
Guantanamera, guajira guantanamera…

A lesson in drawing, by Syrian poet: Nizar Qabbani

My son places his paint box in front of me

and asks me to draw a bird for him.

Into the color gray i dip the brush

and draw a square with locks and bars.

Astonishment fills his eyes:

:… But this is a prison, father,

Dont you know, how to draw a bird?”
And I tell him : “Son, forgive me.

I’ve forgotten the shapes of birds.”

*******

My son puts the drawing book in front of me

and asks me to draw a wheatstalk.

I hold the pen

and draw a gun.

My son mocks my ignorance,

demanding,

“Dont you know, father, the difference between a wheatstalk and a gun?”

I tell him, “Son,

Once I used to know the shapes of wheatstalks

the shape of the loaf

the shape of the rose

But in this hardened time

the trees of the forst have joined

the militia men 

and the roses wears dull fatigues

In this time of armed wheatstalks 

armed birds

armed culture

and armed religion

you cant buy a loaf

without finding a gun inside

you can’t pluck a rose in the field

without it raising its thorns in your face

you cant buy a book,

you can’t buy a book that doesn’t explode between your fingers.”

****

My son sits at the edge of my bed

and asks me to recite a poem,

A tear falls from my eyes onto the pillow.

My son licks it, astonished, and says:

“But this is a tear, father, not a poem!”

“When you grow up, my son,

and read the diwan of Arabic poetry

You’ll discover that the word and the tear are twins

and the Arabic poem

is no more than a tear wept by writing fingers.”

****

My son lays down his pens, his crayon box

in front of me

and asks me to draw a homeland for him.

The brush trembles in my hands

and I sink, weeping.