Re: Latin (was Language universal?)

At 1:38 pm -0500 10/2/01, John Cowan wrote:
>Dan Jones scripsit:
>
>> O, Catulle! Nates pilosas, fili, non potes asse venditare!
>
>Or in the spirit of P. Brown:
>
>O Catullus!  Hairy ears, son, don't prevent you from selling your ass.
Doesn't work so well in Brit English where an ass is just an archaic word
for "donkey".  (I assume the American 'ass' did actually start out as a
euphemism for the old fashion 'arse').

>> Personally, I prefer Martial. He's nastier:
>>
>> Versus scribere posse te disertos
>> Affirmas, Laberi; quid ergo non vis?
>
>Laberius, you say you *can* write your dissertation, so why don't you get
>on it?
Yes, I never got on much with Martial; and it's not Catullus scurrilous
verses that I think it's worth learning Latin for; I can read much the same
in modern urban graffiti.

It's his lyrical poetry that I like, e.g.
Lugete, o Veneres Cupidinesque....

Paeninsularum, Sirmio, insularumque....

Phasellus ille quem uidetis, hospites....

and many more.

And the poem at his brother's grave - Multas per gentes et multa per
aequora uectus - is IMO both finely written and very moving.

Ray.



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A mind which thinks at its own expense
will always interfere with language.
                   [J.G. Hamann 1760]
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