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Lord of the Rings in Latin
#1
Hi,<br>
currently I'm translating JRR Tolkien's <em>Lord of the Rings</em> from English to Latin. The first results can be read at Dominus Anulorum. Any comment, suggestion or question is very welcome and very much appreciated. <p>"For I am a Bear of Very Little Brain, and long words Bother me."<br>
</p><i></i>
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#2
Salve! While I believe most of our interest is in the Roman period, any translation of Tolkein is a worthwhile effort! I only wish I were better at it.<br>
Have you read the translation of Harry Potter? The word for 'train' is pretty imaginative I think. <p>Legio XX<br>
Caupona Asellinae</p><i></i>
Richard Campbell
Legio XX - Alexandria, Virginia
RAT member #6?
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#3
Not read it; not read any of the HP books, for that matter. I'm not interested in them. <p>"For I am a Bear of Very Little Brain, and long words Bother me."<br>
</p><i></i>
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#4
Not more people interested in this?<br>
<br>
How was train translated? I've got a dictionary who translates it thus:<br>
- curruum agmen vaporata aqua ductum<br>
- curruum agmen electride (or: electrica vi) actum <p></p><i></i>
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#5
Salve!<br>
<br>
Earendilyon, please do not let a paucity of immediate responses lead you down the path of solipsism. While Rich's caveat is valid, there are many (covert) Tolkien fans, of very ancient pedigree. "And in low tones, bending close over their mugs at table, whispered, "Ballantine may have had his imprimature, but the Aces are scarce now in these parts. Mine still have the original bandaids on the spines."<br>
<br>
Many of the members who are Latinists are teachers as well and may only visit the site on weekends. So never fear. I was planning a repeat visit to your link and mother-site myself this weekend, when I wasn't grading or teaching. I must admit my first impression was so deep that I wanted to fully study your offerings more before commenting myself unitelligently.<br>
<br>
But so you don't feel ignored I was wondering: I see what your doing with the prose, but I would think the real challenge would be the songs and haunting verses. Also I would love to hear your thoughts on how you will approach Quenya and Sindarin when they appear; would you use Greek or Akkadian; by what means would you distinguish them from Latin without losing the lyrical musical quality of the Professor himself? Just wondering?<br>
<br>
Vale, pro nunc!<br>
<br>
" Nam sum Ursulatus parvus cum parvem mentem, et longum verbum mihi perturbit"? Or should I consult "Winnie Ille Pu?"<br>
<br>
Wade Heaton<br>
Lucius Cornelius Libo<br>
[email protected] <br>
www.togaman.com <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub27.ezboard.com/bromancivtalk.showUserPublicProfile?gid=togaman>Togaman</A> at: 10/4/03 9:30 am<br></i>
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#6
I too have been a Tolkien devotee for many years.<br>
<br>
I'd like to see how you translate the famous "one ring to rule them all" quarto. Do share it with us.<br>
<br>
Cheers<br>
Jenny <p></p><i></i>
Cheers,
Jenny
Founder, Roman Army Talk and RomanArmy.com

We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend.
-- Robert Louis Stevenson
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#7
The translation of 'train' in Harry Potter is<br>
<br>
"Hamaxosticus"<br>
<br>
I think. Here's the jacket cover:<br>
<br>
www.amazon.com/exec/obido...ce&s=books <p>Legio XX<br>
Caupona Asellinae</p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub27.ezboard.com/bromancivtalk.showUserPublicProfile?gid=richsc>Richsc</A> at: 10/7/03 4:37 am<br></i>
Richard Campbell
Legio XX - Alexandria, Virginia
RAT member #6?
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#8
<strong>Togaman</strong>, maybe I was indeed a bit too hasty ...<br>
"Nam sum Ursus cum parva mente, et longa verba mihi gravant" is a literal translation. Winnie Ille Pu has: 'Quia ursus pusilli ingenii sum verba difficilia fastidio.'<br>
I will do with Quenya and Sindarin as Tolkien did when translating the LotR from the Red Book of the Westmark: leave it untranslated.<br>
<br>
<strong>JRSCline</strong>, here's the Ring poem I translated already for some other site:<br>
<br>
<em>Tres anuli regibus Alfum sub caelo,<br>
Septem Dominis Nanorum in lapidis aulis,<br>
Novem Hominibus Mortalibus ad morendum damnati,<br>
Unus Domino Obscuro in solio obscuro,<br>
In Terra Mordoris ubi Umbrae,<br>
Unus Anulus ad eos omnes regendum,<br>
Unus Anulus ad eos inveniendum,<br>
Unus Anulus ad eos omnes ferendum et eos in tenebris adiugendum,<br>
In Terra Mordoris ubi Umbrae.</em><br>
<br>
It's a very literal translation, as is all what I did thus far.<br>
<br>
<strong>Richsc</strong>,<br>
I can't place 'Hamaxosticus'. The only Latin I find is hama=bucket and hamus=hook, and some variations on this. Or is it Greek? I don't know anything about that, I'm afraid.<br>
After some searching, I found [url=http://"http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3D%234913"]hamaxeus[/url] though, which means wagoner. Also: [url=http://"http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3D%234914"]hamaxeuô[/url], traverse with a wagon. "(H)amaxa" is a kind of wagon. I guess they latinised this somewhat.<br>
<br>
<p>"For I am a Bear of Very Little Brain, and long words Bother me."<br>
</p><i></i>
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#9
Earendilyon,<br>
I'm kinda proud of myself. I made mine up out of my head sitting at the office computer. Thanks for the correction and variations. But to the point: I was wondering as well about that most important and memorable of verses. I have never forgotten it since I memorized it during my first reading almost forty years ago. It still thrills and spooks me today. I must admit that I am impressed. The Latin preserves the sonority and the "power'" of the original. It rolls off the tongue (almost, not your verse, my first reading) as easily and the repetitive refrain creeps up the spine as the original does. Nicely done. I look forward to further excursions.<br>
<br>
Wade Heaton<br>
Lucius Cornelius Libo<br>
[email protected] <br>
www.togaman.com<br>
<br>
P. S. It took me a bit to get my mouth around line 3, but after a few repititions and increasing perception of the structural unity, it became easy. i had to forget the original a bit, but the more I repeated, the better I liked it.) <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub27.ezboard.com/bromancivtalk.showUserPublicProfile?gid=togaman>Togaman</A> at: 10/6/03 11:24 am<br></i>
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#10
All praise should go to JRRT, not to me.<br>
<br>
Thanks anyway <p>"For I am a Bear of Very Little Brain, and long words Bother me."<br>
</p><i></i>
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#11
- curruum agmen vaporata aqua ductum<br>
- curruum agmen electride (or: electrica vi) actum<br>
<br>
Salve Earendilyon,<br>
<br>
On the 'train' word tranlation above:<br>
<br>
Why don't you just fuse together these words and make something like " curragmen " or " curragmen electricus ". I mean, our English language is made of such fussions why not give it a try in Latin also? Just a suggestion.<br>
<br>
Vale <p></p><i></i>
aka: Julio Peña
Quote:"audaces Fortuna iuvat"
- shouted by Turnus in Virgil\'s Aeneid in book X just before he is utterly destroyed by Aeneas\' Trojans.
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#12
Hiyah NightHunter,<br>
I didn't make those terms, they came from my dictionary. In my opinion, 'agmen' would be alright, because that actually means 'train'. <p>"For I am a Bear of Very Little Brain, and long words Bother me."<br>
</p><i></i>
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#13
*bump*<br>
<br>
I've reached the Eve of the Long Expected Party! <p>"For I am a Bear of Very Little Brain, and long words Bother me."<br>
</p><i></i>
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#14
Wow!!!<br>
My latin is very poor, but I think, this work will force me to improve it.<br>
<br>
Alexandr<br>
<p></p><i></i>
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#15
Thanx, Alex!<br>
<br>
I just noticed I made a little mistake in the One Ring Poem, so I post now the bettered version:<br>
<br>
Tres Anuli regibus Alfonum sub caelo,<br>
Septem Dominis Nanorum in lapidis aulis,<br>
Novem Hominibus Mortalibus ad morendum damnati,<br>
Unus Domino Obscuro in solio obscuro,<br>
In Terra Mordoris ubi Umbrae,<br>
Unus Anulus ad eos omnes regendum,<br>
Unus Anulus ad eos inveniendum,<br>
Unus Anulus ad eos omnes ferendum et eos in tenebris adiugendum,<br>
In Terra Mordoris ubi Umbrae. <br>
<br>
<p>"For I am a Bear of Very Little Brain, and long words Bother me."<br>
</p><i></i>
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