LTSN LATIN TEACHING PROJECT 2003/4 LATIN IN ACTION

Transcription

1 Dr. S. Phillippo, Mrs. T.M.L. Saunders, Dr. J. Wisse Classical Association, Leeds School of Historical Studies (Classics), University of Newcastle upon Tyne 3rd April 2004 LTSN LATIN TEACHING PROJECT 2003/4 LATIN IN ACTION : Teaching with Latin texts for ab initio language learners There is one criterion, and one criterion only, by which a course for the learners of a language no longer spoken should be judged: the efficiency and speed with which it brings them to the stage of reading texts in the original language with precision, understanding and enjoyment. K.J. Dover, Preface to Reading Greek 10.1 Sed ubi labore atque iustitia res publica crevit, reges magni bello domiti, nationes ferae et populi ingentes vi subacti, Carthago aemula imperi Romani ab stirpe interiit, cuncta maria terraeque patebant, saevire fortuna ac miscere omnia coepit. 2 Qui labores, pericula, dubias atque asperas res facile toleraverant, eis otium, divitiae, optanda alias, oneri miseriaeque fuere. 3 Igitur primo imperi, deinde pecuniae cupido crevit; ea quasi materies omnium malorum fuere. 4 Namque avaritia fidem, probitatem ceterasque artis bonas subvortit; pro his superbiam, crudelitatem, deos neglegere, omnia venalia habere edocuit. 5 Ambitio multos mortalis falsos fieri subegit, aliud clausum in pectore aliud in lingua promptum habere, amicitias inimicitiasque non ex re sed ex commodo aestumare magisque voltum quam ingenium bonum habere. 6 Haec primo paulatim crescere, interdum vindicari; post, ubi contagio quasi pestilentia invasit, civitas immutata, imperium ex iustissumo atque optumo crudele intolerandumque factum. 1. Questions on Sallust, Catalina from end of year assignment: A: X. But when our country had grown great through toil and the practice of justice, when great kings had been vanquished in war, savage tribes and mighty peoples subdued by force of arms, when Carthage, the rival of Rome s sway, had perished root and branch, and all seas and lands were open, then Fortune began to grow cruel and to bring confusion into all our affairs. Those who had found it easy to bear hardship and dangers, anxiety and adversity, found leisure and wealth, desirable under other circumstances, a burden and a curse. Hence the lust for power first, then for money, grew upon them; these were, I may say, the root of all evils. For avarice destroyed honour, integrity, and all other noble qualities; taught in their place insolence, cruelty, to neglect the gods, to set a price on everything. Ambition drove many men to become false; to have one thought locked in the breast, another ready on the tongue; to value friendships and enmities not on their merits but by the standard of self-interest, and to show a good front rather than a good heart. At first these vices grew slowly, from time to time they were punished; finally, when the disease had spread like a deadly plague, the state was changed and a government second to none in equity and excellence became cruel and intolerable. (J. C. Rolfe, Loeb Classical Library 1995 (1921)) (i) The rôle of the published English translations in the course: context and comparison a) hardship (A: Rolfe): to what in the Latin does this correspond? In what way is the translation not literal? Then compare this with the same Latin word plus translations (both A and B) at the beginning of 10.1; comment on the difference between the Latin and the English caused by the fact that Rolfe and Sandford have chosen to translate the same Latin word by different English words. [7] b) anxiety and adversity (Rolfe and Sandford): to what words in the Latin does this correspond? How effectively, in your view, does this render the Latin phrase? [5] B: Thus by hard work and just dealing the power of the state increased [...] To the men who had so easily endured toil and peril, anxiety and adversity, the leisure and riches which are generally regarded as so desirable proved a burden and a curse. (Sandford, Penguin)

2 (ii) Three keystones of the approach: 10.5 directed application of current knowledge of the language fi reading skills a) What is the main verb, and how do the other verb forms relate to this? [3] students generating their own translation of parts of passage and using parallel translations fi analysis of detail b) not on their merits but by the standard of self-interest : to what part of the Latin text does this correspond? (you will see why Sallust is known for his brevity!). Give a literal translation of this phrase. [4] building towards more independent literary analysis c) Discuss Sallust s use of contrasts in this sentence, and the various stylistic means he employs to reinforce these and the ideas about people s behaviour that they are meant to emphasise. (Make sure you refer to the Latin, not the translation!) [8]

3 Illustrations from Semester 1: language knowledge, literary training and lessons learnt! 2. From the 2-week Classical Studies Introduction to Language course: simple Latin! Final workshop session: students provided with dictionaries and basic tables, to work on e.g. pauca nuntiate meae puellae/ non bona dicta Semester 2: setting questions to help students identify techniques to sort out endings: e.g. Lucretius De Rerum Natura (Sem. 2 wks. 6 7: perfect passive participles covered wks. 4/5) 791 2: inde loci mortalia saecla creavit multa modis multis varia ratione coorta. q. 4: Which words go with each other in line 792? (use scansion to help with vowel lengths in endings!) Two early approaches to combination of language application and literary analysis 3. Unsupported text: end of week 2 of Latin course proper (Sem. 1 wk. 4) Following introduction to basic noun declensions Alcuin: How Charlemagne s son, Pepin, and Alcuin asked each other riddles 1 Quid est littera? Custos historiae*. Quid est homo? Mancipium mortis, transiens 2 viator, loci* hospes. Quid est somnus? Mortis* imago. Quid est luna? Oculus noctis, roris larga, praesaga tempestatum. 5 Quid sunt stellae? Nautarum gubernatores, noctis decor. Quid est nebula? Nox in die. Quid est mare? Audaciae via, limes terrae, divisor regionum, hospitium fluviorum, fons imbrium, refugium in periculis, gratia in voluptatibus. Notes: 1) This is medieval Latin and quid is used even for plurals. 2) q. 2:transiens is a participle, used as an adjective with viator. 3) q. s 14 & 15: eam and eius both refer to quadriga and are accusative (for the object) and genitive respectively, from is. Look this up. 1. (a) What case are the nouns in the questions? (b) What two cases are most of the nouns in the answers? 2. Using a dictionary, find: (i) the genitive singular of the double-underlined nouns; and (ii) the nominative singular of the asterisked nouns. 3. Can you find the meaning of the questions and answers? Think about the ideas which each answer expresses! 4. Text supported with interlinear translation & comparison with published versions: end of week 1 of Latin course proper (pronunciation, basic cases and formation) The Vulgate, Pater Noster (from J.G.F. Powell, VVV [Veni, vide, vince!], with additional q. s) Pater noster, qui es in caelis, Father our, who are in heavens, sanctificetur nomen tuum, may-(it)-be-sanctified name your, veniat regnum tuum, may-(it)-come kingdom your, fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo, et in terra. et dimitte nobis debita nostra, and let-off for-us debts our, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. just-as also we let-off for-debtors our. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, And not us lead-in into temptation, sed libera nos a malo.

4 may-(it)-be-done will your, just-as in heaven, also in earth. Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie, Bread our daily give to-us today, but free us from evil. (a) Notice the ways in which the word order differs from ordinary English. Can you formulate a rule about the usual position of the Latin words for our and your (the so-called possessives) with respect to the words they go with? (Do not worry at the moment about the different endings noster/nostra/nostrum/nostris and tuum/tua. All will become clear as we go on.) (b) Some of the words in the Lord s Prayer would appear in different forms in a Latin dictionary; e.g. caelis would appear as caelum, panem as panis (the reasons will become apparent very soon). Find the following words in a Latin dictionary: pater caelum nomen regnum voluntas terra panis debitum tentatio or temptatio (both spellings possible). Three alternative translations A) Jerusalem Bible Our Father in heaven, may your name be held holy, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us. And do not put us to the test, but save us from the Evil One. B) New International Version Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we have also forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. C) R.A. Knox Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 1. Compare the word order, and literal sense, of sicut in caelo, et in terra, with the translation on earth as [it is] in heaven. 2. Find all the equivalents in the Latin of your, our and us. As note (a) above suggests, the normal position for the Latin adjectives meaning your and our (and my, his, etc.) is after the noun they go with. But what other effect may be created by the position of these Latin adjectives in the Latin version of the prayer, as compared to the translations A, B and C? 3. Find the equivalent of hodie in A, B and C. Do you think the position of hodie in the Latin, as compared to where the equivalents come in the English, makes any difference? 5. Midway through Sem. 1 (wks. 3-4 of Latin course): Catullus 61: word choice and position

5 Collis o Heliconii 1 cultor, Vraniae genus, qui rapis teneram ad uirum uirginem, o Hymenaee Hymen, o Hymen Hymenaee, 5 cinge tempora floribus suaue olentis amaraci, flammeum cape laetus, huc huc ueni, niueo gerens luteum pede soccum; 10 excitusque hilari die, nuptialia concinens uoce carmina tinnula, pelle humum pedibus, manu pineam quate taedam. 15 A O you dweller on the hill Of Helicon, Urania s breed, You who kidnap tender bride For groom, O Hymeneal Hymen, O Hymen Hymeneal, Wreathe your temples with the flower Of sweet-smelling marjoram; Take the flame-hued veil and gladly Hither come, on snow-white foot Wearing yellow sandal. Excited by the merry day, With ringing tenor voice join in The wedding chorus, beat the ground With dancing feet and in your hand Shake the torch of pinewood. (from Guy Lee (trans.), Catullus: The Complete Poems (O.U.P. 1998); Guy Lee) (a) Take the flame-hued veil and gladly Hither come Find the equivalent section* in the Latin. Which word is the direct object of the first verb form? Give the dictionary form and look this word up; note its basic range of meanings and its meaning here. In what case is the other word in this part of the sentence? What does it mean? Look up the words that go with the second verb form. Then give a translation of this whole Latin section*, saying as close as possible to the Latin while still making sense! Find the translation of this in B,C,D. Compare these with the Latin. What are the differences & what effect might the differences have? Which translation do you prefer and why? 6. Towards the end of Semester 1: Cicero, In Catalina I: language building blocks, literal translation, and literary style (i) Passage 1: Section 2 o tempora, o mores! senatus haec intellegit, consul videt; hic tamen vivit. vivit? immo vero etiam in senatum venit, fit publici consili particeps, notat et designat oculis ad caedem unum quemque nostrum. nos autem fortes viri satis facere rei publicae videmur, si istius furorem ac tela vitemus. Notes: facere: an infintive ( to do X ) form: from which verb? vitemus: a subjunctive: for translation purposes here, treat as if it were vitamus. A: What an age! What morals! The senate knows these things, the consul sees them. Yet this man lives. Lives, did I say? Nay, more, he walks into the senate, he takes part in the public counsel. He singles out and marks with his glance each one of us for murder. But we, brave men indeed, seem to be doing our duty by the state if we avoid his fury and his shafts. (Louis Lord, Loeb) B: What a scandalous commentary on our age and its standards! For the Senate knows all about these things. The consul sees them being done. And yet this man still lives! Lives? He walks right into the Senate. He joins in our national debates watches and notes and marks down with his gaze each one of us he plots to assassinate. And we, how brave we are! Just by getting out of the way of his frenzied onslaught, we feel we are doing patriotic duty enough. (Michael Grant, Penguin) 1. Say what forms the following are, give their dictionary form and meaning, then say how the form in the text is translated in the two translations. Comment on any differences. intellegit (line 1) venit (line 2) videmur (line 3)

6 2. Say what cases the following are and why, and give their dictionary form and meaning. Match each one up with its equivalent in the two translations, and comment on any differences. tela (line 3) istius (line 3) furorem (line 3) 6. Comment on any features of expression and style you notice in the last sentence, nos autem... vitemus. In what ways might these establish links between this sentence and the rest of this passage? How well do you think translations A and B represent (i) the sense (ii) the style of this section? (ii) [Extract from] Passage 2: Sections 4 5: castra sunt in Italia contra populum Romanum in Etruriae faucibus conlocata, crescit in dies singulos hostium numerus; eorum autem castrorum imperatorem ducemque hostium intra moenia atque adeo in senatu videtis intestinam aliquam cotidie perniciem rei publicae molientem. Notes: conlocata: from conlocatus, a past passive participle of conloco. If killed is the past passive participle of to kill, how should conlocata be translated? molientem: from moliens, molientis, present (active) participle ( doing X ) of molior A: There is in Italy a camp of enemies of the Roman people, situated in the passes of Etruria, their number is increasing daily; but you behold the commander of that camp and the leader of the enemy inside the walls and even in the senate plotting daily from within the city the destruction of the state. (Louis Lord, Loeb) B: Inside Italy, within the passes of Etruria, there is a camp occupied by men who plan the destruction of the Roman people. The number of these enemies increases every day. But as for the real commander of that camp, the leader of the hostile force, he is to be seen within our own walls and even inside the Senate itself, plotting every day, from this interior vantage point, some form of ruin for our country. (M. Grant, Penguin) C: A camp is pitched in Italy, at the entrance of Etruria, in hostility to the republic; the number of the enemy increases every day; and yet the general of that camp, the leader of those enemies, we see within the walls ay, and even in the senate planning every day some internal injury to the republic. (C.D. Yonge) 3. Find the Latin for the following (from translation A): (a) plotting daily from within the city the destruction of the state Translate literally, and compare the Latin, in terms of both sense and style, with the translations in all three versions above (A, B & C). APPENDIX: list of texts used for exercises in class and in assignments (underlined items: full copies of exercises attached) Semester 1 Wk. 2 (Intro. to language course): Virgil, Aeneid David West translation (basic verb tables and endings, with vocab. list) Wk. 3 (Latin beginners only): The Lord s Prayer, Vulgate + trans.: Jerusalem Bible, New International Version, R.A. Knox) Wk. 4: Alcuin, How Charlemagne s son, Pepin, and Alcuin asked each other riddles Wk. 5 6: Catullus trans. by Guy Lee (Oxford World Classics), Peter Whigham (Penguin), L.R. Lind and (?) C.H. Sisson Silete venti: text for motet set by G.F. Handel (1724) Wk. 7 8: Propertius II.xxiiB + trans. by Shepherd, Guy Lee, H.E. Butler (Loeb)

7 Wk. 9 11: Cicero, In Catalinam I, extracts from sections 1, 4 & 5; trans. by Louis Lord (Loeb), Michael Grant (Penguin), C.D.Yonge (4 & 5) Semester 1 assignment: Cicero, Pro Murena 78 (ego quod facio...opprimemini), 80 (nolite arbitrari...defendendam) + trans. by L. Lord (Loeb), C.D. Yonge, D.H. Berry and choice of: Catullus 51 + trans. by Guy Lee, F.W. Cornish (Loeb), H. Gregory Virgil, Aeneid trans. by L.R. Lind, D. West, F. Richards Semester 2 Wk. 1 3: Further work on passages set for assignment Wk. 4 6: Catullus 45 + trans. by Guy Lee, Peter Whigham, F.W. Cornish (Loeb), Gilbert Highet Wk. 6 7: Lucretius, De Rerum Natura trans. by W.H.D. Rouse (Loeb), R.E. Latham (Penguin), C. Bailey. Wk. 7 8: Quintus Curtius, History of Alexander V trans. by J.C. Rolfe (Loeb) Semester 2 assignment: Ovid, Metamorphoses trans. by D.E. Hill (Aris & Phillips), A.D. Melville (Oxford World Classics), M.M. Innes (Penguin), Ted Hughes (Tales from Ovid) Sallust, Catalina trans. by J.C. Rolfe (Loeb), S.A. Handford (Penguin)