Ladino
Marcel Cohen, Lettre à Antonio Saura, 1997 (French-Ladino edition). A meditation in form of a long letter on memory, language, family, loss...It's quite melancholic so far but not without some humor. It's a short work and I'll post more about it soon.
Latin
Reading a lot of Latin as of late. I'm up to Book III of William of Tyre's History of Deeds Done Beyond the Sea, a history of the Latin Kingdoms in the Holy Land. William (1130-1186) was born in Jerusalem itself and later became archbishop of Tyre, so he really is writing the history of his homeland.
William's Latin style has generally been praised and I find it rather pleasant. This, combined with my interest in the topic at hand, means I'll try and read the entire work.
Here are two extracts from Book I:
The first Crusaders set out (I, 17)
Parabatur interim quod ad tantum iter sufficere posse credebatur; et viaticula sua, cum viae quantitate metiri nitebantur, ignorantes quod non sunt in manu hominis viae illius. Ignorat enim mortalis infirmitas quid sibi crastina pariat dies. Non erat uspiam in tot provinciis, quot habet Occidens, domus otiosa vel una. Cuique juxta suam conditionem familiaria suberant, circa quae sollicitabantur, negotia, dum hic paterfamilias, ibi filius, illuc vero tota domus ad migrandum se componeret. Dirigebantur frequentes epistolae, quibus qui simul profecturi erant, se mutuo exhortabantur, attentius moram increpantes et monentes properare celerius. Vocantibusque caeteros his, qui turmarum erant duces designati, cum singultibus et suspiriis dividebantur ab invicem charorum amplexus, et supremum sibi valedicentes, separabantur in osculis. Mater filium, parentem filia, soror fratrem, uxor maritum, in ulnis deportantes parvulos, et suggentes ubera, cum lacrymis et ejulatu comitabantur abeuntes: et dicto vale, quos gressu non poterant, defixis obtutibus prosequebantur.
Unruly Crusaders meet their fate (I, 24)
Solimannus vero illius regionis dux et moderator, audito longe ante Christianorum principum adventu, ex universo interim Orientis tractu, tam prece quam pretio, et modis quibus poterat, infinitas virorum fortium colligens copias, ad easdem partes redierat, ut contra hostiles impetus civibus et regioni optata praeberet solatia. Qui audiens quod Teutonicorum praedicta manus oppidum ejus expugnasset, et expugnatum detinere praesumeret, illuc sub omni celeritate festinat, et castrum obsidens, violenter expugnat, omnibus quotquot intus reperit, gladio peremptis. Interea rumor in castris personuit, et celebri fama pervulgatum est, Teutonicorum cohortes, quae recenter de castris exierant, in manu Solimanni penitus cecidisse. Unde mente plurimum consternati, gemitu et lacrymis, quas prae spiritus angustia cohibere nequeunt, dolorem protestantur. Tandem comperta plenius veritate, exoritur tumultus popularium in castris; vociferante plebe, et id summa exigente precum instantia, ut illatam fratribus tam enormem non dissimularent injuriam; sed correptis armis, omnes unanimiter, tam equites quam pedites, interemptorum fratrum sanguinem vindicaturi procederent. Quod verbum majores exercitus, et qui in talibus pleniorem habebant experientiam, domini imperatoris consilio parere volentes, cum vellent comprimere et furentis populi indiscretum mitigare fervorem, insurrexit plebs adversus eos indomita; et cujusdam Godefridi, qui cognominabatur Burel, qui princeps erat factionis, usa patrocinio, majoribus contumelias coepit irrogare, timiditati ascribens, et non prudentiae, quod fratrum interfectores, ultore gladio non persequerentur.
William of Tyre will likely be enough to keep me busy for weeks but I have some side projects. One is Latin texts about Napoleon, the other is Latin texts about the siege of La Rochelle and Richelieu in general.