A Latin Reading Resource

All about language programs, courses, websites and other learning resources
PfifltriggPi
Green Belt
Posts: 486
Joined: Sun Oct 30, 2016 6:44 pm
Location: Amerique du Nord
Languages: Uses daily : Français (heritage) English
Reads : Castellano, Català, Italiano, Lingua Latina
Studying: Українська мова, Ελληνικά
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=4860
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Re: A Latin Reading Resource

Postby PfifltriggPi » Tue Apr 20, 2021 12:39 am

As I mentioned in my log, I recently finished reading the oeuvre integrale of Catullus, the late-Republican Roman poet. Reading Catullus is a bit like reading Shakespeare, in that he oscillates from scatological but hilarious mockery, tender romance, moving tragedy, expression of genuine friendship and near-pornographic lust all seemingly on a whim. As a result, there really is no one poem to which one can point as characteristic of his entire production.

That said, almost all of his poems are relatively short and almost all are quite easy as far as classical Latin poetry goes. As a result, Catullus' works can be an excellent introduction to "real Latin" for newer students, but anyone who studies the language should read him sooner or later. Although there are many of his poems which I will most likely not read again, some are truly some of the most powerful poetry I have read in any language and, as such, an edition of Catullus' work should be in the library of any Latin reader.
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Please correct my errors in any tongue.

"Зброя - слово." - Леся Українка

guyome
Blue Belt
Posts: 601
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2020 1:41 pm
Languages: French (N)
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Re: A Latin Reading Resource

Postby guyome » Thu Jan 13, 2022 9:24 am

This week I've read a slightly unusual work, the Liber Scalae Machometi. It tells of Muhammad's night journey to Jerusalem and his ascension to Heaven, describing various heavens, earths and hells, as well as beasts, angels, etc.

The Latin version was written by Bonaventura of Siena in 1261. He worked from a Castilian version (now lost) prepared by Abraham Alfaquim, a Jewish doctor at the court of Alfonso X, who worked from Arabic.
If I recall correctly what I've read/listened to last week, no Arabic work that would perfectly match the Latin one has been found and the consensus seems to be that the Castilian/Latin versions morphed several Arabic texts/accounts into one work. The translation was of course done with the aim of better knowing Islam in order to better oppose it but, a few chapter headings apart, it seems to be rather faithful to the original material.

If you want to know more about the text, the podcast Passion Médiévistes has an episode about it: Épisode 33 – Abderrazak et le Livre de l’Echelle Mahomet.

The text itself reads easily. It is written in a rather unadorned Latin, quite Romance-like. Because of the very nature of the topic, there's also a lot of repetition. It can be somewhat tedious at times but it also makes this text a good candidate if you want to do some quick reading and are not averse to Medieval Latin.
Sciant omnes de quatuor mundi partibus prout sunt Oriens, Occidens, Septentrio et Meridies qui hunc preciosum librum viderint et audiverint quod cum ego Machometus filius Abdillehe, oriundus de Arabia de civitate Meche, generis nobilis Arabum quod dicitur Korayxis, gracia illuminatus divina, Meche in domo mea essem, et jacerem in lecto proprio et juxta uxorem meam cui nomen erat Omheni et multum vigilaverim in lege Dei sollicite cogitando, et post hujusmodi vigilacionem, aliquantulum dormire inceperim; ecce statim venit ad me Gabriel angelus et se mihi in hanc formam ostendit: videlicet quod ejus facies erat alba plus quam lac aut nix aliqua et capilli erant rubicundiores corallo multum etiam rubicundo. Habebat enim supercilia valde ampia et os pulcherrimum et bene formatum, dentes quidem albos et valde claros et existens indutus vestibus omni re albioribus ac ditissime operatis cum perlis et lapidibus preciosis. Cinctus erat duabus zonis quarum unam deferebat super papillas pectoris et aliam circa lumbos, prout se homines cingere consuescunt. Erant namque zone ille auri purissimi mirabiliter operate et earum quelibet amplior grandi palmo. Manus quidem ipsius rubicunde ad modum ignis, et ale ac pedes sui viridiores omni smaragdo et eciam clariores. (...)
The Latin text can be found at http://www.mlat.uzh.ch/index.php?app=browser&text=11963. Unfortunately, there are a few typos in the text (due to OCR?). Nothing crazy but if you're puzzled by words like cura, moduni or grada, these are probably cum, modum and gracia.
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