Search "Dominus Anulorum"

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

FOTR: Book1, Chapter 1, Page 1

Finally, finally, finally! Tandem aliquando, as Cicero would say! I have finally completed the first page of the first chapter of the first book of The Fellowship of the Ring. It has taken me months to translate this page and I am really proud of how far I've come in translating since then. I've also made a glossary of words (in order of appearance), which you can access to the side. Comments and criticisms and corrections to the translation are always welcome! Valete!

Michael



Caput Primum

CONVIVIUM EXSPECTATUM DIU


Cum Magister Bilbo Bursonus qui habitabat Bursae Imae nuntiavit eum centesimum et undecimum diem sui natalis breviter cum convivio magnificentiae egregiae celebraturum esse, erat multa fama et commotio in Hobbitone.

Bilbo erat perdives et novissimus, et annos sexaginta fuerat spectaculum Pagi, tempore quo notabiliter e conspectu aberat et insperatum rederat. Divitae quae is rettulerat itineribus suis iam factae erant fabulam Pagi, et id creditum est, neglegens illa quae homines veti dicant, populariter multo populi Pagi Tumulum Bursae Imae cuniculos fartos cum divitis habuisse. Et si illud erat non satis fama, erat quoque suus prorogatus vigor spectare. Tempus extendit, et videtur id multo non affecisse de Bilbone. Annis nonaginta aetatis similis erat quam fuerat annis quinquaginta aetatis. Annis nonaginta et novem aetatis inceperunt vocare eum conservatum bene; sed non immutatus verius verbum dictu esset. Erant aliqui qui sua caputa quasserunt et cogitaverunt hoc nimium esse; id videtur iniustum aliquem iuventutem sempiternam (specie) et quoque divitas infinitas (per famam) tenturum esse.

“Id solvendum est!” dixerunt. “Id est non naturale, et molesta venient propter id!”

Sed illo tempore molesta non adhuc venerat; et quoniam Magister Bursonus suam pecuniam aliis benigne dedit, plurimi homines volebant condonare novitatem suam et divitas bonas suas propter hoc. Is suos propinquos interviseat (praeter Bursoni ex Sackvilla) habuit homines studiosos multos qui eum admirati sunt inter hobbites familiarium pauperium et levium. Sed is familiares nullos habuit, donec aliqui patruelium invenium suorum inceperunt adolescere.

Veterrimus quorum patruelium, et carissimus Bilboni, erat adolescens Frodo Bursonus. Cum Bilbo erat nonaginta et novem anni aetatis is fecit Frodonem suum heredem, et is tulit eum ad Bursam Imam ad vivendum ibi; et propter hoc spes Bursonorum ex Sackvilla ad inritum redacti sunt tandem.

Accidit ut Bilbo et Frodo quoque nati erant die eodem, qui erat alter et vicesimus dies mensis Septembris. “Debes venire et habitare hic, Frodo mi puere,” Bilbo dixerat ei die uno, “et tum poterimus celebratare diem nostrorum natlium commode inter nos.” Tunc Frodo erat etiam tweenus, verbum quo hobbites vocaverunt aetates immaturas inter pueritiam aetate annorum viginti et aditum in puberitatem aetate annorum triginta tres.

3 comments:

  1. A heroic first effort! I wish I had ample time to give you a proper critique, but I could spend hours, I'm sure, going over and refining your translation. Perhaps as it progresses I will be able to do so.

    Meanwhile, a word of caution off the top of my head: be careful about translating figurative, compound, or periphrastic expressions in English into their literal equivalent in Latin. Generally speaking, try to use words and expressions that are as concrete as possible. For example, you translate the phrase "to have little effect (on Bilbo)" as habuere parvum effectum. This would be very peculiar to say in Latin! A more proper translation would be to start from English "affected him little", and translate with a more concrete verb like afficio or attingere.

    I don't think translating "Bag End" as Pera Extrema makes sense, since you leave "Baggins" untranslated, and "Bag End" is meant to refer indirectly to Bilbo's last name. Either leave Bag End untranslated or Latinize Baggins in some way using "pera".

    Are you familiar with the Perseus Project? You should check them out: www.perseus.tufts.edu. An awesome resource!

    Good luck! I'll check in again when I can!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've always wanted to learn latin but I never have time for it.
    It's a wonderful and very ambicious project you're making, keep up the great job!
    I'll visit regularly to read your updates on the book and hopefully learn a bit of latin.
    Congratulations!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nice ;) !
    Just a little mistake (I presume) quod aspexi: "Frodo mi puere".. the vocative would be here "puer" I believe. http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/puer#Latin

    ReplyDelete