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the_shrubbery(and I'm not sure there'll ever be more)
Veritas est generaliter agnita ut magistratus imperii Romani mulierem ex genere barbarico desideret.
'Scivisti-ne,' rogavit uxor ducis unius generis maritum suum, 'quod in castello Romano ad campum inferum praefectus novus est?'
‚Ignoratus sum,’ respondit hic vir, qui Benfred appelatus est. ‘Certus sum autem te mihi omnia narrare velle.’
‘Civis romanus est,’ respondit uxor sua, cuius nomen erat Fangifu, ‘nomine Gaius Darcius Gulliemus. Habet decem mille denarios per annum et non habet uxorem! Nonne est mirabilis filiis nostris?’
‘Quomodo?’ rogavit Benfred. ‘Num ignorata es ut Romani inimici nostri sint?’
‘La!’ respondit Fangifu. ‘Non valet! Habemus quinque filias et nemo ex vico ad rivulum longum Liðwulfam uxorem ducere vult. Ea potest nubere hunc magistratem Romanorum cum istis decem mille denariis per annum et emere maritos barbaricos pro sororibus suis! Et propterea hodie in castellum ibis.’
SPQR~SPQR~SPQR
Liðwulfa, filia Benfredis, vero erat puella adventicia. In vico ad rivulum longum, ubi pater suus dux barbarorum erat, et in vico propinquo, qui vocatus est vicus laetus, ne habuit aequalis. Causa erat ut legere posset, vellet scribendi discere, et mallet versus facere quem feris mortuis pellem exuere.
‘Est incredibile!’ vocavit in illo die, quo historia nostra incipuit. ‘Romae litterae emptae sunt! Romae sunt magistri qui docent artem scribendi! Romae sunt qui velint audire versos meos!’
‘Versi tui,’ clamavit soror Liðwulfae, Marhilda, ‘sunt horribiles. Nemo eos comprehendit, quia solus dicis a morte et a floris nigris et lacrimis et doloribus tuis.’
‘Romae sunt qui comprehendunt,’ Liðwulfa clamavit. ‘Romae sunt qui amant versos et ... et pectores et animas fragiles poetarum!’
‘Et cur,’ rogavit Marhilda, ‘tam non est in Roma, utinam ames plus Romanos unctos tonsosque quam vitam bonam barbaricam?’
‘Velim possim!’ clamavit Liðwulfa.
Subito Fangifu apparuit.
‘Gaude, filia mea,’ dixit, ‘quia in Roma tua amorata vivas!’
‘Quomodo?’ rogavit illa.
‘Quia nubas magistratem divem Romanum,’ respondit mater sua. ‘Convenias eum prima nocte, cum pater tuus castellum Romanorum oppugnabit!’
SPQR~SPQR~SPQR
'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a Roman magistrate desires a woman from a barbaric tribe.
'Did you know,' asked the wife of the leader of one such tribe her husband, 'that there is a new prefect in the Roman castle by the lower field?'
'I did not,' answered that man, who was called Benfred, 'but I am sure you want to tell me all.'
'He is a Roman citizen,' said his wife, whose name was Fangifu, 'by the name of Gaius Darcius Gulliemus. He has ten thousand denarii per year and he doesn't have a wife. Isn't that wonderful for our children?'
'How so?' asked Benfred. 'Don't you know that the Romans are our enemies?'
'La!' answered Fangifu. 'It doesn't matter! We have five daughters and nobody in the village by the long bourn wants to marry Lidhwulfa. She can marry that magistrate of the Romans with those ten thousand denarii per year and then buy barbarian husbands for her sisters! And therefore you will go to the castle tonight.'
SPQR~SPQR~SPQR
Lidhwulfa, the daughter of Benfred, was indeed an extraordinary girl. In the village by the long bourn, where her father was the leader of the barbarians, and in the neighbouring village, that was called the merry town, she had no equal. The reason for this was that she could read, wanted to learn to write, and would rather make verses than skin dead animals.
'It is unbelievable!' she cried on that day our story began. 'In Rome books are bought! In Rome there are teachers who teach the art of writing! In Rome there are people who would want to listen to my verses!'
'Your verses,' cried the sister of Lidhwulfa, Marhilda, 'are horrible. No one understands them, because you only speak of death and black flowers and your tears and pain.'
'In Rome there are people who understand!' cried Lidhwulfa. 'In Rome there are people who love verses and ... and feelings and the fragile souls of poets!'
'And why,' asked Marhilda, 'are you then not in Rome, if you like the perfumed and shaved Romans better than the good barbarian life?'
'If only I could!' cried Lidhwulfa.
Suddenly Fangifu appeared.
'Be happy, my daughter,' she said. 'Because you will live in your beloved Rome.'
'How?' asked that one.
'Because you will marry that rich Roman magistrate,' answered her mother. 'You will meet him tonight, when your father attacks the Roman castle.'
Veritas est generaliter agnita ut magistratus imperii Romani mulierem ex genere barbarico desideret.
'Scivisti-ne,' rogavit uxor ducis unius generis maritum suum, 'quod in castello Romano ad campum inferum praefectus novus est?'
‚Ignoratus sum,’ respondit hic vir, qui Benfred appelatus est. ‘Certus sum autem te mihi omnia narrare velle.’
‘Civis romanus est,’ respondit uxor sua, cuius nomen erat Fangifu, ‘nomine Gaius Darcius Gulliemus. Habet decem mille denarios per annum et non habet uxorem! Nonne est mirabilis filiis nostris?’
‘Quomodo?’ rogavit Benfred. ‘Num ignorata es ut Romani inimici nostri sint?’
‘La!’ respondit Fangifu. ‘Non valet! Habemus quinque filias et nemo ex vico ad rivulum longum Liðwulfam uxorem ducere vult. Ea potest nubere hunc magistratem Romanorum cum istis decem mille denariis per annum et emere maritos barbaricos pro sororibus suis! Et propterea hodie in castellum ibis.’
Liðwulfa, filia Benfredis, vero erat puella adventicia. In vico ad rivulum longum, ubi pater suus dux barbarorum erat, et in vico propinquo, qui vocatus est vicus laetus, ne habuit aequalis. Causa erat ut legere posset, vellet scribendi discere, et mallet versus facere quem feris mortuis pellem exuere.
‘Est incredibile!’ vocavit in illo die, quo historia nostra incipuit. ‘Romae litterae emptae sunt! Romae sunt magistri qui docent artem scribendi! Romae sunt qui velint audire versos meos!’
‘Versi tui,’ clamavit soror Liðwulfae, Marhilda, ‘sunt horribiles. Nemo eos comprehendit, quia solus dicis a morte et a floris nigris et lacrimis et doloribus tuis.’
‘Romae sunt qui comprehendunt,’ Liðwulfa clamavit. ‘Romae sunt qui amant versos et ... et pectores et animas fragiles poetarum!’
‘Et cur,’ rogavit Marhilda, ‘tam non est in Roma, utinam ames plus Romanos unctos tonsosque quam vitam bonam barbaricam?’
‘Velim possim!’ clamavit Liðwulfa.
Subito Fangifu apparuit.
‘Gaude, filia mea,’ dixit, ‘quia in Roma tua amorata vivas!’
‘Quomodo?’ rogavit illa.
‘Quia nubas magistratem divem Romanum,’ respondit mater sua. ‘Convenias eum prima nocte, cum pater tuus castellum Romanorum oppugnabit!’
'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a Roman magistrate desires a woman from a barbaric tribe.
'Did you know,' asked the wife of the leader of one such tribe her husband, 'that there is a new prefect in the Roman castle by the lower field?'
'I did not,' answered that man, who was called Benfred, 'but I am sure you want to tell me all.'
'He is a Roman citizen,' said his wife, whose name was Fangifu, 'by the name of Gaius Darcius Gulliemus. He has ten thousand denarii per year and he doesn't have a wife. Isn't that wonderful for our children?'
'How so?' asked Benfred. 'Don't you know that the Romans are our enemies?'
'La!' answered Fangifu. 'It doesn't matter! We have five daughters and nobody in the village by the long bourn wants to marry Lidhwulfa. She can marry that magistrate of the Romans with those ten thousand denarii per year and then buy barbarian husbands for her sisters! And therefore you will go to the castle tonight.'
Lidhwulfa, the daughter of Benfred, was indeed an extraordinary girl. In the village by the long bourn, where her father was the leader of the barbarians, and in the neighbouring village, that was called the merry town, she had no equal. The reason for this was that she could read, wanted to learn to write, and would rather make verses than skin dead animals.
'It is unbelievable!' she cried on that day our story began. 'In Rome books are bought! In Rome there are teachers who teach the art of writing! In Rome there are people who would want to listen to my verses!'
'Your verses,' cried the sister of Lidhwulfa, Marhilda, 'are horrible. No one understands them, because you only speak of death and black flowers and your tears and pain.'
'In Rome there are people who understand!' cried Lidhwulfa. 'In Rome there are people who love verses and ... and feelings and the fragile souls of poets!'
'And why,' asked Marhilda, 'are you then not in Rome, if you like the perfumed and shaved Romans better than the good barbarian life?'
'If only I could!' cried Lidhwulfa.
Suddenly Fangifu appeared.
'Be happy, my daughter,' she said. 'Because you will live in your beloved Rome.'
'How?' asked that one.
'Because you will marry that rich Roman magistrate,' answered her mother. 'You will meet him tonight, when your father attacks the Roman castle.'
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no subject
Date: 2013-09-03 01:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-09-03 02:21 pm (UTC)It actually got rolling once I started, I think I wrote this over two days? But I had to look up so much, not only vocab, but also grammar, and I'm sure it sounds very inelegant! It was fun though ;-)
no subject
Date: 2013-09-03 03:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-09-03 03:54 pm (UTC)Learning Latin is a decision I've never regretted, even though I made it at age 13 (when you're bound to get things wrong). Not only because it's so useful (no kidding) but also because you can have so much fun with it!!
no subject
Date: 2013-09-03 04:23 pm (UTC)