Christina Rossetti's Advent - A Poem
Advent is a poem written by Christina Rossetti, an 19th C. poetess.
It has a "green" flavour that reminds me of Browning's poems and also of Hildegarde of Bingen's works.
I have included the original English text which deserves to be better known.
There are also Notes for anyone wishing to understand why I choose certain words or those who might like to set this reverse translation as a senior class exercise?
Earth grown old, yet still so green,
Deep beneath her crust of cold
Nurses fire unfelt, unseen:
Earth grown old.
We who live are quickly told:
Millions more lie hid between
Innner swathings of her fold
When will fire break up her screen?
When will life burst thro' her mold?
Earth, earth, earth, thy cold is keen,
Earth grown old.
Here's a Latin paraphrase.
Tellus senecta tamen etiam viridior
altum infra suam crustam frigidae
Ignem, insensum, invisum, nutricat.
Tellus quae senecta est!
Celeriter nos vicit docemur
multo plures celati interiores
sinus suae sinuum interiacent.
Quando flamma suam umbraculam refringet?
Quando vita suam terram dirumpet?
Tellus tua frigida acer esse!
Tellus quae senect est?
Notes on Latin
Tellus - you might like to ask a class to explain the differences between Tellus and Terra?
Senecta - unless my latin is rustier than I dread
hopefully the particple form of Senesco!
Altum can mean both high and deep
Insensum is my coining an dperhaps not the best Latin?
NOS VICIT - I do wonder if I should have opted for an relative clause here?
Millions - multo plures was as clsoe as I could get
- while million derives from Latin - it was NOT a classical term.
Folds of folds - I couldnt find swathe! so opted for the closest synonym!
Here's a Greek version - it actually sounds better in Greek despite Rossetti being Anglo-Italian!
I wonder if she studied Greek? This phonetic transcription is based on classical pronounciation not demotic!
Gaia geeraskousa alla hoos khloora
batheian kata autees phloomeneen psukhra
trephei pur, ou aistheeteen kai a-oraateen.
heemeis hoi biountes takhiista didaaskometha
hekatommuuria pleioona metaksu lanthanousi
esoothen autees ptukhees ptusomenoon.
pote pur pheeksei ana morpheen;
pote bios ereiksei dia skheematos;
gaia,gaia,gaia,sos psukhra esti okseia.
gaia geeraskousa.
Some notes - While the Latin version is probably closer to the English as a translation of the content I found it interesting that the Greek version comes closer to the rhythm of the original?
Particularly the euphony of gaia geeraskousa
You could have a discussion on the difference between gee and gaia and get the class to list "geo" words?
Or look at Hellenic creation myths and compare them to other mythos - not just Christian please - you could use Taoist folk stories if you're in Singapore or China or compare Hindu and Greek stories or use Amerind?
You could also discuss the interchange of long e and long a/
Discuss the GR stem - list owrds that use this word for aged?
Whats the difference between geeraoo and geeraskoo - tyalk about inchoatives and the - skoo suffix?
Note that the adjectives in this poem demonstrate both kinds of adjective declensions? Discuss?
Use bathus and oxus to discuss u stems?
Crust - I used the verb phleoo - comment son alternatives please?
I had to use a demotic / byzantine post-classicla word for millions - my apologies!
NOte that rheexei comes from rheegnumi - an opportunity to discuss - numi verbs! and their aorist forms
Finally discuss the differences between Su and Sos - You and Thou
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