[BNP/E3, 124 – 54]
Three hungry scholars came to a wayside inn, and saw this sign over the door:
PLACET ORE
STAT ORDINE
ORE STABIT
ORE AT ABIT
One of them, ready to show his ready wit, translated these Latin words of welcome roughly into this English verse:
Good cheer we provide,
Our service is sure;
Their savours abide,
Though meals don’t endure.
The complacent smile faded from his face as a village school-boy, who had overheard, broke in with the real rendering of the words:– “Place to rest at or dine; Orest a bit, or eat a bit!”
“Cane Decane, canis; sed ne cane, cane Decane, | De cane; sed canis, cane Decane cane.”
This curiously clever Latin couplet, with its recurrent jingle, is said to be from the pen of that ripe scholar Porson. The intention of the lines is to admonish an ecclesiastical dignitary far advanced in years, who had been induced in festive moment to sing a sportive song.
The English of it runs thus; Hoary Dean thou singest, yet let not by thy song be of dogs; sing rather to those who are as hoary as thyself.
If, as it is supposed, Dean Hoare was the subject of this rebuke, the wording takes an added significance from his name.
The following free translation was made about a century ago:-
You Dean descant,
But can’t you, Dean,
This cant you din about dogs control?
O could you, Dean,
If you would you’d e’en
Do good, you Dean, to some old soul.
The world of fools has such a store,
That he who would not see an ass
Must bide at home, and bolt his door,
And break his looking glass.
Many of our readers will enjoy the following quaint and excellent rendering of a well-known “Limorick”, which is in some respects even better than the English version.
[54v]
There was a young lady of Riga
Who smiled as the rode on a tiger:
At the end of the ride
Her place was inside,
And the smile on the face of the tiger.
Puella Rigensis ridebat,
Quam tigris in tergo vehebat:
Externa provecta,
Interna revecta,
Sed risus cum tigre manebat!
_________________________________________
There was a young lady of Riga
Espronceda: “The Student of Salamanca.”
Translated into English by Alexander Search
A Tale in 4 parts
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Translated into English by Alexander Search
translated. translated
translated translated.
translated translated
translated.
translated translated
translated. translated
translated translated
Feeling is extravagant thought.
extravagant thought
|*Your opinion has expressed the miser as to whatever they compute[1] as the work of a man of 13, 15, 16 has in them anything remarkable, in my days. Two lines will suffice.|
thought
thought the
[1] compute /envy\
