Tuesday, February 21, 2006

 

Latinate Diction

If you remember a little high school or college Latin, it's fun to try to figure out the meaning of this passage from Rabelais, Gargantua and Pantagruel, Book II, chapter VI (tr. J.M. Cohen). Apparently college students have changed little over the years.
'So you come from Paris,' said Pantagruel. 'And how do you spend your time, you gentlemen students at this same Paris?'

'We transfretate the Sequana at the dilucule and crepuscule; we deambulate through the compites and quadrives of the urb; we despumate the Latin verbocination and, as verisimile amorabunds, we captate the benevolence of the omnijugal, omniform, and omnigenous feminine sex. At certain intervals we invisitate the lupanars, and in venerean ecstasy we inculcate our veretres into the penitissim recesses of the pudenda of these amicabilissime meretricules. Then do we cauponizate, in the meritory taverns of the Pineapple, the Castle, the Magdalen, and the Slipper, goodly vervecine spatules, perforaminated with petrosil. And if by fort fortune there is rarity or penury of pecune in our marsupies, and they are exhausted of ferruginous metal, for the scot we dimit our codices and vestments oppignerated, prestolating the tabellaries to come from the penates and patriotic lares.'



Tu viens duncques de Paris, dist il. Et à quoy passez vous le temps, vous aultres, messieurs estudians audict Paris?

Respondit l'eschollier: Nous transfrétons la Séquane au dilucule et crépuscule; nous déambulons par les compites et quadriviez de l'urbe; nous despumons la verbocinatiun latiale , et, comme verisimiles amorabundes, captons la bénévolence de l'omnijuge, omniforme, et omnigène sexe féminin. Certaines diécules, nous invisons les lupanares de Champgaillard, de Matcon, de Cul-de-Sac, de Bourbon, de Huslieu, (...) puis, cauponizons ès tabernes méritoires de la Pomme de Pin, de la Magdaleine, et de la Mulle, belles spatules vervecines, perforaminées de pétrosil. Et si, par forte fortune, y a rarité ou pénurie de pécune en nos marsupiez, et soyent exhaustez de métal ferruginé, pour l'escot nous dimittons nos codices et vestez oppignerées, prestulans les tabellaires à venir des Pénates et Larez patrioticques.



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