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Notes: Translation by Dr. N. Stenson (posted by David Saranen). Notes by Gesine Dagmar Stanienda and Daniel Quinlan [1] The Hebrides, or Western Isles, of Scotland were known as the Hebudæ or the Ebudæ in ancient times. The name is of Latin origin, appearing on ancient maps of Roman Britain. [2] This song is loosely based on the traditional "waulking songs" sung by women and used when fulling cloth. Waulking songs are unique to the Outer Hebrides.
Book Of Days
Notes: Translation by Dave Allum
Afer Ventus
Notes: Translation and notes by Larry M. Jordan, Magnus Olsson, Mauro Cicognini, Custodio, Giles Armstrong, Konrad Schroder, Aidan Hollinshead, Edith Hamilton (posted by Nate Scherer), Graham at the University of Delaware, and unknown persons. Notes later completely reworked by Daniel Quinlan. [1] Ventus may refer to either a wind (particularly a named wind, personified as a deity) or a wind as affecting a voyage favorably or otherwise by direction. [2] Umbriel and Ariel are two moons of Uranus. In addition, Umbriel is a character in Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock and Ariel is the name of "an airy Spirit" in Shakespeare's The Tempest. [3] All of the different "maria" (Mare Imbrium, Mare Undarum, and Mare Undarum) are geographical features of the moon (lunar seas). [4] It is difficult to put into English the "impersonal" meaning of "itur", which is actually the third person singular of the passive indicative present tense of the verb "ire", meaning "to go". Since "to go" cannot possibly be passive ("I am gone?") the passive mode is understood to sound as done by everybody and nobody in particular at the same time, really like something that gets done but without specifying by whom. [5] There is a famous phrase in Virgil's Aeneid which reads "sic itur ad astra" which has a literal meaning "thus you shall go to the stars", but the poetic, metaphorical meaning is "thus is immortality gained". So substituting "et" ("and", "also") for "sic" ("thus", "therefore") the translation might read along the lines of "and you shall go to the stars" or perhaps "and you shall live forever". [6] Vela ("a boat's sail") refers to the constellation Vela, representing the sails of the ship Argo. [7] Io: a maiden loved by Zeus, who changed her into a heifer so that she might escape the jealous rage of Hera [Lat. < Gk. Io], also one of the four inner Galilean moons of Jupiter. [8] Mirabilia: neuter pl. marvelous things. [9] Sempervirent: always green [Lat. semper, always + virere, to be green.] [10] Zephyrus: a god personifying the gentle west wind [Lat. < Gk. Zephuros.] [11] Volturnus: a god personifying the southeast wind. [12] Africus: a god personifying the southwest storm-rain wind. [13] Etesiarum: pl. of Etesian. recurring annually. It is used of prevailing northerly summer winds of the Mediterranean [Lat. etesius < Gk. etesius < etos, year.] [14] Eurus: a god personifying the east or southeast wind [Lat. < Gk. Euros.] [15] Latin likes to take the adjective that corresponds to a set and postpone it to go with the last member of that set (English puts it with the first member). So a more idiomatic rendering in English might be: "To each, its/his/her own custom is dear; to each, its/his/her own". [16] And likewise: "To me, my own is dear. To each its/his/her own." [17] terrigena: earth-born creature [Lat. terra, earth + genus, race or kind.]
Smaointe...
Notes: Translation and notes by Dennis Ryan [1] "In a gcodhladh" literally translates into "in their sleep". [2] "Ag insint scéil" should probably be "Ag insint scéalta": telling stories. [3] "Ar an dóigh a bhí": About the way that was = of the old life. |
