Remains of Old Latin, vol 1

So ... reading a 400+ page book of literary fragments is probably exactly like you think it would be: uhhh, fragmented! Right? Right.

That said, some of the fragments (of Ennius, fragments of whose Annals I am reading now) look, anyway, as though they sound pretty cool in Latin. ;^)

It's going slowly, because it isn't exactly easy to remain engaged with this sort of a text, or pile of textlets.

Anyone else take part the "historic" (foo on that) blizzard we had up here in the Northeast US? In all seriousness, even though my work was closed for two days ... it wasn't all that. I do wish they'd stop trotting out the "historic" descriptor whenever forecasters get antsy.

So weird ... this particular laptop didn't "know" I'd changed usernames ...

Oh, that's weird - you're still chexmix in #1!

I love the Ennius fragments and wish we had much more of his Annals.

And, yeah, I get pretty irritated when the weather people get their panties is such a twist about this sort of thing.

The fragments ... fragment on.

I may be scarce for a couple of months. My second class starts up soon ... this is my first go at trying two at once (while working full time that is), so the side/pleasure/what-have-you reading may diminish quite a bit until I emerge on the other side.

So here, for no particular overarching reason, are a few fragments from vol 1 of Remains of Old Latin -- I marked these either because of their meaning or because the Latin looked ... striking.

Ennius:

Fr. 79: Quom superum lumen nox intempesta teneret

(I just liked this -- couldn't say why)

Fr. 109: O Tite tute Tati tibi tanta tyranne tulisti!

(There were other Ennian fragments with tricks similar to that in 109. I thought I had marked them, but I find that I did not. It appears Quintus Ennius was somewhat fond of verbal f/x like this)

Fr. 216: Amicus certus in re incerta cernitur

(This is our "a friend in need is a friend indeed" -- and now that I look at it, the Latin text rings changes on the sound 'cer\t\.' I hadn't noticed this before)

Caecilius:

Fr. 56: Qui, homo ineptitudinis cumulatus, cultum oblitus es?

(Warmington translates this as "You mound of ineptitude, how came you to forget good manners?" I simply thought it might come in useful some day)

On to Claudian! I didn't think I could do another volume of fragments right away.

Fragment 109 up there is a *very* famous line, for obvious, if not meritorious, reasons...

I was not altogether pleasantly reminded of Poe's "The Bells." :^)

I am on to volume 2 of Remains of Old Latin. Not the most exciting reading, always, but ...