I strove to be as literal as I possibly could while translating. I’m not sure if I succeeded. Despite the fact that the original is song and poetry, I still wanted to produce as wooden a translation as I could, so as to test my knowledge of grammar, vocabulary and syntax.
Please comment on my translation! I am trying to improve my Latin skills and would appreciate any and all feedback. Thank you!
English Translation
Be well, o queen, mother of mercy, our life, sweetness, and hope, be well. To you we cry, exiled children of eve, To you we sigh, lamenting and weeping in this valley of tears. Come now, therefore, our advocate, those your merciful eyes – turn back to us. And show Jesus – blessed fruit of thy womb – after this our exile. O gentle, O pious, O sweet Virgin Mary
Original Latin Text
Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiæ, vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve. Ad te clamamus exsules filii Hevæ, Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes in hac lacrimarum valle. Eia, ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte; Et Jesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui, nobis post hoc exsilium ostende. O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.
Johnny is a Bishop, Heretic, Prophet, Priest, Apostle and ASM (Ascended Spiritual Master). On his good days he is often also the one true almighty God incarnate. He enjoys writing theology and philosophy articles and spreading the Gospel promise of Universal Salvation
This translation was done during an LSD trip, so you can be assured that it’s extra inspired and even more accurate and divine than it would be otherwise.
Curiousities that I encountered during translation include the consistant use of the plural form for “darkness” – tenebrae. I am not expert enough in Latin to say with confidence why this plural form features so prominently, but I figured there must be some sort of theological significance and so chose to translate it as “darknesses”. This is definitely an area for further speculative theology to explore: the multiplicity of the primordial darkness from which all things sprung. What could it mean?
During translation, I tried my hardest to preserve the original Latin tenses. I was interested in a “wooden” and “literal” translation, and had no interest in smoothing over the grammatical quirks and clunkiness for the sake of an elegant English reading. I prefer to have direct access to the original constructions when reading a translation, regardless of how odd it sounds in English. I value strict accuracy of translation above literary excellence. Rather than having the paraphrase in the text and the original in the footnotes, I prefer to do things the other way around. This is why my prefered New Testament translation is the David Bentley Hart edition.
Please give feedback! I am still learning Latin, and would appreciate any comments.
English Translation
In the beginning God created heaven and earth. the earth was also formless and empty and darknesses were above the face of the abyss and the spirit of God was being carried above the waters
and God said “let light be made”, and light is made and God saw the light, that it is good. and he divided the light and the darknesses and he called the light “day” and the darknesses “night” and the first day was done, evening and morning.
God also said “let a firmament be made in the middle of the waters and let it divide the waters from the waters” and God made the firmament and he divided the waters that were below the firmament from these that were above the firmament and so it was done and God called the firmament “heaven” and the second day was done, evening and morning
God truly said “let the waters which are beneath heaven be gathered in one place and let dry land appear” and so it was done and God called the dry land “Earth” and the association of waters he named “Sea” and God saw that it is good and he says “let the earth grow the green herb and make seed and the fruit-bearing tree making fruit according to its genus which seed in itself is above the earth” and so it was done. and the earth brought out green herb and delivered seed according to its genus and the tree made fruit and having a unique sowing according to its species and God saw that it is good and the third day was done, evening and morning.
God also said let lights be made in the firmament of heaven that they may divide day and night and let them be [made] into signs and times and days and years that they may shine in the firmament of heaven and may illuminate the earth and so it was done. and God made two great lights: the greater to shine that it may rule over the days and the minor to shine that it may rule over the nights and stars and he placed them in the firmament of heaven that they may shine above the earth and they may rule over the days and nights and they may divide the light from the darknesses and God say that it is good and the fourth day was done, evening and morning.
God also said let the waters bring forth creeping living souls and flying creatures above the earth and beneath the firmament of heaven and God created large sea monsters and even all the living moving soul that the waters had brought forth according to their species and all the flying things according to their genus and God saw that it is good and he blessed saying to them “increase and be multiplied and fill up the waters of the sea and birds, let them multiply above the earth” and the fifth day was done, evening and morning.
God also said “Let the earth produce living soul in it’s genus beasts of burden and crawling things and beasts of the earth according to their species” and so it is done. and God made the beasts of the earth according to their species and beasts of burden and all creeping things of earth in their genus and God saw that it is good and he said “let us make man in according to our image and likeness and let him rule by the fish of the sea and by the birds of heaven and by all the beasts of the earth and all the creeping things that are moved in the earth” and God created man according to his image according to the image of God he created them Male and female he created them and God blessed them and said “increase and be multiplied and fill up the earth and subdue it and rule to the fish of the sea and to the flying things of heaven and to all the living things that move above the earth” and God said “Behold, I have given to you all herb conducting seed above the earth and all trees that in themselves bear seed according to their genus that to you may be into food and all living things of the earth and all winged things of heaven and all that move on the earth and in which there is a living soul that they may have eating and so it was done and God saw all things that he had made and they were very good and the sixth day was done, evening and morning.
Original Latin Text
In principio creavit Deus caelum et terram. Terra autem erat inanis et vacua, et tenebrae erant super faciem abyssi : et spiritus Dei ferebatur super aquas. Dixitque Deus : Fiat lux. Et facta est lux. Et vidit Deus lucem quod esset bona : et divisit lucem a tenebris. Appellavitque lucem Diem, et tenebras Noctem : factumque est vespere et mane, dies unus.
Dixit quoque Deus : Fiat firmamentum in medio aquarum : et dividat aquas ab aquis. Et fecit Deus firmamentum, divisitque aquas, quae erant sub firmamento, ab his, quae erant super firmamentum. Et factum est ita. Vocavitque Deus firmamentum, Caelum : et factum est vespere et mane, dies secundus. Dixit vero Deus : Congregentur aquae, quae sub caelo sunt, in locum unum : et appareat arida. Et factum est ita. Et vocavit Deus aridam Terram, congregationesque aquarum appellavit Maria. Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum.
Et ait : Germinet terra herbam virentem, et facientem semen, et lignum pomiferum faciens fructum juxta genus suum, cujus semen in semetipso sit super terram. Et factum est ita. Et protulit terra herbam virentem, et facientem semen juxta genus suum, lignumque faciens fructum, et habens unumquodque sementem secundum speciem suam. Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum. Et factum est vespere et mane, dies tertius. Dixit autem Deus : Fiant luminaria in firmamento caeli, et dividant diem ac noctem, et sint in signa et tempora, et dies et annos : ut luceant in firmamento caeli, et illuminent terram. Et factum est ita.
Fecitque Deus duo luminaria magna : luminare majus, ut praeesset diei : et luminare minus, ut praeesset nocti : et stellas. Et posuit eas in firmamento caeli, ut lucerent super terram, et praeessent diei ac nocti, et dividerent lucem ac tenebras. Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum. Et factum est vespere et mane, dies quartus. Dixit etiam Deus : Producant aquae reptile animae viventis, et volatile super terram sub firmamento caeli.
Creavitque Deus cete grandia, et omnem animam viventem atque motabilem, quam produxerant aquae in species suas, et omne volatile secundum genus suum. Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum. Benedixitque eis, dicens : Crescite, et multiplicamini, et replete aquas maris : avesque multiplicentur super terram. Et factum est vespere et mane, dies quintus. Dixit quoque Deus : Producat terra animam viventem in genere suo, jumenta, et reptilia, et bestias terrae secundum species suas. Factumque est ita. Et fecit Deus bestias terrae juxta species suas, et jumenta, et omne reptile terrae in genere suo. Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum,
et ait : Faciamus hominem ad imaginem et similitudinem nostram : et praesit piscibus maris, et volatilibus caeli, et bestiis, universaeque terrae, omnique reptili, quod movetur in terra. Et creavit Deus hominem ad imaginem suam : ad imaginem Dei creavit illum, masculum et feminam creavit eos. Benedixitque illis Deus, et ait : Crescite et multiplicamini, et replete terram, et subjicite eam, et dominamini piscibus maris, et volatilibus caeli, et universis animantibus, quae moventur super terram. Dixitque Deus : Ecce dedi vobis omnem herbam afferentem semen super terram, et universa ligna quae habent in semetipsis sementem generis sui, ut sint vobis in escam : et cunctis animantibus terrae, omnique volucri caeli, et universis quae moventur in terra, et in quibus est anima vivens, ut habeant ad vescendum. Et factum est ita.
Viditque Deus cuncta quae fecerat, et erant valde bona. Et factum est vespere et mane, dies sextus.
Johnny is a Bishop, Heretic, Prophet, Priest, Apostle and ASM (Ascended Spiritual Master). On his good days he is often also the one true almighty God incarnate. He enjoys writing theology and philosophy articles and spreading the Gospel promise of Universal Salvation
As is well known among scholars, the Greek word λογος is untranslatable into almost any other language. But curiously it can be translated into Chinese, as that all important word, dào 道. The philosophical similarities between Lao Tzu’sdào 道 and the λογος are far too numerous and significant to be ignored. This is why I took great pleasure in translating this first chapter of the 道德經 into Greek. Where most translations stumble on how to translate the crucial word dào 道, the Greek language conveniently supplies a term that is almost exactly equivalent in meaning. The really marvellous thing is that both the mythical Lao Tzu and the Greek philosopher Hereclitus both lived at roughly the same period of history (approx 5th century BC), but on opposite sides of the planet. Despite being totally isolated and cut off from each other, and speaking fundamentally different languages, they both managed to penetrate the mysteries of the cosmos and discover the same fundamental principle that permeates it.
This 道/λογος equivalence also comes to play in Chinese translations of the first chapter of the Gospel of John. Where most translations have to settle for translating λογος as some variation of “Holy/Living Word”, Chinese translations have the privilege of an almost directly equivalent word that they can employ: dào 道. Unfortunately many modern Chinese translations (Including the official Catholic one – the Studium Biblicum Version) have begun to jettison this beautiful translation, in favour of Chinese terminology which is not so loaded with traditional Taoist connotations (For example the SBG translates λογος as 聖言, literaly “Holy Word”). I cannot speak to the motivations of the translators, but to me such a move seems to be driven by a desire to separate and distinguish Christianity from other faiths, cultures and traditions. To me it comes across as anti-ecumenical, fundamentalist, and bigoted. Why insist on a watered down translation like that, when a perfectly good direct translation exists?
Please comment on my translation! I am trying to improve my Greek, Latin, and Classical Chinese skills and would appreciate any and all feedback. Thank you!
English Translation
The Tao that can be Told is not the Eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the Eternal name.
Without name: the origin of heaven and earth With name: the mother of all things
Therefore
Never desire, in order to behold its ineffable essence; Always desire, in order to behold its manifest aspects.
Both these things are the same – arche and teleos – but under different names. Together, they are the mystery of qualia. Indeed, the mystery of mysteries; A doorway into infinite bliss.
Latin and Greek Translations
(of the first two sentences)
Divinitas quod potest describi divinitas aeterna non est. Nomina possunt nominarier, sed nomen aeternum non potest.
Johnny is a Bishop, Heretic, Prophet, Priest, Apostle and ASM (Ascended Spiritual Master). On his good days he is often also the one true almighty God incarnate. He enjoys writing theology and philosophy articles and spreading the Gospel promise of Universal Salvation
