The Text of Janus Vitalis'
 "Ruins of Rome"

Janus Vitalis' "Qui Roman in media quaeris novus advena Roma"
 and eleven translations into five languages.

UPDATE: Since the below was written, Otto Steinmeyer has found a good version in the Yale University Library, which is now posted on the main Vitalis page. (According to Robert Paquin, this poem was included in a book published in Venice in 1554 by Gabriel Giolito under the title Antonii Terminii Contursini Licani. Innii Albini Terminii Senioris. Molsae, Bernardini Rotae, equitis Neapolitani, et aliorum illustrium poetarum carmina.)

Otto Steinmayer, a Yale classicist now living in Sarawak, has reconstructed and corrected the Latin text I originally posted (from Jordi Pardo Pasto), based on the two variants from Dyer and Johnson and his own knowledge of Latin. He has not had a chance to look up the actual text due to the regrettable weakness of Sarawakan library collections for the Late Latin period.  His very interesting site, which includes a pataphysics page, is here: http://www.ikanlundu.com/.

For the record, here is Stainmayer's reconstruction (he has since found a better version):

It's interesting that the first more-or-less complete Latin text I found was spotted by Claire Bowern, who spents much of her time in the Australian outback. Apparently classicists, like primitive aboriginal peoples or accursed heretics, are increasingly being driven into the remotest, most thinly-settled areas of the world.

This first complete Latin text, which apparently included a few errors, was here: http://www.hispanista.com.br/revista/artigo79.htm .This article, Introducción a la "Poesía de Ruinas" en el barroco Español, is well worth reading and includes photo of the hip-looking Catalan author, Jordi Pardo Pasto, wearing an earring.

These were the first two Latin texts I originally found:

….Aspice murorum moles, paeruptaque saxa
Obrutaque norrenti vesta theatra situ:
Haec sunt Roma.  Viden velut ipsa cadavera taritae
Urbis adhuc spirent imperiosa minas?....
(From John Dyer)

Disce hinc quid possit fortuna: immota labascunt

Et quae perpetuo sunt agitata manent.
(From Dr. Johnson,commenting on Quevedo,  and John Dyer. Dr. Johnson was immediately able to quote Vitalis' poem when Quevedo's was cited.)

Thanks to Claire Bowern (Anggarrgoon), a Rice University linguist with an interest in Australian languages, for finding the Pardo Pasto's Latin version.   J. Cassian found the translations by  J.V. Cunningham and Robert Lowell. Both via Language Hat.

Appendix:

More on Vitalis:
http://www.college-de-france.fr/media/lit_mod/UPL65460_ossola.pdf

Three pages on Janus Vitalis for only $26.90

If you're interested in neo-Latin poetry, apparently "Janus Secundus is een van de grootste dichters ter wereld". (This is a completely different Janus):
http://www.let.leidenuniv.nl/Dutch/Latijn/GMS1.html .

|

I am emersonj at gmail dot com.

Original materials copyright John J Emerson

Return to Idiocentrism

jjmrsnx