Since I posted Le Jeune’s priestly complainings about the ‘pagan’ Romans I thought it would only be fair to put up some of the Romans’ own words rendered into Chinook to compensate. I’ve always liked this epode by Horace condemning the infighting / civil war happening at the time (~30BC).
Don’t expect me to be trying to fit iambic metre or anything here with the Chinook. This is a mostly unpoetic translation.
Here’s the original Latin with my translation first. I’ll try to stick somewhat close to the original Latin in meaning here. Keep in mind that because of Latin and Chinook word order, the English isn’t necessarily translating what is directly above it.
Horatii Epodos VII
Quo, quo scelesti ruitis? aut cur dexteris
where, where are you villainous ones rushing? Or why to your sword hands
aptantur enses conditi?
are once sheathed swords fitted?
parumne campis atque Neptuno super
has too little Latin blood been
fusum est Latini sanguinis,
spilled above the fields and Neptune’s domain
non ut superbas invidae Karthaginis
not so that the Roman might burn
Romanus arces ureret,
the haughty citadels of jealous Carthage,
intactus aut Britannus ut descenderet
or that the unconquered Briton might descend
sacra catenatus via,
the via sacra chained,
sed ut Secundum vota Parthorum sua
but so that, following the will of the Parthians,
Vrbs haec periret dextera?
this city might perish by the sword hand?
neque hic lupis mos nec fuit leonibus
This was never the custom of wolves or lions
umquam nisi in dispar feris.
except against dissimilar beasts.
furorne caecos an rapit vis acrior
Is a mad rage seizing you, blind ones, or a more bitter power
an culpa? responsum date.
or guilt? respond!
tacent et albus ora pallor inficit
They are silent and a white paleness stains their faces
mentesque perculsae Stupent.
and their upset minds are stunned.
sic est: acerba fata Romanos agunt
It is so: bitter fate drives the Romans
scelusque fraternae necis,
and the crime of fraternal slaughter,
ut inmerentis fluxit in terram Remi
as the blood of innocent Remus, sacred to the descendants,
sacer nepotibus cruor.
flowed into the earth.
If you want to hear this Latin read out loud, I recommend you give this song a listen:
alta kopa chinook:
horas iaka siisim, ipod 7
kah, kah msaika aiak kuli, masachi tilikom? ikta mamuk
where, where are you running, evil people? Why
msaika iskom muskit?
do you grab guns?
msaika tiki wah ilip ayu rom tilikom klaska pilpil
do you want to pour more roman people’s blood
kopa ilihi pi soltchok?
onto the land and sea?
ilo msaika tiki pus rom tilikom mamuk kakshit
Do you not want the Roman people to destroy
klaska haws ukuk karthach tilikom
the Carthaginians’ buildings
pi pus briton tilikom klatwa
or that the Briton people go
kopa aias haha oihat kakwa ilaitin?
on the “very holy road” like slaves?
klunas msaika tiki pus chako kakshit nsaika tawn kopa fait,
I reckon you want our town to be destroyed in a fight
kakwa ukuk parthian tilikom tiki mamuk.
like those Parthian people want to do.
kopit lilu pi laion mamuk kakwa
Wolves and lions only do this
pus klaska tiki iskom hloima ikta mawich.
if they are trying to catch a different kind of animal.
pus krisi msaika pus msaika mitlait kaltash skukum tomtom
Are you all crazy or do you have some no-good brave heart
pus msaika tiki mamuk masachi? tlus msaika wawa!
or do you want to do evil? Speak!
ilo ikta klaska wawa pi chako tkop klaska
They don’t say anything and their faces become white
siahus pi kakwa pus klaska chako mimlus.
and it’s like they become dead.
kwanisim rom tilikom kakwa. ankati iaka
The Roman people are always like this. Long ago he
mamuk mimlus iaka brothir ukuk romulos
he killed his brother, that Romulus,
pi alta klatwa kopa ilihi iaka pilpil ukuk tlus remos,
and then good Remus’ blood, sacred to us,
aias haha kopa nsaika.
flowed on the ground.
The Kaltash Wawa 