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Jan. 16th, 2012

I'm in the process of putting together materials (revising them, really) for a translation project for the Latin 3's. Nothing taxing: just translating a Martial Epigram or two into double dactyls or limericks. I have found my oldest ones, but cannot figure out WHERE I posted/typed in ones I've written/translated in more recent years. (I must check my various journals, I suppose.)

For my own amusement (and anyone out there who still reads this usually sleeping blog), here are the poems in question:

Martial VII.3
Cur non mitto meos tibi, Pontiliane, libellos?
Ne mihi tu mittas, Pontiliane, tuos.

Fear of Reciprocity

Higgledy Piggledy
Pontilianus, ac-
quaintance of Martial and
Rather a pest:
"Send me your book!" M said
Epigrammatic'ly
"Risk reciprocity?
Surely you jest!"

I.19
Si memini, fuerant tibi quattuor, Aelia, dentes:
expulit una duos tussis et una duos.
Iam secura potes totis tussire diebus:
nil istic quod agat tertia tussis habet.

Free to Cough

Higgledy Piggledy
Elderly Aelia,
Subject of Martial's po-
etical jeer,
Lost her teeth (four) in two
Superpertussial
Fits; from a third fit she
now has no fear.

***

Here's my problem: if I were to grade these using the rubric I've just created I doubt I could get above a 90--because my translations are loose. I'm trying to make a truly detailed rubric so that my expectations are TOTALLY CLEAR but I fear that it has problems. Here's what I've got so far:

GRADING RUBRIC:

Project Appearance:
__10 pts: typed (any typeface—feel free to be artistic and have fun)
__10 pts: name / header at the top
__10 pts: original title for your poem/translation
__10 pts: your poem/translation in the form of a limerick, double dactyl or some other rhythmic, rhyming format
__10 pts: Latin epigram, properly formatted, with its proper citation beneath your poem.

The Poem:
poetic qualities
__20 pts: translation accurately fits the poetic structure of a lymerick or double dactyl
__15 pts: translation is in the form of a lymerick or double dactyl but is somewhat imperfect in its execution
__15 pts: translation uses a simpler poetic, rhyming form
__10 pts: translation is in the form of a lymerick or double dactyl but has serious flaws in its execution
__10 pts: translation uses a simpler poetic, rhyming form that is somewhat imperfect in its execution
__5 pts: translation uses a simpler poetic, rhyming form that has serious flaws in its execution
translation qualities
__20 pts: translation captures the essense of Martial’s original poem, follows the grammar closely without being pedantic, and thus is cleverly translated
__15 pts: translation captures the essense of Martial’s original, is clever, but is too losely translated
__10 pts: translation more or less captures the essense of Martial’s original, but is not very clever or is too losely translated
__5 pts: the translation demonstrates familiarity with the poem
mechanics
__10 pts: poem is free from typos, misspellings, and other errors
__5 pts: poem has some typos, misspellings, or other errors but they are not too distracting


___________ Total Points Earned


Any thoughts or comments?
April 12, 2007 I was messing with this epigram:
(V.55)
dic mihi, quem portas volucrem regina? "Tonantem"
nulla manu quare fulmina gestat? "amat"
quo calet igne deus? "pueri." cur mitis aperto
inspicis ore Iovem? "de Ganymede loquor."

Flappity flappity
queen of the birds (eagle)--
whom are you carrying?
Why does he burn?
"Jove, known as Thunderer,
Burns for Ganymede
(Pedaphilology,
As you discern)."

I remember asking about this epigram on the classics list after I wrote this. Apparently this was a poem written about a picture, as if the speaker is talking to the picture.

Then V.59:

cras te victurum cras dicis, Postume, semper
dic mihi, cras istud, Postume, quando venit?
quam longe cras istud! ubi est? aut unde petendum?
numquid apud Parthos Armeniosque latet?
iam cras istud habet Priami vel Nestoris annos.
cras istud quanti, dic mihi, possit emi?
cras vives? hodie iam vivere, Postume, serum est:
ille sapit quisquis, Postume, vixit heri.

The double dactyl is

"Postumously Undone"

'crastinate, 'crastinate
off-putting Postumus,
Tell me just when you are
going to live?
Late is today when you
Look for tomorrow; the
prehesternationist's
Already lived.

Weird word: prehesternationist. This is the great thing about double dactyls--you can make up words.

III.99
Irasci nostro non debes, Cerdo, libello:
ars tua, non vita, est carmine laesa meo.
Innocuos permitte sales. Cur ludere nobis
non liceat, licuit si iugulare tibi?

"Irasci nostro libello"

Gripity, Snipity
Cerdo the Cobbler, you
Ought not to take great of-
fence at my wit;
You are permitted your
Amphitheatrical
jugularectomies--
leave me my bit!

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