Exercise 46

Is This a Time to be Gloomy and Sad, Continued

The clouds are at play in the azure space,

And their shadows at play in the bright green vale: And here they stretch to the frolic chase,

And there they roll on the easy gale.

There's a dance of leaves in the aspen bower,

There's a titter of winds in that beechen tree; There's a smirk on the fruit and a smile on the flower, And a laugh from the brook that runs to the sea.

And look at the broad-faced sun, how he smiles
On the dewy earth that smiles in his ray,
On the leaping waters and gay young isles:-
Aye, look, and he'll smile thy gloom away.

HINTS. 1. Thou seest (line 2) the clouds above the blue aether are at play and below

2. The shadows sport in the shining vale;

3. Now they stretch to (agito) the frolic chase as if striving (n. pl.),

4. Now they roll on (propero), borne on the breath of the gentle breeze (Notus).

5. In the aspen bower, lo a thousand leaves are dancing;

6. The breeze sings (sibilo) in the beech with its nodding top (coma);

7. Lo the flowers smile, and smiles the fruit on the tree,

8. And the rivulet rejoicing in its waters hastens (trepido)

to the sea.

9. Thou seest how the sun with broad countenance (os) gladly (ultro) shines,

10. Lightening (exhilarans) the dewy fields rejoicing in his ray (fax);

11. And how (utque) the Cyclades glitter amidst the leaping waters:

12. Behold! sorrow departs from thee (dat.) gazing at these (talia).

Exercise 47

The Poet's Song, Tennyson

The rain hath fallen, the poet arose,

He passed by the town and out of the street, A light wind blew from the gates of the sun, And waves of shadow went over the wheat.

And he sat him down in a lonely place,

And chanted a melody loud and sweet, That made the wild-swan pause in her cloud, And the lark drop down at his feet.

HINTS. 1. The rain (pl.) had fallen; the poet rising from his seat,

2. Both passed by the town and left (desero) the streets, 3. Light (comparative); blew (present tense); gates (sing.),

4. And the yellow wheat trembles with the waves of shadows.

5. Coming hither alone he sat in a solitary seat (statio), 6. And sang with a clear voice (guttur) a sweet melody; 7. At which the swan halting in the midst of the clouds, wonders,

8. At (ante); his (ipse, accus.).

Exercise 48

The Poet's Song, Continued

The swallow stopped as he hunted the bee,

The snake slipped under a spray,

The wild hawk stood with the down on his beak,
And stared, with his foot on the prey.

And the nightingale thought, "I have sung many songs,
But never a one so gay,

For he sings of what the world will be

When the years have died away."

HINTS. 1. And even (quin et) the quick swallow ceases to hunt the bees,

2. The snake slipped (delitesco) beneath the covering of leaves (frons),

3. The wild hawk stood with beak (acc. of specif.) covered with down,

4. And was amazed while he covers the captured bird with his foot.

5. "Many (a song) has been sung (omit the sunt) in truth by me," thought the nightingale,

6. "But I have never sung so joyous (genialis) a melody; 7. He sings forsooth of what is to be on earth,

8. When the old cycle of years shall end (claudere iter).”

Exercise 49

Bright be the Place of thy Soul, Byron

Bright be the place of thy soul !

No lovelier spirit than thine,
E'er burst from its mortal control,
In the orbs of the blessed to shine.

On earth thou were all but divine,

As thy soul shall immortally be:

And our sorrows may cease to repine,

When we know that thy God is with thee.

HINTS. 1, 2. As a pentameter should not commence with a new thought, the first line should form two verses in Latin. Translate May the day be without night in whatever orb thy spirit wanders, a lily (pl.) made from mortal (corporeus) clay (lutum).

3. Thy spirit, than which one more beautiful (line 4) never broke mortal chains,

4. To be joined (gerundive, fem.) to the heavenly choirs. ("More beautiful" goes in this line.)

5. Thou wert a guest of earth, all but (modo non parumper) divine (fem.).

6. Cf. Martial: "Et meliore tui parte superstes erit."

7. Nor would it become us to indulge in too great a sorrow, 8. If God should call thee to his bosom.

HINTS.

ding sod,

Exercise 50

Bright be the Place of thy Soul, Continued

Light be the turf of thy tomb:

May its verdure like emeralds be.
There should not be the shadow of gloom
In aught that reminds us of thee.

Young flowers and an evergreen tree
May spring from the spot of thy rest:
But not cypress nor yew let us see;

For why should we mourn for the blest?

1. May thy illustrious tomb be green with the bud

2. And the earth press with light weight thy head;

3. Let there be absent the gloomy (feralis) tokens of unworthy grief;

4. It is not right to remember thee (gen.) with (inter) tears. 5, 6. Let the customary (solennis) grace of flowers and the myrtle evergreen (perennis) duly consecrate with thoughtful reverence this spot :

7. Let, however, the gloomy yew and the mournful cypress be far away;

8. How ill befits their shade so happy a tomb!

Exercise 51

The Reaper and the Flowers, Longfellow

There is a reaper whose name is Death,
And with his sickle keen,

He reaps the bearded grain at a breath,
And the flowers that grow between.

"Shall I have naught that is fair," quoth he:

"Have naught but the bearded grain?

Though the breath of these flowers is sweet to me,
I will give them all back again."

HINTS. 1. A harvester enters the world; his name (is) Death; ("Keen" also comes in this line).

2. Zealously (adj.) he applies himself (urgeo) to the unfinished work (accus.) of his keen (line 1) sickle.

3. And amidst the grain (hordea, pl.) and likewise the bearded ears

4. He cuts many thousands of flowers that gleam.

5. "Will it not be allowed me," he exclaims, "to retain anything fair (gen.);

6. And is the bearded grain my single prey?

7. Pleasant (is) the odor of flowers; but although they smell sweetly,

8. To these delights I shall have no right (cf. est mihi ius)."

Exercise 52

The Reaper and the Flowers, Continued

He gazed at the flowers with tearful eyes,
He kissed their drooping leaves;

It was for the Lord of Paradise

He bound them in their sheaves.

"My Lord has need of these flowerets gay,"

The reaper said and smiled,

"Dear tokens of the earth are they,

Where He was once a child."

HINTS. 1. Straightway he turns his tearful eyes towards the flowers,

2. And kisses (addere osculum) sadly (adj. fem.) the drooping leaves (comae, dat.),

3. For he binds in their own (proprius) sheaves, the gifts of the field.