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Ulysses and the Cyclops

Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 8:09 am
by phil
Hi All,

In one of the 38 stories, Ulysses and the Cyclops there is this line:
"Quid vos, tu tuique cari, mihi dabitis?"
I get
"What will you(pl), you(sg) and your(sg) dears, give me?"
Dears?!? Can that be right?
Cheers

Re: Ulysses and the Cyclops

Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 9:25 am
by benissimus
more idiomatic might be "those dear to you", i.e. your companions

Re: Ulysses and the Cyclops

Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 9:59 pm
by phil
Thanks. It threw me that a great ugly monster in a cave would use the word cari, rather than something like amici or comites when describing a dozen or so cheese-eating soldiers. It seemed a bit incongruous.

Re: Ulysses and the Cyclops

Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 10:16 pm
by tjnor
Then again, it is comparable to Tolkien's Gollum and his use of endearments like "My Precious." Dickens had his villian Fagin call members of his gang of thieving boys, "My dear." The irony reinforces the deadly intent behind the words.