Translation?

BAH100 · Post by **BAH100** » Mon Jan 26, 2004 5:02 am

I'm sorry if this is an inappropriate place for this question. However, after searching the net, I found no other place that I could put this question to.

I'm not someone who speaks latin, or who is currently learning it (though I'd like to start sometime in the near future). For that reason, I am trying to find someone who could help me with translating someting into latin. What I would like tanslated is an excerpt from Dylan Thomas's poem, "Do Not Go Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night". The line from that poem which I seek translated is:

"Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

Again if this is an inappropriate place for this question, I apologize.

solitario · Post by **solitario** » Mon Jan 26, 2004 7:41 am

Hello BAH100, and welcome.
I don't know about the Latin, as I'm still learning. But I've always loved that line from Thomas.

1%homeless · Post by **1%homeless** » Tue Jan 27, 2004 8:37 am

saevitia, saevitia contra cadendum lucis

I would prefer to use morior, but this is a deponent verb and making it into a gerund is beyond my skill because I'm only half way through Wheelock. (Plus I'm on winter break and I've been slacking off

) I'm sure someone will provide a better translation. So wait when someone else responds.
Here is my prefered (but questionable) translation:

ira, ira contra moriendum lucis.

I changed saevitia to ira because, to my ear, it mixes better with the sentence.

I think it would be better to put a few more sentences before and after that line to better understand the context of that line, so you get a better translation. Oh yes, to have a better chance of getting your latin questions answered, you should post in the main Latin forum. This place is to talk about anything in general. The poem has an interesting title ...repeating not go.

Jeff Tirey · Post by **Jeff Tirey** » Tue Jan 27, 2004 1:09 pm

it's perfectly ok to ask for translation help when you explain your situation clearly - which you have done nicely.

glad you could find some help here,

jeff

BAH100 · Post by **BAH100** » Tue Jan 27, 2004 4:30 pm

Thx for the replies and of course for the translation.

Just noticed but I messed up the title, the correct title is "Do not go gentle into that good night", lol dunno how I messed it up the frist time.

Here is the intire frist verse of the poem, hope that helps put the line into better context.

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Thx again

Episcopus · Post by **Episcopus** » Tue Jan 27, 2004 5:01 pm

moriendum would be correct deponents do have gerunds as you have seen them also having adjectival present participles.

benissimus · Post by **benissimus** » Tue Jan 27, 2004 5:30 pm

Correct me if I am wrong, but "rage" looks more like a verb in that line than a noun. I would have said something like "Fure, fure contra moriendum lucis" (furite for plural).

1%homeless · Post by **1%homeless** » Tue Jan 27, 2004 8:16 pm

heh heh.

Thanks episcopus. Yeah that was a pure guess --assuming deponent nouns would have looked the same as regular verb nouns.
So there you have it BAH100.

If rage is more like a verb in that line, use benissimus's translation:

Fure, fure contra moriendum lucis

BAH100 · Post by **BAH100** » Thu Jan 29, 2004 5:11 pm

Thx for the help.