Lignum vitae in Greek

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Vladimir
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Lignum vitae in Greek

Post by Vladimir »

Translating into Greek is always a good exercise and this little book by saint Bonaventure consisting of fourty-nine short meditations contains no modern realities which could present a special difficulty in translation. Since I don't know Latin well, its french translation will be helpful to me, this is why it might be rather a translation from French. So,

Τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς

Περὶ τοῦ μυστηρίου τῆς ἀρχῆς

Καρπός α'. Ἡ λαμπρότης τῆς ἀρχῆς

Ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὁ γεννηθεὶς ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ

α'. Ἀκούων τὸν Ἰησοῦν τὸν ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ γεννηθέντα, φιλἀσσου ὅπως τοῖς τοῦ νοῦ σου ὀφθαλμοῖς σαρκικὴ ἐνθύμησίς τις οὐκ ἐπελεύσεται, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον, τὴν ὄψιν τῆς περιστερᾶς καὶ ἀγχίνοιαν τοῦ ἀετοῦ ἔχων, ἀπλῶς πίστευε ὅτι ἐκ τοὐτου τοῦ ἀϊδίου φωτὸς ἄμα τοῦ μεγάλου καὶ ἀπλωτάτου, τοῦ λαμπρωτἀτου καὶ παντελῶς μυστικοῦ ἡ συναϊδιος καὶ συνίση καὶ ὁμοοὐσιος λαμπρότης ἐκφαίνεται, ἡ δύναμις καὶ σοφία τοῦ Γεννήτορος οὖσα, ἐν ῷ ὁ Πατὴρ τὰ πάντα διέταξεν απ' αἰῶνος, δι' οὗ καὶ ἐποίησεν τοὺς αἰῶνας, τῶν τε ποιηθέντων κρατεῖ καὶ διατἰθησι τά πάντα εἰς δόξαν ἑαυτοῦ κατὰ μέρος φύσει καὶ κατὰ μέρος χάριτι καὶ κατὰ μέρος δικαιοσύνῃ εἰς τὸ μηδὲν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ λιπεῖν ἄτακτον.
Last edited by Vladimir on Sun Jul 20, 2014 9:28 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Vladimir
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Location: Kharkov, Ukraine

Re: Lignum vitae

Post by Vladimir »

Ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὁ προανατυπῶμενος

β'. Απ' ἀρχῆς τῆς ποιήσεως τῆς φύσεως, τεθέντων εἰς τὸν παράδεισον τῶν γονέων ἡμῶν ἐξ' οὗ ἐξεβλήθησαν σκληρότητι τοῦ θείου προστάγματος διὰ τὸ φαγεῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀπορρήτου ξύλου, τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν ἔλεος οὐκ ἀνεβάλετο τὴν ἀναστροφὴν τοῦ πλανωμένου ἀνθρώπου εἰς τὸν ὁδὸν μετανοίας διδὸν τὴν ἐλπίδα συγγνώμης διὰ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἔλεύσεως. Καὶ ἐὰν μόνον διὰ τὴν ἄγνοιαν καὶ ἀγνωμοσύνην μὴ γένηται ἀδύνατος τοσαύτη καταξίωσις τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐν πέντε αἰῶσι ταύτης τῆς ἐποχῆς διὰ τῶν πατριάρχων καὶ κριτῶν καὶ ἱερέων καὶ βασιλέων καὶ προφητῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἄβελ τοῦ δικαίου ἕως τοῦ Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ οὐκ ἐπαύσετο τὴν ἔλευσιν τοῦ Υἱοῦ ἑαυτοῦ προαγορεύων καὶ ἐπαγγέλων καὶ προανατυπῶν ἵνα διὰ τῶν πολλῶν μυριάδων τῶν χρόνων καὶ μεγάλων ἐτῶν καὶ θαυμασίων καὶ πολλῶν χρησμῶν ἄρῃ τοὺς νοὺς ἡμῶν πρὸς τὴν πίστιν καὶ φλέξῃ ὀξείαις βουλήσεσι.
Last edited by Vladimir on Sun Jul 20, 2014 3:27 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Vladimir
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Location: Kharkov, Ukraine

Re: Lignum vitae

Post by Vladimir »

My main question is how much I should be attached to the latin text. Both Greek and Latin are similar in many syntaxical aspects, but does it mean, for example, that I should follow the word order of the latin sentence or always translate latin per + Accusative with διά + Genitive? Or it is quite possible to use the dativus instrumenti as I did?

Vladimir
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Re: Lignum vitae in Greek

Post by Vladimir »

Ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὁ ἀποσταλεὶς ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν

γ'. Τὸ τελευταῖον, ὅτε ἦλθεν τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ χρόνου, ὥσπερ ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐκτίσθη τῇ ἕκτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκ τῆς γῆς τῇ τῆς θείας χειρὸς δυνάμει καὶ σοφίᾳ, οὗτως καὶ ἐν αρχῇ τοῦ ἕκτου αἰῶνος ἀπεστάλη ὁ ἀρχάγγελος Γαβριὴλ πρὸς τὴν Παρθένον καὶ, τῆς Παρθένου δούσης αυτῷ τὴν ὁμολογίαν, τὸ Ἅγιον Πνεῦμα ἐπῆλθεν ἐπ' αὐτὴν ὡς θεῖον πὺρ φλέγον τὸν νοὺν αὐτῆς ἁγιάζον τε τὴν σάρκα αὐτῆς τελεωτάτῃ ἁγνείᾳ. Τότε δύναμις Ὑψίστου ἐπισκίασεν αὐτῇ εἰς τὸ δυνηθῆναι αὐτὴν τοσοῦτον καῦμα ἐνεγκεῖν· τῇ ἀκαρεῖ ἐνεργείᾳ αὐτοῦ σῶμα ἐπλάσθη καὶ ψυχὴ ἐποιήθη ἅμα ἀμφότεροι θεότητι ἐν τῇ τοῦ Υἱοῦ ὑποστάσει ἡωμένοι εἰς τὸ εἶναι τὸν αὐτὸν Θεὸς καὶ ἄνθρωπος καὶ σῶν τὸ ἰδίωμα τῶν ἀμφοτέρων φύσεων.

Ὦ, εἰ ἐδύνασο τρόπῳ τίνι αἴσθεσθαι οἴη καὶ ὅση ἦν αὕτη ἡ ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν πεμφθεῖσα ἔμπρησις καὶ ἡ προσενεγκεῖσα κούφισις καὶ ἐγχυθεῖσα παραψυχή, ὅσον ὕψος τῆς Παρθένου Μητρὸς καὶ ὅση εὐδοξία τοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένους ὅση τε καὶ ὕπειξις τῆς μεγαλειότητος· εἰ ἐδύνασο ἀκοῦσαι τῆς Παρθένου ᾀδούσης ἐν περιχαρείᾳ, εἰ ἐδύνασο μετὰ τῆς Δεσποίνης πορευθῆναι εἰς τὴν ὀρεινήν, εἰ ἐδύνασο εἰσβλέψαι εἰς τἠν τοῦ τῆς ἀτόκου καὶ τῆς Παρθένου ἀσπάσματος περιπλοκὴν τὴν ἡδὺν ἐν ᾗ ἐγίνωσκεν ὁ δοῦλος τὸν Κύριον καὶ ὁ κήρυξ τὸν Κριτὴν καὶ ἡ φωνὴ τὸν Λόγον, οἶμαι σε τῆς ᾠδῆς ταύτης τῆς ἁγίας ἐξάρξαι· μεγαλύνει ἡ ψυχή μου τὸν Κύριον κτλ., σὺν τῇ μακαριωτἀτῃ Παρθένῳ ἐν γλυκεῖ μέλει, καὶ προσκυνῆσαι τῃ θαυμασίᾳ συλλήψει τῃ παρθενικῇ σὺν τῷ Προφήτῃ τῷ Τέκνῳ, πηδῶν καὶ περιχαίρων!

Vladimir
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Re: Lignum vitae in Greek

Post by Vladimir »

Here you can see the original text and the French translation Iam referring to: http://www.freres-capucins.fr/IMG/pdf/L ... e_txtb.pdf

Vladimir
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Posts: 141
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Re: Lignum vitae in Greek

Post by Vladimir »

Ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὁ ἐκ Μαρίας τεχθείς

δ΄. Καὶ γὰρ ὅτε σιγὴ οἰκουμενικῆς εἰρήνης, ἄρχοντος Καισάρου Αὐγούστου, ᾐθρίαζε τοὺς αἰῶνας ἵνα διὰ τοῦτου τοῦ δόγματος ἀπογραφῇ πᾶσα ἡ οἰκουμένη, ἐγένετο τῇ τῆς θείας προνοίας ἐπιμελείᾳ ἄγειν τὸν Ἰωσὴφ τὴν κύουσαν κόρην τοῦ βασιλικοῦ γένους εἰς Βηθλέεμ τὴν πόλιν. Καὶ ἤδη ἐν ἐννέα μησὶ μετὰ τὴν σύλλιψιν οὗτος ὁ Βασιλεὺς εἰρήνης ὥσπερ νυμφίος ἐκ θαλάμου ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ τῆς παρθενικῆς μήτρας, χωρὶς πάσης φθορᾶς οὗτω εὶς τὸ φῶς ἐφάνθη, διὸ συνελήφθη χωρὶς ἀναχρώσεως ἐπιθυμίας· ὅς, εἰ καὶ μέγας καὶ πλούσιος ὦν, ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐγένετο μικρὸς καὶ πένης καὶ ἐξεῖπεν τεχθῆναι ἔξω οἶκου καὶ ἐν σταθμῷ καὶ πτωχῶς σπαργανοθῆναι καὶ τῷ παρθενικῷ γάλακτι τραφῆναι καὶ ἐν φάτνῃ κλιθῆναι μεταξὺ βοῦ καὶ ὄνου. Τότε ἐξεφάνη ἡμῖν ἡ ἡμέρα τῆς νέας λυτρώσεως καὶ παλαιᾶς ἐπισκευῆς καὶ ἀϊδίου εὐτυχίας· τότε ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ κόσμῳ μελίρρυτοι ἐγένοντο οἱ οὐρανοί.

Νῦν μὲν οὖν περίλαβε, ὦ ψυχή μου, ταύτην τὴν θείαν φάτνην καὶ προσθὲς τὰ χείλη σου πρὸς τοῦς τοῦ βρέφου πόδας καὶ διπλασίασον τὰ φιλήματα. Εἶτα δὲ τῷ νῷ μεταχειρῖσαι τὴν τῶν ποιμένων φυλακὴν καὶ θαύμασον τῆς τῶν ἀγγέλων στρατιᾶς τῆς συνδραμούσας καὶ μετασχὲς τοῦ οὐρανίου μέλους καὶ ὕμνησον τῇ καρδίᾳ τε καὶ τῷ στόματι· δόξα ἐν ὑψίστοις Θεῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκίας.

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