Wheelock Chapter 5: chief, what's happening?

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sable_de_nuit
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Wheelock Chapter 5: chief, what's happening?

Post by sable_de_nuit »

So, I'm working through Wheelock on my own, and, since I'm still in the early chapters, everything is going pretty quickly (I also have a lot of time on my hands). But there is this two line poem out of chapter five that has me blinking.

Non cenat sine apro noster, Tite, Caelinianus:
bellum convivam Caelianus habet!

What is going on with "noster" here? What is this adjective modifying? It can't be modifying "apro" since this word is in the ablative and "noster" is in the nominative. Is it modifying Caelinianus? If this is the case then an english translation would read:

Our Caelinianus doesn't eat without a pig, Titus:
Caelinianus has a fine dinner guest!

I have the impression that this is supposed to be funny; yet, I don't find the humor in it. Is this a fault in my translation, my sense of humor, or is it just simply not funny.

I remain
Sable de Nuit

Episcopus
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Post by Episcopus »

I've seen this before, and it is indeed intended to be funny. It's strange but nice one for looking at that in the right way :wink:

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benissimus
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Post by benissimus »

You are correct, although our character here is Caecilianus. Basically, this glutton doesn't eat with anyone unless he has his roast boar, so the boar is his only dinner guest (and a fine one at that!).
flebile nescio quid queritur lyra, flebile lingua murmurat exanimis, respondent flebile ripae

MickeyV
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Post by MickeyV »

Poor boar. :cry:

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Re: Wheelock Chapter 5: chief, what's happening?

Post by Skylax »

sable_de_nuit wrote: What is going on with "noster" here? What is this adjective modifying? It can't be modifying "apro" since this word is in the ablative and "noster" is in the nominative. Is it modifying Caelinianus? If this is the case then an english translation would read:

Our Caelinianus doesn't eat without a pig, Titus:
Caelinianus has a fine dinner guest!
Here noster means "our (dear friend)". Ironically in this case.
Your translation is correct.

The poem is as funny as the French : "- J'aimais bien mon petit frère ! - Eh bien, reprends-en !" (I loved my little brother! - Well, Take some more !)

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