A very few small correctives to an otherwise accurate statement. While 13th
century English differs far more from modern English than their Italian
counterparts It takes somewhat less than a week for a literate native
English speaker to learn to read Chaucer easily--without an interlinear
translation. And latin roots haven't protected French nearly as
well--medieval French is easily as difficult as Chaucer.
At 10:57 PM 5/5/2002 +0100, you wrote:
>On Sun, 5 May 2002 20:50:37 +0100, Wild Honey Press
><[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>
> >I'm intrigued by your statement of the proximity of modern Italian to
> >Dante's vernacular. How close is it? Cd you give us a comparison in terms
>of
> >the development of English?
> >
> >best
> >
> >Randolph
>
>Yes, Randolph, certainly: (the language is basically the same: the few
>contractions are there for the use of the endecasillabo. Some words or
>adjectives differ slightly because they were emploied by Dante within
>a 'poetic'usage already estabished in the tradition, like 'disio'
>for 'desiderio' (desire). All the other words, as well as the sintax, is
>just as it would be today and each line is written in a language which is
>the same as the one Dante would have used, had he lived now as our
>contemporary. It is the references to historiacal, cultural and religios
>contingencies of his time that create the obscurity since certain symbols
>or allegorical devices meant precise set of things in 1300, things that
>have lost part of their specificity.
>I am posting both Dante's Divine Comedy and Chaucer's The Wife of Bath.
>Dante's text does not need to be translated to be understood neither by
>the students nor from any normal non-literary person, while Chaucer's
>texts needs an interlienar translation to be approached and penetrated).
>Since Chaucer, English underwent so many changes, whiel Italian utterly
>none, in spite of the many domination we had since the 1300. The strenght
>of the Latin roots in Italian prevents the structural corpus of the idiom
>to change: what we got from dominations are merely enw terms referring to
>foreign realities introduced in our natioanl culture.
>But, here follow the two texts. (If you go on the same site I posted for
>Leopardi's A Silvia, you will find three episodes from the Divine Comedy
>recited, and the language is the same as it wold have been spoken today.
>(Quite striking, indeed. Please, click and listen. You will be amazed...
>http://www.claudiocarini.it/inf19.htm
>
>-------------------------------------------
>
>Dante' Divine Comedy. Inferno. Canto V.
>Francesca da Rimini.
>
>
>Di quel che udire e che parlar vi piace,
>noi udiremo e parleremo a voi,
>mentre che 'l vento, come fa, si tace. ('l = il) functional contraction
>
> Siede la terra dove nata fui
>su la marina dove 'l Po discende
>per aver pace co' seguaci sui. (co' = coi) functional contraction
>
> Amor, ch'al cor gentil ratto s'apprende (ratto=veloce) still used
>prese costui de la bella persona
>che mi fu tolta; e 'l modo ancor m'offende.
>
> Amor, ch'a nullo amato amar perdona, (ch'a= che a) contraction
>mi prese del costui piacer sì forte,
>che, come vedi, ancor non m'abbandona.
>
> Amor condusse noi ad una morte:
>Caina attende chi a vita ci spense».
>Queste parole da lor ci fuor porte. (fuor- furono) contraction
>
> Quand'io intesi quell'anime offense,
>china' il viso e tanto il tenni basso, (il= lo)
>fin che 'l poeta mi disse: «Che pense?». (pense+pensi)min.verbal variation
>
> Quando rispuosi, cominciai: «Oh lasso, (lasso= alas)in disuse
>quanti dolci pensier, quanto disio (disio=desiderio) poetic contraction
>menò costoro al doloroso passo!».
>
> Poi mi rivolsi a loro e parla' io,
>e cominciai: «Francesca, i tuoi martìri
>a lagrimar mi fanno tristo e pio. (lagrimar=lacrimare)
>
> Ma dimmi: al tempo d'i dolci sospiri,
>a che e come concedette Amore
>che conosceste i dubbiosi disiri?». (disiri=desideri) poetic contract.
>
> E quella a me: «Nessun maggior dolore
>che ricordarsi del tempo felice
>ne la miseria; e ciò sa 'l tuo dottore.
>
> Ma s'a conoscer la prima radice
>del nostro amor tu hai cotanto affetto,
>dirò come colui che piange e dice.
>
> Noi leggiavamo un giorno per diletto
>di Lancialotto come amor lo strinse;
>soli eravamo e sanza alcun sospetto.
>
> Per più fiate li occhi ci sospinse
>quella lettura, e scolorocci il viso;
>ma solo un punto fu quel che ci vinse.
>
> Quando leggemmo il disiato riso
>esser basciato da cotanto amante,
>questi, che mai da me non fia diviso,
>
> la bocca mi basciò tutto tremante.
>Galeotto fu 'l libro e chi lo scrisse:
>quel giorno più non vi leggemmo avante».
>
> Mentre che l'uno spirto questo disse,
>l'altro piangea; sì che di pietade
>io venni men così com'io morisse.
>
> E caddi come corpo morto cade.
>
>-----------------------------
>Chaucer
>
>
>The Prologe of the Wyves Tale of Bathe
>
>
>1 "Experience, though noon auctoritee
> "Experience, though no written authority
>2 Were in this world, is right ynogh for me
> Were in this world, is good enough for me
>3 To speke of wo that is in mariage;
> To speak of the woe that is in marriage;
>4 For, lordynges, sith I twelve yeer was of age,
> For, gentlemen, since I was twelve years of age,
>5 Thonked be God that is eterne on lyve,
> Thanked be God who is eternally alive,
>6 Housbondes at chirche dore I have had fyve --
> I have had five husbands at the church door --
>7 If I so ofte myghte have ywedded bee --
> If I so often might have been wedded --
>8 And alle were worthy men in hir degree.
> And all were worthy men in their way.
>9 But me was toold, certeyn, nat longe agoon is,
> But to me it was told, certainly, it is not long ago,
>10 That sith that Crist ne wente nevere but onis
> That since Christ went never but once
>11 To weddyng, in the Cane of Galilee,
> To a wedding, in the Cana of Galilee,
>12 That by the same ensample taughte he me
> That by that same example he taught me
>13 That I ne sholde wedded be but ones.
> That I should be wedded but once.
>14 Herkne eek, lo, which a sharp word for the nones,
> Listen also, lo, what a sharp word for this purpose,
>15 Biside a welle, Jhesus, God and man,
> Beside a well, Jesus, God and man,
>16 Spak in repreeve of the Samaritan:
> Spoke in reproof of the Samaritan:
>17 `Thou hast yhad fyve housbondes,' quod he,
> `Thou hast had five husbands,' he said,
>18 `And that ilke man that now hath thee
> `And that same man that now has thee
>19 Is noght thyn housbonde,' thus seyde he certeyn.
> Is not thy husband,' thus he said certainly.
>20 What that he mente therby, I kan nat seyn;
> What he meant by this, I can not say;
>21 But that I axe, why that the fifthe man
> But I ask, why the fifth man
>22 Was noon housbonde to the Samaritan?
> Was no husband to the Samaritan?
>23 How manye myghte she have in mariage?
> How many might she have in marriage?
>24 Yet herde I nevere tellen in myn age
> I never yet heard tell in my lifetime
>25 Upon this nombre diffinicioun.
> A definition of this number.
>26 Men may devyne and glosen, up and doun,
> Men may conjecture and interpret in every way,
>27 But wel I woot, expres, withoute lye,
> But well I know, expressly, without lie,
>28 God bad us for to wexe and multiplye;
> God commanded us to grow fruitful and multiply;
>29 That gentil text kan I wel understonde.
> That gentle text I can well understand.
>30 Eek wel I woot, he seyde myn housbonde
> Also I know well, he said my husband
>31 Sholde lete fader and mooder and take to me.
> Should leave father and mother and take to me.
>32 But of no nombre mencion made he,
> But he made no mention of number,
>33 Of bigamye, or of octogamye;
> Of marrying two, or of marrying eight;
>34 Why sholde men thanne speke of it vileynye?
> Why should men then speak evil of it?
>
>35 Lo, heere the wise kyng, daun Salomon;
> Lo, (consider) here the wise king, dan Salomon;
>36 I trowe he hadde wyves mo than oon.
> I believe he had wives more than one.
>37 As wolde God it leveful were unto me
> As would God it were lawful unto me
>38 To be refresshed half so ofte as he!
> To be refreshed half so often as he!
>39 Which yifte of God hadde he for alle his wyvys!
> What a gift of God he had because of all his wives!
>40 No man hath swich that in this world alyve is.
> No man that in this world is alive has such (a gift).
>41 God woot, this noble kyng, as to my wit,
> God knows, this noble king, according to my judgment,
>42 The firste nyght had many a myrie fit
> The first night had many a merry fit
>43 With ech of hem, so wel was hym on lyve.
> With each of them, so well things went for him in his
>lifetime.
>44 Yblessed be God that I have wedded fyve!
> Blessed be God that I have wedded five!
>44a [Of whiche I have pyked out the beste,
> [Of which I have picked out the best,
>44b Bothe of here nether purs and of here cheste.
> Both of their lower purse (scrotum) and of their strongbox.
>44c Diverse scoles maken parfyt clerkes,
> Differing schools make perfect clerks,
>44d And diverse practyk in many sondry werkes
> And differing practice in many various works
>44e Maketh the werkman parfyt sekirly;
> Makes the workman truly perfect;
>44f Of fyve husbondes scoleiyng am I.]
> Of five husbands' schooling am I.]
>45 Welcome the sixte, whan that evere he shal.
> Welcome the sixth, whenever he shall appear.
>46 For sothe, I wol nat kepe me chaast in al.
> For truly, I will not keep myself chaste in everything.
>47 Whan myn housbonde is fro the world ygon,
> When my husband is gone from the world,
>48 Som Cristen man shal wedde me anon,
> Some Christian man shall wed me straightway,
>49 For thanne th' apostle seith that I am free
> For then the apostle says that I am free
>50 To wedde, a Goddes half, where it liketh me.
> To wed, by God's side (I swear), wherever it pleases me.
>51 He seith that to be wedded is no synne;
> He says that to be wedded is no sin;
>52 Bet is to be wedded than to brynne.
> It is better to be wedded than to burn.
>53 What rekketh me, thogh folk seye vileynye
> What do I care, though folk speak evil
>54 Of shrewed Lameth and his bigamye?
> Of cursed Lamech and his bigamy?
>55 I woot wel Abraham was an hooly man,
> I know well Abraham was a holy man,
>56 And Jacob eek, as ferforth as I kan;
|
