Translations

PART ONE: LATIN AND GREEK

Professor Stan Lombardo, Classics Professor at the University of Kansas, speaks, translates, and discusses all the Latin and Greek text in Brian Friel’s Translations.  For the English and Irish idioms and pronunciations, please navigate further down the page.

Professor Lombardo also discusses metrics and pronunciation styles. He has translated a great deal of Greek poetry, including Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. You may also hear excerpts from his readings.

GREEK
JIMMY. ‘Ton d’emeibet epeita thea glaukopis Athene…’
Lit: ‘But the grey-eyed goddess Athena then replied to him’ (Homer, Odyssey, XIII, 420)
JIMMY. ‘…alla hekelos estai en Atreidao domois…’
Lit: ‘…but he sits at ease in the halls of the Sons of Atreus…’ (Homer, Odyssey, XIII,
423-4)
JIMMY. ‘Hos ara min phamene rabdo epemassat Athene – ‘
Lit: ‘As she spoke Athene touched him with her wand.’ (Homer, Odyssey, XIII, 433)
JIMMY. ‘Knuzosen de oi osse –‘
Lit: ‘She dimmed his eyes.”
MANUS. ‘Glaukopis Athene.’
Lit: ‘flashing –eyed Athena”
JIMMY. ‘Autar o ek limenos prosebe – ‘
Lit: ‘But he went forth from the harbour’ (Homer, Odyssey, XIII, 3-4)
JIMMY. ‘…o oi biotoio malista (kedeto)’ …
Lit: ‘…he cared very much for his substance’ (Homer, Odyssey, XIII, 3-4)
JIMMY. ‘Theo—theos’ (a god) ‘thea’ (a goddess)
JIMMY. ‘Baptizein’ (to dip or immerse)
HUGH. Sophocles from Colonus …Tulach Alainn…Sean Beag. HUGH. …’aplestos pithos’ (unfillable cask)
HUGH. ’aei’. (always)
HUGH. Glaukopis Athene?
JIMMY. Metis from Hellespont?
JIMMY. Endogamein…(to marry within the tribe) exogamein… (to marry outside the
tribe)

LATIN
JIMMY. Esne Fatigata?
Lit: ‘Are you tired?’
MAIRE. Sum Fatigatissima.
Lit: ‘I am very tired’
JIMMY. Bene! Optime!
Lit: ‘Good! Excellent!’
DOALTY. Ignari, stulti, rustici…
Lit: ‘Ignoramuses, fools, peasants’
DOALTY. Responde – responde!
Lit: ‘Answer! Answer!’
JIMMY. ‘Nigra fere et presso pinguis sub vomere terra’
Lit: ‘Land that is black and rich beneath the pressure of the plough.’
JIMMY. …cui putre…
Lit: ‘crumbly soil’
JIMMY. Agricola
HUGH. Adsum, (present) Doalty, Adsum. Perhaps not in sobrietate perfecta (complete
sobriety) but adequately sobrius (sober)…
JIMMY. Ave, (hail) Hugh.
HUGH. Caerimonia nominationis – (ceremony of naming)
HUGH. ‘baptisterium’ (cold bath)
HUGH. Gratias tibi ago. (I thank you) …studia (studies)…MAIRE. Perambulare… (to walk about)
JIMMY. Verecundus (shame-faced, modest)
DOALTY. Conjugo. (I join together)
BRIDGET. Acquiesco. (I find comfort in)
HUGH. Procede. (proceed)
BRIDGET. Acquiesco, acquiescere, acquievi, acquietum.
HUGH. Silentium! (silence)
HUGH. …diverto – divertere…
OWEN. … Jacobe, quid agis?… (James, how are you?)
HUGH. Silentium! (silence)
HUGH. …Festinate! Festinate! (hurry)
HUGH. Gaudeo vos hic adesse. (welcome)
JIMMY. Nonne Latine loquitur? (Does he not speak Latin?)
HUGH. …opus honestum!… (an honourable task)
HUGH. Quantumvis cursum longum fessumque moratur. Sol, sacro tandem carmine
vesper adest.
Lit: ‘No mattter hnow long the sun delays on his long weary course
At length evening comes with its sacred song’
HUGH. …expeditio…(expedition)
MAIRE. ‘Tu es centurio in exercitu Britannico’
Lit: You are a centurion in the British army.’
‘Et es in castris quae sunt in agro.’
Lit: And you are in the camp in the field.’
DOALTY. ‘Ignari! Stulti! Rustici!’
HUGH. ‘domus lugubris’ –house of mourning. JIMMY. Infelix… (unhappy)
HUGH. Barbarus hic ego sum quia non intelligor ulli…
Lit: ‘I am a barbarian here because I am not understood by anyone’
HUGH. Edictum imperatoris. (the decree of the commander)
HUGH. …and the Aeneid…
HUGH. ‘desiderium nostrorum’ (the longing/need for our
things/people)…pietas…(piety)
HUGH. Semper- per omnia saecula…(always—for all time) ’aei’. (always)
HUGH. Urbs antiqua fuit…(there was an ancient city) late regem belloque
superbum…(kings of broad realms and proud in war)
Recorded and edited by Paul Meier, University of Kansas, 2002.
Length of recording: 00:06:44

PART TWO: IRISH AND ENGLISH

Barbara Carswell and Paul Meier speak the Irish and English names, terms, and idioms in Brian Friel’s Translations.

A single page document of the following text can be found here.

Barbara Carswell, a native of Northern Ireland, holds an MS. Ed from the University of Kansas, did her undergraduate work at St. Mary’s College of Education, Belfast, taught Irish to secondary school students in Northern Ireland, and in Rann na Feirste, Loch an Iubhair, and Gaoth Dobhair (Gaelteacht areas in Donegal), and also taught Irish at the University of Kansas. Her dialect is that of Donegal.

Paul Meier is a dialect coach, and the founder and director of IDEA. His dialect instruction recordings for Translations are available from his website, as is his Dialect of Northern Ireland booklet/CD or eBook.

Anna na mBreag
Aul fella
Baile Beag
Baile na gCall
Banowen
Barney Petey
Bartley Timlin
Barton Bendish
Beann na Gaouthe
Biddy Hanna
Big Ned Frank
Binhone
Bombay
Brian
Bridget
Bullocks
Bun na hAbhann
Buncrana
Caitlin Dubh Nic Reacctainn
Captain Lancey
Carraig an Phoill
Carraig na Ri
Ceann Balor
Cnoc na Mona
Cnoc na nGabhar
Cnoc na Ri
Con Connie Tim
Cork
Cuchulain
Dan(iel) O’Connell
Diarmuid
Doalty Dan Doalty
Donegal
Donnelly
Dramduff
Dramduffy
Drimdoo
Druim Dubh
Druim Luachra
Dubh Nic Reactainn
Dublin
Eamon Donal from Tor
Ennis
Erris Peninsula
Ferdia
Fiddler O’Shea
Gaelic
George Alexander
Glenties
Gracie
Grania
Hugh Mor O’Donnell
Inis Meadhon
Jasus
Jimmy Jack Cassie
Jouk
Kerry
Lag
Lieutenant George Yolland
Lis Maol
Lis na Muc
Lis na nGall
Lis na nGradh
Little Walsingham
Loch an Iubhair
Loch na nEan
Machaire Ban
Machaire Buidhe
Machaire Mor
Maire Chatach
Manus
Mayo
Mullach
Mullach Dearg
Murren, The
Nellie Ruadh
Nora Dan
Norfolk
Norwich
Omagh
Owen Hugh Mor
Owenmore
Phelan
Polkerry
Poll na gCaorach
Port
Poteen
Saint Muranus
Sarah Johnny Sally
Saxingham Nethergate
Seamus
Sean Beag
Sean Neal
Sligo
St. Colmcille
Termon
The Murren
Tobair Bhriain
Tobair Vree
Tor
Tra
Tra Bhan
Tulach Alain
Winfarthing