Has anyone translated the Latin portion of Dowd's editorial?

[Frank Booth]

I searched, but couldn't find anything, and would like to know what it says. I don't know a lick of Latin, and don't have the hours that it would take to try to figure it out myself. Maybe someone who's proficient in Latin has or would like to translate it?

Here's the first couple paragraphs and the link to the rest:

Bellum Gallium

Manes Julii Caesaris paucis diebus aderant — “O, most bloody sight!” — cum Ioannes McCainus, mavericus et veteranus captivusque Belli Francoindosinini, et Sara Palina, barracuda borealis, qui sneerare amant Baracum Obamam causa oratorii, pillorant ut demagogi veri, Africanum-Americanum senatorem Terrae Lincolni, ad Republicanas rallias.

Rabidi subcanes candidati, pretendant “no orator as Brutis is,” ut “stir men’s blood” et disturbant mentes populi ad “a sudden flood of mutiny,” ut Wilhelmus Shakespearus scripsit.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/opinion/12dowd.html

[Faygo Kid]

1. No, I would rather rip my fingernails off than read any more Maureen Dowd.

Time for the guys in white coats to pay her a visit.

"Come along quietly, Maureen. We have a nice rubber room for you."

[Phred42]

2. Really - why are you wasting time on her?

[Xipe Totec]

3. A few words here and there...

Sara Palina, barracuda borealis:

Sarah Palin, the artic barracuda.

Ioannes McCainus, mavericus et veteranus captivusque Belli Francoindosinini:

John McCain, Maverick and veteran prisioner of the war in French Indochina.

[Whoa_Nelly]

4. Bellum Gallium = War hen (Chicken Hawk?)

Used a free online translator http://www.translation-guide.com/free_online_translators.php?from=English&to=Latin

the rest? seems like so much made up Latin.
For example:

cum Ioannes McCainus, mavericus et veteranus captivusque Belli Francoindosinini, et Sara Palina, barracuda borealis, qui sneerare amant Baracum Obamam causa oratorii, pillorant ut demagogi veri, Africanum-Americanum senatorem Terrae Lincolni, ad Republicanas rallias.


translates to:

when Ioannes McCainus mavericus and veteranus prisoner In time of war Francoindosinini , and Sara Palina barracuda borealis , quae sneerare being loved Baracum Obamam case at law oratorically pillorant when demagogi veri Africanum Americanum of senatorial Earth Lincolni , to Republicanas rallias.

[Tansy_Gold]

5. My Latin's VERY rusty, but I can pick out a (fake) word or two...

Manes Julii Caesaris paucis diebus aderant — “O, most bloody sight!” — cum Ioannes McCainus (with John McCain), mavericus et veteranus captivusque Belli Francoindosinini (maverick and prisoner of war of the French-Indochina/Vietnam war), et Sara Palina (and Sarah Palin), barracuda borealis (northern barracuda), qui sneerare amant Baracum Obamam (Barack Obama) causa oratorii, pillorant ut demagogi veri, Africanum-Americanum senatorem Terrae Lincolni (African-american senator from the Land of Lincoln), ad Republicanas rallias (to Republican rallies??).

Rabidi subcanes candidati (Rabid underdog candidates), pretendant “no orator as Brutis is,” ut “stir men’s blood” et disturbant mentes populi (and disturb the minds of the populace) ad “a sudden flood of mutiny,” ut Wilhelmus Shakespearus scripsit (as Will Shakespeare has written).


Without reading the rest of it, and knowing about as little of Shakespeare as I do of Caesar's Gallic Wars (I have multiple copies of both), I suspect the column is a bit of a parody, perhaps on Shakespeare was well as Caesar.


Tansy Gold, mater chuparosa

[Tansy_Gold]

7. I haven't laughed this hard in a long time!

Oh, thank you, Mr. Siewert, doofus Latin teacher extraordinaire at Arlington High School!

I slept through much of my one year of high school Latin in 1963-64, but I came away with enough to find Dowd's parody absolutely hysterical!

Tansy Gold, who just hopes no one asks for a translation from classical Greek 'cause she really doesn't remember ANY of that.

[alcibiades_mystery]

6. ROFl...it's not Latin

You should be able to read it in English...that's the point.

[Tansy_Gold]

8. Yeah, but it's LOTS funnier if you understand the Latin

distractant mentes populares de minimissimis IV 0 I K.ibus, :rofl:


Cum Primus Dudus, spousus Palinanus :rofl:



Omnes de Georgio Busio Secundo colossale goofballo. “V” (because there’s no W. in Latin) :rofl:



Tansia Aurum

[Frank Booth]

16. Based on the comments below, you have no idea what you're talking about.

:rofl:

[enlightenment]

9. It's not Latin.

It's nonsense - more like pig-Latin.

Basically I think it says that McCain and Palin are accusing Obama of stirring up the populace to 'a sudden flood of mutiny' (to quote Shakespeare) but he's no Brutus.

Could be completely wrong . . .

[TACstrat]

10. Complete translation here (and at dailykos) ...

The spirts of the dead Julius Caesar are present -- "oh, most bloody sight!" with John McCain, maverick and prisoner of the war of French Indo-China and Sarah Palin, northern barracuda, who love to sneer on account of Barack Obama's speeches, pillorying and demogoging the African American Senator from the Land of Lincoln at Republican rallies.

The rabid less-than-dogs of candidates pretend they are "no orator as Brutus is", as they "stir men's blood" and disturb the minds of the people to a "sudden flood of mutiny" as William Shakespeare wrote.

When the screaming Americans at the Republican rallies hear the name "Barack Hussein Obama", they exclaim "Death!," "Lover of terorists!," "Socialist!," "Bomb Obama!," "Obama is an Arab!," "Cut off his head!" the time has come as Stephen Colbert says, to stop "the Smear Talk Express." Obama is demonized just as if he was a Muslim Manchurian candidate -- a citizen "stag's neck(?)" exhorts to Palin's Florida rally that Obama is the Devil.

Obama did not ask for a high-tech lynching. But Secret Service agents are extremely nervous.

Scarcely any person heard the name "Palin" prior to a few moons (ago). Emerging from her tanning bed to the forests in Eskimo-land, now she is asking everyone who is the most traitorous, most ominous, most scurrilous, most dangerous lover of terrorists and criminals of Chicago? You betcha!

"From blind ambition comes Obama," Palin and McCain say a new rumor. "For an advantage, Obama worked with the lover of terrorists, William Ayres. With a pruner(?), he lies." McCain's big leader Francis Keating said Obama was "a plebe" and, as a youth he must have sniffed a little cocaine.

While the First Dude, the husband of Palin, attempted to be blamed for "Centurion-gate", the judges of the land of Santa's Elves chastened the lady-Governor Palin concerning the abuse of authority for the purpose of familial revenge.

Notwithstanding Sarah and John bury Obama not praise him. The Maverices along with the their chief aide, the frost-lady, henchwoman Cindy McCain, beer-baroness (who blamed Obama for putting her own son in maximum danger in Babylon) brazenly distract the minds of the people from their decimated 401k, the shrinking "General Motors"and the Great Depression 2.0 All from "W", from George Bush the second, the colossal goofball certainly is leading through disaster to the gym.

The lady-Governor (lying next to Russia) Palin, looking to be a candidate in 2012, after much learning with Kissinger and much parody from Saturday Night Live and Tina Fey, will insult Obama arrogantly, in the manner of shooting wolves from the air, North of Thrace.

In Wilmington, Ohio, McCain's mean girl defended herself being a warrior-politician-lady, "O Jupiter, some people say that this is negative. No. It is not negative, but the highest truth." Talk about lipstick on a pig! Just as Lee Atwater about George Bush the First's assault to Dukakis: "its not a negative, but a comparison."

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/10/11/205056/28/582/627926

[On the Road]

11. The Writer Uses Some Common Latin Words

et = and
qui = who
cum = with

and a bunch of false cognates with Latinesque endings:

mavericus = maverick
veteranus = veteran

to create a mishmash that supposed to look like Latin but be understandable in English.

The first phrase, "Manes Julii Caesaris paucis diebus aderant", does seem to be real Latin, and I think has something to do with "staying a few days to advise" McCain.

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. Most of it is valid Latin

but they've used words from English for effect at times, or when it would be too much bother working out a stylish translation. And they often translate English idioms literally, for comic effect.

It's rather like the 'Franglais' invented by the writer Miles Kington:

Its rules are simple. Insert as many French words as you know into the sentence, fill in the rest with English, then speak it with absolute conviction.
...
Le Phone-in Programme: Je ne suis pas un bon sleeper, Brian, et votre programme me donne une sorte de company
A la Douane: Black Pudding n'est pas tax-free
Le job interview: Vous etes exactement le go-ahead personal assistant que je cherche
Au zoo: Nous avons vu seulement deux animaux avec les yeux ouverts
Le hangover: Il y a un petit homme dans ma tete, qui fait le demolition work

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7221918.stm

Parler Franglais, c'est un morceau de gateau.

[DemoTex]

12. Porcus-cum-lipstickum Latium

Verbum sapienti sat est (Verb Sap!).

[dailykoff]

13. Looks like a hashish send-up of Caesar's Gallic Wars and Shakespeare's JC

Okay I clicked the link and the title at least ("Are We Rome? Tu Betchus!") is pretty funny.

[ddeclue]

15. I don't speak Latin but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night:

cum Ioannes McCainus, mavericus et veteranus captivusque - like John McCain, maverick and war prisoner

Belli Francoindosinin - Franco Indonesian War - (i.e. Vietnam War)

et Sara Palina, barracuda borealis - and Sarah Palin, arctic barracuda

Baracum Obamam - Barack Obama

pillorant ut demagogi veri, Africanum-Americanum senatorem Terrae Lincolni, ad Republicanas rallias - pillorying and demogauging the African American Senator from the land of Lincoln at Republican rallies.

et disturbant mentes populi - and disturbing the minds of the people

Wilhelmus Shakespearus scripsit - "William Shakespeare wrote"


I don't speak Latin but have studied enough French, Spanish, and English to figure this much out...

:rofl: