English to Latin Translation: Reward offered!

Posted by Barney Scott on September 25, 2001

In Reply to: English to Latin Translation: Reward offered! posted by Bruce Kahl on September 20, 2001 at

: : : : Friends,
: : : : I need the phrase "I will drink wine from your skull before the end of this hour" translated into Latin for a war novel. Be happy to send a fiver to anyone who would email me the translation at reece@manley.net.
: : : : Regards

: : : Where's Bruce Kahl now that we need him?

: You can send that fiver to the Red Cross, OK?

: Below is your translation _BUT_ I highly recommend your visiting the link below as your phrase contained a future tense--"I WILL drink"--as opposed to the present tense and I am not 100% sure I am correct on my translation tense-wise.

: Here ya go:
: Vinum ex tui caputem bibarant priusquam desinum haec horam.

Bruce, I don't wish to criticise too much, but aren't there a few case problems and such in your phrase?
How about:
"Vinum ex tuo capite bibero ante pausam huius horae"
ie ex takes the ablative; caput, capitis is neuter; bibero is literally "I will have drunk", but that fits well here (straight "I will drink would be "bibam"); ante is a simple 'before' (priusquam was beyond me, but an online grammar said its meaning is more like "sooner than") taking the accusative; pausa is given, in an online dictionary, as "cessation, end" (I can only see desin- as a verb); and 'of this hour' should be in the genitive.

• English to Latin Translation: Reward offered! Bruce Kahl 09/25/01