Re: Carrying the goose

Posted by Bob Williams on July 19, 2001

In Reply to: Now--about that pork chop..... posted by Bruce Kahl on July 18, 2001

: : : : I'm looking for a little help in Latin. My problem is to adapt "The Boar's Head Carol" to accompany a Christmas roast goose, boar's heads being often in short supply at the neighborhood Safeway. The crucial line is "Caput apri defero" (I carry a boar's head), for which I need a replacement Latin line which would translate as "I carry a roast goose." My best effort is "Anser assus defero." Can anyone confirm or correct this? I'm wary of inadvertently claiming to carry a steam-bathed goose, or to be a goose's ass, or worse. Thanks for the help.

: : I would have it as "Anserem assum porto.".

: : "Defero" does mean "to carry" but in a communications sense, as in "I refered ( carried ) the offer to his attorney".
: : "Porto" fits the bill for the act of carrying groceries. Our word "portable" is derived from "porto".

: : "Assus" is Latin for dried or roasted. However, in Latin, the spelling of the word changes with its use. So you must use the accusative case of "assus" which is "assum" since it is modifying the object of the sentence.

: : "Anser" is Latin for goose but it's ending must also reflect it's use which is as the object of the sentence so you use the accusative case which is "anserem".

: :
: : =============

: : Sum, ergo edo.
: : I am, therefore I eat.

:
: "I carry a roast pork chop."
: "Assum porcum carunculam porto."

: I could not find the Latin equivalent for "chop" so I am using "caruncula" which means "a small piece of flesh".

:
: ======

: Vah! Denuone Latine loquebar? Me ineptum.Interdum modo elabitur.
:
: Oh! Was I speaking Latin again? Silly me. Sometimes it just sorta slips out.

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Thanks for all your responses. As for the carrying of the goose, I'm inclined to stick with the "defero" of the original line in the carol; after all, it has worked for the boar's head since the 15th century or so. My (vague) understanding is that "defero" carries the sense of "to bring or offer," as well as "to carry." (It also fits the melody better than "porto.") If correct, this would make the line "Anserem assum defero." Does this sound acceptable?

By the way, my neighborhood Safeway does indeed carry a few geese and ducks among the hams and turkeys, but only seasonally, and of course not in the present season. In July one would have to sing, "I carry a Polish sausage."

• Re: Carrying the goose Bruce Kahl 07/19/01
  • Latin: not as dead as it looks? Bob Williams 07/19/01
    • Re: Latin: not as dead as it looks? Bruce Kahl 07/19/01