Devota Carmina Muta Latina
a.k.a., Devoted Poems in Bad Latin, an ongoing study in both devotion and articulation.
2020 - Present.
Janus, 2022.
Alter sub limine transit pedes Another threshold passes beneath my feet
At scio te hic esse. And I know you are here.
Obsecro ut venias, I beg your permission,
Benedícitis et grátiæ You blessing and favor
Transeo per ostium. As I pass through the door.
Pacem accipio de praeterito I take peace from the past
Bella gero in posterum, And wage war on my future,
Hae portae semper apertae sunt. These doors are always open.
Baculus in manu tu me levas, Staff in hand you wave me by,
Egredere avidi mentem, Go forth eager mind,
Scitote quod magna patientia manet. Know that great suffering awaits.
Gaudium et miseria sit optio, Though joy and misery be a choice,
Sapere Be wise
Nec plangamus hesterna iuventutis And do no lament the yesterdays of youth
Sicut ex manibus vestris cadit As it falls from your grasp
Sicut farraginem fractis farraginem Like broken spelt cakes
Cinis burm. Burnt to ash.
Claves argenteae, claves aureae. Silver keys, gold keys.
A Call to the Wind, 2021
Ventus, reduc me Ventus, bring me back
Ex insana admiratione; From my mad wondering,
Aeolus ut fert ventos As Aeolus brings the winds
Ad speluncam suam. Back to his cave.
Ad rupem To cliff rocks
Ortu sicut domum suam Rising like a home
De longinquo mari. Over the distant sea.
Sparrow’s Flight, 2021
Tres capilli opacae naevus supra labra crescunt, Three dark hairs grow from a mole above my lips,
Sicut feles ungues, verba captare conantur Like cat's claws, they try to grasp the words
Quae effugere labia mea That escape my lips
In fugam passere. In sparrow's flight.
The Shadow of Hidden Bonds, 2020
Miser et perfidus, Miserable and treacherous,
Cor meum fabalum narrare vuit. My heart wants to tell a tale.
Filio patrem eius non videt. The son does not see his father.
Quod pater cum mortifer That when the father is fatal
Et fortunae intricat, And the fortunes entangle,
Aeran novam ecficiens possunt. They can make a new air.
Montes me non celant. The mountains do not hide me.
Praise for The Lords of Time, 2020
In umbram de Saturnus, In the shadow of Saturn,
In umbram de Plutonem, In the shadow of Pluto,
Quaeso te obsecro, I beg of you,
Sapientes eius esse genus. Be merciful oh wise ones.
Vos laudo tempus dominae, I praise you Lords of Time,
Vos ostende mihi umbra dolorem, You show me the shadow of grief,
Umbra mihi noctis, The shadow of myself,
Cognovi omnia mala, All the sorrow I have known,
Ego docetis. You teach me.
In The Red Temple, 2020
In templo rubro Matrem primam excito. In the red temple, I wake the First Mother.
In ea ara pulchra poculum sacrum est. On her beautiful altar is the sacred cup.
Trina ossa et trina ova portimus We bring three bones and three eggs
Et vinum nostrum ei placet scio. And I know our wine pleases her.
Noctu vates adveniunt, At night the seers arrive,
Ille me serviat et ego illum servio. I serve him and he serves me.
In ei nomen vinum rubrum gustamus, In her name we taste the wine,
Ossa in pavimentum iacimus And throw the bones onto the floor.
Post tertium precatium nobis venit. After the third entreaty she comes to us.
Et laruam rubrum apparet videmus, We see the red spectre appear,
Vox suus tacitam sed severam, Her voice is quiet but strict,
“Quid sacrificatis?” “What do you sacrifice?”
Plea of The Blind Archer, 2020
Ad terram superioram ambulo. I walk to the land that this is highest.
Per agri, super montes, Through fields, over hills,
Ad qua tellus caelum captat. To where the earth rises above all.
Haec crura et pedes me portant These legs and feet carry me
Per lucus conium Through the hemlock groves
Et ad terra curet And into feral terrain.
Onus cupiditas meus porto I carry the weight of my passions;
Decem virgas gravas Ten heavy rods
Et haec oculis aerumnabilis And these troublesome eyes.
Caelum est algum et aridum The air is cold and dry,
Coctum storacem deficient olet There hangs a faint smell of burnt storax.
Ei exspectans est He is waiting,
Vir tenebricosus in viridium amictum The dark man wrapped in a green cloak
Cum flax eius in manibus With a sickle in hand.
Caput canis eius verbam facit non audio His dog head makes words I don’t hear,
Quamvis intellego Though I understand,
Levitas in cupiditatem impium scio I know the fickleness in impious desires.
Vir petasum gerit A man in a cap
Alius homo interficit Murders another man.
Maximas cupiditas tuas me videre sinis Let me see what you desire most.
Omnia in vita pretiam eorum habet Everything in life has its cost.
Dominus de debitum et tempum aeternum The Lord of Debt, of time eternal.
Lectiones eius discere noster sunt His lessons are ours to learn.
©Katherine R. Devereux, 2024. All Rights Reserved.
