I don't think the song of today, namely Mele Kalikimaka, needs any intro, if not that it's literally the Hawaiian language adaptation of "Merry Christmas". Today we have a Latin version of it. The following has been sitting in IAFI ever since it was first posted in February, and has been lying around in my translation notes for over a year now. So at some point in August 2021 I listened to Scorpiō Mārtiānus's Latin version of Mele Kalikimaka and was like, what is this random Greek phrase in the middle of this Latin text? And why feminine? So on 26/8 at an unknown time between 2 and 2:29, I come up with the following fully Latin opening
Mele Kalikimaka tibi augurō/nūntiō
Havajānō djē Nātālītjō
I then do two lines of Wasurenaide Latin, and then leave this as is for 4 days. On 30/8 at 16:49 I take it out again and, through «... ita dīcō (perh. sīc dīcō)» (16:49), «ita dīcimus/dīcitur» (16:49, ditched because no rhyme), «tibi dīcō», I finally come to «tibi dīcō ego» (16:56), thus making the final Latin version:
Melē Kalīkīmākā tibi dīcō ego
Havajānō djē Nātālītjō
[Yeah, final until it's not. Not sure what made me think this was better, but "tibi auguro" sounds better to me now, 21/12/22 0:10, and is what I ended up writing in the text below and singing when I recorded this on 20/12/22 between 13 and 14, so that will be my final version.]
Then I think, maybe I should keep the Greek, but make it masculine instead of ἀγαθὴ φίλη. After all, mixing Latin and Greek isn't unknown in classical times. So sometime between 31/8 16:52 and 29/8 18:40, I think of ἀγαθὲ σὺ φίλε, which by those 16:52 turns into ἀγαθέ γε φίλε, this giving the two Greek alternatives:
Melē Kalīkīmākā, ἀγαθέ γε φίλε / ἀγαθὴ φίλη
Havajānō Nātālītjō djē
«mi amīce cāre» from 31/8/21 17:00 gets ditched because it doesn't rhyme.
This is where we leave IAFI, and come to the present, where there is just one thing: misremembering this, I sang «Diesque perfelices» in the closing, but it's actually «Diesque tam felices». I like my version better, so at 21:25 on 19/12/22 I decide to implement it, and at 21:26 I limit this to the below pure Latin version. Yes, I will be giving three versions below: original with female addressee, mixed with Greek and with male addressee, and pure Latin with ungendered addressee. Also, as I typed in the lyrics below, the whole song is to a "tu", and suddenly the closing is "vōbīs", that makes no sense, so I'll switch it to "tibī" in my version.
Wow, I always knew the lyrics wrong! I thought it was "great and bright" and "is a wise way"!
Let's see this!
Mele Kalikimaka tibi augurō/nūntiō
Havajānō djē Nātālītjō
I then do two lines of Wasurenaide Latin, and then leave this as is for 4 days. On 30/8 at 16:49 I take it out again and, through «... ita dīcō (perh. sīc dīcō)» (16:49), «ita dīcimus/dīcitur» (16:49, ditched because no rhyme), «tibi dīcō», I finally come to «tibi dīcō ego» (16:56), thus making the final Latin version:
Melē Kalīkīmākā tibi dīcō ego
Havajānō djē Nātālītjō
[Yeah, final until it's not. Not sure what made me think this was better, but "tibi auguro" sounds better to me now, 21/12/22 0:10, and is what I ended up writing in the text below and singing when I recorded this on 20/12/22 between 13 and 14, so that will be my final version.]
Then I think, maybe I should keep the Greek, but make it masculine instead of ἀγαθὴ φίλη. After all, mixing Latin and Greek isn't unknown in classical times. So sometime between 31/8 16:52 and 29/8 18:40, I think of ἀγαθὲ σὺ φίλε, which by those 16:52 turns into ἀγαθέ γε φίλε, this giving the two Greek alternatives:
Melē Kalīkīmākā, ἀγαθέ γε φίλε / ἀγαθὴ φίλη
Havajānō Nātālītjō djē
«mi amīce cāre» from 31/8/21 17:00 gets ditched because it doesn't rhyme.
This is where we leave IAFI, and come to the present, where there is just one thing: misremembering this, I sang «Diesque perfelices» in the closing, but it's actually «Diesque tam felices». I like my version better, so at 21:25 on 19/12/22 I decide to implement it, and at 21:26 I limit this to the below pure Latin version. Yes, I will be giving three versions below: original with female addressee, mixed with Greek and with male addressee, and pure Latin with ungendered addressee. Also, as I typed in the lyrics below, the whole song is to a "tu", and suddenly the closing is "vōbīs", that makes no sense, so I'll switch it to "tibī" in my version.
Wow, I always knew the lyrics wrong! I thought it was "great and bright" and "is a wise way"!
Let's see this!
Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say On a bright Hawaiian Christmas day That's the island greeting that we send to you From the land where palm trees sway Here we know that Christmas will be green and bright The sun to shine by day and all the stars at night Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii's way To say Merry Christmas to you Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii's way To say Merry Christmas, a very merry Christmas, A very merry merry merry Christmas to you |
Melē Kalīkīmākā, ἀγαθὴ φίλη,
Hāvājānō Nātālīcjō djē. Est salūs quam citō multam nūntiō Tibi lītore palmātō. Scīmus hīc Nātālem fore lūcidum, Splendentem sōlem tum noctem stēllārum. Melē Kalīkīmākā, Hāvājānē Optāmus hōrās faustās tibī. Melē Kalīkīmākā, Hāvājānē Optāmus hōrās faustās, diēsque tam fēlīcēs, Optāmusque hōrās faustās vōbīs!
Melē Kalīkīmākā, ἀγαθέ γε φίλε,
Hāvājānō Nātālīcjō djē. Est salūs quam citō multam nūntiō Tibi lītore palmātō. Scīmus hīc Nātālem fore lūcidum, Splendentem sōlem tum noctem stēllārum. Melē Kalīkīmākā, Hāvājānē Optāmus hōrās faustās tibī. Melē Kalīkīmākā, Hāvājānē Optāmus hōrās faustās, diēsque tam fēlīcēs, Optāmusque hōrās faustās vōbīs!
Melē Kalīkīmākā tibī augurō
Hāvājānō djē Nātālīcjō. Est salūs quam citō multam nūntiō Tibi lītore palmātō. Scīmus hīc Nātālem fore lūcidum, Splendentem sōlem tum noctem stēllārum. Melē Kalīkīmākā, Hāvājānē Optāmus hōrās faustās tibī. Melē Kalīkīmākā, Hāvājānē Optāmus hōrās faustās, diēsque tam fēlīcēs, Optāmusque hōrās faustās tibī! |
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