browngirl: (minoan statuette)
browngirl ([personal profile] browngirl) wrote2011-02-03 08:34 am

Senex Macdonaldus Habeat Fundum

Breaking archaeological news from this link!


Sensational new discoveries have been made at an archaeological dig at the
site of a Roman army camp near Hadrian's Wall. When the legions were
evacuated, orders were sent out to destroy all valuable military records.
However, in the far-flung camps, lazy army bureaucrats simply pitched all
the files into the nearest bog. Now archaeologists are recovering all the
records, preserved in the highly tannic bog water.


Among the latest discoveries is what appears to be a Latin translation of
a Pictish folk-song. No doubt the lonely legionaries on sentry duty on the
wall heard the melodic strains drifting on the wind from the Pictish
encampments to the north. Roman soldiers must have learned this
traditional Pictish melody, which is the earliest folksong recorded in the
British Isles.


Of particular interest is the chorus of syllabic vocables, remarkably
similar to the Gaelic walking song which is not found in written records
until almost 1000 years later. In fact, a remarkable similar chorus of
vocables: I\ aigh i\ aigh o\ can be found in a walking song from Skye,
"Tha baile aig sean-Mhac a' Domhnuill", in the Frances Tolmie collection.


Following is a transcription of the original manuscript:


Senex Macdonaldus habebat fundum, EIEIO
Et in ille fundum habebat porces, EIEIO
Cum oink oink hic, oink oink hoc
Oink hic, oink hoc, ubique oink oink
Senex Macdonaldus habebat fundum, EIEIO


Senex Macdonaldus habebat fundum, EIEIO
Et in ille fundum habebat boves, EIEIO
Cum moo moo hic, moo moo hoc
Moo hic, moo hoc, ubique moo moo
Senex Macdonaldus habebat fundum, EIEIO


Senex Macdonaldus habebat fundum, EIEIO
Et in ille fundum habebat oves, EIEIO
Cum baa baa hic, baa baa hoc
Baa hic, baa hoc, ubique baa baa
Senex Macdonaldus habebat fundum, EIEIO


Senex Macdonaldus habebat fundum, EIEIO
Et in ille fundum habebat anates, EIEIO
Cum quack quack hic, quack quack hoc
Quack hic, quack hoc, ubique quack quack
Senex Macdonaldus habebat fundum, EIEIO


(Of course, not really. But I thought my journal could use something cheerful, after the last post.)

[identity profile] moondancerdrake.livejournal.com 2011-02-03 01:38 pm (UTC)(link)
This is just baaaaad :P

[identity profile] solvent90.livejournal.com 2011-02-03 01:39 pm (UTC)(link)
:D this is the most delightful thing I've encountered in ages. Thank you!
ext_115: great white shark looking over several small fish with an intelligently hungry gleam in its eye (flail!)

[identity profile] boosette.livejournal.com 2011-02-03 01:51 pm (UTC)(link)
So I actually remember enough Latin to understand this! YAY!

[identity profile] wcg.livejournal.com 2011-02-03 01:54 pm (UTC)(link)
I approve. Ita est.

I knew what was coming as soon as I saw the McDonaldus

[identity profile] dakiwiboid.livejournal.com 2011-02-03 02:01 pm (UTC)(link)
That reminds me... I have some REAL archeological news links to post, with you in mind. There's a fox involved!
sethg: picture of me with a fedora and a "PRESS: Daily Planet" card in the hat band (Default)

[personal profile] sethg 2011-02-03 02:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Sandra Boynton has an album of Pigorian Chant, recorded at the monastery of Snouto Domoinko de Silo, which includes a similar song, although the tune is different. I don’t have the recording on me, but it begins “Ecce Macondaldus senex / qui fundum habet / EIEIO”.

The album is a collection of songs by various farm animals (and the hapless farmer), all of whom sing in Latin, except for the pigs, who sing, natch, in Pig Latin.

Non plaudite. Modo pecuniam jacite.

[identity profile] trinker.livejournal.com 2011-02-04 02:13 am (UTC)(link)
OOOOOOOH!

[identity profile] xiphias.livejournal.com 2011-02-03 02:21 pm (UTC)(link)
We used to sing this in Latin class.

Drove the teacher crazy.

'Cause what was she going to do about it?
ext_1843: (Default)

[identity profile] cereta.livejournal.com 2011-02-03 02:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Bwee!
vass: Small turtle with green leaf in its mouth (Default)

[personal profile] vass 2011-02-03 03:38 pm (UTC)(link)
LOL. One of my former friends had an email sig I liked:

EIEIO: a gross misspelling of 'farm'.

[identity profile] capra-maritimus.livejournal.com 2011-02-03 04:28 pm (UTC)(link)
AGGGH!!! And it's not even April 1st yet. LOL!

[identity profile] cyan-blue.livejournal.com 2011-02-03 05:02 pm (UTC)(link)
Giggle...

[identity profile] peteralway.livejournal.com 2011-02-03 06:19 pm (UTC)(link)
I am...amused.

[identity profile] lavendertook.livejournal.com 2011-02-03 06:25 pm (UTC)(link)
Sillius est!

[identity profile] tarkrai.livejournal.com 2011-02-03 10:16 pm (UTC)(link)
sigh. It follows me everywhere...

[identity profile] yarram.livejournal.com 2011-02-04 12:43 am (UTC)(link)
ROFL!

I read it to my SO, who knows Church Latin.
Took him 3 lines to catch on, right about at the second "oink".

:-D
ext_12246: (Default)

[identity profile] thnidu.livejournal.com 2011-02-04 01:35 am (UTC)(link)
And next Tuesday night they will fly.

[identity profile] persis.livejournal.com 2011-02-04 02:32 am (UTC)(link)
*hee hee* Great lead in! I wonder what it would be in Etruscan?
brownbetty: (Default)

[personal profile] brownbetty 2011-02-04 07:28 am (UTC)(link)
dsa;fjdslkjf;aldjskf

[identity profile] weegoddess.livejournal.com 2011-02-06 10:09 pm (UTC)(link)
Tee hee!

And now I'm getting nostalgic for Hadrian's Wall...where the grass looks like astroturf thanks to all the sheep who wander around there....

[identity profile] micheinnz.livejournal.com 2011-02-09 07:28 am (UTC)(link)
The Weasel has just started Latin classes at high school, and she was tickled pink by this. She's going to take a copy to her Latin teacher. How should it be attributed?

[identity profile] rubynye.livejournal.com 2011-02-09 12:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Unfortunately, I can't really do better than The Internet. I got it from here: http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=49178