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Alcuin of York
Works 3
Latin original · 3 verses · some words can be tapped for a gloss
3:1
Heu, cuculus nobis fuerat cantare suetus, quae te nunc rapuit hora nefanda tuis? Heu, cuculus, cuculus, qua te regione reliqui, infelix nobis illa dies fuerat. Omne genus hominum cuculum conplangat ubique, perditus est cuculus, heu, perit ecce meus. Non pereat cuculus, veniet sub tempore veris, et nobis veniens carmina laeta ciet. Quis scit, si veniat; timeo, est summersus in undis, vorticibus raptus atque necatus aquis. Heu mihi, si cuculum Bachus dimersit in undis, qui rapiet iuvenes vortice pestifero. Si vivat, redeat, nidosque recurrat ad almos, nec corvus cuculum dissecet ungue fero. Heu quis te, cuculus, nido rapit ecce paterno? Heu, rapuit, rapuit, nescio si venias.
Alas, the cuckoo who was wont to sing for us — what wicked hour has now snatched you from your own? Alas, cuckoo, cuckoo, in what region have I lost you? That day was unhappy for us. Let every kind of men everywhere bewail the cuckoo: lost is the cuckoo — alas, behold, my cuckoo perishes! Let not the cuckoo perish; he will come back in springtime, and coming will stir up joyful songs for us. Who knows whether he will come? I fear he is drowned in the waves, seized by the whirlpools and slain by the waters. Woe is me, if Bacchus has plunged the cuckoo into the waves, who carries off young men in his pestilent whirlpool. If he lives, let him return and hasten back to his kindly nests, and let not the raven tear the cuckoo with its savage talon. Alas, who, O cuckoo, snatches you, behold, from your father's nest? Alas, he has snatched, he has snatched — I know not if you will come.
唉，那素常為我們歌唱的杜鵑啊，如今是哪一個邪惡的時辰把你從你的親人中奪去了？唉，杜鵑，杜鵑，我究竟在哪一方丟失了你？那一日於我們乃是不幸的日子。願各樣的人在各處都為杜鵑哀哭：杜鵑失去了——唉，看哪，我的杜鵑要滅亡了！願杜鵑不滅亡；他必在春天回來，回來時必為我們激起歡樂的歌。誰知道他會不會回來？我恐怕他已沉沒在波濤中，被漩渦捲去，被水淹死。我有禍了，倘若巴克斯把杜鵑沉入波濤之中——那在毒害的漩渦中擄掠青年的酒神。他若還活著，願他歸來，急速飛回那慈愛的巢；願烏鴉不以兇猛的爪撕裂杜鵑。唉，杜鵑啊，看哪，是誰把你從父親的巢中奪去？唉，他奪去了，他奪去了——我不知你還會不會回來。
3:2
Carmina si curas, cuculus, citus ecce venito, ecce venito, precor, ecce venito citus. Non tardare, precor, cuculus, dum currere possis, te Dafnis iuvenis optat habere tuus. Tempus adest veris, cuculus modo rumpe soporem, te cupit, en, senior atque Menalca pater. En tondent nostri librorum prata iuvenci, solus abest cuculus, quis, rogo, pascit eum? Heu, male pascit eum Bachus, reor, impius ille, qui sub cuncta cupit vertere corda mala. Plangite nunc cuculum, cuculum nunc plangite cuncti ille recessit ovans, flens redit ille, puto. Opto tamen, flentem cuculum habeamus ut illum, et nos plangamus cum cuculo pariter.
If you care for songs, cuckoo, behold, come swiftly; behold, come, I pray, behold, come swiftly. Do not delay, I pray, cuckoo, while you still can run; your own youth Daphnis longs to have you. The time of spring is here, cuckoo: only break off your slumber; the elder too, and father Menalcas, desires you. Behold, our young oxen are mowing the meadows of books; only the cuckoo is absent — who, I ask, is feeding him? Alas, Bacchus feeds him ill, I think — that impious one who longs to overturn all good hearts to evil. Bewail the cuckoo now, now bewail the cuckoo, all of you: he has withdrawn rejoicing, but weeping he returns, I suppose. Yet I choose that we may have that cuckoo weeping, and that we may lament together with the cuckoo alike.
杜鵑啊，你若顧念歌唱，看哪，快快前來；看哪，前來罷，我求你，看哪，快快前來。我求你，杜鵑，趁你還能奔跑，不要遲延；你自己的少年達夫尼斯渴望得著你。春天到了，杜鵑啊，只管打破你的酣眠；那年長者並父親梅納卡斯也渴慕你。看哪，我們的小牛正在收割書卷的草場；惟獨杜鵑不在——我問，是誰在餵養他？唉，我想是巴克斯把他餵養得不好——那不虔的傢伙，巴不得把一切善良的心都翻轉為惡。如今你們眾人都為杜鵑哀哭，如今都為杜鵑哀哭：他歡然離去，但我想他回來時必是哭著回來的。然而我願我們能有那哀哭的杜鵑，並且我們也與杜鵑一同哀哭。
3:3
Plange tuos casus lacrimis, puer inclite, plange, et casus plangunt viscera tota tuos. Si non dura silex genuit te, plange, precamur, te memorans ipsum plangere forte potes. Dulcis amor nati cogit deflere parentem, natus ab amplexu dum rapitur subito. Dum frater fratrem germanum perdit amatum, quid nisi idem faciat, semper et ipse fleat. Tres olim fuimus, iunxit quos spiritus unus, vix duo nunc pariter, tertius ille fugit. Heu fugiet, fugiet planctus quapropter amarus nunc nobis restat, carus abit cuculus. Carmina post illum mittamus, carmina luctus, carmina deducunt forte, reor, cuculum. Sis semper felix utinam, quocunque recedas, sis memor et nostri, semper ubique vale.
Bewail your misfortunes with tears, illustrious boy, bewail them, and my whole inward parts bewail your misfortunes. If no hard flint begot you, bewail, we beg; remembering, you perhaps can bewail your very self. The sweet love of a son compels a parent to weep, when the son is suddenly snatched from his embrace. When a brother loses his beloved blood-brother, what should he do but the same, and forever weep himself? Three we once were, whom one spirit joined; now scarcely two together — that third one has fled. Alas, he flees, he flees; wherefore now a bitter lament remains for us, for our dear cuckoo departs. Let us send songs after him, songs of mourning; songs perhaps, I think, may lead the cuckoo back. May you ever be happy, wherever you withdraw; be mindful of us too — forever and everywhere, farewell.
傑出的少年啊，當以眼淚哀哭你的不幸，當哀哭，我整個的肺腑也都為你的不幸哀哭。我們求你，若不是堅硬的燧石生了你，就當哀哭；你記念著，或許就能為自己哀哭。兒子甜美的愛迫使父母流淚，當兒子突然從他的懷抱中被奪去。當弟兄失去所愛的同胞弟兄，除了照樣行、永遠為自己哀哭以外，他還能作甚麼？我們從前是三個，被同一個靈聯結；如今勉強剩下兩個在一處，那第三個已經逃去。唉，他逃去了，他逃去了；因此如今留給我們的乃是苦澀的哀悼，因為我們親愛的杜鵑離去了。讓我們在他身後送上歌唱，哀傷的歌唱；我想這些歌或許能引杜鵑回來。願你無論退到何處都永遠蒙福；也願你記念我們——永遠各處，珍重再見。