最好用拉丁文表達的事情：英語精讀講義

Latin sentences and sayings seem to be designed to be carved out of stone. 文法

拉丁語的句子和諺語似乎天生就是為了刻在石頭上而設計的。

This is a matter of their concision and weightiness. 片語搭配

這是因為它們既簡練又有分量。

Because of its highly inflected grammatical structure,

因為其高度屈折的語法結構，

Latin uses far fewer words to express something

拉丁語表達同一件事使用的單詞要少得多，

that a non-inflected language such as English.

相比於像英語這樣的非屈折語言。

Here are some of our favorite Latin sayings.

以下是我們最喜歡的一些拉丁語諺語。

Veni, vidi, vici.

Veni, vidi, vici.

Julius Caesar's most famous remark,

尤利烏斯·凱撒最著名的一句話，

apparently made in the Roman Senate in 47 BC 文化背景

顯然是他在公元前47年的羅馬元老院說的，

and referring to his victory over King Pharnaces II of Pontus

指的是他對本都國王法爾納克二世的勝利，

at the Battle of Zela,

在澤拉戰役中，

is an example of Latin at its most concise. 文法

這正是拉丁語極致簡練的一個例子。

English takes twice as many words to convey the same meaning. 文法

英語表達同樣的意思需要兩倍的單詞量。

The English translation doesn't come close to matching the patent terseness, 片語搭配

英語的翻譯遠不及原句那般明顯的簡潔，

the alliterative V's, those final long I's of the original.

也不及原文中頭韻的V，和結尾長母音I的韻味。

Requiescat in pace.

Requiescat in pace.

One of the most familiar of all Latin sayings

這句最廣為人知的拉丁諺語之一，

is unusual in not being notably more terse than the English equivalent.

罕見地並沒有比相應的英語更簡練。

But here the weightiness and solemnity of Latin come to the fore. 慣用語

但在這裡，拉丁語的分量和莊嚴感就凸顯出來了。

The big words have a sort of baroque splendor,

那些大詞帶有一種巴洛克式的華麗感，

and strictly speaking 片語搭配

嚴格來說，

this is more succinct or conveys more meaning

它是更簡練的，或者說傳達了更多的意義，

in the same number of words than the English equivalent,

在字數與相應的英語相同的情況下，

because the Latin word requiescat is a subjunctive and represents a pious wish, 用詞

因為拉丁語單詞requiescat是虛擬語氣，代表了一種虔誠的祝願，

"May he or she rest," not a simple command.

意為「願他或她安息」，而不是簡單的命令。

Carpe diem.

Carpe diem.

The famous saying from the 11th poem of Horace's first book of Odes

這句著名的格言出自賀拉斯《頌歌集》第一卷的第11首詩，

is possibly the best known Latin tag of all. 用詞

可能是所有拉丁語名言中最著名的一句。

It's certainly the one which has inspired 片語搭配

毫無疑問，它也是激發了最多

the naming of more restaurants and wine bars than any other.

餐廳和酒吧命名的那一句。

Why is it so memorable,

為什麼它如此令人難忘，

and why does it work so well in Latin?

又為什麼在拉丁語中效果如此之好呢？

For a start, it has the classical Latin succinctness. 表達脈絡

首先，它具有古典拉丁語的簡練。

Just two balanced syllables to convey a whole world of meaning, 慣用語

僅僅用兩個平衡的音節就傳達了無盡的意義，

even an entire philosophy.

甚至是一整套哲學。

In this case the philosophy of Epicureanism. 文化背景

在這裡，指的是伊比鳩魯學派的哲學。

There is also the weightiness,

其次是它的分量感，

especially in the second word.

尤其是第二個詞。

A Latin dies is more significant than a mere English day.

拉丁語中的dies比普通的英語day更有分量。

And finally, this poet's saying has a marvelous poetic ambiguity and richness,

最後，這位詩人的名言具有奇妙的詩意上的模稜兩可與豐富性，

as the word carpe can mean so many different things from seize to pluck. 文法

因為carpe這個詞可以有從「抓住」到「採摘」等許多不同的含義。

Homo sum,

Homo sum,

humani nil a me alienum puto.

humani nil a me alienum puto.

This saying from the early Roman comedian Terence is genius for plain eloquence.

這句出自古羅馬喜劇作家泰倫提烏斯的名言，是直白雄辯的絕佳體現。

The English version is 50% longer in terms of words and nothing like as memorable, 講解

它的英文版在字數上多了50%，而且遠沒那麼好記，

especially when it comes to word order. 片語搭配

尤其是在詞序方面。

The ability to manipulate word order

操縱詞序的能力，

is a great advantage that Latin gains from its grammatical inflections.

是拉丁語從其語法屈折變化中獲得的一大優勢。

The way nouns and adjectives incorporate their own cases

名詞和形容詞包含它們自身的格，

and verbs include person, mood, and tense within a single word.

動詞在一個詞中就包含了人稱、語氣和時態。

Here, being able to hold back the verb to the end of the sentence 片語動詞

在這裡，能夠把動詞保留到句子末尾，

enables Terence to juxtapose the homo sum with the humani nil.

使得泰倫提烏斯能夠將homo sum與humani nil並列起來。

Parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus.

Parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus.

Here,

這裡，

from Horace's Ars Poetica, 文化背景

出自賀拉斯的《詩藝》，

his hugely influential treatise on how to write,

這本極其有影響力的關於如何寫作的論述，

is a lovely example of Latin being playful,

是拉丁語展現俏皮感的一個絕佳例子，

as it were, using its own weightiness against itself. 語氣意圖

就彷彿在利用它自身的分量來反諷自己。

Latin is able to enact the process whereby a huge effort, 文法

拉丁語能夠將這一過程生動演繹出來：一次巨大的努力，

the mountains going into labor, 片語搭配

也就是大山在分娩，

produces a laughably puny result,

卻產生了一個可笑而微弱的結果，

the birth of the minuscule unimpressive rodent.

誕生了一隻微小且不起眼的嚙齒動物。

Capax imperii, nisi imperasset.

Capax imperii, nisi imperasset.

The master of the witheringly terse putdown in Latin, 用詞

在拉丁語中，以尖酸簡練的貶損之辭著稱的大師，

or maybe in all languages,

或者也許在所有語言中都是，

is the Roman historian Tacitus.

是羅馬歷史學家塔西佗。

This marvelous four-worder refers to the Emperor Galba,

這句絕妙的四個詞的格言指的是加爾巴皇帝，

but could be seen as an equally fitting epitaph on at least one recent British Prime Minister. 文法

但也可以看作是至少一位近期英國首相非常貼切的墓誌銘。

Here, both succinctness enabled by grammar and the unique Latin weightiness find a perfect expression.

在這裡，由語法所賦予的簡練和拉丁語獨特的分量感都得到了完美的表達。

Caelum non animum mutant,

Caelum non animum mutant,

qui trans mare currunt.

qui trans mare currunt.

Another Horatian gem,

賀拉斯的另一塊瑰寶，

this time from his first book of Epistles,

這次出自他《書信集》的第一卷，

depends once again for its memorable force on the genius of Latin grammar,

其令人難忘的力量再次取決於拉丁語語法的精妙之處，

the way the accusative tense is signaled in the final -um of caelum and animum,

也就是受格在caelum和animum結尾的-um中被標示出來的方式，

so that the contrast between the climate or color of the sky, 文法

從而使得氣候或天空顏色的對比，

caelum, which the traveler can change,

也就是旅行者可以改變的caelum，

and her state of mind, animum,

與旅行者心境的animum，

which the traveler can't alter so easily,

這個旅行者無法輕易改變的東西，

is pointed up with a maximum impact. 片語動詞

被以最大的衝擊力凸顯出來。

Latin, more than any other tongue,

拉丁語，比任何其他語言都更，

is the language in which things are not just said, but stay said. 講解

是一門話一經說出、便能長久流傳的語言。

The tight grammatical structure of the language

這門語言嚴密的語法結構

helps give Latin sayings a massive architectural grandeur,

有助於賦予拉丁語諺語一種宏大的建築般的莊嚴感，

the verbal equivalent of a Colosseum, the Pantheon, or the Pont du Gard. 片語搭配

就像是言語中的羅馬競技場、萬神殿或加爾橋。

Like those great edifices,

就像那些偉大的建築一樣，

they are built to stand the test of time. 慣用語

它們的誕生就是為了經受住時間的考驗。

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我們每週都會發佈引人深思的新影片。

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請務必訂閱我們的頻道，

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並點擊您螢幕上的連結，

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