# Latin? "Seva ascendes, pulsata, brulans,kitzelans ...." [from Nabokov]



## slowik

> Seva ascendes, pulsata, brulans,kitzelans, dementissima. élevator clatterans, pausa, clatterans, pupulus in corridoro. Hanc nisi mors mihi adimet nemo! Juncela puelulla, jo pensavo fondissime, nobserva nihil quidquam.


Is this latin? Could you translate this into English? It's from Vladimir Nabokov's _Lolita_.


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## Outsider

Most words look Latin, but then others are arguably not (_élevator_). The combination of them looks like gibberish. I reckon it's some kind of spell.


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## Cagey

This is combination of English words given Latin endings to sound like Latin, interspersed with some real Latin and allusions to other languages.  The combination makes a kind of allusive sense, especially when spoken.

I am leaving the thread open, so that people can "decipher" the English phrases to which this alludes. 

For instance _clatterans_ is the Latin present participle ending _-ans_ added to the English _clatter_, and means "clattering".


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## bibax

Some words are *Latin* for sure, my attempt:

Seva *ascendens, pulsata,* brulans, kitzelans, *dementissima*.
_Seva ascending, pulsing/hammering, burning, tickling, mad/mindless._

*Elevator* clatterans, *pausa*, clatterans, *pupulus in* corridoro.
_Elevator clattering, pause, clattering, a little boy in corridor._

*Hanc nisi mors mihi adimet nemo!*
_Nobody but death will take her from me!_

*Iuncea puellula,*
_Slim little girl,_

*ego pensabam fondissime, observa nihil quidquam.*

_yo pensavo_ is Spanish;


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## benjo788

brulans might be from French brûler 'to burn', so 'burning'.
kitzelans might be from German kitzeln 'tickle', so 'tickling'.
jo pensavo = ego pensabam = I thought; fondissime = fondly?


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## Outsider

bibax said:


> _yo pensavo_ is Spanish;


Italian.


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## Genideus

"Seva" sounds as "saeva"  ("cruel", feminin) in Latin; "yo" is not Italian, differently from "pensavo", which is Italian for "I thought".


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## Outsider

_Yo_ could be a nonstandard spelling of_ io_.


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## sussy16

Outsider said:


> _Yo_ could be a nonstandard spelling of_ io_.


I'm Italian, yo doesn't exist, it's not a nonstandard spelling


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## S.V.

Hello. Yes, _jo_ is clearly _io_. You can find some published translations:


> "Sap ascends, pulsates, burning, itching, most insane. Elevator clattering, pausing, clattering, people in the corridor. No one but death would take this one from me! Slender little girl, I thought most fondly, observing nothing at all."



_Seva_ from FR _sève_1 'source of vitality.' After she says “_All in good __time_,” '[something] rises up, burning, itching, going completely crazy.' Then if the _structures_ appeared in a real text, you'd also get "_The elevator was clattering_," etc. It seems some take_ observing _literally (_you haven't noticed a single thing_). Have not read the context.


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