# superlatives



## Casquilho

Can you tell me how to express in Latin the superlatives in this proverb of Blake:

_As the caterpillar chooses the fairest leaves to lay her eggs on, so the priest lays his curse on the fairest joys.

_My attempt: Sic eruca [the fairest leaves] eligit ut ova sua paret, sicut [the fairest joys] detestatur sacerdos.

The question is, how can I express this idea of absolute, the fairest leaves of all leaves, the fairest joys of all joys, in Latin? Would a simple _pulcherrimus_ be enough?


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## Peano

What does fair mean? I would write _folia aptissima_ and _gaudia aptissima _(the most appropriate). The adjective fair is very polysemic, and we need to choose one specific meaning compatible to both leaves and joys. Appropriate, large, light, good, beautiful... you choose.


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## Casquilho

Here I understand "fair" only as beautiful, and so does the translation I have of Blake in Pt.


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## XiaoRoel

A minha versão:_
*Vt pulchria *_*eruca *_*folia ad ouicula edenda diligit, sic clericus in dulcia gaudia maledictiones inmittit.*
_


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## Casquilho

XiaoRoel said:


> A minha versão:_
> *Vt pulchria *_*eruca *_*folia ad ouicula edenda diligit, sic clericus in dulcia gaudia maledictiones inmittit.*
> _



Minha construção com _sic... sicut _estaria errada? Eu pensei que essa construção daria um ar de provérbio bíblico latino, apropriado para o estilo do original de Blake. O _pulchria _eu não consigo entender, por acaso você não quis dizer _pulchra_, pra combinar com o acc. neutro _folia_?


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## Peano

"The sweetest joys" may be perfect. And the construction _ad_ + gerundive is always easier than _ut_ + subjunctive (I guess Casquilho mistook _paret_ for _pariat?_). Here is my new attempt:

*Sicut eruca eligit aptissima folia ad ova sua parienda**, sic **sacerdos **maledicit dulcissima gaudia.
*_
As the caterpillar chooses the fairest leaves to lay her eggs on, so the priest lays his curse on the fairest joys.

_By the way, a great proverb!


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## Casquilho

I heartily thank you, Peano and XiaoRoel.

By the way, Peano, I see you used _sicut _in the first period and _sic _​in the second, is there a reason (stylistic or grammatical) to do so?


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## Peano

The reason is just to follow the original: *As* the caterpillar ..., *so* the priest ... -> *Sicut* eruca ..., *sic* sacerdos ...
I like to do literal translations, keeping the stylistic or grammatical arrangement as far as possible.


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## Fred_C

Actually it is some sort of a pun.
Speaking of leaves, «fair» can only mean «louro», (the first meaning, all other ones are figurative) but it is difficult to use this word in portuguese, because it cannot be used to describe a joy, can it ?


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## XiaoRoel

Fred_C said:


> Actually it is some sort of a pun.
> Speaking of leaves, «fair» can only mean «louro», (the first meaning, all other ones are figurative) but it is difficult to use this word in portuguese, because it cannot be used to describe a joy, can it ?



Amigo_ *Fred_C*, tienes una cierta razón_, aunque aquí _fair_ es polisémico ya que significa 'bueno', 'limpio', 'justo', 'hermoso', además de 'rubio'. Todos estos semas de *fair* podrían representarlos los adjetivos latinos _clarus_, o _limpidus_, o _iustus_, o _honestus_. Es difícil recoger la polisemia de Milton (que también se refiere extratextualmente a las ideas contenidas en _fair play_, o _fair trade, _y además, por medio de un _símbolo trópico_ _(fair, 'rubia')_, se alude a la _mujer ideal_ del clasicismo europeo, en el que mujer rubia es un _topos de la belleza arquetípica_.

Todo este fino juego de _alusiones y polisemias_ en _fair_, aquí intensificado por -_est_, _fairest_, no lo veo yo traducible por completo. ¿Quizás _*honestissimus*_?


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