More translations: the bird edition

This is the third update in my ongoing series of translations of a Sui Dynasty sexual practices manual found in a mid-20th century academic text by my friend telophase. I'm translating from the Latin produced by the author of the book, since I am nearly fluent enough in Chinese to ask the way to the train station, as long as I am also allowed to use hand gestures. The previous two updates are in one entry, which may be found here (NB: explicit material); images of the pages of the text are here. My usual caveat applies-- the Latin is very beautiful and uses grammatical structures which are awkward and wordy when translated into English, so I'm going for readability rather than literalism here, although I'm sorry to deprive you of the author's plethora of perfect passive participles.

( Cut for length, extremely explicit material, and metaphors involving waterfowl. )

More translations: the bird edition

This is the third update in my ongoing series of translations of a Sui Dynasty sexual practices manual found in a mid-20th century academic text by my friend telophase. I'm translating from the Latin produced by the author of the book, since I am nearly fluent enough in Chinese to ask the way to the train station, as long as I am also allowed to use hand gestures. The previous two updates are in one entry, which may be found here (NB: explicit material); images of the pages of the text are here. My usual caveat applies-- the Latin is very beautiful and uses grammatical structures which are awkward and wordy when translated into English, so I'm going for readability rather than literalism here, although I'm sorry to deprive you of the author's plethora of perfect passive participles.

( Cut for length, extremely explicit material, and metaphors involving waterfowl. )

For all who go a-Maying

To those of you at Bryn Mawr, those of you who used to be, and those of you for whom this is simply a day early:

The hunt is up! The hunt is up,
And it is well-nigh day;
And Harry, our king, is gone a-hunting
To bring his deer to bay.

The east is bright with morning light,
And darkness it is fled,
And the merry horn wakes up the morn
To leave his idle bed.

Behold the skies with golden dyes
Are glowing all around;
The grass is green, and so are the treen
All laughing at the sound.

The horses snort to be at sport
The dogs are running free
The woods rejoice at the merry noise
Of hey tantara tee ree!

The sun is glad to see us clad
All in our lusty green,
And smiles in the sky as he riseth high
To see and to be seen.

Awake all men! I say again,
Be merry as you may
For Harry, our king, is gone a-hunting
To bring his deer to bay!


And a good fine sunny day to you all.

For all who go a-Maying

To those of you at Bryn Mawr, those of you who used to be, and those of you for whom this is simply a day early:

The hunt is up! The hunt is up,
And it is well-nigh day;
And Harry, our king, is gone a-hunting
To bring his deer to bay.

The east is bright with morning light,
And darkness it is fled,
And the merry horn wakes up the morn
To leave his idle bed.

Behold the skies with golden dyes
Are glowing all around;
The grass is green, and so are the treen
All laughing at the sound.

The horses snort to be at sport
The dogs are running free
The woods rejoice at the merry noise
Of hey tantara tee ree!

The sun is glad to see us clad
All in our lusty green,
And smiles in the sky as he riseth high
To see and to be seen.

Awake all men! I say again,
Be merry as you may
For Harry, our king, is gone a-hunting
To bring his deer to bay!


And a good fine sunny day to you all.