Once upon a time reading dialogues in comments, I witnessed a serious debate on whether there should be a new bible centered on cats. One poster said cats were too selfish and they regard themselves as the center of the universe. Another said no, he misunderstood. Cats were cooperative and friendly. The cats in his apartment easily made friends with the cats in the apartments next door. None of this had anything to do with the original article posted on a news site. They devoted much time to this exchange and I couldn't stop laughing.😸Each time I thought they were done they added more to the conversation. There was another memorable poster who was a pirate who was exceptionally literate despite his unconventional grammar and had vast knowledge of current events. There were posters who were less educated as well. But I noticed something among them, even the less formally educated Redneck types who never graduated high school. What these insanely funny, knowledgeable, endearing characters had in common was that you never knew when one of them was going to break into Latin phrases. Like in a musical where they suddenly break into song but with a greater element of surprise since you know that in a "Musical" there will be singing. Folks who write on the internet aren't always more educated than average, but this site and a few other similar sites gave me hope that although we may be last in math, I firmly believe we are first in classical language education both in Bible Belt America and beyond, and even in the High Seas.
"...so, if ye be interested in using cryptocurrency, ye need to be careful and do yer research. And remember, just like with any treasure, there be always a risk. But if ye be brave enough to take the plunge, who knows what kind of riches ye might find. Arrr! Cogito, ergo sum! Magnum opus, ad infinitum!"
(^Not a real excerpt from a conversation but a historical reenactment/simulation)
From these lively exchanges sometimes including a pirate I got curious as to where the pirate accent actually comes from. Since there were no recording devices during the Golden Age of Piracy, how would anyone know? It turns out what we all recognize as the pirate accent is an exaggerated form of the West Country accent from England.
The so-called pirate accent that we know and love today was a product of Hollywood and can be traced to one actor in particular: Robert Newton. Newton, an English actor hailing from the West Country of England, shaped how we imagine the pirate accent to be when he took on the role of Long John Silver in the 1950 film adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1883 novel Treasure Island. After his performance, the stereotype of the peg-legged, parrot owning, “Arrr”-spouting pirate was cemented in pop culture and became the basis for many future performances.
https://www.whizzpast.com/pirate-accent-come/
The accent is not total fiction, however. Actor Robert Newton grew up in the same area where English pirates lived.
Long John Silver lived in Bristol, England, supposedly the birthplace of Edward Teach, Blackbeard. In the early 1950s Disney produced films of “Treasure Island” (1950) and “Blackbeard the Pirate”(1952), and the same actor was used to play Silver and Teach – Robert Newton. Newton then reprised his role of Long John Silver for “Long John Silver” (1954) and the TV series “The adventures of Long John Silver (1955). Robert Newton was born and raised in Dorset, not far from Bristol, so he knew the West Country accent which Silver and Teach would have spoken in very well, and used it in those films.
http://dialectblog.com/2011/05/24/pirate-accent/
From there I wondered...How far back in time could you go and still understand English?
"Before about 1400 AD, you'd hear Middle English, and you would hardly understand anything, written or spoken."
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My mother and sister asked earlier today if they could give me a ring to lift my spirits. They asked what kind of ring I might like and I said I had seen some moonstone and light purple quartz rings. The only problem was we did not know my size. So we set about going to stores with jewelry departments. The first store we visited was peculiar. The cases in the jewelry department were almost empty. The saleswoman said someone came in and bought a bunch of rings. Seriously, how many wedding rings do you need? If you are lucky enough to have one you should be very happy. She did not have a ring sizer so we had to find a ring that fit to know my size. All that was left was a single diamond ring in a size 6 and and a dark purple large amethyst, a size 7. She said a 6 is the smallest size they carry, which is too big for me. Another store had mostly 7s, 8s and 9s. There were butterfly rings and earrings I really liked, and another with hearts around the band. We were just about to give up when we came across a 4.5 and a 5, which turned out to be my sizes. But they were just plain bands with nothing on them, no stones or ornamentations. We didn't get either of those. I said I'd start looking online.
I began looking at rings on Etsy. Here is the ring that jumped out at me right away: Vintage Love Conquers All Silver Poesy Ring - Latin - Chaucer Virgil
It's not much to look at but that's what Indiana Jones said when he found the Holy Grail. I knew from the first time I laid eyes on it that this is the one for me!
From Etsy: “Latin "amor vincit omnia" translates as "love conquers all", a motto known to all students of English literature as the one engraved on the brooch worn by the Prioress in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. 13th Century - British Museum”
“The Latin phrase 'omni a vincit amor' translates as 'love conquers all' and is engraved on this ring, which is a replica of a handmade original ring in the British Museum. This model is engraved in a period script exactly as in the original. The full quote from the Roman poet Virgil's Eclogues X, 69 dated to 38 BCE is 'omnia vincit amor et nos cedars amori' or 'love conquers all; let us too, yield to love!' A passionate declaration that speaks to us across the centuries and is sure to inspire the adventurous.”
Poes is also an Afrikaans word. I had clicked on the ring initially thinking it was an African piece, but...
From Wiki: “Posie rings (sometimes spelled posy, posey or poesy rings) are gold finger rings with a short inscription on their surface. They were popular during the 15th through the 17th centuries in both England and France as lovers' gifts. The language used in many early posy rings was Norman French, with French, Latin and English used in later times. The quotations were often from contemporary courtship stories or chapbooks and usually inscribed on the inner surface of the ring. The rings were also given to show regard or as a gift.”
Do you see how everything fits together, in a US size 4.5 on the ring finger? The ring being a reference back to Canterbury Tales which the pirate accent goes back to in Middle English, which comes partly from Latin. From Latin to the "father of English poetry" to the father of poesry, the ring makes an endless loop. The loop of endless love.
Somewhere in the Night/Imagine sung by Scott Bakula
On the day I walked away,
All the blue rolled into gray.
Now in the dark, alone I lay.
Should have stopped,
But I could never ever stay.
Somewhere in the night,
Inside my dreams you burn so bright.
And I'm with you there and everything's alright.
Somewhere in the night,
Before the darkness turns to light.
Let me love you there, somewhere in the night.
Second chances, I wont get.
Wouldn't dare to hope and yet.
Everywhere I turn I see your silhouette
Been so long but I never will forget.
Somewhere in the night,
Inside my dreams you burn so bright.
And I'm with you there and everything's alright.
Somewhere in the night,
Before the darkness turns to light.
Let me love you there, somewhere in the night.
Time after time, I find that I'm thinking about you.
Up on the hill I see you still but I just can't reach.
Who would answer your prayers?
Who would wait by the stairs?
Not Me.
Not Me.
Somewhere in the night,
Inside my dreams you burn so bright.
And I'm with you there and everything's alright.
Somewhere in the night,
Before the darkness turns to light.
Let me see your face.
Feel your warm embrace.
Let me love you, somewhere in the night.
Scott's rendition of Imagine is not my favorite by far. It used to be but now there is another, yet more dear to my heart that I like sooo much better! No, it is not John Lennon's either. I will tell you what it is in a future article. 🥰
this was so interesting! think all we need to do is to translate the Bible to kitty language 😹. & my smartest (& funniest) friends are less formal ‘educated’ so this may not be coincidental. love your romantic ring, what a conversation piece!
🌼beautifully done! 🌼