Prudentius' Hymns for Hours and Seasons: Liber Cathemerinon PDF
Preview Prudentius' Hymns for Hours and Seasons: Liber Cathemerinon
PRUDENTIUS’ HYMNS FOR HOURS AND SEASONS Combining faithfulness to the Latin with sensitivity to Prudentius’ poetic qualities, Nicholas Richardson offers a precise yet creative verse translation of a major work by one of the most important Christian Latin poets of late antiquity. Prudentius’ Hymns for Hours and Seasons also provides readers with a wealth of supporting material, which sets the life and output of this poet in its historical, religious and literary context, outlines manuscript and editorial details, discusses metrics and Latinity, and also gives a sense of the individual hymns of the Cathemerinon. Richardson’s fresh translation allows readers unfamiliar with Latin to understand and interpret the poems, as well as offering those who know Latin a translation that keeps very close to the original text. Detailed notes at the end of the book illuminate both the literary and the religious aspects of each hymn. This commentary, along with the introduction and translated text, provides students and scholars alike with a comprehensive volume on one of the key works of later Latin poetry. Nicholas Richardson is an Emeritus Fellow of Merton College, Oxford, where he was Tutor in Classics between 1968 and 2004. From 2004 to 2007 he was Warden of Greyfriars Hall, Oxford. His published work includes editions and commentaries on the four major Homeric Hymns and the last four books of Homer’s Iliad, and articles on ancient literary criticism, Greek religion and the relation- ship of classical with modern Greek and English literature. ROUTLEDGE LATER LATIN POETRY Edited by Joseph Pucci Brown University The Routledge Later Latin Poetry series (RLLP) provides English translations of the works of those poets writing in Latin between the fourth and the eighth centuries inclusive. It responds to the increasing interest in later Latin authors and especially the growth in courses devoted to late antiquity. Books in the series are designed to provide comprehensive coverage to support students studying later Latin poetry and to introduce the material to those wishing to read these important and often under-translated works in English. The RLLP is devoted to publishing creative, accessible trans- lations. Each volume is self-contained and provides introductory material to contextualise the life and output of the poet in ques- tion, including manuscript and editorial details. Some discussion of metrics and Latinity is included and each volume provides a sense of how the work being translated might be interpreted (including, where possible, the scholarly history of the same). This last section concludes, as appropriate, with maps and a list of any editorial changes made by the translator to the established Latin text. At the conclusion of each volume, in addition to endnotes and a reference list, there is a general index that, beyond allowing readers to negotiate content, also serves as a glossary of names, dates, figures, places and events. Volumes adhere, as closely as pos- sible, to line-for-line versions of the Latin original, so that those who come to the translations with a knowledge of Latin can orient their reading with the original. By offering English translations of later Latin poetry with comprehensive supporting material, the series enables a greater understanding of late antiquity through one of its most important literary outputs. The poems are significant sources for the culture, religion and daily life of the period and clear and imaginative transla- tions also offer readers the chance to appreciate their quality. Forthcoming books in the series: AUSONIUS: SELECTED TRANSLATIONS Deborah Warren THE POETRY OF ENNODIUS Bret Mulligan RUTLIUS NAMATIANUS: DE REDITU SUO Martha Malamud JUVENCUS: THE FOUR BOOKS OF THE GOSPELS Scott McGill This page intentionally left blank PRUDENTIUS’ HYMNS FOR HOURS AND SEASONS LIBER CATHEMERINON Nicholas Richardson First published 2016 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2016 Nicholas Richardson The right of Nicholas Richardson to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Prudentius, 348- author. [Cathemerinon. English] Prudentius’ Hymns for hours and seasons: the Liber Cathemerinon. pages cm. — (Later Latin poetry) Hymns for hours and seasons Liber Cathemerinon Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Prudentius, 348—-Translations into English. 2. Hymns, Latin— Translations into English. I. Richardson, N. J. (Nicholas James), translator, editor. II. Title. III. Title: Hymns for hours and seasons. IV. Title: Liber Cathemerinon. PA6648.P6C313 2015 871'.01—dc23 2015023555 ISBN: 978-0-415-71664-2 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-315-71429-5 (ebk) Typeset in Garamond 3 LT Std by Book Now Ltd, London A.M.D.G. For Gerard O’Daly and Father John Osman This page intentionally left blank CONTENTS Preface xi Abbreviations xiii Introduction 1 I. Life of Prudentius 1 II. Poetic works 3 III. Liber Cathemerinon 4 IV. Historical context 8 V. Literary context 12 VI. Were these hymns intended to be sung? 14 VII. Language and style 17 VIII. Metre and prosody 22 IX. Reception and influence 26 X. Manuscripts and text 28 XI. The translation and notes 30 The hymns 32 1. Hymn at cock-crow 32 2. Morning hymn 35 3. Hymn before a meal 38 4. Hymn after a meal 43 5. Hymn at the lighting of the lamp 46 6. Hymn before sleep 51 7. Hymn for those who fast 55 8. Hymn after fasting 61 9. Hymn for every hour 63 10. Hymn for the burial of the dead 68 11. Hymn for Christmas Day 73 12. Hymn for Epiphany 76 ix
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