Good News For Canadian Soccer Fans!!

This probably shouldn't come as a hug surprise to anyone who's been paying attention, but Vancouver has been approved for an MLS franchise, and about time too.

The Vancouver region has always been one of Canada's bastions of soccer, and the Whitecaps (or '86ers, as they were from 1986-2001) have been at the forefront of that for about the past 35 years. Originating in the old NASL, the Whitecaps won the League Championship in 1979 (in the semifinals that year, they knocked off a New York Cosmos team that featured Giorgio Chinaglia and Franz Beckenbauer). The NASL team featured a healthy selection of Canadian internationals alongside foreign talent like Bruce Grobelaar and Peter Beardsley (below, in white), both of whom would go on to star for the superp Liverpool teams of the 1980s.



After the death of the NASl in the mid-80s, the '86ers were refounded in the Canadian Soccer League, and promptly won championships in four of the seven years of the CSL's existence. Since then, after a brief sojourn in the American Professional Soccer League, the Vancouver franchise has operated in the A-League, essentially North America's second division, and have been champions there in two of the last three seasons. They will continue to play in the A-League until the MLS team begins operations in 2011.

Eureka!

The career of Chunklets, Latin Wrangler at Large, continues apace (previous adventures here). I have just undertaken to help translate a few 13th-century documents dealing with a Franciscan monastery in what is now Greece. I've got about six letters to go over, and in general the Latin isn't too bad (that's not too surprising, since some of the missives are coming directly from the office of the Pope). However, one of the letters was written by a knight named Robers de l'Isle, and the opening of it threw me a bit at first glance. It reads:

"Sachent tuit cil qui sunt e qui avenir sunt, ge je Robers de l'Isle chevaliers ai done por dieu..."

Clarity dawned when I realized that the language is not actually Latin at all, but Medieval French. I think that it translates:

"Let all who are and who are to come know that I, Robers de l'Isle, Knight, have given for God..."

I guess we're going find out how good my Medieval French is!

Update: Fixed the translation, mildly.

De Passere Catulli

So why go with a picture of a sparrow to represent the poems of Catullus over here? Well, Catullus, who lived during the first half of the first century B.C., wrote two quite famous poems (Catullus 2-2b and 3) about a pet sparrow who belonged to his girlfriend, the pseudonymous Lesbia (at least, we can assume that the bird was Lesbia's; she's never actually named in either poem). In the first of these poems, Catullus observes the bird as a source of comfort for Lesbia, and wishes that it could be the same for him (all three translations in this post are my own, and I take full responsibility for any hideous errors):

Catullus 2-2b:
Passer, deliciae meae puellae,
quicum ludere, quem in sinu tenere,
cui primum digitum dare appetenti
et acris solet incitare morsus,
cum desiderio meo nitenti
carum nescio quid lubet iocari
et solaciolum sui doloris,
credo ut tum grauis acquiescat ardor:
tecum ludere sicut ipsa possem
et tristis animi leuare curas!
* * *
tam gratum est mihi quam ferunt puellae
pernici aureolum fuisse malum,
quod zonam soluit diu ligatam.

Sparrow, darling of my girlfriend,
Whom she is accustomed to play with, and to hold to her breast,
To whom, as you strive passionately, she is accustomed to give her fingertip
And to incite sharp bites,
When it pleases the shining object of my longing
To make some dear jest
And a small solace for her grief
So that, I believe, her grave pain may then find respite:
Let me be able to play with you as she herself does,
And to lighten the sad cares of my heart.
***
This is as welcome to me as they say
The golden apple was to the swift girl,
The apple which loosened her girdle, bound for a long time.

There are some problems with the manuscripts of this poem, but it is generally accepted that the last three lines, which refer to the myth of Atalanta, belong to Catullus 2. There my also be lines missing immediately before the last three. The poem, by the way, is a real beast to get into workable English; it's a very good illustration of the concept that reading something is not the same as translating it!

Unfortunately, sparrows don't live very long, and so Catullus 3 is a lament for the bird's death. Here 'tis:

Catullus 3:
Lugete, o Veneres Cupidinesque,
et quantum est hominum uenustiorum!
passer mortuus est meae puellae,
passer, deliciae meae puellae,
Quem plus illa oculis suis amabat.
Nam mellitus erat suamque norat
ipsam tam bene quam puella matrem;
nec sese a gremio illius mouebat,
sed circumsiliens modo huc modo illuc
ad solam dominam usque pipiabat.
Qui nunc it per iter tenebricosum
illuc, unde negant redire quemquam.
At uobis male sit, malae tenebrae
Orci, quae omnia bella deuoratis;
tam bellum mihi passerem abstulistis.
O factum male! o miselle passer!
Tua nunc opera meae puellae
flendo turgiduli rubent ocelli.

Mourn, O Venuses and Cupids,
And all the more pleasant men there are!
My girlfriend's sparrow is dead,
The sparrow, my girlfriend's darling,
Whom she loved more than she loves her own eyes.
For he was as sweet as honey, and knew
His own mistress as well as a girl knows her mother;
Nor did he betake himself from her lap,
But, hopping around now hither, now thither,
Chirped continuously to his one mistress.
He now goes on a dark journey
To that place from which they deny that anyone returns.
And may it go badly for you, evil shades
Of Orcus, who devour all beautiful things;
You have taken from me such a beautiful sparrow.
O evil deed! O poor little sparrow!
Now thanks to you my girlfriend's
Poor swollen eyes are red with weeping.

Certain scholars have argued that the sparrow in these two poems is in fact a rather crude anatomical metaphor, and that its "death" is the end of the couple's relationship. Without going into too many details, suffice it to say that I, and most Catullus scholars, reject this notion. For one thing, Catullus was never that subtle when it came to matters sexual (a fair amount of our knowledge of Latin obscenities comes from him). Anyway, I am of the opinion that the poems are to be taken at face value; they're about a bird.

The sparrow of Catullus makes a cameo appearance more than 100 years after the poet's death, in a poem by the satirist Martial (Martial 1.109). The poem is about a puppy named Issa (literally, "Herself"), and it goes as follows:

Martial 1.109:
Issa est passere nequior Catulli,
Issa est purior osculo columbae,
Issa est blandior omnibus puellis,
Issa est carior Indicis lapillis,
Issa est deliciae catella Publi.
Hanc tu, si queritur, loqui putabis;
sentit tristitiamque gaudiumque.
Collo nixa cubat capitque somnos,
ut suspiria nulla sentiantur;
et desiderio coacta uentris
gutta pallia non fefellit ulla,
sed blando pede suscitat toroque
deponi monet et rogat leuari.
Castae tantus inest pudor catellae,
ignorat Venerem; nec inuenimus
dignum tam tenera uirum puella.
Hanc ne lux rapiat suprema totam,
picta Publius exprimit tabella,
in qua tam similem uidebis Issam,
ut sit tam similis sibi nec ipsa.
Issam denique pone cum tabella:
aut utramque putabis esse ueram,
aut utramque putabis esse pictam.

Issa is more mischievous than the sparrow of Catullus,
Issa is purer than the kiss of a dove,
Issa is more affectionate than all the girls,
Issa is dearer than the jewels of India,
Issa is the darling little puppy of Publius.
If she whines, you will think that she speaks;
She feels sorrow and joy.
She sleeps resting on his neck, and takes her naps
Such that no breaths are heard;
And compelled by the desire of her bladder,
Not a single drop has befouled the coverlet,
But she awakens him with a caressing paw, and advises
That she be put down from the couch, and asks to be picked up.
There is such great modesty in the little puppy;
She does not know Venus, nor do we find
A mate worthy of such a delicate girl.
So that her last day does not snatch her away entirely,
Publius is portraying her on a painted tablet
On which you will see an Issa so lifelike
That not even she herself is so similar to herself.
And so put Issa down beside the tablet;
Either you will think that each is real,
Or you will think that each is painted.

You know that thing one does with dogs, when one ruffles the dog's ears and utters endearments to it ("Who's a good dog? Who's a good dog? Yes, she's a good dog!"), and the dog basically goes berserk with joy? Well, I think, I think, that Martial is consciously imitating that in the first five lines of the poem.

And there you have the sparrow of Catullus (also the puppy of Martial)!

They're A Bit Like Busses...

You wait forever for one, and then two come along at once. Yes, they're coming back to the warrens!

Sadness!

The intertubes are a little less funny today...

All the best to Constable Enns in his new posting, and thanks for all the laughs!

We Have Been Awarded

A Kreativ Blogger Award has come our way courtesy of Chorus! Thank you, thank you!

*waves to crowd, gives long tedious speech*

And so, down to business! First of all, I must list 7 things that I love:

• Most sports, but especially soccer, hockey, and baseball.
  
  
  View Larger Map
  
  
• Cats!
  
  
  
  
• Seafood!
  
  
  
  
• Like the song says, giant squids (this is possibly related to the item immediately above)!
  
  
  
  
• The poems of Catullus
  
  
  
  
• Italy, especially the South. And the food...
  
  
  
  
• Ancient Romans
  
  

By no means a complete list, but there you go! And now, to pass on the award to 7 other deserving blogs! Well, most of the blogs that I would normally pick have already been tagged with this, so I'm only going with two right now, with an option to add more later:

EvilElitest
Pack Animal Existance

Cavalcade of Randomness

Random observations...

• It is cold outside, and I'm working on a cold! Coincidence? I think not...
  
• Nefertiti is visibly larger than she was when we got her. She's also become a very silky cat, and is beginning to fill out a bit. She is delightful!
• James Mirtle estimates that the Oilers will need to go 12-9-1 to make the playoffs. This is extremely do-able, so I think they should go and do it!
• I played this for the first time last night, and enjoyed it entirely! I think we won in the end, or at least didn't lose.
• Erm... that's all I can think of right now Ok, so it was a short cavalcade.

New Gas Metre Day!

So I stayed home this morning to await the arrival of the man from the gas company, who was coming to replace the old metre. His scheduled ETA was "between 10 and 12," so the cynical side of me was a bit stunned when the truck rolled up at about 10:15. The metre was replaced, advice on the care and feeding of the furnace was dispensed, much was made of the kitten (who was as good as gold and did not get underfoot at all), and off he went, all in the space of about 15 minutes!

All of which, of course, is merely an excuse to run this clip:

Sign Of Spring

There is a sign of spring in the air, despite it being a solid -15 degrees Celsius outside right now! Furthermore, this sign has nothing whatsoever to do with sciophobic groundhogs! In fact, it is entirely encapsulated in the phrase: "pitchers and catchers report."

A Bizarre Non-Cat-Related Political Note

The phenomenon of political leaders hitting the lecture circuit after their terms of office are finished is well-known and widespread, so it's really no surprise that George W. Bush is packing his teleprompter and hitting the road. However, given how unpopular Bush was at the end of his presidency, he has had to be a little bit circumspect about where he kicks off his public speaking career. So where does he feel that he will find a friendly, or at least not outright hostile, audience? Well...

Bush picks Cowtown for debut
Private meeting will be ex-president's first speaking engagement
Michelle Magnan, Calgary Herald
Published: Friday, February 13, 2009

Former U. S. president George W. Bush is coming to Calgary for his first confirmed speaking event since leaving office last month.

The private event, which is being called A conversation with George W. Bush, will be held March 17 at the Telus Convention Centre.

Lest you think I'm reading something into Bush's choice of venue that may not actually be there, consider this quote from a poli sci type in Calgary:

"Alberta's a very conservative province and he's certainly seen as friendly to the oil industry," says David Taras, a political analyst at the University of Calgary.

"He's choosing a safe place to go test his image."

Interestingly, the Premier of Alberta seems rather less than thrilled about the whole thing:

Asked whether he welcomes Bush's visit to Calgary, Premier Ed Stelmach's response was curt before leaving a media conference Thursday.

"He's a free man, can travel to any country he wants," the premier said.

A very sincere "well done" to you Mr. Stelmach! And now, to get our minds off George W. Bush, here's more Nefertiti:

And Yet Another Picture Of Nefertiti!

Oh come now, you knew I was going to do that eventually...

Anyway, Nefertiti, who lived during the 14th century B.C., was the consort of the Pharaoh Amenhotep IV, who later changed his name to Akenhaton. Were it not for the famous bust shown above (now on display in Berlin), she would likely be known mostly for being the mother-in-law and stepmother of Tutankhamen.

And so here, some 3350 or so years on, is another video of her namesake (this is the video to which Chorus refers in the comments below)! Incidentally, the original Nefertiti is described in an inscription from Karnak as "Possessed of Charm, Exuding Happiness, Mistress of Sweetness, beloved one,... soft-spoken in all." Ok, the last one maybe not so much, but the first four definitely apply to the little kittoon as well!

The Saga Continues...

Apologies for the shakiness of the camera in this one!

More from Nefertiti

Oh, I don't think there's going to be any shortage of blogging material this week!

Hey, get back here! * chases down and tackles *

Anyway, here's the kitten dealing with her fiercest nemesis - a wadded-up paper towel (and also the curtains).

Pictures!!!!!!!!

Behold, pictures of a cat! The cat is named Nefertiti, and she is about four months old. And you had better believe that there will be more pictures in the days to come (as always, click on the pictures to make them larger)!

Ya See, That's Why We Wanted A Coalition Government

There's an interesting little item in the federal budget this time around, under the heading "Further Developing a Highly Skilled Workforce" (it's about halfway down the page). This tidbit reveals that the government intends to raise the funding for SSHRC - The Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council, which distributes grants to people working in, well, the social sciences and humanities (full disclosure time: the archaeological project with which I am most deeply involved would not have gotten off the ground in the first place had it not been for the generosity of SSHRC). Now, one's response to an increase in SSHRCC funding might very be "hooray, that's excellent!" And excellent it would indeed be, if the paragraph announcing said funding increase didn't end with this charming sentence:

"Scholarships granted by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council will be focussed on business-related degrees."

And that, Mr. Ignatieff, is why we didn't want you to prop up the Conservative government. Because in doing so, you and your party allow them to sneak little bits of their pernicious ideology into law through sleight-of-hand.

Arrrgh.

Fez tip to The Galloping Beaver.

HONK HONK HONK!!!!

The image above (you may click on it to make it bigger) shows a fairly famous scene from ancient Roman history. You will notice the band of men in the foreground making a pyramid in order to ascend the last bit of Rome's Capitoline Hill. They are Gauls, and they are up to no good.

It was about 389 B.C., and the Gauls, irritated by a Roman violation of international law, had managed to take the lower city of Rome and pen the survivors up in the citadel atop the Capitoline Hill. This resulted in a bit of a stalemate, until the Gauls spotted a narrow track up the hill, and snuck up it one moonlit night, as depicted in the scene above. They were so successful in their sneaking that, according to Livy, they did not even wake the dogs. However, their luck ran out at the top of the climb, when the lead Gaul attained the summit and discovered himself in the pen containing the geese sacred to the goddess Juno (they are also in the above picture). His arrival did not please the geese, which brings us to the title of this post.

The resulting expression of avian dismay woke up one Marcus Manlius (later, as a result of his exploits that night, Marcus Manlius Capitolinus), he woke up his comrades, and the Gaulish assault was thrown back. One of the more amazing aspects of this episode, again according to Livy, is that the Romans had not yet gotten around to eating the sacred geese (the food shortage on the hill was severe, and in fact eventually led to the Romans simply paying the Gauls a lot of money to go away).

I mention this episode not simply because it is one of my favourite stories from Roman history (it is), but because that particular passage of Livy (V.47) turned up on my Latin comprehensive exam last week, along with some bits from Catullus and Vergil (I elected not to try my hand and the passages from Cicero, Horace, and Tacitus). And, just yesterday, I received the official word that I passed the thing, and indeed that the examiners thought that some of it had been translated "quite elegantly." So that is that out of the way, and it is now onto the Greek, thanks at least in part to Marcus Manlius and the geese!