English to Latin translations [PRO]
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters | | English term or phrase: Mighty gods, hearken to my curse! | I'm looking for a Latin phrase that translates into something like "Mighty gods, hearken to my curse!" It's for a fiction story I'm editing, and it's presented as a sort of invocation in the story. You can be a bit creative, as I realize this a pretty specific English phrase. But it gives you the idea.
Many thanks in advance. |
| BrettMNKudoZ activityQuestions: 54 (none open) ( 1 closed without grading) Answers: 32
| Local time: 14:33
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| | Di magni, exaudite imprecationem meam! | Explanation:
'Magni' is a standing epithet of the gods which means 'great, powerful'. Cf., e.g., Ennius, 'Annales', 5.207 Vahlen ('cum magnis dis'), Ibid., 482 ('Saturnia [i.e., Iuno] magna dearum'), Catullus, 53.5 (di magni, salaputium diesrtum!), etc.
'Exaudire' has the force 'hear (favourably)' = 'hearken', as we would say in older English.
'Imprecatio' may mean simply 'prayer' (as in Jerome, 'Epistulae', 130), but far more often it means 'curse, imprecation'.
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Note added at 3 hrs (2008-07-18 23:05:52 GMT)
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Other possible translations of 'curse' are 'maledictum' and 'exsecratio'. |
| Selected response from:
 Joseph J. Brazauskas
United States
Local time: 15:33
| Grading comment Thank you for your help!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer |
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| Discussion entries: 0 |
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Automatic update in 00:
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3 mins confidence:  | mighty gods, hearken to my curse! Dii potentes, incantationem meam audite!
Explanation:
It's not very creative, but at least it's correct.
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3 hrs confidence: peer agreement (net): +1 | mighty gods, hearken to my curse! Di magni, exaudite imprecationem meam!
Explanation:
'Magni' is a standing epithet of the gods which means 'great, powerful'. Cf., e.g., Ennius, 'Annales', 5.207 Vahlen ('cum magnis dis'), Ibid., 482 ('Saturnia [i.e., Iuno] magna dearum'), Catullus, 53.5 (di magni, salaputium diesrtum!), etc.
'Exaudire' has the force 'hear (favourably)' = 'hearken', as we would say in older English.
'Imprecatio' may mean simply 'prayer' (as in Jerome, 'Epistulae', 130), but far more often it means 'curse, imprecation'.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2008-07-18 23:05:52 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Other possible translations of 'curse' are 'maledictum' and 'exsecratio'.
| Joseph J. Brazauskas
United States
Local time: 15:33
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:  English, Spanish
PRO pts in category: 16
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| Changes made by editors |
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| Jul 21, 2008 - Changes made by Joseph J. Brazauskas: | | Edited KOG entry | BrettMN's old entry - "Mighty gods, hearken to my curse!" => "Di magni, exaudite imprecationem meam!" |
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