Certamen Scribendi (Aug. 4th) Winner +
New Prompt
Update
Last week participants were asked to write an encomium of summer.
Winner
Congratulations to ANDREW WILLIAMS who submitted the following versified encomium
O renidens aestas, anni regina decusque,
gratibus humanis digna es maioreque laude
temporibus cunctis aliis ob munera mundi.
quamquam veris et autumni bonitate dierum
gaudia praebentur, noctum quoque dona tuorum
pectora nostra beant, nam continuoque calore
luceque delicias longinqua agitare diurnas
sic quoque nocte soles. species aestatis amoenas
cur ego praetereo? tunc visarum optima rerum
esse voluptas incipit et praelonga potestas;
altos sub sole et niveo sine pondere montes
possumus atque oras gavisi accedere apricas.
nec vitare umbras volumus, cum frigora fructus
ipsa sinis fieri; iuvat esse sub arbore tantum.
nec solis animis epulae, sed ventribus adsunt;
nam nunc messor adest segeti, nunc vinitor uvis,
nunc agri officiis cunctus curaque colonus
gaudet et aggerat in cella frumenta capaci.
nec modo grato homini reverenda sed ipsi animali es:
quare te celebrat laetae sonus ille cicadae,
dum ludos causaque tui certamina honoris
inter se catuli faciunt et in orbe vigenti
optima res omnis dat pro se quaeque libenter.
Well done! I was impressed by the range of laudable qualities that Andrew gracefully touched upon. My favorite two lines were:
altos sub sole et niveo sine pondere montes
possumus atque oras gavisi accedere apricas.
The “white weight” was a good substitute for snow.
New Prompt
It is not a requirement to put the translation into verse, but anyone who does so will earn some creativity points.
1) Adherence to the prompt. i.e. is the composition a a translation of the rhyme
2) Classical Latinity – You will lose points for any neoteric constructions.
3) Style i.e. are the sentences well structured. Is it in verse?
4) Creativity – how witty/interesting is the composition.
I have decided to give two weeks to this prompt, so submissions are DUE by WEDNESDAY August 16th. Good luck!