Tattoo Undead Lovesong

luxantonia

New Member

Hi team! I am formerly user thegirlriot, I'm having trouble logging into the account. You've all been so generous and helpful to me over the past decade; thank you so much. I'm back at it again, this time with a request for a neck tattoo. I'm looking to have "undead lovesong" translated, please. The tattoo will have two phrases; that one, and "noli timere"/be not afraid (I got this from a Bible, I believe that's correct, but please let me know if that's wrong for some reason).

If context helps for conjugation, it's within the context of I'm an undead lovesong, and I'm a woman. I understand lovesong is not often written as one word, but it would be great if whatever translation could be joined as such in a similar fashion, as opposed to love song. As for additional meaning of undead, I'm a near death experience survivor, so the literal having died and then undied, undead; "living dead girl" basically, although I'm open to ideas on the best way to translate the word.

Also, would it be appropriate to use interpuncts used as the spacers for this? I'd love to see the translation in an all caps option, as that's how I'd like it tattooed. (I don't have a date/appointment, I wanted to do this first, so no urgency). Thank you again so much for your time, consideration, and efforts!
 

luxantonia

New Member

Hi again! I understand if this translation might take some time, but if I asked for something incorrectly, could you please let me know? Or if it is not a good match for Latin, would "Living dead love song" be easier? Thank you!
 

Pacifica

grammaticissima

  • Aedilis

Location:
Belgium
Hi,

Unfortunately I'm not sure the whole idea can translate very well into Latin. An approximation would be carmen amatorium e morte redux = "a love song brought back from death." "Love song" is normally two words in Latin. But if you really want a single word, there's a Greek word erotopaegnion, meaning a love song, which was occasionally borrowed into Latin. Using that word, the above sentence would become erotopaegnion e morte redux.
 
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syntaxianus

Civis Illustris

  • Civis Illustris

Location:
Massachusetts, USA
cantilena amatoria de mortuis resurrectae
love song of one risen from the dead

cantilena amatoria revivificatae
love song of one brought back to life
 

luxantonia

New Member

Hi, thank you so much for your replies! I appreciate it. I think "a love song brought back from death" is in line with what I'm looking for. Would that be, in all caps,

CARMEN AMATORIVM E MORTE REDVX ?

Thank you! And is noli timere the correct aspect I got for be not afraid to a singular person?
 

Pacifica

grammaticissima

  • Aedilis

Location:
Belgium
You're welcome, but to be honest I'm still not convinced the "undead lovesong" phrase sounds very good in Latin.

Oh and:
cantilena amatoria de mortuis resurrectae
That's ungrammatical. Since resurgo is intransitive, it doesn't have passive forms except impersonal. However, you could say de mortuis revocatae ("of one called/brought back from the dead") or some such.

And you could have a blend of that and my first version (but again, still with the feeling that it perhaps sounds better in English):

Carmen amatorium a mortuis revocatum = "a love song called/brought back from the dead." Or ... e morte revocatum = "... called/brought back from death."
 
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syntaxianus

Civis Illustris

  • Civis Illustris

Location:
Massachusetts, USA
That's ungrammatical. Since resurgo is intransitive, it doesn't have passive forms except impersonal. However, you could say de mortuis revocatae ("of one called/brought back from the dead") or some such.
Re: cantilena amatoria de mortuis resurrectae

Surgo
can take an object...

plaudite, valete: lumbos surgite atque extollite, Plaut. Ep. 5, 2, 68 (733): caput, Sen. Herc. Fur. 329: omnes capitum hiatus ( = capita hiantia), Stat. Th. 2, 27: surgit caput Apenninus, Avien. Perieg. 484: tot surrigit aures, Verg. A. 4, 183: terrae motus defert montes, surrigit plana, valles extuberat, Sen. Q. N. 6, 4, 2: paulatim subrigens se, Plin. 9, 29, 47, § 88: cristam, id. 10, 29, 44, § 86: cornua, Col. 7, 3, 3; cf. mid.: horrent et surriguntur capilli, rise, stand erect, Sen. Ira, 1, 1, 4: hastae surrectā cuspide in terrā fixae, Liv. 8, 8: mucrone surrecto, id. 7, 10, 10: calcar equo, Front. ad M. Caes. 2, 12: aures subrectae furentibus, Plin. 11, 37, 50, § 137: turres subrectae, Sen. Ep. 86, 4: surrecta moles, Sil. 2, 599.

(from L&S)

"Christus resurrectus est." is a well-known phrase for "Christ is risen."
 

Pacifica

grammaticissima

  • Aedilis

Location:
Belgium
While there seem to be a few exceptions, subrigo/surrigo is usually transitive, while surgo is usually intransitive.

As for resurgo in particular, I don't even see any exception cited in classical dictionaries. It seems to be always intransitive.

Where does the phrase Christus resurrectus est come from? Does it have a legit, ancient origin? It could be a more recent (mis)translation from a modern language. Mind you, I wouldn't be overly surprised to find something like it somewhere in late Latin, given the way perfect participles of intransitive verbs evolved in Romance.

In any case, though, this is not a normal use.
 

syntaxianus

Civis Illustris

  • Civis Illustris

Location:
Massachusetts, USA
More frequently the phrase seems to be "Christus resurrexit." I cannot find the origin of the other expression "resurrectus est." Does it calque a Greek form?

The Vulgate has at Matthew 28: 6 Non est hic: surrexit enim, sicut dixit: venite, et videte locum ubi positus erat Dominus."

So I think Pacifica is right: this is an unusual form, though it is a popular one. The idea of the event has been both active and passive. He rose / He has been raised (from the dead).
 

Pacifica

grammaticissima

  • Aedilis

Location:
Belgium
More frequently the phrase seems to be "Christus resurrexit."
Yes, or just surrexit.
I cannot find the origin of the other expression "resurrectus est." Does it calque a Greek form?
I don't think so. The typical Greek form is Χριστὸς ἀνέστη. If Christus resurrectus est is a calque of something, I would guess it's a calque of English or some other language where a similar construction is possible.
 

Pacifica

grammaticissima

  • Aedilis

Location:
Belgium
some other language where a similar construction is possible
That is, either a language with a cognate of "resurrect" that is/can be transitive (as in "Christ is resurrected") or a language where past participles of intransitive verbs can have an active sense (as in "Christ is risen").
 
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