Winnie Ille Pu

Rating:
Summary: Dr. Lenard's great legacy
Review: Dr. Alexander Lenard was an hungarian physician, who lived in southern Brazil and dedicated his life to medicine, literature and curious translations. His Latin version of Winnie the Pooh, made in the 50's, stood in oblivion for quite a while, until a fellow publisher in Sao Paulo decided to make 100 copies. One of these got the attention of a Swedish publisher, who prepared 2000 copies as a gift... and the rest is history. Dr. Lenard lived a quiet and secluded life, but managed to become famous in Brazil for a while, first for staying for weeks on the top position of the "Twenty-One" local TV version, then after being mistaken for the nazi officer Joseph Mengele (and chased by the police!).

He would surely have been delighted to know that his unusual idea became a much loved and admired book. He showed us that Latin is still a living and vibrant language, and hopefully will provide a stimulus to the study of Latin for ages to come.

Rating:
Summary: Infectis rebus abeo
Review: I sing of a boy and a bear...

Perhaps Vergil would have opted for Pu (Pooh) rather than Aeneid had he the choice, and begun his tome not in the journey from Troy, but rather the journey around the forest.

I have this sitting next to books of equally interesting exercise, such as a translation of modern poetry into Old English. Likewise, Henry Beard's translations of various ordinary statements and phrases in Latin (and cat behaviours in to French) also sit next to this honoured tome.

When I returned from Britain and began to think in theological-training terms, I had to re-acquaint myself with Latin; for an exam I had to memorise one biblical passage, one passage from the Aeneid, and one passage of my choice. I chose Winnie Ille Pu, and, as it had not been excluded from the list, I was permitted this indulgence (I believe that the exam list now has a section of excluded works, including this one, more's the pity).

Do not be frightened off by the fact that this is a book in Latin. It is very accessible, and quite fun to read with the English version of Winnie-the-Pooh at its side. The Latin version has kept many of the original illustrations as well as the page layout forms, for example:

In English:
And then he got up, and said: 'And the only reason for making honey is so as I can eat it.' So he began to climb the tree.

He
climbed
and he
climbed
and he
climbed,
and as he
climbed
he
sang
a little
song
to himself.
It went

like this:

Isn't it funny
How a bear likes honey
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
I wonder why he does?

In Latin:

Et nisus est
et
nisus est
et
nisus est
et
nisus est
et nitens carmen sic coepit canere:

Cur ursus clamat?
Cur adeo mel amat?
Burr, burr, burr
Quid est causae cur?

Statements sound much more grand in Latin: 'Ior mi,' dixit sollemniter, 'egomet, Winnie ille Pu, caudam tuam reperiam.' which means, 'Eeyore,' he said solemnly, 'I, Winnie-the-Pooh, will find your tail for you.'

This is a delightful romp through a language study. I have recommended this to friends who want an introduction to Latin, together with the Lingua Latina series, which uses a natural language method for instruction.

Alexander Lenard, the translator, obviously did a great labour of love here, and I agree with the Chicago Tribune's statement that this book 'does more to attract interest in Latin than Cicero, Caesar, and Virgil combined.' One wonders if the Tao of Pooh and the Te of Piglet will be translated into Latin to make them seem 'more philosophical; or indeed, will Winnie ille Pu be likewise translated into Sanskrit and other such languages? It is not uncommon that the entertaining use of language does more for language enrichment and interest than any academic or official push of the tongue. It is no mistake that the Welsh language effort incorporated cartoons from the beginning -- it is natural for people to respond to fun and lively things, and this kind of treatment can be rather tricky, in that the average reader might not be so consciously aware that education is going on...

Winnie-the-Pooh in Akkadian? Hmmm, I feel a Ph.D. dissertation topic coming on...

This work is no small endeavour, but rather a thorough and engaging translation of the entire Pooh story. From the start, when we are introduced to Winnie-the-Pooh, through to the adventures in the Tight Place (in angustias incurrit), when Piglet meets a heffalump (heffalumpum), meeting Kanga and Roo (Canga and Ru), the expedition to the North Pole (Palum Septentrionalem), and finally saying goodbye, the entire story and text is here. One can (as I do) set the Dell Yearling 60th Anniversary Version of Winnie-the-Pooh side-by-side with Winnie-ille-Pu and follow line by line the engaging story, which translates well into this one-time universal language. And why ever not? Surely if there is a story nearly universal appeal, it would be of dear Winnie.

As A.A. Milne was a graduate of the Westminster School (which is housed down the block from my old Parliamentary offices) and of Cambridge, he might consider the translation of his classic work into the classical language a signal honour, and one wonders if, given the fact that Milne studied classical languages himself, if he ever translated any pieces, however small, into those languages that every English schoolboy learns to hate and love.

The story leaves off with Christophorus Robinus heading off to bath (and presumably, bed) ...

Of course, being a person of small importance myself, I identify much more with Porcellus (Piglet) than Pu. I know the struggles against the clerical/hierarchical/academic heffalumpum, and as Pooh has given me a new language of consideration for such conditions, Pu has given me a bilingual command of that language.

Long live the Porcelli amicus!

Rating:
Summary: The Best, Bear!
Review: I'm so lucky that my high school Latin teacher, in the early 80s, had us read this alongside Virgil, Horace, Ovid, etc. I had never read "Winnie The Pooh" before! -- and read it only after reading both "Winnie Ille Pu" then, much later, "The Tao of Pooh." You don't need to be as weird or backward as I am, though, to love this. The book is terrific. To all Latin teachers: bring this to class, please. It's wonderful. The students in my class loved it, finding it all very familiar to them as we reached each part. It wasn't "easy" to translate--I don't know how the newer ones compare ("Harry Potter" in Latin, etc.)--but in 4th year Latin or so it was at our level, and a lot of fun.

Rating:
Summary: Great gift from Uncle Bill
Review: My daughter was delighted to receive this lovely book for Christmas. She totally enjoyed seeing her old friend Winnie the Pooh given the honor of being translated into classical form. It was a great idea for the author to re-create this book, and to continue to perpetuate an interest in Latin. Nice find!

Rating:
Summary: A useful guide to Latin
Review: My wife and I love this book -- as I study my greek and latin I find that there are far too few "real" connections of the languages for me. Imagine my surprise when she suggested this work to remind me of my youth, and yet advance my studies. And, surprisingly enough, it does help! I just wonder if reading it to my little girl (10 months) is a good idea or not. The latin of the Grinch is confusing enough!

Rating:
Summary: A useful guide to Latin
Review: My wife and I love this book -- as I study my greek and latin I find that there are far too few "real" connections of the languages for me. Imagine my surprise when she suggested this work to remind me of my youth, and yet advance my studies. And, surprisingly enough, it does help! I just wonder if reading it to my little girl (10 months) is a good idea or not. The latin of the Grinch is confusing enough!

Rating:
Summary: A Paragraph of Pooh
Review: The top line is the original English.
The second line is the latin.
The third line is an attempted translation.
(Here I have added additional comments.)

...in which we are introduced to
Quo in capite nobis ostentantur
By which in our heads they are shown
(to show a person into someone elses head
means to introduce)
(nobis our, capite heads, word order in latin
is not the same as in English

Winnie the pooh and some bees.
Winnie ille Pu ataque apues nonnullae
Winne that Pooh, also bees notnone.
(translate nonnullae as some)

And so our stories begin.
et incipient fabulae.
And they begin the stories.
(Latin unlike English had no word "the". To
translate into English this word must be inserted
when this would make sense to do so.)

HERE is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now,
Ecce Eduardus Ursus, scalis nunc.
Look/behold Edward bear. On the staircase now.
(scalis is literally a ladder)

bump, bump,bump,
tump-tump-tump

on the back of his head,
occipite gradus pulsante
back of the head on the grade (stairs) he hits (pulses)
(Occipital region is the back of the head. Think of hits
or pulsations while on a down grade).

behind Christopher Robin.
post Christophorum Robin descendens.
after Christopher Robin he climbs down (descends).

It is, as far as he knows,
Est quod sciat,
It is which he-thinks

the only way of coming downstairs,
unus et solus modus gradibus descendendi,
the-one and only manner of the stairs descending,

But sometimes
Nonnunquam autem
Not-atnotime(sometimes) but (however)
(sometimes however)

he feels that there really is another way,
sentit etiam alterum modum exstare,
he perceives also there-is-one manner to stand apart
(he senses yet another mode exists)

if only he could stop bumping
dummodo pulstationibus desinere (possit)
Provided that the-bumping- to-give-up (it is possible)

for a moment and think of it.
Et de eo modo meditari possit.
And about I go about manner consider it is possible
(de Eo modo the manner you go about something ie method )
( and it is possible to think about the method.)

And then he feels that perhaps there isn't.
Dende censet alios modos non esse.
Then he feels the-other manners to not be.
(so sometimes he thinks there are no other methods).

Anyhow, here he is at the bottom
En, nunc ipse in imo est.
Behold, now himself at the bottom
(note imus form of inferus is used here)

, and ready to be introduced to you.
vobis ostentari paratus
to you to be shown prepared (prepared to be shown to you)

Winnie-the-Pooh.

(OK, so you get the picture. DONT miss this book. Pooh is about to roll in the mud next then take up flying. Do you really wanna miss that?

If you would have had trouble translating that level of Latin on your own, get a copy in English as well. Also get Latin translation software so that you can quickly look up any unknown word. You can plug in words, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs, into the software for immediate translation. I use QuickLatin for this purpose but there are others. Search for Latin translation software on the net. )