Thanks to Leofranc and David for help on Helens' robe and Mrs Swancourt's rings.
The passage in Thomas Hardy finishes with a heniadys of his own which can scarcely be accidental: "Beyond this rather quaint array of stone and metal Mrs Swancourt wore no ornament whatever." (But is 'stone and metal' really a hendiadys?) I suspect all this was aimed at his friend and Classics tutor Horace Moule, rather than the general public whom he hoped would be reading his novel. Patrick Roper > In message > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, > Patrick Roper <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes > >In chapter 12 of 'A Pair of Blue Eyes, the novel by Thomas > Hardy, the author > >says of Mrs Swancourt "She had held out to Elfride hands > whose fingers were > >literally stiff with rings, signis auroque rigentes, like > Helen's robe" > > > >The Latin is from The Aeneid > > Book 1, verse 648 > > > and, I think, should read "signis auroque rigentem". > > Indeed, but Hardy naturally changed it to agree with the plural > 'fingers'. > > > I have seen this translated as "stiff with rings and gold" and > >"stiff with golden wire." > > Neither is right: it means 'stiff with golden embroidery', or more > expansively 'with figures embroidered in gold thread': > _signis auroque_ > is a hendiadys, equivalent to _signis aureis_. > > > >I am not quite sure how either of these two version was > arrived at, but it > >seems most likely to me that Helen's robe or 'palla' would > have been woven > >with gold filigree and thus somewhat rigid. Hardy's > comparison therefore > >seems rather inappropriate, especially as he goes on to > describe Mrs > >Swancourt's rings as heavy and grotesque and far from > anything attributed by > >Virgil to Helen. > > _Signum_, amongst its many other meanings, may be a > signet-ring; hence > the humorous application to Mrs Swancourt's rings. 'Inappropriate' > misses the point: the reader is expected to observe the > incongruity and > smile. > > > >I wonder if Hardy had translated the Latin himself > > Of course; it's hardly a difficult achievement. > > >and if he really thought > >his average 19th century reader would be well enough > versed in the Aeneid to > >enjoy his quotation. > > Certainly yes, and certainly rightly. > > Leofranc Holford-Strevens > *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_ > *_*_*_*_*_*_* > > Leofranc Holford-Strevens > 67 St Bernard's Road > usque adeone > Oxford scire MEVM nihil est, nisi ME scire > hoc sciat alter? > OX2 6EJ > > tel. +44 (0)1865 552808(home)/353865(work) fax +44 > (0)1865 512237 > email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (home) > [EMAIL PROTECTED] (work) > > *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_ > *_*_*_*_*_*_* > ------------------------------------------------------------ > ----------- > To leave the Mantovano mailing list at any time, do NOT hit reply. > Instead, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message > "unsubscribe mantovano" in the body (omitting the quotation > marks). You > can also unsubscribe at > http://virgil.org/mantovano/mantovano.htm#unsub > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- To leave the Mantovano mailing list at any time, do NOT hit reply. Instead, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message "unsubscribe mantovano" in the body (omitting the quotation marks). You can also unsubscribe at http://virgil.org/mantovano/mantovano.htm#unsub
