Latin translations? (Ja237, Dhammapada)

I have just come across the link to what in theory should be the English translation Ja273:

https://suttacentral.net/en/ja273

The issue is that 80% of the text is however in Latin! Is this something that can be fixed or the original (dated as of 1895 it seems) does indeed have only a Latin translation for this Jataka story?

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When the text is Latin, you can be sure it is a good one. It’s meant for grown-ups, not fit for children’s eyes.

On a very brief survey, I cannot find an English translation. However, there is a German translation at http://www.palikanon.com/khuddaka/jataka/j273.htm, and Google does a reasonable job of the automatic translation. I have checked this against the Pali, and it is reasonably accurate. I have very lightly edited it for coherence.

##273. The Tale of the Turtle (Kacchapa-Jātaka)

“Who is the one who brings the food”

The master, as he remained in the Jetavana, told this, referring to the settlement of the conflict between two ministers of the king of Kosala.

The narrative from the present has already been explained in the second book.

When, however, he formerly governed Benares as Brahmadatta, the Bodhisattva took rebirth in the kingdom of Kasi in a Brahman family. After he had grown up and learned the arts to Takkasilā, he gave up the lusts and went forth as a rishi. In the Himalayas he built a hermitage on the banks of the Ganges. He acquired the knowledge and the accomplishments, and lived there, rejoicing in the happiness of ecstasy.

In this Jātaka, however, the Bodhisattva was extremely indifferent and of great insensitivity. When he was sitting at the door of his foliage hut, a cheeky, insolent monkey came and put his penis in his ear hole. The Bodhisattva did not stop him, but remained quite indifferent.

One day a turtle came out of the water and lay down with the mouth open in the sun. When the greedy monkey saw her, he put his penis into her mouth. Then the turtle woke up and bit him into his penis as if she were throwing it into a box. The monkey got violent pain. As he could not stand his pain, he thought, “Who could free me from this suffering? To whom could I go?” Then the following thought came to him: “Another man is not able to free me from this pain except the ascetic; I have to go to him.”

And he picked up the turtle with both hands and went to the Bodhisattva.

The Bodhisattva made a joke with the naughty monkey and said the following first stanza:

“Who is it who brings food?
In full bowl, the Brahmane?
Where did you seek alms,
To what pious did you come?”

When the cheeky monkey heard this, he said the second verse,

"I’m just a silly monkey,
I can not be touched.
Free me and be blessed;
I will go on the mountain. "

Now the Bodhisattva talked with the turtle and said the following third stanza:

“The turtles are Kassapas,
The monkeys of Kondaññas.
Let go, Kassapa, the Kondañña;
You too have engaged in fornication.”

When the turtle heard the words of the Bodhisattva, she was satisfied with it and let go of the monkey’s limb. But as soon as the monkey was free again, he showed his worship to the Bodhisattva, and ran away; And in the future he did not even turn to the place to look. The turtle also greeted the Bodhisattva and went back to her place.

But the Bodhisattva, immersed in ecstasy, entered the Brahma world.

After the Master had decided to make this declaration and proclaim the truths, he bound the Jātaka with the following words. “At that time the turtle and the monkey were these two ministers, but the ascetic was me.”

End of narrative of the turtle

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Ahhh
 the Latin sounds much more legit!

“Cassapa testudo genus est: Condannus at ille:
Cassapa Condannum mitte fututa precor.”

Cool! So we have another language!
I have changed the English one and added Latin as a language (maybe somebody can translate the English parts of that into Latin too :smile:

https://suttacentral.net/la/ja273

(and why does this onebox not work??)

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It is about time! Now we can have Dr Viggo Fausböll’s 1855 Latin translation of the Dhammapada!

In this very interesting publication one will find not only very cools things to quote in Latin and look very intellectual among his/her Buddhist friends, but as well a reference to a calculation made by a Turnour which estimated the length of the Tipitaka at ‘810,000 lines of any poetical measure’! :sweat_smile:

Check how cool does the first verses of the Dhammapada sound in Latin:

NaturƓ a mente principium ducunt,
mens est potior pars earum,
e mente constant
si quis mente inquinata aut loquitur aut agit
tum eum sequitur dolor
ut rota bovis vehentis pedem

NaturƓ a mente principium ducunt,
mens est potior pars earum,
e mente constant
si quis mente serena aut loquitur aut agit
tum eum sequitur gaudium
ut umbra non decedens

I gotta put this in a frame and hang on my wall! :grin:

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i wonder whether anyone of parishioners would notice if this translation was read out during the service in the Catholic church

If you care to put it in a .txt file, I’m happy to put it on!

You mean you don’t look intellectual when you quote directly from the Pali??? :wink:

Probably not. Try it out!

unfortunately i don’t have connections amongst Catholic clergy

nah, quoting Pali one only looks like some illiterate Indian bushie

[details=:point_up:]healthy sense of humor alert[/details]:point_up:

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Nah they don’t buy it anymore, it is just not a thing nowadays, SuttaCentral.net took away the mistery of the thing! Hahaha

Does anyone know a smart way to pull it all in a bulk? I would be happy to clean it afterwards! That would definitely please the nerd in me!

Not an easy way but you can click on the “cut” tool in the toolbar and then select part of the text. A box comes up where you find the “selection text” which you can then copy and paste in a .txt document.

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On SC it says this English translation has been done by Rouse, which is not quite correct; as well as the date:

Screenshot from 2022-11-03 09-22-10

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For folks who are interested, the English can be found here as well:
https://www.ancient-buddhist-texts.net/English-Texts/Jataka/273.htm

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