Journalist, writer and scholar
Carlo Avvisati has continued with his project to translate
ancient Roman graffiti found at Pompeii from Latin into
Neapolitan dialect with the publication of a second piece on
Facebook.
The new translation regards writing at the 'workshop of
Successus' which is considered one of the most poetic samples of
graffiti found in almost 300 years of excavations.
It reads "Nihil durare potest tempore perpetuo: cum bene sol
nituit, redditur Oceano, decrescit Phoebe, quae modo plena fuit,
ventorum (or some say Venerum) feritas saepe fit aura levis...".
In English, this would be something like: "nothing can last
forever: the sun that has shone, dives back into the ocean, the
moon that was full, wanes, the violence of the winds becomes
light breeze".
Avvisati's version in Neapolitan is: "Maie niente camparrà
pe' ssempe: 'o sole ca ncielo sbrennette, torna a se stutà a
mmare, ammanca 'a luna, ca chiatta e tunnulella fuie, e 'a
tempestata 'e viento spisso se fa comme 'o sciatillo doce...".
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