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Latin drinking songs
by: Gn. Dionysius Draco Invictus
When one thinks of the Middle Ages, one thinks of castles, knights, monastries, small villages and an occasional war or epidemia. With regards to culture, medieval culture is almost exclusively associated with spiritual culture. Monks sang, prayed and wrote mostly in Latin. The language of the common folk was considered underdeveloped and not suitable for cultural, let alone spiritual purposes. Latin was also an intercultural language - an Italian monk could understand an English monk writing to him, for example (not that it occurred often) - serving political purposes.
What few people know, however, is that in and around cities, (self)-exiled priests, monks, students or city inhabitants with some form of education, also had Latin songs which were a far shot from the ascetic spiritualism found in Gregorian chants. On the countrary, these songs revolved around earthly life in all its aspects: love, death, sex and the joy of drinking with comrades. An ever-satirical tone was also present throughout these songs.
Where I live, in Belgium, some of these songs have survived up until today and are included in the students' "codex", a book compiling songs sung during drinking festivities (also known as a "cantus"). Here are a few examples of well-known songs:
Io vivat! (usually sung standing)
1. Io vivat! Io vivat! Nostrorum sanitas! Hoc est amoris poculum, Doloris est antidotum
2. Io vivat! Io vivat! Nostrorum sanitas Dum nihil est in poculo, Iam repleatur denuo
3. Io vivat! Io vivat! Nostrorum sanitas Nos iungit amicitia, Et vinum praebet gaudia
4. Io vivat! Io vivat! Nostrorum sanitas Est vita nostra brevior, Et mors amara longior
5. Io vivat Io vivat! Nostrorum sanitas Osores nostri pereant! Amici semper floreant!
6. Io vivat! Io vivat! Nostrorum sanitas Iam tota Academia Nobiscum amet gaudia
1. Hey, hey, long live The sanity of our company! That's the love for the cup The antidote against pain
2. ... Until nothing is left in our cup And yet it is refilled
3. ... Friendship binds us And wine brings us joy
4. ... Our life is too short Bitter death is too long
5. ... Complainers can go perish May our friends ever flourish
6. ... Yet the whole Academy Rejoices along with us!
Gaudeamus igitur
1. Gaudeamus igitir, iuvenes dum sumus (bis) Post iucundam iuventutem Post molestam senectutem Nos habebit humus (bis)
2. Ubi sunt qui ante nos in mundo fuere? (bis) Vadite ad superos Transite ad inferos Ubi iam fuere (bis)
3. Vita nostra brevis est, brevi finietur (bis) Venit mors velociter Rapit nos atrociter Nemini parcetur (bis)
4. Vivat Academia, vivant professores (bis) Vivat membrum quodlibet Vivant membra quaelibet Semper sint in flore! (bis)
5. Vivant omnes virgines, graciles, formosae! (bis) Vivant et mulieres, Tenerae, amabiles Bonae, laboriosae! (bis)
6. Vivat et respublica qui illam regit! (bis) Vivat nostra civitas, Maecentatum caritas Quae nos hic protegit! (bis)
7. Pereat tristitia, pereant osores (bis) Preat diabolus Quivus antiburchius Atque irrisores (bis)
1. Let us therefore rejoice, for as long as we're young After our beautiful youth After our burdensome old age The earth shall claim us
2. Where are those who walked this world before us? Go to the heavens Cross over to the underworld Where they have been
3. Our life is short, it will shortly end Death comes quickly Takes us cruelly And won't spare anyone
4. Long live the Academy, long live the professors Long live any member Long live all members May they forever flourish!
5. Long live all girls, gracious and pretty! Long live the women too, Tender and lovable, Good and industrious!
6. Long live the state which rules [the Academy]! Long live our community Mecenate and caretaker Which protects us here!
7. Let the sadness die, may the complainers perish May the devil die May student-haters perish And those who mock us, too!
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