SSBB Theme Song Translation

[WaverleyHonour]

I saw a translation of the SSBB theme on Youtube, and it was a little inaccurate. Here's my take on it (I've provided a commentary for people who would like to attempt to read it in Latin):

Latin

Audi famam illius.
Solus in hostes ruit,
et patriam servavit,
Audi famam illius.
Cucurrit quaeque, 5
Tetigit destruens.
Audi famam illius,
Audi famam illius.
Spes omnibus,
Mihi quoque. 10
Terror omnibus,
Mihi quoque.
Ille iuxta me,
Ille iuxta me.
Socii sunt mihi, 15
qui olim viri fortes,
rivalesque erant.
Saeve certando pugnandoque,
Splendor crescit.

Commentary on Latin

l. 1 - "Audite famam eius" would perhaps be more accurate (the audite is more necessary, the eius personal preference).
l. 2 - Here in = against, solus an adverbial adjective.
l. 3 - "Servavit" confirms that the sentence is perfect tense.
l. 5-6 - Strange lines: destruens most likely means that rumour cannot be the subject, "quae" must refer to the hostes above or similar, but no real reason for it to be in the neuter, unless the author is trying to refer to things beyond the enemies mentioned above.
l. 9 - Lit. there is hope to all - dative of posession in this and the next 3 lines.
l. 13-14 - This is the iuxta + acc. construction.
l. 15 - Again, dative of posession.
l. 17 - A rivalis is a rival in love - clearly not the intended meaning.
l. 18 - Certando and pugnando are gerunds in ablative of means (saeve adv. from saevus a um). If it actually is "saeve" here, and not "saevo" - it must lit. mean "they are fiercely by struggling and battling".
l. 19 - "Crescit" confirms that the sentence is in present tense (from cresco crescere crevi cretum).

English Translation (line numbers do not correspond directly with the Latin)

Hear of his rumour.
He rushed against his enemies alone,
and saved his homeland.
Hear of his rumour.
He hastened and touched those things, 5
destroying them.
Hear of his rumour,
Hear of his rumour.
Everybody has hope,
I do also . 10
Everybody has fear,
I do also.
He is near me,
He is near me.
They, who in times past were brave men, 15
And my competitors (in love),
Are my allies.
By fiercely struggling and battling,
Their splendour grows.

I hope some of you find this interesting. Any comments/corrections are welcome.

 

[Yuna]

I can't really remember how you'd say "Hear of" but can't the opening line be translated as "Hear of his fame"?

Patria = Homeland/Fatherland, i.e., not just one's country but in a more romantic sense

That's pretty much as far as I can go using my now dormant Latin skills (had two years of mandatory Latin a few years back).

 

[WaverleyHonour]

Yuna,

I have a feeling that the author wishes it to mean "fame" - but fama in most cases means rumour or report. Hear/Hear of is fairly synonymous, but I'll change it for clarity.

For patria, I did say "his country" - same meaning as "homeland" really. "Fatherland" is more accurate in terms of etymological analogy, but the other terms are probably more useful. I will alter it to homeland though (I was tossing up between that and what I have).

Thanks for the reply.

 

[Wiwiweb]

Why can't you just take the official translation from the SSE ending ?
Here.

 

[WaverleyHonour]

As I said, I have already seen it on Youtube, and it's heavily paraphrased - I am merely going for a more literal (or accurate) translation. But their English version definitely reads better - Latin can sometimes seem very dry and simple in translation. Thanks for posting that here, though.

 

[Yuna]

I didn't mean to write "fame" there, I meant to write "rumor" .

Anyway, "country", "homeland/-country" and "fathercountry" are different things. Not very much different but slightly in connotation.

"Country" is a clinical term, no emotional charge behind it. "Homeland" is a romantic term that might not even have to mean "country" but could just mean "the village where I live". Usually used by people who want to speak with reverance of their home countries.

"Fathercountry", on the other hand, is a very patriotic word (also emotionally charged). Like "I fight for my fathercountry!" = "I'm a soldier who values by country/its rulers a lot and will fight 'til my dying breath to protect it!".

 

[Wiwiweb]

Ok then. When you said "I saw a translation on youtube" I thought you weren't talking about the official one.

 

[WaverleyHonour]

Anyway, "country", "homeland/-country" and "fathercountry" are different things. Not very much different but slightly in connotation.

"Country" is a clinical term, no emotional charge behind it. "Homeland" is a romantic term that might not even have to mean "country" but could just mean "the village where I live". Usually used by people who want to speak with reverance of their home countries.

Although I originally translated "patria" as "his country" - which is linking it to the subject (i.e. I was not saying country and homeland are interchangable but that in this case "his country" and homeland are). Come to think of it, a famous line of Horace: "dulce et decorum est pro patria mori" is commonly translated into English as "It is a sweet and seemly thing to die for one's country".

 

[Yuna]

Doesn't mean "homecountry/-land"/"fatherland" isn't the more (and most) appropriate term and that they don'r mean different things.

"His country" is not as charged as "His fatherland".

 

[billywill]

You know when you beat SSE it plays the theme and has the translated words on the bottom of the screen

 

[WaverleyHonour]

You know when you beat SSE it plays the theme and has the translated words on the bottom of the screen

As I just said above, that translation is heavily paraphrased - mine is more literal and in keeping with the Latin.

 

[falcon_for_life_and_for_smash]

its not latin, its greek! do you speak greek