Page 2 of 3

Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2005 2:44 pm
by M. Henri Day
Thanks for the offer of help, BD ! Actually, I've «always» (the last 35 years) found Portuguese fascinating, but have been too indolent to do anything about it. Alas, if I continue to mess things up so badly that I attempt to put the tilde over the «e» instead of over the «o» - where it, of course, belongs in Camões, -I shan't be able to avail myself of any help, no matter how generously offered !...

Henri

Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2005 11:14 am
by Flaminius
I have been searching the chapter and the verse (and of course, the book) before I contribute this:

Better to dine on weeds where there is love than to eat fat ox with hatred.

I thought it was in Proverbs but couldn't find it. Just wanted to share it before next Valentine comes.

Flam

some of that is not that romantic

Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2005 11:40 am
by KatyBr
Better to dine on weeds where there is love than to eat fat ox with hatred.

Flam
I can't of course speak for all women, but on a day noted for eating chocolate and being beautiful, the words "weeds" and "fat" and "hatred" are not terribly romantic to me!

Katy
btw: PR 15:17 Better a meal of vegetables where there is love
than a fattened calf with hatred.

OR
PR 17:1 Better a dry crust with peace and quiet
than a house full of feasting, with strife.
AND same thought...
PR 21:9 Better to live on a corner of the roof
than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

NIV

Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2005 11:49 am
by Flaminius
Good lesson of how to be romantic, Katy. If I start today, I wager I can hope to get as much chocolate as I want (of course, I cannot consume much quantity thereof).

Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2005 11:58 am
by M. Henri Day
For some reason, I prefer the King James version :
Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.
Let us hope that there still exist dinners with both a stalled (i e, in order to be fattened, as opposed to an ox that pulled the plough) ox and love on the menu (and some chocolates for dessert, to keep Katy happy !)...

Henri

Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2005 1:58 pm
by KatyBr
For some reason, I prefer the King James version :

stalled (i e, in order to be fattened,
Henri
no one uses the word stalled for fattened(correctly: finished) anymore, it's obscure language.

Katy

Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2005 2:23 pm
by M. Henri Day
The Hebrew scholars on this forum can help us to understand how the word the King James Version translates as «stalled» should be interpreted ; incompetent in these matters, I didn't intend to argue for its faithfulness to the original. I also agree that the verb is obscure, as it now is most usually used to mean something other than «placed in a stall». What I did say was that I, «[f]or some reason», preferred this version. If asked to explain, I can only adduce two reasons, which - in order of their psychological importance - are as follows :

1) my first readings in an English-language bible were in that version, which makes it an old friend, with whose foibles and obscurities I find myself comfortable (not always so with the content !), and

2) here, the slightly archaic word «stalled» calls forth in my mind a vivid picture of an ox, contented to be fed and with avoiding the yoke, and who does not yet realise that this munificence on the part of his master is not really due to the latter's concern for his well-being....

Henri

Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2005 11:15 am
by Flaminius
Henri, I don't pretend to be a Hebrew scholar but here is some info I have nymmed from Ben Yehuda's Pocket Dictionary.

The Hebrew word for "stalled" is avus (fattened). This is related to evus (trough or manger). For a bilingual chapter for this passage look here.

Flam

Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2005 11:22 am
by Brazilian dude
I really don't understand this nym Flam used. I did some research on it http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition ... 43,00.html and I don't see any connection between the way he used it and the definition I found. I'm sure I am missing something here. I'm imbecillic when it comes to computers.

Brazilian dude

Nym is

Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 12:10 am
by Flaminius
In the days of Shakespeare, to nym was to steal. One of his characters in Henry V is named Nym for his propensity for theft.

http://www.shakespeare-literature.com/Henry_V/0.html

Just I didn't realise nym v. has already got its life stolen.

Flam

Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 12:21 pm
by Brazilian dude
Flam, all the occurrences for Nym in that link you gave are of proper names.

Brazilian dude

Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 7:17 pm
by Flaminius
Yes, remember what he was executed for?

Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 9:06 pm
by Brazilian dude
I can't remember, I never learned that. I don't know squat about that.

Brazilian dude

Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 10:54 pm
by Flaminius
You should check the synopsis of my link.

Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 11:49 am
by Brazilian dude
Well, I'm sorry, Flam, but I don't get anything that you are saying. That's fine, though.

Brazilian dude