Adam McCune
· Translation ·
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- Solomon, “Make me a seal upon your heart” from Song of Songs (10th century BC)
the climactic speech of the best-known love poem of the ancient world (Song of Songs 8:6-7a)
translated by Adam F McCune - Verse translation with facing original Hebrew
- Read aloud
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- Sappho, “Dying” (c. 600 BC)
translated by Adam F McCune - Verse translation with facing original Greek
- Read aloud
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- Catullus, “Vivamus” (1st century BC)
an ancient love poem beginning “let us live and love” (Catullus 5)
translated by Adam F McCune - Verse translation with facing original Latin
- Read aloud
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- Horace, “The City Mouse and the Country Mouse” (1st century BC)
one of Aesop’s fables as told by Horace
translated by Adam F McCune - Verse translation with facing original Latin
- Read aloud
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- Phaedrus, “The Fox and the Grapes” (1st century)
one of Aesop’s fables as told by Phaedrus
translated by Adam F McCune - Verse translation with facing original Latin
- Read aloud
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- Babrius, “The Sun and the North Wind” (1st century)
one of Aesop’s fables as told by Babrius
translated by Adam F McCune - Verse translation with facing original Greek
- Read aloud
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- Avianus, “The Oak and the Reed” (c. 400)
one of Aesop’s fables as told by Avianus
translated by Adam F McCune - Verse translation with facing original Latin
- Read aloud
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- “The Tortoise and the Hare” (4th-6th century)
one of Aesop’s fables as told in an anonymous poem
translated by Adam F McCune - Verse translation with facing original Greek
- Sung to the tune “Lay the Lily Down”
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- Jesus’s Good News (1st century)
excerpted from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
translated by Adam F McCune - Verse translation
- Verse translation with a facing literal translation
- Sung to the tune “Lazarus”
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- St. Patrick’s Life (5th century)
excerpted from St. Patrick’s Confession & Epistle
translated by Adam F McCune - Verse translation, illustrated
- Prose and verse translations with facing original Latin
- Sung to the tune “Wellerman”
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- St. Patrick’s Message, “God Set Us Free” (5th century)
excerpted from St. Patrick’s Confession & Epistle
translated by Adam F McCune - Verse translation
- Prose and verse translations with facing original Latin
- Sung to the tune “Wellerman”
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- Bede, “The Sparrow” (8th century)
the counsellor’s speech before the conversion of King Edwin
in Bede’s Church History of the English People 2.13 (8th century)
translated by Adam F McCune - Translation with facing original Old English
- Read aloud
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- “Of Every Kind of Tree” (13th-14th century)
an anonymous medieval love poem
translated by Adam F McCune - Verse translation with facing original Middle English
- Read aloud
- Sung to a tune by Adam F McCune
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- Geoffrey Chaucer, “Keep well your tongue” (14th century)
from the Manciple’s Tale
translated by Adam F McCune - Verse translation with facing original Middle English
- Read aloud
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- Geoffrey Chaucer, “Love is Patient” (14th century)
from the Franklin’s Tale
translated by Adam F McCune - Verse translation with facing original Middle English
- Read aloud
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- “Christ in Gethsemane” (13th-14th century)
an anonymous medieval poem spoken from Jesus Christ’s perspective, asking God to be spared the metaphorical cup of death on the cross, but accepting God’s will
translated by Adam F McCune - Verse translation with facing original Middle English
- Read aloud
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- William Dunbar, “Done is a Battle on the Dragon Black” (c. 1500)
an Easter poem describing Jesus Christ’s resurrection and victory over the black dragon Satan
translated by Adam F McCune - Verse translation with facing original Middle Scots and Latin
- Read aloud
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- “Earth and the Heavens” (1913)
a traditional Ukrainian Christmas carol
translated by Adam F McCune - Verse translation with facing original Rusyn/Slavonic from Ukraine
- Verse translation of a Russian variant, with facing original Russian
- Sung in English (select stanzas)
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- Alexander Timofeevsky, “Once a Year” (1971)
a Soviet-Era children’s birthday song from the animated short film Cheburashka
translated by Adam F McCune - Verse translation with facing original Russian
- Sung in English to the original tune by Vladimir Shainsky
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