Latin Christmas Carols

December 30, 2006

Somnio Candidum Diem

Here is today's Latin Christmas carol; you can read one carol per day for the month of December, or see the complete collection all at once. The words and music to "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" are by Irving Berlin, and I found a delightful Latin translation online!

The song was written by Berlin in 1940 and was made famous by the 1942 film "Holiday Inn," in which Bing Crosby sings the song. It was a massively popular success, topping the Billboard charts for 11 weeks, and going on to become the best-selling Christmas single of all time, and Bing Crosby's best-selling record. There is an exhaustive list at wikipedia of the many musical artists who have done their own recordings of the song.

I found this Latin translation at several websites, but with no attribution. Does anybody know who translated "White Christmas" into Latin?

Som-nio candidum diem,
simil'eis quos noveram.
Ecce! lucet arbor,
natorum ardor,
tintinnabul'n nive.

Som-nio candidum diem,
Dum omnem chartam inscribo.
Dies tui ut clarescant,
Candidae Nativitates sint.



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Here are the carols I have completed so far:
December 1: Rudolphus
December 2: Angelus ad Virginem
December 3: Aquifolia Ornate
December 4: A Solis Ortus Cardine
December 5: O Viri, Este Hilares
December 6: Conditor Alme Siderum
December 7: Angeli Canunt Praecones
December 8: Regis Olim Urbe David
December 9: Gaudium Mundo
December 10: Resonet in Laudibus
December 11: Adeste Fideles
December 12: Christe, Redemptor Omnium
December 13: Dum Servant Pecus Pastores
December 14: Primum Noel Cecinit Angelus
December 15: In Dulci Iubilo
December 16: Procul in Praesaepi
December 17: Gaudete
December 18: Quem Pastores Laudavere
December 19: Orientis Reges Tres
December 20: Lapsi Caelo Super Gentes
December 21: Silens Nox
December 22: Corde Natus Ex Parentis
December 23: Veni, Veni Emmanuel!
December 24: En, Nocte Venit Media
December 25: O Parve Vice Bethlehem
December 26: Rex Wenceslaus
December 27: Tinnitus, Tinnitus
December 28: XII Dies Natalis
December 29: Dormi Jesu
Bolchazy-Carducci has a Latin Christmas Carol music CD! With 12 songs in Latin, O Abies: O Christmas Tree is available at amazon.com for $17.00

2 Comments:

At 8:04 AM, Blogger Janet said...

In the seventies when I was in Catholic school translation of this was a class assignment for latin class. Who translated it? Hundreds of St. Joseph College School girls for certain.

 
At 9:03 AM, Blogger Laura Gibbs said...

If only we had had the Internet back then so that all the translations could have been collected and passed on!!! :-)

 

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