Bern Riddle 25: De litteris
NEVILLEMOGFORD
Date: Sat 28 Nov 2020Matching Commentaries: Commentary for Bern Riddle 25: De litteris
Original text:
Nascimur albenti loco sed nigrae sorores;
Tres unito simul nos creant ictu parentes.
Multimoda nobis facies et nomina multa,
Meritumque dispar vox et diversa sonandi.
Numquam sine nostra nos domo detenet ullus,
Nec una responsum dat sine pari roganti.
Translation:
We are born in a white place but we are black sisters;
Three parents create us together with one stroke.
We have various faces and many names,
different values and diverse voices.
Nobody ever detains us outside our home,
nor do any of us reply without a suitable questioner.
Letters (of the alphabet)
Notes:
This edition is based on Karl Strecker, ed., Poetae Latini aevi Carolini, Vol. 4.2 (Berlin, MGH/Weidmann, 1923), page 746.
A list of variant readings can be found in Fr. Glorie, ed., Variae collectiones aenigmatum Merovingicae aetatis, Corpus Christianorum, Series Latina 133A (Turnhout: Brepols, 1968), page 571.
Tags: latin Bern Riddles