Saturday, August 11, 2007 |
Panel 1: In
the title panel of this colour comic, we see what looks like a page
from a medieval manuscript. The text on it, in Gothic script, reads,
"Ab occidente de bathursto." The "A" is a decorated initial. There's
also a Middle English gloss in faded brown ink: "þys auctor ys Kari Maaren." We can see Tom, an Asian male Davies Junior Fellows, peering out from behind the page. Panel 2: Casey, Marie, and Barbara are sitting on a bench in the Davies College basement. Casey is reading from a piece of paper, while Barbara translates his words in her own unique way. Marie listens, smiling. Casey: "Omnibus qui causa studiorum peregrinantur scolaribus et maxime divinarum..." Barbara: The omnibus that causes a student to become a clueless hobbit and a great big priest... Panel 3: Tom, passing by, notices what is going on. Casey: "...atque sacrarum legum professoribus hoc nostre pietatis beneficium indulgemus..." Barbara: ...and the sacred legs of the professor that our potato pies benefit from indulging in... Panel 4: Casey: "...ut ad loca, in quibus litterarum exercentur studia, tam ipsi quam eorum nuntii veniant et habitent in eis securi." Barbara: ...who are crazy, in the quibbling literary excrement they study, wear their silly nuns' hats as they vent and live in security. Panel 5: Tom, looking furious, creeps towards them, looking ready to pounce. Casey: "Dignum namque existimavimus, ut, cum bona facientes nostram laudem atque protectionem mereantur..." Barbara: The dignified name of their existence comes out of our bony faces, which loudly protect the meerca-- Panel 6: Tom screams and gesticulates as the others watch him in awe. Tom: STOP MOCKING THE PH.D. LATIN EXAM! Panel 7: Casey clutches at his heart as Tom buries his head in his hands. Barbara: We shall now take a short intermission as we wait for the medievalist to run sobbing from the room. Marie: Is it four times he's failed now, or only three? Alt-Text: No matter what you think of Barbara, you've got to admit that someone has to have a pretty special kind of brain to be able to translate "pietatis" as "potato pies" on the fly. Go to commentary |
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