It sounds like your Latin teacher was more attuned to the joys of life than mine! The sense of life embodied in carpe deim and the cautionary reminder in tempus fugit are echoed in great literature down through the ages. I wonder to what extent the bleak outlook of the Herald author is attributable to an education system which has moved away from the study of the facts of history and science and the pleasure and wisdom to be found in the writings of yesteryear in favour of the nihilistic focus on the "existential threat" of a climate change and the sins of a colonial past which must be expiated.
He was a great teacher in the very broadest sense of the word. He loved life and he loved his books. And he imparted for us a love of language and of the Classics. He said, as I recall, that learning Latin would teach us how to construct a proper sentence in English
Gary, I always look forward to your insightful comments and this latest is a gem. You sum up in just a few words the current New Zealand (I’m sick of “kiwi”) malaise. Amongst the chattering classes it’s become a pandemic.
I remember as a 3rd former seeing 'tempus fugit' on a clock in a friend's house and being delighted to decipher it. Our Latin teacher had been a POW and was easily side-tracked away from Latin towards anecdotes of his war experiences. Enjoyed it very much.
I have a pretty good idea who your Latin teacher was, and while I sadly never made his acquaintance, I will always have enormous respect for the outstanding contribution he made to New Zealand ornithology. I should also add that the help he gave another eminent local ornithologist by translating eighteenth-century Latin texts about our native birdlife inspired me to dust off my undergraduate Latin and look at that source material for my own research. That has proven to be an extremely rewarding exercise indeed (not to mention a huge load of fun), so in that respect I am very much indebted to him.
I missed out on teenage rebellion and midlife crisis at the expected ages, so now in my 75th year am doing the rebellion, passing on the crisis and aging disgracefully.
A felicitous memory of school Latin was being called upon to decline the Latin word for a bee.
Didn't someone say youth is wasted on the young? No doubt you erudite legal experts commenting below will know who it was. However, I hope we all look back and realise we thought we knew it all when we were 28, and at that age, considered those in their 40s were really, really old. Let alone anyone over 70. I think you will also find, if you look, there are still teachers, and schools, which value the 'facts of history and science' and have not 'moved away from the wisdom' of the writings of the past. I'm with Halfling: think positive.
After 9am I travel at the taxpayers' expense (Gold Card) on the Christchurch buses, but if travelling before 9am I present my Tertiary Student Metrocard and "youth fare" shows up on the driver's screen.
Reminds me...in yesterday's Press, Pg 11, a piece 'theatrical icon lives on in film', Linnaeus Prince of Flowers produced in ChCh in '02 & a new film about it. You may've seen it David. Not sure why I didn't.
Lucky for sure, to have had such an excellent teacher & for so long.
It sounds like your Latin teacher was more attuned to the joys of life than mine! The sense of life embodied in carpe deim and the cautionary reminder in tempus fugit are echoed in great literature down through the ages. I wonder to what extent the bleak outlook of the Herald author is attributable to an education system which has moved away from the study of the facts of history and science and the pleasure and wisdom to be found in the writings of yesteryear in favour of the nihilistic focus on the "existential threat" of a climate change and the sins of a colonial past which must be expiated.
He was a great teacher in the very broadest sense of the word. He loved life and he loved his books. And he imparted for us a love of language and of the Classics. He said, as I recall, that learning Latin would teach us how to construct a proper sentence in English
Gary, I always look forward to your insightful comments and this latest is a gem. You sum up in just a few words the current New Zealand (I’m sick of “kiwi”) malaise. Amongst the chattering classes it’s become a pandemic.
Thanks, Roderick. 40+ KCs combining to question the sovereignty of Parliament. A pandemic, indeed!
Yes Gary, 40 who by doing so smeared the title we hold precious.
I remember as a 3rd former seeing 'tempus fugit' on a clock in a friend's house and being delighted to decipher it. Our Latin teacher had been a POW and was easily side-tracked away from Latin towards anecdotes of his war experiences. Enjoyed it very much.
Our teacher - an ornithologist - could side tracked by mention of any species of bird - but not for long.
I have a pretty good idea who your Latin teacher was, and while I sadly never made his acquaintance, I will always have enormous respect for the outstanding contribution he made to New Zealand ornithology. I should also add that the help he gave another eminent local ornithologist by translating eighteenth-century Latin texts about our native birdlife inspired me to dust off my undergraduate Latin and look at that source material for my own research. That has proven to be an extremely rewarding exercise indeed (not to mention a huge load of fun), so in that respect I am very much indebted to him.
Ricardus Sibsonis
Yes - that's him!
I missed out on teenage rebellion and midlife crisis at the expected ages, so now in my 75th year am doing the rebellion, passing on the crisis and aging disgracefully.
A felicitous memory of school Latin was being called upon to decline the Latin word for a bee.
Didn't someone say youth is wasted on the young? No doubt you erudite legal experts commenting below will know who it was. However, I hope we all look back and realise we thought we knew it all when we were 28, and at that age, considered those in their 40s were really, really old. Let alone anyone over 70. I think you will also find, if you look, there are still teachers, and schools, which value the 'facts of history and science' and have not 'moved away from the wisdom' of the writings of the past. I'm with Halfling: think positive.
And the someone was Oscar Wilde.
I think it was the Berkeley student leader Mario Savio who said don’t trust anyone over 30.
One of my teachers at Medical School defined old age as "fifteen years older than oneself."
After 9am I travel at the taxpayers' expense (Gold Card) on the Christchurch buses, but if travelling before 9am I present my Tertiary Student Metrocard and "youth fare" shows up on the driver's screen.
...& happy New Year!
Heck yeah.
Reminds me...in yesterday's Press, Pg 11, a piece 'theatrical icon lives on in film', Linnaeus Prince of Flowers produced in ChCh in '02 & a new film about it. You may've seen it David. Not sure why I didn't.
Lucky for sure, to have had such an excellent teacher & for so long.
Octoginta tres annos natus sum et adhuc mediam vitae meae crisim exspecto.
Septuaginta octo et quasi adhuc exspectans sum
Bonus magister Latinitatis utilior est quam quisquam alius linguarum scholasticus.
See above my response to Gary
Frui senectute!
Midlife crises are long forgotten if there ever were any. Good advice.