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Twinkle, twinkle, little star

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Frank Buckley

Veteran Esperantist Frank Buckley is also a classicist, interested in Latin and Greek. A life member of the Classical Association and a contributor to the Classical Association Newsletter, he took part in a correspondence on the Latin translations of Nursery Rhymes. The Latin of 'Twinkle, twinkle, little star' produced a version with the first line: 'Mica, mica, parva stella'.

In a contribution, Frank referred to the use of Greek and Latin roots in Esperanto and, paying tribute to the late Montague C. Butler and quoting from 'Step by Step in Esperanto', he produced:

Brilu, brilu, eta stel',
Diamanto sur ĉiel'!
Diru, kio estas vi,
Tiel alta super ni?

Classicists like a paradox and a favourite, in the Cretan dialect of Greek, tells of a Cretan who says 'All Cretans are liars' but he is a Cretan himself — so is he telling the truth?

Esperanto can come up with:

Kalimako diris 'La Kretanoj (Cretans) ĉiam estas mensogantoj (liars)'. Sed Kalimako mem estis Kretano, do li ankaŭ mensogis. Sekve la Kretanoj ne estas mensogantoj. Tial ankaŭ Kalimako ne mensogis. Do li diris la veron: la Kretanoj ĉiam estas mensogantoj!

We could end the 'Twinkle, Twinkle' saga — again from Montague Butler — with:

Scintillate, scintillate, globule lucific,
Fain would I fathom thy nature specific.
Loftily poised in aether capacious,
Strongly resembling a gem carbonaceous.

Ĉi tiu artikolo aperis en La Brita Esperantisto de novembro-decembro 1998.

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