Carmen Possum

Carmen Possum is a popular 40-line comical poem written in a mix of Latin and English. Its author is unknown, but given its theme and language it can be surmised that he or she was from the United States, and either a teacher or a student of Latin.

The poem takes off from a play of words in the title: possum means "I can" in Latin, and "opossum" in colloquial English. Thus, while carmen possum sounds like valid Latin, it only makes sense when translated as "The Opossum's Song".

The poem can be used as a pedagogical device for elementary Latin teaching. The language mix includes vocabulary, morphology (turnus) and grammar (trunkum longum).

Carmen Possum is also a musical piece by Normand Lockwood.

The poem

THE NOX was lit by lux of Luna,

And 'twas a nox most opportuna

To catch a possum or a coona;

For nix was scattered o'er this mundus,

A shallow nix, et non profundus.

On sic a nox with canis unus,

Two boys went out to hunt for coonus.

The corpus of this bonus canis

Was full as long as octo span is,

But brevior legs had canis never

Quam had hic dog; et bonus clever.

Some used to say, in stultum jocum

Quod a field was too small locum

For sic a dog to make a turnus

Circum self from stem to sternus.

Unis canis, duo puer,

Nunquam braver, nunquam truer,

Quam hoc trio nunquam fuit,

If there was I never knew it.

This bonus dog had one bad habit,

Amabat much to tree a rabbit,

Amabat plus to chase a rattus,

Amabat bene tree a cattus.

But on this nixy moonlight night

This old canis did just right.

Nunquam treed a starving rattus,

Nunquam chased a starving cattus,

But sucurrit on, intentus

On the track and on the scentus,

Till he trees a possum strongum,

In a hollow trunkum longum.

Loud he barked in horrid bellum,

Seemed on terra vehit pellum.

Quickly ran the duo puer

Mors of possum to secure.

Quam venerit, one began

To chop away like quisque man.

Soon the axe went through the truncum

Soon he hit it all kerchunkum;

Combat deepens, on ye braves!

Canis, pueri et staves

As his powers non longius carry,

Possum potest non pugnare.

On the nix his corpus lieth.

Down to Hades spirit flieth,

Joyful pueri, canis bonus,

Think him dead as any stonus.

Now they seek their pater's domo,

Feeling proud as any homo,

Knowing, certe, they will blossom

Into heroes, when with possum

They arrive, narrabunt story,

Plenus blood et plenior glory.

Pompey, David, Samson, Caesar,

Cyrus, Black Hawk, Shalmanezer!

Tell me where est now the gloria,

Where the honors of victoria?

Nunc a domum narrent story,

Plenus sanguine, tragic, gory.

Pater praiseth, likewise mater,

Wonders greatly younger frater.

Possum leave they on the mundus,

Go themselves to sleep profundus,

Somniunt possums slain in battle,

Strong as ursae, large as cattle.

When nox gives way to lux of morning,

Albam terram much adorning,

Up they jump to see the varmin,

Of the which this is the carmen.

Lo! possum est resurrectum!

Ecce pueri dejectum,

Ne relinquit back behind him,

Et the pueri never find him.

Cruel possum! bestia vilest,

How the pueros thou beguilest!

Pueri think non plus of Caesar,

Go ad Orcum, Shalmanezer,

Take your laurels, cum the honor,

Since ista possum is a goner!

Precedents

The idea of mixed-language literature has been re-invented and exploited by many writers and poets in many languages. An early example of mixed English-Latin rhyme occurs in the Middle English recitals The Towneley Plays (ca. 1460). In play 24 (The Talents), Pontius Pilate proclaims

...

Stynt, I say! gyf men place

quia sum dominus dominorum!

he that agans me says

rapietur lux oculorum;

Therfor gyf ye me space

ne tendam vim brachiorum,

And then get ye no grace

contestor Iura polorum,

Caueatis; Rewle I the Iure,

Maxime pure,

Towne quoque rure,

Me paueatis.

Stemate regali

kyng atus gate me of pila;

Tramite legali

Am I ordand to reyn apon Iuda,

Nomine wlgari

pownce pilate, that may ye well say,

Qui bene wlt fari

shuld call me fownder of all lay.

...

External links

• using Carmen Possum for teaching Latin (http://www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/latin/scenarios.html) by Steve Billings.
• text of poem (http://www.kzu.ch/fach/as/material/Texte_lat/possum/carmen.htm) (with typos).
• Guide to Normand Lockwood collection at AMRC, UCB (http://www-libraries.colorado.edu/amrc/ead/html/lock.html).
• The Talents (http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/c/cme/cme-idx?type=HTML&rgn=DIV1&byte=13947257), play 24 from the Towneley Plays at U. Michigan.