Alex wrote:
Thanks Glen for feedback. And thanks Miriam for your header post! As soon as I can, I'll add a translation of it into "Italian translations" topic here.
In the meantime, the 3d deserves anothe mention to ancient Italian High School before Pluvinel, there are two interesting chapters into
Il cavallarizzo by Claudio Corte (1562):
Book II, Chapter 63 (
http://it.wikisource.org/wiki/Il_cavall ... apitolo_64 ):
Quote:
Cap. 63. Del modo di maneggiar il cavallo senza aiuto di redine, & senza barbazzale.
Ogni fiata, che havrete ridutto il cavallo à tanta giustezza & obbedienza, che benissimo vi corrisponde à tutti gl’aiuti, & maneggi con quella gratia, prestezza, & agevolezza, che se gli richiede, facil cosa vi feci ridurlo al raddoppiare terra terra, à mezz’aere, & forse anco alto co’ calci, senza aiuto di barbazzale, e di redine, a i repeloni: & anco al correre d’una e di piu determinate carriere, lo potrete parare senza barbazzali sì, ma non forse senz’aiuto di redine: se non fosse il cavallo per aventura di schiatta, e razza numida, & misilea, & che sì buon ammaestramento havesse havuto, che al sol cenno, non che con la verga lo poteste rattenere, & governare.
Book II, Chapter 64:
(
http://it.wikisource.org/wiki/Il_cavall ... apitolo_64 ):
Quote:
Cap 64. Del modo d'insegnare al cavallo il corvettare, & il maneggiar da per se alla terra.
Ancor che questo paia impossibile è però vero; & io ho visto ginetti maneggiar in questo modo da se stessi, senz’huomo à cavallo.....
Someone of you can help me to translate this into a decent English? Chapter 63 deals with bitless riding, Chapter 64 with dressage at liberty...
Just for fun I ran the Italian through an on line translation service, Yahoo Babel Fish in fact.
Usually it's pretty fair with most languages but I have a hunch both the genre of horse terminology and the1562 dated nature of the Italian being used defeated it most humorously. Here is how Babel Fish translated the first paragraph quotes above:
"CAP. 63. Of the way to handle the horse without redine aid, & without barbazzale. Every breathes, than havrete ridutto the horse to much giustezza & obedience, than corresponds very well you to all gl'aiuti, & handlings with that gratia, prestezza, & agevolezza, than if it demands to it, facil what I made ridurlo to doubling earth you earth, to half aere, & anco perhaps high co' soccer, without aid of barbazzale, and redine, to the repeloni: & anco to running of and more determined careers you will be able to adorn, it without barbazzali yes, but not perhaps senz'aiuto of redine: if it were not the horse for aventura of schiatta, and race numida, & misilea, & that yes good training havesse havuto, than to sol the signal, not that with you could rattenere it to the verga, & to govern."
Sadly modern equivalents of equine terms apparently aren't within the capacity of Babel Fish. I think your request that someone fluent in Italian and able to translate to English is a good idea. However, I have another idea.
Alex, I think your own attempt to translate would be, given your current command of English, quite understandable. I don't think many here would have trouble understanding what you say and mean.
An afterthought: I believe that more ancient terms, no matter what subject, over time, develop more meanings than the original at it's time of common use.
And automatic translation (and some human being ones as well) might, if they do not understand the subject, pick the wrong word from a list of modern meanings of a single ancient word.
If we look at slang, for instance, colloquialisms, it becomes quickly apparent. 'Cool' for instance, used to mean of lower temperature, and that was all it meant. Now 'Cool' has two meanings at least beyond that, and in only a decade of time to change into these two.
One 'Cool' now means that something is good.
The other 'Cool' means that someone feels distant and uninterested.
That could make any translation from English, three hundred or four hundred years from now, to another language, likely laughable or unintelligible. Or both.
Unless one knows the context and the subject translation is very hard work and often wrong.
I'm a dunce in three languages, one of which I speak and write as my native language. And I still mess up badly, often. In all three.
But somehow I'm usually understood. Go ahead, give it a try.
I would love to know what is in a book on dressage from the 1500's.
Best wishes, Donald