Being new at WineBerserkers, it seems polite to come bearing gifts. This is the second of two (the first).
Recently I had composed, by Dr Rupert J. E. Thompson (Orator of the University of Cambridge—links personal and professional), a grace for a wine tasting. Its first trial occurred in summer 2009 at Quinta do Noval.
Neat copies of the grace and translation are available formatted for A4 (8.28″×11.70″) and for US Letter (8½″×11″).
A grace for a wine tasting
- Te inuocamus, Liber Pater, ut nobis adsis qui id quod nunc bibemus dum profertur omnem ad gradum curauisti. te enim praesente uuae clarissimae leuissimis manibus carptae, te praesente pressae in uinum feruerunt. tu quoque adsis, o Siluane, qui durissimum corticem dedisti cuius puro in amplexu, tot per annos nullo calore, nullo frigore conturbatum dormiret. adeste igitur, di immortales, et concedite ut his uinis hodie ita ut uolebant auctores fruamur. nunc est bibendum.
Thee we invoke, Liber Pater: be present now, as you were at every step when what we are about to drink was made. For under your care the finest grapes were picked by gentle hands; under your care they were trodden and turned to wine. Be present too, Silvanus, for you gave of the long-lasting cork, in whose clean embrace the wine has slept for many years, disturbed by no excess of heat or cold. Come, Immortal Gods, and grant that we may enjoy these wines as their makers intended. Now is the time to drink!
Pronunciation guide
- Mostly, where a ‘u’ is followed by a vowel the ‘u’ is pronounced like an English w. Hence:
- ‘uuae’ as u-wae;
- ‘inuocamus’ as inwocamus;
- ‘curauisti’ as curawisti;
- ‘uinum’ as winum;
- ‘Siluane’ as Silwane;
- ‘qui’ as qwi;
- ‘cuius’ as coo-yus;
- ‘fruamur’ as froo-amur;
- ‘feruerunt’ as fair WEAR unt;
- ‘concedite’ as conk Eh deeti;
- In the following paragraph long vowels are shown in capitals (with ‘I’ being the same vowel sound as in _ea_t):
- Te inuocAmus, LIber Pater, ut nobis adsis qui id quod nunc bibEmus dum profertur omnem ad gradum curauisti. te enim praesente uuae clarissimae leuissimis manibus carptae, te praesente pressae in uinum feruErunt. tu quoque adsis, o SiluAne, qui durissimum corticem dedisti cuius purO in amplexU, tot per annOs nullO calore, nullO frigore conturbatum dormiret. adeste igitur, di immortales, et concEdite ut hIs uinIs hodie ita ut uolebant auctores fruAmur. nunc est bibendum.
It is recommended that somebody intending to deliver the grace have a few practice read-throughs in private.