Friday, May 29, 2026

Rubicilla

This is another one of the Latin nursery rhymes that I found in Arundines Cami, published in 1851. The English nursery rhyme "The North Wind Doth Blow" is not a famous one, but I really like it; I've included a YouTube recording below which includes additional verses: 

Stridet ventus Boreális,
Imber íngruet nivális;
Quo se vertet hora in illa
Rubicílla?

In granário sedébit,
Plúmea tepens fovébit
Molle caput sub axílla,
Rubicílla! 

And here's the original English:

The North wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will poor robin do then,
Poor thing?

He'll sit in a barn,
And keep himself warm,  
And hide his head under his wing,  
Poor thing!

And a literal English translation with the Latin:

The North wind will shriek,
    Stridet ventus Boreális,
the snow shower will rush down, 
    imber íngruet nivális;
where will turn at that time
    quo se vertet hora in illa
the Robin?
    Rubicílla?

She’ll sit in a barn,
    In granário sedébit,
covered in down, keeping warm; she'll nestle
    plúmea tepens fovébit
her head beneath her soft little wing,
    molle caput sub axílla,
Robin!
    Rubicílla!



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