Hunchback of Notre Dame Translation (almost) Masterpost
Yesterday I spent a solid amount of time on Google, trying to find Latin to English online translators that weren’t complete and utter bullshit (even I, the Mandarin speaker, know that “pacem” does not mean tiger. Holy shit). Anyway, I translated all the Latin I could transcribe from the soundtrack, and after hours of fact-checking with my sheet music and putting the same phrase through four different websites, I got the translations. I did not translate most of the Entr'acte, simply because I had no idea what they were saying and I didn’t want to assume. Please enjoy.
OLIM
“Olim, olim deus accelere, hoc saeculum splendidum, accelere fiat venire olim” means “Someday, someday let it come, Godspeed this bright millennium”
THE BELLS OF NOTRE DAME
“Kyrie eleison” means “Lord have mercy”
(Which I started saying about an hour in. But how meaningful for the choir to sing that when Esmeralda is at the pyre? Or when Frollo is about to drown baby Quasimodo?)
“Dies irae; dies illa solvet saeclum in favila” means “Day of wrath; that day shall consume the world in ashes”
TAVERN SONG (THAI MOL PIYAS)
“Ándo bírto zhas thai mol piyas; ámare love das thai mol piyas, thai gilaba” means “Into the tavern we go and wine we drink; our money we give and wine we drink, and sing” (This is in Romani–or what the proper name is. I don’t know–but it’s not Latin. I just looked this one up on YouTube)
HELLFIRE
(This one is my personal favorite. The bitter irony is magnificent)
“Confiteor Deo omnipotenti” means “I confess to God Almighty
“Beatae Mariae semper virgini” means “To the blessed ever-virgin Mary”
“Beato Michaeli Archangelo” means “To blessed Michael the Archangel”
“Sanctis apostolis, omnibus sanctis, et tibi pater” means “The holy apostles, the holy saints, and to you, Father”
“Quia peccavi nimis cogitatione, verbo et opere” means “I have sinned in thought, word and deed”
(Has Frollo never seen a woman before? Has he never been in a sex ed class? Holy shit.)
“Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa” means “By my fault, by my fault, by my most grievous fault!”
(Stephen Schwartz said he loved writing that part. I don’t blame him)
ENTR'ACTE
“Et dona nobis, dona nobis pacem” means “And grant us, grant us peace”
“Libera me domine de morte aeterna” means “Liberate me from eternal death”
(This is also sung, I think, when Quasimodo saves Esmeralda during the finale, and it’s amazing)
“Quando caeli movendi sunt caeli et terra” means “When the heavens are moving with the Earth”
(I’m not 100% about the meaning of this one. If you know it, please correct me)
“O salutaris hostia quase caeli pandis ostium” means “O saving victim who opens the gate of Heaven”
“Agnus Dei qui tollis peccata mundi” means “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world”
“Agnus Dei, dona nobis pacem” means “Lamb of God, grant us peace”
FINALE
“Judex crederis esse venturus” means “We believe in all that is coming”
“In te domine speravi non confudar in aeturnnum fac populum tuum” means “I put my trust in you, Lord, not confined forever in that dreadful day”
“In die illa tremenda” means “In the day of thy people”
“Dum venere judicare saeculum per ignem” means “Shall come to judge the world by fire”
“Salutaris hostia, bella premunt hostilia sit pemriterna gloria” means “Saving victims, our foes’ defeat will be everlasting glory”
(I’m not sure about this one either)
“Semper sanctus in excelsis” means “Always in the highest”
“Quantus tremor est futurus quando judex est venturus?” means “What trembling is to be when the judge is to come?”
(This line was originally sung during The Bells of Notre Dame, when Quasimodo’s mother was running from Frollo. The double entendre here is great: the lyrics could be referencing the literal judge, Frollo, or referencing Frollo’s imminent demise…)
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