from An Introduction to Venantius Fortunatus for Schoolchildren or Understanding the Medieval Concept World through Metonymy: a Beginner’s Book.

Mike Czagany translating the Latin of Venantius Fortunatus

Unit 1, Chapter 5.

Poem I.V of Fortunatus. Inscription for a shrine marking the site where St. Martin cut his own cloak in two to clothe a beggar.

Hurrying pilgrim, stop here!
Stop here. When you think
hurrying pilgrim, think
stop here! When you think
Sarah Jessica Parker, you think
Carrie Bradshaw. Stop here
pilgrim, there is a lot more to her than
Sarah Jessica Parker, you think
the place teaches the prayerful
to tread lightly. Carrie Bradshaw, stop here
when you think Sarah Jessica Parker
the exile of earth, you think
the glamorous 41-year-old has been linked
with the exile of earth and heaven’s,
there is a lot more to her than Sex and the
place teaches the prayerful the exile
of earth, St. Martin, when you think
you think Sarah Jessica Parker,
the 41-year-old has been linked
with St. Martin. St. Martin you think
shut himself in a cell here and
unveiled the axis of heaven.

The glamorous 41-year-old
has been linked with the heavens and opened
the heavens over the years including the
heavens and John Kennedy Jr., but it’s
her marriage to the heavens, to “Ferris Bueller”
under this temple’s roof that has
unveiled the axis of heaven. He seized
the mysteries, St. Martin, a mighty anchorite
amid the city’s bustle unveiled
“Ferris Bueller,” himself a mighty
anchorite, to “Ferris Bueller” himself
that has many women wanting to
be a mighty anchorite. SJP is not only
“Ferris Bueller” himself, a mighty
most admired actress in Hollywood but
is also an admired human being involved in
the mysteries, St. Martin. Here Martin
stripped himself and clothed
he seized the mysteries. There is no way
the most admired actress in Hollywood
a multi-award winning mother of
the exile of earth stripped himself,
covered the freezing stranger. He burned
with faith, covered the freezing stranger and
he burned with faith. He stripped himself and

he burned. I would say that anyone
who thinks they can really change
another person is slightly misguided.
Even the bishop would say that
they can really change another, even
the bishop, that honored man who thinks
I have so many female friends. I would say
that anyone who thinks
they can date men with warning signs
and Martin, the bishop, that honored man
I would say is slightly misguided. I have
so many female friends who date men with
warning signs all over them and Martin
when he went to say that Mass
wears beggar’s clothes. I have so many female
beggar’s clothes I would say
that honored man and Martin gave
a blessed sign when he crossed the chalice.
And they really feel they are uniquely
the bishop, that honored man, and they really
feel they are uniquely gifted
beggar’s clothes. And Martin when
he went to say that Mass at altar
uniquely gifted in some way
so many female friends,
a blessed sign: From the sacred head
of the man a flame, a globe
of benign fire surged up to the stars,
he was uninjured and gems
covered his naked flesh. His naked flesh
clothed the beggar, his naked flesh
burned with faith, his naked flesh
unveiled the axis of heaven, his naked flesh

I would say is slightly misguided, I would say
anyone that thinks they can really change
is slightly misguided. And they really
think they are going to be the person
who finally fixes whatever flaw
they have. I find men far more complicated than
the refulgence of precious stones
shone from his arms, far more complicated
than the bishop, that honored
precious stones, whatever flaw they have
so many female friends.
I find men far more complicated than
slightly misguided, I have so many
warning signs I would say, I have so many
precious stones, far more complicated than
St. Martin, and you in heaven, Martin
Intercessor carry God my halting
far more precious than complicated
words for me. I find men far more
complicated than that of course.

Assignment for Chapter 5.

It takes a very special woman to become a surrogate mother. She has to go into this knowing from the beginning that she will give birth to a child and then turn that child over to its parents. You have to have a certain mentality that very few women have, a vision of sexuality that will help you be proactive in shaping the sexuality of the next generation, enabling you to finally launch a counteroffensive to the sexual revolution of the past century. Prepare a three-to-five-minute oral presentation that addresses the following questions. You can refer to index cards when delivering your presentation, but you cannot read it aloud!

1. Analogia entis is the idea that any likeness between God and the creature discloses a still greater unlikeness. Compare and contrast.

2. The other day we were in my FWB’s kitchen and he got this real serious look and said, “I need to tell you something.” Then he just said, “Forget it.” Then we got into this huge argument about who should cook the quesadillas. Why do I feel sad about this?

3. Read picture books by an author/illustrator and make inferences about the author based on their works?

4. Describe the emotional life of Venantius Fortunatus based on what you know about him right now. We will repeat this exercise at the end of Unit 2.


Mike Czagany lives in Iowa City, where he teaches creative writing under an assumed name. Other excerpts from this manuscript of translations of Venantius Fortunatus can be found in Vanitas, the Notre Dame Review, and Action Yes, with even more forthcoming in The Iowa Review.

Venantius Fortunatus (d. ca. 600 AD) was a poet, courtier, and eventually priest and bishop of Poitiers. His Latin poems and hymns, with their emphasis on paradox, repetition, assonance, and rhyme, exercised a deep influence on European poetry throughout the Middle Ages. He has been venerated as a saint for many centuries, though not as much now as before.