חַד גַּדְיָא | Unum hœdulum — a Latin translation of Ḥad Gadya by Johann Stephan Rittangel (1644)

Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=36379

Date: 2021-03-20

Last Updated: 2025-02-18

Categories: Nirtsah

Tags: 16th century C.E., 53rd century A.M., Aramaic, Latin translation, predation, salvation, זמירות zemirot, חד גדיא Ḥad Gadya, פיוטים piyyutim

Excerpt: A Latin translation of the popular Passover song, Ḥad Gadya. . . .

Content:

Source (Aramaic)	Translation (Latin)	Translation (English)
חַד גַּדְיָא, חַד גַּדְיָא. דְּזַבִּן אַבָּא בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי, חַד גַּדְיָא, חַד גַּדְיָא.	Unum hœdulum, unum hœdulum, quem emit pater duobus solidis, unum hœdulum, unum hœdulum.	One little goat, one little goat that my father bought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat.
וְאָתָא שֻׁנְרָא וְאָכְלָה לְגַדְיָא, דְּזַבִּן אַבָּא בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי, חַד גַּדְיָא, חַד גַּדְיָא.	Et venit catus, & comedit hœdulum, quem emerat pater duobus solidis, unum hœdulum, unum hœdulum.	A cat came and ate the goat that my father bought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat.
וְאָתָא כַּלְבָּא וְנָשַׁךְ לְשֻׁנְרָא, דְּאָכְלָה לְגַדְיָא, דְּזַבִּן אַבָּא בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי, חַד גַּדְיָא, חַד גַּדְיָא.	Et venit canis & momordit catum, qui comederat hœdulum, quem emerat pater duobus solidis, unum hœdulum, unum hœdulum.	A dog came and bit the cat that ate the goat that my father bought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat.
וְאָתָא חֻטְרָא וְהִכָּה לְכַלְבָּא, דְּנָשַׁךְ לְשֻׁנְרָא, דְּאָכְלָה לְגַדְיָא, דְּזַבִּן אַבָּא בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי, חַד גַּדְיָא, חַד גַּדְיָא.	Et venit baculus & percussit canem, qui momorderat catum, qui comederat hœdulum, quem emerat pater duobus solidis, unum hœdulum, unum hœdulum.	A stick came and hit the dog that bit the cat that ate the goat that my father bought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat.
וְאָתָא נוּרָא וְשָׂרַף לְחֻטְרָא, דְּהִכָּה לְכַלְבָּא, דְּנָשַׁךְ לְשֻׁנְרָא, דְּאָכְלָה לְגַדְיָא, דְּזַבִּן אַבָּא בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי, חַד גַּדְיָא, חַד גַּדְיָא.	Et venit ignis, & combussit baculum, qui percusserat canem, qui momorderat catum, qui comederat hœdulum, quem emerat pater duobus solidis, unum hœdulum, unum hœdulum.	A fire came and burned the stick that hit the dog that bit the cat that ate the goat that my father bought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat.
וְאָתָא מַיָּא וְכָבָה לְנוּרָא, דְּשָׂרַף לְחֻטְרָא, דְּהִכָּה לְכַלְבָּא, דְּנָשַׁךְ לְשֻׁנְרָא, דְּאָכְלָה לְגַדְיָא, דְּזַבִּן אַבָּא בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי, חַד גַּדְיָא, חַד גַּדְיָא.	Et venerunt aquæ & extinxerunt ignem, qui combusserat baculum, qui percusserat canem, qui momorderat catum, qui comederat hœdulum, quem emerat pater duobus solidis, unum hœdulum, unum hœdulum.	Water came and put out the fire that burned the stick that hit the dog that bit the cat that ate the goat that my father bought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat.
וְאָתָא תּוֹרָא וְשָׁתָא לְמַיָּא, דְּכָבָה לְנוּרָא, דְּשָׂרַף לְחֻטְרָא, דְּהִכָּה לְכַלְבָּא, דְּנָשַׁךְ לְשֻׁנְרָא, דְּאָכְלָה לְגַדְיָא, דְּזַבִּן אַבָּא בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי, חַד גַּדְיָא, חַד גַּדְיָא.	Et venit bos, & ebibit aquas, quæ extinxerant ignem, qui combusserat baculum, qui percusserat canem, qui momorderat catum, qui comederat hœdulum, quem emerat pater duobus solidis, unum hœdulum, unum hœdulum.	An ox came and drank the water that put out the fire that burned the stick that hit the dog that bit the cat that ate the goat that my father bought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat.
וְאָתָא הַשּׁוֹחֵט וְשָׁחַט לְתוֹרָא, דְּשָׁתָא לְמַיָּא, דְּכָבָה לְנוּרָא, דְּשָׂרַף לְחֻטְרָא, דְּהִכָּה לְכַלְבָּא, דְּנָשַׁךְ לְשֻׁנְרָא, דְּאָכְלָה לְגַדְיָא, דְּזַבִּן אַבָּא בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי, חַד גַּדְיָא, חַד גַּדְיָא.	Et venit lanius, & mactavit bovem, qui ebiberat aquas, quæ extinxerant ignem, qui combusserat baculum, qui percusserat canem, qui momorderat catum, qui comederat hœdulum, quem emerat pater duobus solidis, unum hœdulum, unum hœdulum.	A butcher came and slaughtered the ox that drank the water that put out the fire that burned the stick that hit the dog that bit the cat that ate the goat that my father bought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat.
וְאָתָא מַלְאַךְ־הַמָּ֫וֶת וְשָׁחַט לְשׁוֹחֵט, דְּשָׁחַט לְתוֹרָא, דְּשָׁתָא לְמַיָּא, דְּכָבָה לְנוּרָא, דְּשָׂרַף לְחֻטְרָא, דְּהִכָּה לְכַלְבָּא, דְּנָשַׁךְ לְשֻׁנְרָא, דְּאָכְלָה לְגַדְיָא, דְּזַבִּן אַבָּא בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי, חַד גַּדְיָא, חַד גַּדְיָא.	Et venit Angelus mortis, & mactavit lanium, qui mactaverat bovem, qui ebiberat aquas, quæ extinxerant ignem, qui combusserat baculum, qui percusserat canem, qui momorderat catum, qui comederat hœdulum, quem emerat pater duobus solidis, unum hœdulum, unum hœdulum.	The Angel of Death came and slaughtered the shoḥet who slaughtered the ox that drank the water that put out the fire that burned the stick that hit the dog that bit the cat that ate the goat that my father bought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat.
וְאָתָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא וְשָׁחַט לְמַלְאַךְ־הַמָּ֫וֶת דְּשָׁחַט לְשׁוֹחֵט, דְּשָׁחַט לְתוֹרָא, דְּשָׁתָא לְמַיָּא, דְּכָבָה לְנוּרָא, דְּשָׂרַף לְחֻטְרָא, דְּהִכָּה לְכַלְבָּא, דְּנָשַׁךְ לְשֻׁנְרָא, דְּאָכְלָה לְגַדְיָא, דְּזַבִּן אַבָּא בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי, חַד גַּדְיָא, חַד גַּדְיָא.	Et venit Deus sanctus, benedictus (sit) ille, & mactavit Angelum mortis, qui mactaverat lanium, qui mactaverat bovem, qui ebiberat aquas, quæ extinxerant ignem, qui combusserat baculum, qui percusserat canem, qui momorderat catum, qui comederat hœdulum, quem emerat pater duobus solidis, unum hœdulum, unum hœdulum.	Then the blessed Holy One came and slaughtered the Angel of Death who slaughtered the shoḥet who slaughtered the ox that drank the water that put out the fire that burned the stick that hit the dog that bit the cat that ate the goat that my father bought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat.

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This is the medieval piyyut, Ḥad Gadya, in its Latin translation by Johann Stephan Rittangel as found in his translation of the Pesaḥ seder haggadah, Liber Rituum Paschalium (1644). Transcription of the Latin by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer, and of the Hebrew (with English translation) by Aharon Varady.

Source(s)

 

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Contributor: Johann Stephan Rittangel (Latin translation)

Co-authors:

• 
  Name: Johann Stephan Rittangel (Latin translation)
  Bio: Johann Stephan Rittangel (Latin: Rittangelius) (b.1606 Forscheim near Bamberg – d. 1652 Königsberg ) was a Christian Hebraist. Born Jewish, he later converted to Catholicism, and later to Calvinism and Lutheranism. In 1640, Rittangel was appointed professor of Oriental languages at the University of Königsberg (Prussia). In 1641, Rittangel visited a community of Karaite Jews in Trakai, before traveling to London and then to the Dutch Republic where, in Amsterdam, he taught Hebrew and possibly identified, for a time, as a Jew. In July 1642 he left the Low Countries to go to Königsberg, where he spent the rest of his life until his death in 1652. He obtained a Hebrew manuscript of the Sefer Yezirah through the Mennonite merchant Gerebrand Anslo, for a translation into Latin in 1642 ( Liber Jezirah qui Abrahamo Patriarchae adscribitur). In 1644, he published his Latin translation of the Passover Haggadah. He made one of the earliest translations of Jewish prayers, under the title Hochfeyerliche Sollennitaeten, Gebethe und Collecten Anstatt der Opfer, Nebst Andern Ceremonien so von der Jüdischen Kirchen am Ersten Neuen-Jahrs-Tag Gebetet und Abgehandelt Werden Müssen, Königsberg, 1652. His posthumous work Bilibra Veritatis was written to substantiate the claim that the Targums prove the doctrine of the Trinity. This is also the subject of his Veritas Religionis Christianæ (Franeker, 1699).
  Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Stephan_Rittangel
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/johann-stephan-rittangel
• 
  Name: Unknown Author(s)
  Bio: Sometimes the best we can do in attributing a historical work is to indicate the period and place it was written, the first prayer book it may have been printed in, or the archival collection in which the manuscript was found. We invite the public to help to attribute all works to their original composers. If you know something not mentioned in the commentary offered, please leave a comment or contact us.
  Website:
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/unknown
• 
  Name: Aharon N. Varady (transcription)
  Bio: Aharon Varady (M.A.J.Ed./JTSA Davidson) is a volunteer transcriber for the Open Siddur Project. If you find any mistakes in his transcriptions, please let him know. Shgiyot mi yavin; Ministarot naqeni שְׁגִיאוֹת מִי־יָבִין; מִנִּסְתָּרוֹת נַקֵּנִי "Who can know all one's flaws? From hidden errors, correct me" (Psalms 19:13). If you'd like to directly support his work, please consider donating via his Patreon account. (Varady also translates prayers and contributes his own original work besides serving as the primary shammes of the Open Siddur Project and its website, opensiddur.org.)
  Website: https://aharon.varady.net
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/aharon-varady-transcription
• 
  Name: Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)
  Bio: From a family of musicians, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer believes that creative art is one of the most powerful ways to get in touch with the divine. He composes music and poetry in Hebrew and English. (He also authors his own original works and transcribes Hebrew and Aramaic text, adding niqqud and t'amim as needed.) Isaac runs a Jewish music transcription service, which will transcribe and set any Jewish music in any language, recorded or written. Contact his service on Facebook or via his music blog.
  Website: https://igmjewishcreativeworks.com
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/isaac-gantwerk-mayer-translation

Featured Image:

Title: Goat – Museum Meermanno, MMW, 10 B 25, folio 20r
Caption: Goat (Museum Meermanno, MMW, 10 B 25, folio 20r)