Mira Moenia (Oasis’s “Wonderwall” in Latin)

Oasis’s Smash Single Is 25 Years Old

[Editor’s Note: In late 1995, Oasis released (What’s The Story) Morning Glory, which went on to become the best-selling record of the 1990s. An astonishing one in three British households would end up with a copy of the record. Several years ago, Jon Meyer produced a Latin version of the song “Wonderwall,” which has demonstrated the song’s continued popularity. Its composer Noel Gallagher has said the song is about a dream of a “friend who’s going to come and save you from yourself.” The song is easy to sing: both men and women find the notes easy to reach. There is a long four-bar intro (it’s worth counting it out to get yourself started correctly), and once you start, the words in the verses come thick and quickly. Elisions, which are important, are noted here, and note also that depereat is here almost three syllables. For the chorus (“fortasse”) you can get the whole room singing, which is just lovely. As for the Latin, it’s all the adroitness you’d expect from Jon Meyer — look at the ablative “qui” meaning “how” in “nescio qui,” or deperire to mean “love.” Mira Latinitas!]

WONDERWALL (MIRA MOENIA)

(Oasis) (Gallagher)(tr. Meyer) [1995]

Dies hic erit is dies quando rurs(um) id iacient tibi

Nunc iam debebas etiam scire quae agend(a) essent tibi

Non credo esse quemquam qui sic depereat te sicut ego

Hercle, loquuntur homines ignem tui cordis exstinctum

Certe audiveras ante, tamen null(um) habebas dubium

Non credo esse quemquam qui sic depereat te sicut ego

[Pons]

Et nobis sunt anfractus ambulandi

Et luces sunt capaces nos caecandi

Sunt et multa de quibus velim loqui tecum

Sed nescio qui

[Chorus]

Fortasse

Eris talis qualis servas me

Post omnia

Mira (e)s moenia

Dies hic erit is dies quando rurs(um) id iacient tibi

Nunc iam debebas etiam scire quae vitand(a) essent tibi

Non credo esse quemquam qui sic depereat te sicut ego

[Pons]

Et nobis sunt anfractus ambulandi

Et luces sunt capaces nos caecandi

Sunt et multa de quibus velim loqui tecum

Sed nescio qui

[Chorus]

Fortasse

Eris talis qualis servas me

Post omnia

Mira (e)s moenia

[chorus repetitur ad finem]