Carmen Possum

Carmen Possum is a popular 40-line comical poem written in a mix of Latin and English. Its author is unknown, but given its theme and language it can be surmised that he or she was from the United States, and either a teacher or a student of Latin.

The poem takes off from a play of words in the title: possum means "I can" in Latin, and "opossum" in colloquial English. Thus, while carmen possum sounds like valid Latin, it only makes sense when translated as "The Opossum's Song".

The poem can be used as a pedagogical device for elementary Latin teaching. The language mix includes vocabulary, morphology (turnus) and grammar (trunkum longum).

Carmen Possum is also a musical piece by Middle English recitals The Towneley Plays (ca. 1460). In play 24 (The Talents), Pontius Pilate proclaims

...

Stynt, I say! gyf men place

quia sum dominus dominorum!

he that agans me says

rapietur lux oculorum;

Therfor gyf ye me space

ne tendam vim brachiorum,

And then get ye no grace

contestor Iura polorum,

Caueatis; Rewle I the Iure,

Maxime pure,

Towne quoque rure,

Me paueatis.

Stemate regali

kyng atus gate me of pila;

Tramite legali

Am I ordand to reyn apon Iuda,

Nomine wlgari

pownce pilate, that may ye well say,

Qui bene wlt fari

shuld call me fownder of all lay.

...