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Sónius Fulgéssus Lengo

A short introduction


Sónius Fulgéssus Lágo, often referred to only by his first name, Sónius, was one of the most ingenius poets during the Imperial Era of the Confederation of Tarrabaenia. He lived during the transition from elective to hereditary monarchy and was commissioned by the first emperor Baius Válés Aemiliánus to write paeans and Tarrabaenias most well known epos - or even piece of art in general. He fell into disgrace and was exiled to the north eventually for his flamboyant lifestyle and licentious sexual innuendos in non-commisioned works. This, in the end, might have saved his life, as only after being sent into exile his bold criticism snuck into his commissioned works was unveiled as such.


With regret one begins to write a chapter about the most accomplished, Sónius Fulgéssus Lengo, as only an entire scroll would do justice him, who wrote our history, our very fatherland.
- Ávius Hirsius Larsa in Poets of the Past


 

Family background and personal life


Sónius stems from Palissa in the very southwest of the Confederation of Tarrabaenia. He was born some time around the year 3110 of the Era of the Earth. Not much is known about his family or his early life, as he was born into the Second Tarrabaenian Civil War. The historian Ávius Hirsius Larsa claims, during his research for his work Poets of the Past, he found sources linking Sónius to the Fulgéssus family, that was known for their olive oil trade. This might make him a relative of Ólus Fulgéssus Potitor, holder of the title induperátor manpelóm contentóm, one of Tarrabaenias most capable military leaders during the Reconquest of the South against the Mdûlûn.

When Sónius was a young man he left his home state in Palissa and moved to Savína. His early time in the capital lies as much in the dark as his youth. In 3129 he was discovered by Soránus Sillius Caelína, who was famous for his support of all kinds of art and artists. He was also responsible for bringing Sónius to Baius Válés Aemiliánus' attention.

During the final stretches of the Second Tarrabaenian Civil War, Baius Válés Aemilianus began to ask Sónius to write and recite paeans on occasion of victories he achieved. These paeans are said to be the most artful ever written in the Tarrabaenian language. When the civil war ended, though, it became clear that Baius wouldn't restore the elective monarchy, but rather cling to the title and inherit it to his son. Sónius seemed to have put a good face on the matter, as he composed the 12.000 verse epic Paridis on Emperor Válés' behest, probably his most famous work. The Paridis is universally acclaimed as the defining text of the Tarrabaenians and was - unlike other of Sónius' work - not forbidden and burnt after his falling out of favour.

The first years of Emperor Válés were a time of success for Sónius, but being a devout supporter of the old political setup, Sónius withdrew gradually from work at the court and worked more on private commissions. Not only felt Emperor Válés slighted by this, but Sónius' private work stood in harsh opposition to Válés' policy. Válés saw himself as restitutor of traditional Tarrabaenian values and beliefs. His notoriously conservative legislature was caricated and undermined in a lot of Sónius' works. In 3142 of the Era of the Earth Sónius published his poem Through the Closed Door, which was seen as so outrageous and obscene, that Válés exiled him to the former provisory province of Trásacuina. Later he vanished, as he was eventually proscribed. He might have fled to Madini, as his capture or execution was never documented.


"Maestre, maestre, did Sónius write something besides the Paridis?"
"Of course - Kó flús claríssus or Lituí clúint porriú próiá or Fériátí nós come to mind."
"I heard about something with a beaker as well and also Through the clo...."
"By the gods, your mouth shall be closed and nothing come through about that!"
- A student and a teacher during class


Works


Sónius' works can be divided into four phases. Due to his falling out of favour only parts of his work survived to different capacities. (For a possibly complete list see right.)

 
The first phase is his youth, up to the time when he was discovered by Soránus Sillius Caelína. Not much of his work from this phase survives, but what we have are mostly lists of titles indicating he wrote on topics like escapism and idealised land life. One of his most well known poems from that time that actually survived to this day is the Úquádó luscinnula.

 
The second phase spans from 3129 to 3136, the time from his discovery up until the publication of his magnum opus, the Paridis.

 
The third phase is characterised by being disparate: Works written on behest of Emperor Válés as well as private commissions or poems of own experimentation fall into this phase.

 
After his exilation in 3142, during the fourth phase, he wrote versed letters to his friends in Savína and supposedly also to his family back in Palissa lamenting on his fate. A collection of the still extant letters was compiled by Cécius Trevérus Varró under the name Gemitús Séis. Furthermore a lament called O Gelú Ginátris Gela exists from that time.

Úquádó luscinnula in Tarrabaenian
Translation
Úquádó luscinnula intibicantórat
súter et implicátur lúné lús stellé splendré.
Ó ávis in fronde viríde velátá nébula lís.
Age penniculáta perinsibilá amatóré híc.
Tene amatóré studiósé ventram horam sciditís.
Nam lepidíma humús nótra scitulát dieí sed
pressitat ingravitat nótra praecordia umbré.
Fídés dát prossús homo nóis et ager id ad tempus.
Fundere nóis arás est dátricis lós. Ita ornant
nós fere dacria. Ávis et noitú mónét cordé:
Patria bella sed orba sine fámiliáte amícís.
Ávis arát et donút isa síc et adaecat et hominís.
Once a nightingale wistled
underneath moon and stars, engulfed by their shine and splendor.
Oh bird, you're sitting in emerald leaves amidst the misty fluff.
On, featherbearer, entice your lover to come hence with your song!
Hold him tight, ere the coming morrow separates you!
While, alas, this most beautiful of lands is fair by day,
it presses and burdens our heart at night.
At due time, our most closest or the land offers us hold.
You be praised for the gift your song brings us. It adorns
us with teary pearls. You, bird, who reminds us in the night:
Beautiful is our homeland, but lonely without family and friends.
You, bird, bestow a gift and are one yourself, feeling like us humans.



Position in Tarrabaenian literary history and reception


Even with all its diversity and different cultural influences, all of Tarrabaenia is at least united by its unshaken love for the Paridis. It is still the most often used text in schools almost 1400 years after its inception. His other works have varying fates. Most of his early works are lost to time with only lists of titles being preserved, while the works of the third and fourth phase of his artistic life have suffered bans and book burnings, as they either contradicted the morale rules and laws of the empire or even contained hidden scorn towards Emperor Válés himself. It is not known, what share of his later letters Cécius Trevérus Varró could collect, as these were also sought out by emperor Válés' and his successors' henchmen.

 
Ironically the poem, that earned him his exilation nowadays is his second most popular work. Though still being considered titillating, also by current standards, the subversive nature of the work has led to it being handed around in secret, while it was forbidden. Today many know it, but not many dare to talk about it in public.
by Kveldulfr83
 

List of Sónius Fulgéssus Lengo's known works (if underlined, only titles or fragments are extant)


First phase   Lós ótunális (Praising autumn)
Oés spergentés coiís (Sheep scattered across the hills)
Murmur ríbulí (Whispering of a brook)
Óiés sasónici (Firs on a rocky patch)
Úquádó luscinnula (Once the nightingale sang a song...)
Umrae ólua (In the shade of an olive tree)
Lurulé noitis (Sounds of the night)
Kó flús claríssus (Where the spings are the most clear)

  Second phase
  Cótus ísplenditur (The north is lit)
Reímus trás príssió línnia (Beyond old frontiers)
Sívolúns únósse quod únórat (If on were what was one)
Órélús atínit satúrá glébá (Dawn touches upon the the entire world)
Agramus pré níoré (We shall farm by the forest)
Cíntó Mácriá óleáié (All around the olive gardens)
Lituí clúint porriú próiá (The trumpets sound farther than before)
O náta Dióvis hercií (Oh daughter of our Magnificent Protector)
Paridis

  Third phase
  Réstitúta vécús (Our capital is restored)
Fériátí nós (God-bestowed festivities upon us)
Sollenipíla sintillant (The ritual weapons are shining bright)
Pás peréva (Lasting peace)
Ábulássó (Strolling)
Lóticillia (Small poems accompanied by the lute)
Poculluló (My little beaker)
Váticináta varia vínária (Collection of rhymes made while drinking wine)
Porticús (The collonade)
Paraclósitiró (Through the closed door)

  Fourth phase
  Missicula 1-23 (Short letters 1 to 23; 2, 7, 17, 23 extant)
Missús 1-4 (Long letters 1-4; only parts of 3 and 4 extant)
O Gelú Ginátris Gela (Oh Gela, Bearer of Ice)

Children

Comments

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Jan 22, 2022 20:36

Great read. Very interesting to have him sneak in his position more and more to the point that it was just burned by he old sponsor :p Also quite peculiar that they kept the first one still, was probably to loved to get it removed.   Also kudos for making some prose in your conlang as well!

Feel free to check my new world Terra Occidentalis if you want to see what I am up to!
Feb 8, 2022 09:19

Happy you liked it. :) Yeah, being a historical figure, the preservation of his works is not the best. The national epos and some of the propaganda-stuff of course, but with the rest it's more luck that we actually have something. There also seemed to have been an underground trade - how else would the sleazy Paraclósitiró have survived? ^^

My world is Samthô - a 'as realistic as possible' fantasy-world, that's still in its childhood stage.
A current addition to Samthô is my contribution to the rivers ant waterways challenge: Paunis
Jan 26, 2022 15:49

Nice article. I really like the teacher and student dialogue. The teacher is basically: hide everything that puts the great national poet in a bad light

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Feb 8, 2022 09:19

Cool you liked it! Yeah, that one poem that led to his exilation is supposed to be quite something. Who knows if it will ever see the lights of our days as well... But there must be something about it or else the Tarrabaenians wouldn't have kept it.

My world is Samthô - a 'as realistic as possible' fantasy-world, that's still in its childhood stage.
A current addition to Samthô is my contribution to the rivers ant waterways challenge: Paunis
Jan 28, 2022 17:54

"Not only felt Emperor Válés slighted by this," i would put the emperors name at the start of this sentence also, in the last paragraph, you dropped a unit after 1400 "almost 1400 after its..."   All in all great job. The poetry, the intrigue, the bard being a bard. Also, 12,000 verse poem, wow. Just wow. you made your worlds Homer and Odyssey. Awesome job.

Check out some of my summer camp articles, like the dangerous flying jackalope or dragon wasps. Or, for something more light-hearted, there is the whimsical language Gobbledygook and Jaden's interesting job as a guano polisher.
Feb 8, 2022 09:22

Glad you like it! The issue with the unit is solved. Otherwise I seem to have hit the mark - he is indeed to be meant someone like Homer inspiration-wise and Virgil 'politics'-wise. One day the Paridis will get an article...

My world is Samthô - a 'as realistic as possible' fantasy-world, that's still in its childhood stage.
A current addition to Samthô is my contribution to the rivers ant waterways challenge: Paunis
Feb 1, 2022 21:25 by Catoblepon

I love the details of the works and the conlang thing! It's amazing :D

Feb 8, 2022 09:23

Happy to see you had a good read! :)

My world is Samthô - a 'as realistic as possible' fantasy-world, that's still in its childhood stage.
A current addition to Samthô is my contribution to the rivers ant waterways challenge: Paunis
Feb 2, 2022 21:07 by Angantyr

You have a very good and complex story there, Kvel. :) After reading the article, I feel that he wrote a massive ton of stuff, some of it banned and burned. I have difficulty picturing him as a living person, though. It is as if he is a historical character whose certain traits were hushed. I wonder if that was what you were aiming for. If so, then nice work.  

Reading-wise, the language (Tarrabaenian, I suppose) with the abundance of accents slowed me down (it could be because we use them only occasionally in Polish). The sidebar would do a great job handling all the works written by the author but is too small and fills only half of it — adding some visuals could lighten the structure. I can see the paragraphs in the last two sections, but it is slightly clumped. An indent BBCode [ in ] could do the charm.

  I think the overall historical feeling of the text could be increased using some old ink art, e.g., copperplate. Or other, appropriate for the world and technology at use at the time.

Playing around with words and worlds
Feb 8, 2022 09:28

Glad to see you liked the article! Yes, the information about his life is very fragmentary. He's been dead for 1400 years now and documentation was so so - so I seem to have let that shine through. The language has so many accents because it differentiates between short and long vowels - one day it'll get an article on it's own with more explanation. Worked a bit on the editing - hope it's better now. :)

My world is Samthô - a 'as realistic as possible' fantasy-world, that's still in its childhood stage.
A current addition to Samthô is my contribution to the rivers ant waterways challenge: Paunis
Feb 3, 2022 08:40 by Bart Weergang

This was a nice read, I like how you did the history and created the controvosy.

Feb 8, 2022 09:32

Happy to see you liked it! I took some inspiration from history - history still writes the best stories. :D

My world is Samthô - a 'as realistic as possible' fantasy-world, that's still in its childhood stage.
A current addition to Samthô is my contribution to the rivers ant waterways challenge: Paunis
Feb 6, 2022 03:52

Lots of great details in here. I like how you've included so many different elements: the quotes, the poem, the known works, the phases of his life, etc.

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Feb 15, 2022 17:27

Happy to see you liked the article. I am not so much of a 'narrative writer', it feels more encyclopedic, but I try to work on that and liven things up a bit - seems to have worked and I'm happy to see that in your comment. :)

My world is Samthô - a 'as realistic as possible' fantasy-world, that's still in its childhood stage.
A current addition to Samthô is my contribution to the rivers ant waterways challenge: Paunis
Feb 6, 2022 10:35

The quote is really great but I like it more that Sónius was a war poet and that his former sponsor burned him. I can imagine him sitting somewhere on a porch with a glass of wine or something and creating some other great works. Which will get published some time later. :) Great read.

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Feb 15, 2022 17:30

Glad you liked it. :) I took some inspiration from Roman poets and the exilation part is a nod to Ovid. And to be honest: Even some scholars jokingly say that he was probably not exiled, but wrote his Tristia and Letters from the Black Sea rather in some café in Rome, slurping a Latte Macchiato. :D

My world is Samthô - a 'as realistic as possible' fantasy-world, that's still in its childhood stage.
A current addition to Samthô is my contribution to the rivers ant waterways challenge: Paunis
Feb 7, 2022 08:33 by Amélie I. S. Debruyne

Great article! Seems to be inspired by Roman history, right? any particular figure inspired this character? Do you have any more information about what was in the Paridis?

To see what I am up to: my Summer Camp 2024.
Feb 15, 2022 17:35

Thanks for your comment - happy to see you liked my bard. I took some inspiration from Ovid (exilation and the NSFW content of his work) and Virgil (writing a national epic and hiding criticism in the work). I won't feel bothered to write the 12000 verse Paridis in verse and in conlang, but I am working on an overview article and will try to build some verses from the Paridis into future articles.

My world is Samthô - a 'as realistic as possible' fantasy-world, that's still in its childhood stage.
A current addition to Samthô is my contribution to the rivers ant waterways challenge: Paunis
Feb 13, 2022 13:19 by Secere Laetes

I'm still pleased that I found out who (among others) was the godfather. Latin was really good for something ^^.   Yes, what else can I say? Definitely a very classical poet, and if Tarrabaenia is really supposed to be similar to Rome, then it perfectly fits the feeling you want to achieve, considering what happened to some poets and thinkers from certain periods on. Sonius was really, really lucky. And at least he didn't have to kill himself.   Besides that, I find it very impressive that you actually brought in Tarrabaenian. It's amazing. I had considered it for the song, but that would have been too much work for me with Nethiler. And you actually did that work. Excellent. What I also liked was the catalogue of works. It made it seem even more historical and fitting. In that sense, he really is a completely different bard, but I liked him as he was.

Feb 15, 2022 16:59

He seems like such an influential and prolific author of his time, struggling with the politics that his fame entangled him with. His story feels very natural and has just the right complexity. I would have liked to read more about his flamboyant lifestyle and tastes, and his relation to the emperor. This makes me wish I remembered more of my school's latin!

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