A Marching Song for Those Long Meseta Stretches

Mmmm yes ....a catchy little tune might help

For some unknown reason "The British Grenadiers" is my internal marching music when I need a giddy up.

I march to the Aires de Pontevedra, as done by Carlos Nunez... THAT gets me moving...

Here's one of my "marching songs"

John Finn said:

I doubt if there is any man of a certain age (those of us weaned on the Roman epic movies of the 1960s starring Charlton Heston et al) who, when striding purposefully across the Meseta, does not at some stage imagine himself in the uniform of a Roman legionary.

The Emperor Trajan marched his Seventh Legion soldiers here en route to León and if you listen very carefully on, for instance, that long stretch between Carrión de los Condes and Caldadilla de la Cueza, you may still hear the sound of their marching feet echoing down the centuries.

And like soldiers on the march everywhere and at every time they sang their way along. Thanks to Suetonius, we know the words of one such marching song but not, alas, the tune. Anyhow, here it is:

Urbani, servate uxores, moechum calvum adducimus.
Aurum in gallia effutuisti, hic sumpsisti mutuum.
Gallias caesar subegit, nicomedes caesarem, ecce caesar nunc triumphat qui subegit gallias.
Nicomedes non triumphat, qui subegit caesarem.
Gallos caesar in triumphum ducit, idem in curiam, galli bracas deposuerunt, latum clavum sumperunt.

Which roughly translates as:

Citizens, keep an eye on your wives, we’re bringing back the bald adulterer. He’s stashed away the gold in Gaul that you loaned him here in Rome.
Caesar vanquished the Gauls, Nicomedes Caesar, Caesar who vanquished the Gauls now triumphs. Nicomedes does not triumph, who vanquished Caesar.
Caesar leads the Gauls in triumph, likewise into the Senate House. The Gauls have laid aside their trousers and put on the broad purple stripe.

I guess it loses something in translation.

Now if only someone could set the words to a rousing tune we could adopt it as our Meseta marching song

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How many in your group. I love peace and quiet and solitude so avoid groups but love a good sing song with my vino

I took along lyrics to songs and on those days on the meseta, I put that time to good use. Learned the first verse and chorus to Ultreia. And I don't speak French.

John Finn said:

...
Now if only someone could set the words to a rousing tune we could adopt it as our Meseta marching song

Click to expand...

Left, right, left, right, left, right,...???
Not really a translation but would that do???

On my first Camino, I repeated all the somewhat salty language ditties I was taught in basic training. That got me started and over the Pyrenees.

Then I got away from that line of useless repetition, to serious meditation. But, over five Caminos I discovered that what works best for me was going into what I call "zombie turtle mode."

I simply find my walking pace for the terrain and weather presenting itself, then consciously empty my mind of conscious thoughts, and allow the Camino to fill the empty space. I also use the deep breathing, relaxation exercises I was taught as part of my self-hypnosis exercises to get "in the groove." I find my mind is soon overflowing with the sights, sounds, and smells of the Camino. It is wonderful. I just give in and get along...

Then, there are the metaphysical and religious meditative thoughts that creep into my subconscious and overflow into my conscious state. However, I find that, whatever route I am on, and if I am walking solo, after perhaps three days, God and I have nothing left to say, at least directly. So, I just shut up and listen. Those who know me, KNOW how hard this is for me...

On my first Camino, in 2013, I had the privilege of walking from Orisson to Logrono with the late Rev. Philip J. Wren, just before he passed away in the municipal albergue at Logrono. During the week or so we walked together, he enlightened me to what he considered "the sounds of God in nature." If you know what to listen for the results are amazing, profound and life-altering.

All of this gets me through the tougher spots each day, especially when my hip and knee joints are on fire with pain, I cannot take any more medication, and it won't stop raining...

I hope this helps.

This keeps me happily strolling along