Lucubration

I could lucubrate largely de omni scibili, but paper happily runs short. —Thomas Arnold, 1795–18421

The lucubrator's2 day is litrefacient,3 to be sure (e.g. four post- to eight ante-meridiem); but the georgical4 is superior (media nox to four post meridiem).5

While facient men6 prefer either to the journal7 or illucubrate day, one is tardy and sinister; the other, fresh and dextrous.

Footnotes:

1

Kathleen Haley gewidmet

2

[a. L. lucubrare ] To work by artificial light.

3

[a. L. littera: letter, facere: to make] Producing words; whether writing, composing or programming.\par \par Formed on analogy with obdurefacio [< obdurare ] as opposed to, say, afficio [< affeci ]; on account of the strong a and first conjugation.\par \par The elision of the medial e in litera- \(\to\) litra- is probably illegitimate.

4

[a. Gr. γεοργός husbandman] Agricultural. 1660 BURNEY Κέρδ. Δῶρον (1661) 42 Men wil sweat upon certain ground in georgical affairs, and venture themselves upon uncertain ground in warlike exploits.

5

It should be noted that Glenn Gould preferred georgical to lucubratory.

6

Cf. Nietzsches's schaffender Mensch: “Den Schaffenden hassen sie am meisten: den, der Tafeln bricht und alte Werthe, den Brecher - den heissen sie Verbrecher.” Zarathustra, §56.\par \par [They hate facient man the most: he who breaks tables and old values; the breaker: they nominate him law-breaker.]

7

[a. L. diurnalem ] Diurnal. 1590 SPENSER F.Q. I. xi. 31 Phœbus..his faint steedes watred in Ocean deepe, Whiles from their iournall labours they did rest.