A correspondence corner for not-so-famous lost words

Correspondence on not-so-famous lost words

Jacob Adler seeks a source for the assertion by Menasseh ben Israel in book 2, chapter 26, of Nishmat Hayyim [The Breath of Life], (Amsterdam, 1651), that if an elephant “kills a human being, he does not leave the body until he has cut branches and twigs from the trees of the forest and covered it up and buried it beneath them ”

“Italian and Spanish song texts” (September-October). “After a fair bit of searching,” Constantine Finehouse found the texts Ernest Bergel sought “on this pretty marvelous website: lieder.net.” The site traces the Italian song to an 1841 compilation, Canti popolari toscani, corsi, illirici, greci, raccolti ed illustrati da Niccolò Tommaseo (Venezia, G. Tasso), but provides only the texts, without further sourcing, for the two Spanish songs.

Send inquiries and answers to Chapter and Verse, Harvard Magazine, 7 Ware Street, Cambridge 02138, or via email to chapterandverse@harvardmag.com.

You might also like

Open Book: A New Nuclear Age

Harvard historian Serhii Plokhy’s latest book looks at the rising danger of a new arms race.

Novelist Lev Grossman on Why Fantasy Isn’t About Escapism

The Magicians author discusses his influences, from Harvard to King Arthur to Tolkien.

For Campus Speech, Civility is a Cultural Practice

A former Harvard College dean reviews Princeton President Christopher Eisgruber’s book Terms of Respect.

Most popular

Stirred, Shaken, and Sung

At the end of Pink Martini’s Carnegie Hall debut this past June, a conga line broke out in the audience and bounced its way up and down...

Harvard Students, Alumni to Compete at the 2026 Olympics

Six Crimson athletes are headed to the XXV Winter Games in Milano Cortina. 

AI Is Risky Business for the Power Grid, Harvard Experts Say

An Institute of Politics panel focused on the technology’s rapid expansion 

Explore More From Current Issue

Lawrence H. Summers, looking serious while speaking at a podium with a microphone.

Harvard in the News

Grade inflation, Epstein files fallout, University database breach 

An image depicting high carb ultra processed foods, those which are often associated with health risks

Is Ultraprocessed Food Really That Bad?

A Harvard professor challenges conventional wisdom. 

Cover of "Harvard's Best" featuring a woman in a red and black gown holding a sword.

A Forgotten Harvard Anthem

Published the year the Titanic sank, “Harvard’s Best” is a quizzical ode to the University.