Daily Latin

The Stoics and Epicureans agree philosophy is the way. Philosophiae servias oportet, ut tibi contingat vera libertas. It is necessary that you must serve philosophy, so that you may gain true freedom. Philosophiae: to philosophy Servias: may you serve, you must serve Oportet: it is necessary Ut contingat: so that it may happen Tibi: to you Vera libertas: true freedom

Virgil prophesies Carthage’s avenger. Exoriare aliquis nostris ex ossibus ultor May someone arise, an avenger, out of our bones Exoriare: may you arise Aliquis: someone Nostris: our (abl. pl.) Ex ossibus: from (our) bones Ultor: avenger

Ausonius shows battles won without weapons, or anything else really. Armatam vidit Venerem Lacedaemone Pallas. “Nunc certemus,” ait, “iudice vel Paride.” Cui Venus: “Armatam tu me, temeraria, temnis, quae, quo te vici tempore, nuda fui?” Minerva saw Venus armed in Sparta. “Now let us fight,” she said, “with Paris as judge, even.” To whom Venus: “reckless are you to scorn me, now I am armed,  I, wh...

Statius on the power of dignity and justice. Vade, atra dature supplicia, extremique tamen secure sepulcri. Go, you who are destined to suffer dark punishments, yet without fear of your final tomb. Vade: Go! Atra: black, gloomy Dature: about to give, suffer Supplicia: punishments Extremi sepulcri: of the final tomb Tamen: yet, nevertheless Secure: without fear, safely

Lucretius on how to live in the world. Quod siquis vera vitam ratione gubernet, divitiae grandes homini sunt vivere parce aequo animo; neque enim est umquam penuria parvi. That if anyone should govern their life with true reason, there are great riches to a man who may live simply with a calm mind; for indeed one lacks not, who has little. Quod: but, because, that Siquis: if anyone Vera: true Rati...

Ovid drinks to oblivion Aut nulla ebrietas, aut tanta sit, ut tibi curas eripiat Either no drunkenness, or let it be so great that it dispels your worries Aut … aut: either … or Nulla: no Ebrietas: drunkenness Tanta: so great, much Sit: let it be Ut: so that Tibi: for you  Curas: cares, worries Eripiat: takes away, dispels

Martial says the rich get richer. Dantur opes nullis nunc nisi divitibus. Wealth is now given to no one but the rich. Dantur: are given Opes: wealth Nullis: to no one Nunc: now Nisi: except, unless Divitibus: to the rich

Statius on the fatalism of epic warfare. Huc mecum ad manes. Come here, with me, to the spirits of the dead. Huc: to here Mecum: with me Ad: to, toward Manes: the spirits of the dead

Seneca is circumspect on success. Non est tuum, fortuna quod fecit tuum. It is not yours, what Fortune has made yours. Non est: it is not Tuum: yours Fortuna: the goddess of luck Quod: what Fecit: made Tuum: yours

Gellius sets the stage for a morality tale. "In Circo Maximo," inquit, "venationis amplissimae, pugna populo dabatur." “In the Circus Maximus,” he said, “a most magnificent hunt and fight was being given to the people.” In Circo Maximo: in the Circus Maximus Inquit: he said Venationis: of a hunt Amplissimae: most magnificent (superlative agreeing with venationis) Pugna: fight,...

Aeneas makes landfall in Italy having lost his father. Hic labor extremus, longarum haec meta viarum. This, our final struggle, the last of our long wanderings. Hic: this Labor: labour, effort, struggle, trial Extremus: last, final Longarum: long Haec: demonstrative pronoun referring to meta Meta: goal, end point Viarum: of the roads/journeys

Martial’s irony captures the essence of wealth. Quas dederis solas semper habebis opes. The only riches you will always have, you will have given away. Quas: relative pronoun referring to opes Dederis: you will have given Solas: only Semper: always Habebis: you will have Opes: wealth, riches

Statius is no self-help guru. Invida Fata piis et Fors ingentibus ausis rara comes. Fate spites the righteous and Fortune rarely attends to the daring. Invida: jealous, spiteful Fata: fates, destinies Piis: to the righteous, dutiful Et: and Fors: Fortune Ingentibus: mighty, vast Ausis: daring deeds, bold ventures Rara: rare Comes: companion, attendant

Seneca’s secret to be content. Nisi sapienti sua non placent Unless to the wise person, his own things are not pleasing Or more idiomatically:  The wise alone are content with what is theirs Nisi: unless Sapienti: to the wise man/woman/person Sua: his own things Non placent: are not pleasing

Virgil, on the sorrow lived and seen as one wanders the world. Sunt lacrimae rerum et mentem mortalia tangunt. There are tears for such things, and mortal things that touch the heart. Sunt: there are Lacrimae: tears Rerum: of things, events, affairs Et: and Mentem: mind, heart Mortalia: mortal things, human affairs, things subject to death Tangunt: touch

Why rush fame, if the price is death? Martial is in no hurry. Si post fata venit gloria, non propero. If after the fates glory comes, I am not rushing. Si: if Post fata: after the fates (i.e. after death) Venit: comes, arrives Gloria: glory Non propero: I do not hurry, I am not rushing

Love is a battlefield, says Ovid. Bella mihi, video, bella parantur. Wars against me, I see, wars are being prepared. Bella: wars Mihi: for me, against me Video: I see Parantur: are being prepared

Ausonius plays on passion ungoverned. Nymphis quae Hylam merserunt furtim: Naides amore saevo et irrito: ephebus iste flos erit. To the nymphs who secretly drowned Hylas,   the Naiads’ with savage and unfulfilled love,   that young man will be a flower. Nymphis: to the nymphs Quae: who Hylam: accusative of Hylas Merserunt: they drowned, plunged Furtim: secretly, stealthily Naides: the Naiads Amore...

One friend is a stage, for Seneca. Satis enim magnum alter alteri theatrum sumus. Indeed, we are a large enough stage for one another. Satis: enough, quite Enim: for, indeed Magnum: great, large, impressive (agrees with theatrum) Alter … alteri: one … for the other (reciprocal pronouns) Theatrum: theatre (literal), stage, spectacle, audience (metaphorical) Sumus: we are

Ovid speaks of the daring love requires. Per Styga detur, Stygias transabimus undas; sunt mihi naturae iura novanda meae. If passage be granted through the Styx, we will cross over Stygian waves; the laws of my nature must be changed Per: through Styga: Styx (accusative singular) Detur: if it be granted Stygias: Stygian (plural adjective) Undas: waves Transabimus: we will cross over Sunt mihi: I h...

Seneca emphasises that philosophy is to be lived Zenonem Cleanthes non expressisset, si tantummodo audisset. Cleanthes would not have imitated Zeno if he had merely heard him Zenonem: Zeno (accusative singular) Cleanthes: proper noun (nominative singular) Non: not Expressisset: would have imitated Si: if Tantummodo: only, merely Audisset: had heard

Statius shows the trauma of war.  Tydea consumpsi! Quanam hoc ego morte piabo? I have destroyed Tydeus! By what kind of death will I atone this? Tydea: Tydeus (the person) in the accusative singular Consumpsi: I have destroyed Quanam: by what kind of Hoc: this Ego: I Morte: death (ablative of means) Piabo: I will atone

Juvenal satirises insatiable ambition. ‘Acti,’ inquit, ‘nihil est, nisi Poeno milite portas frangimus et media vexillum pono Subura.’ ‘Nothing is achieved’, he said, ‘unless we break the gates with a Carthaginian soldier and I plant the banner in the heart of Subura.’ Acti: driven, led. In context here, it means an action that has happened. Inquit: he says Nihil est: nothing is Nisi: unless Poeno:...

Martial laments Vesuvius Hic est pampineis viridis modo Vesbius umbris Here is Vesuvius, recently green with the shadows of vine leaves. Hic: this, here is (nominative singular) Est: is Papineis: with vine covered, leafy Viridis: green Umbris: with shadows Modo: recently Vesuvius: proper noun in the nominative singular

Hermes Trismegistus seeks out the esoteric. Cupio, inquam, rerum naturam dicere: deumque cognoscere I wish, I said, to speak of the nature of things, and to know God. Cupio: I desire, wish Inquam: I said Rerum: of things Naturam: nature Dicere: to say, speak, explain Deum: God -que: and Cognoscere: to know, learn