Sunday, April 10, 2011

Pocula Parce Sume

This little poem comes from Disticha de Educatione of Urbano Appendini, published in 1834; you can see the whole book at Google Books.

Pocula Parce Sume
Nil quidquam ratione homini praestantius; illam
Pocula, ni parce sumpseris, eripiunt.

The vocabulary is keyed to the DCC Latin Vocabulary list. There is only one word in this poem that is not on the DCC list:

parcus, -a, -um: sparing, frugal; adv. parce
poculum (poculī, n.): drinking cup

ēripiō -ripere -ripuī -reptum: snatch away, rescue, save
homo hominis m.: human being
ille illa illud: that
nihil, nīl: nothing; not at all
nisi/nī: if not, unless
praestō -stāre -stitī -stitum: excel, exhibit
quis- quicquam/quidquam: any (single) person, anyone at all
ratio -ōnis f.: method, plan, reason
sūmō sūmere sūmpsī sūmptum: take up