Friday, April 15, 2011

Divitiae Gaudia Numquam Dant

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

Divitiae Gaudia Numquam Dant
Ante dabunt silvae rhombos atque aequor turdos,
Quam dent vera tibi gaudia divitiae.

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:

rhombus (rhombī, m.): turbot (fish)
turdus (turdī, m.): thrush (bird)

aequor aequoris n.: level surface, sea, plain
ante: before, in front of (adv. and prep. + acc.)
atque, ac: and in addition, and also, and; (after comparatives) than; simul atque, as soon as
dīvitiae -ārum f. pl.: riches, wealth
dō dare dedī datum: give
gaudium -ī n.: delight, joy, pleasure
numquam: never
quam: how?; (after comparative) than
silva -ae f.: forest, grove
tū tuī tibi tē: you (sing.)
vērus -a -um: true; vērē, truly