Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Etiam in Risu Lacrima

This little poem is from Giuseppe Gatti's Sales Poetici, Proverbiales, et Iocosi, published in 1703.

Etiam in Risu Lacrima
Quam lacrimabilis est vita haec! Quam plena dolore!
Summo etiam in risu lacrima saepe cadit.

The vocabulary is keyed to the DCC Latin Vocabulary list. There are two words in this poem that are not on the DCC list:

lacrimābilis, -e (lacrimābilis): worthy of tears, lamentable
rīsus (rīsūs, m.): laughter

cadō cadere cecidī cāsum: fall, be killed
dolor -ōris m.: pain, grief
etiam: also, even
hic haec hoc: this; hōc: on this account
in: in, on (+ abl.); into, onto (+ acc)
lacrima -ae f.: tear
plēnus -a -um: full
quam: how?; (after comparative) than
saepe: often
sum, esse, fuī: be, exist
summus -a -um: highest, farthest, last
vīta -ae f.: life