Sunday, July 31, 2011

In Ancillam Mortuam

This is one of the Latin epigrams of the Renaissance scholar and Catholic saint, Sir Thomas More.

In Ancillam Mortuam
Ante fuit solo Sosime corpore serva;
Nunc fato pars est haec quoque missa manu.

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

ancilla (ancillae, f.): slave girl, maid
Sōsīmē (Greek name - f.): Sosime, Zosima

ante: before, in front of (adv. and prep. + acc.)
corpus corporis n.: body
fātum -ī n.: fate
hic haec hoc: this; hōc: on this account
in: in, on (+ abl.); into, onto (+ acc)
manus -ūs m.: hand; band of men
mittō mittere mīsī missum: send, let go
morior morī mortuus sum: die
nunc: now
pars partis f.: part
quoque: also, too
servus -ī m.: slave
sōlus -a -um: only, alone; sōlum (adv.), only, merely
sum, esse, fuī: be, exist