Friday, July 29, 2011

In Ponticum

Here is another distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 8.71.

In Ponticum
Nil mihi das; donabis ais post funera. Quare
Non moreris? Bis dat, Pontice, qui cito dat.

Thou nothing giv’st, but dying wilt: Then dy:
He giveth twice, who giveth speedily.

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

bis: twice
Ponticus (Ponticī, m.): Ponticus

aiō: say, affirm, say yes; ut aiunt: as they say
cītus -a -um: swift; citō swiftly
dō dare dedī datum: give
dōnō -āre: present with a gift (+ acc. of person and abl. of thing)
ego meī mihi mē: I, me
fūnus funeris n.: funeral; death; dead body
in: in, on (+ abl.); into, onto (+ acc)
morior morī mortuus sum: die
nihil, nīl: nothing; not at all
nōn: not
post: after (adv. and prep. +acc.)
quārē: how? why?
qui quae quod: who, which, what / quis quid: who? what? which?