Sunday, July 31, 2011

Sappho

This is a poem from the Greek Anthology rendered into Latin by Raimondo Cunich; you can read his Epigrammata Anthologiae Graecorum online. The poem is in honor of the great Greek poet, Saphho, whom you can read about at Wikipedia.

Sappho
Ossa quidem et nomen Saphhus habet urna: puella
Quae sapiens cecinit, carmina morte carent.

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

Sapphō (Sapphūs, f.): Sappho, Greek poetess
urna (urnae, f.): urn, funeral urn

canō canere cecinī cantum: sing
careō -ēre -uī: lack (+ abl.)
carmen -inis n.: song
et: and
habeō habēre habuī habitum: have, hold
mors mortis f.: death
nōmen -inis n.: name
ōs ossis n.: bone
puella -ae f.: girl; girl-friend
qui quae quod: who, which, what / quis quid: who? what? which?
quidem: certainly, at least
sapiens -ntis.: wise man