Domus Optima

Here is today's emblem by Joachim Camerarius, 2:91. This emblem shows a turtle in its shell, and the turtle figures in the second line of the poem. The first line of the poem explains that for everyone, a home is a place of refuge. Then, in the second line, pious women are urged to stay at home - femina hanc (domum) colat, note the subjunctive - just like that turtle!

Domus Optima
Est sua cuique domus tutissimus usque receptus;
Hanc ceu testudo femina casta colat.

The vocabulary is keyed to the DCC Latin Vocabulary list. There are three words which are not on the DCC list:

receptus, receptūs m. - retreat, place of refuge
testūdo, testūdinis f. - tortoise, turtle, shell
castus -a -um - guiltless, pure, chaste

castus -a -um: pure, spotless, chaste
colo colere coluī cultum: inhabit, cultivate
domus -ūs f.: house, home
fēmina -ae f.: woman
hic, haec, hoc: this; hōc, on this account
optimus -a -um: best, excellent; adv. optimē
quis-, quae-, quidque: each one, everyone
sum, esse, fuī: be, exist
suus -a -um: his own, her own, its own
tutus -a -um: safe, protected
ūsque: up to; continuously

Ovis

Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 2.193. Here Owen is playing with the way that a single sheep can supply many things: mutton, vellum, lambs, manure, knucklebones (used as dice), catgut (yes, it is usually made from sheep or goats or cattle - not cats), wool, and milk.

Ovis
Seu caro, seu corium, foetus, fimus, alea, chorda,
Lanave, lacve deest, omnia praestat ovis.

A SHEEP
Want we flesh, skins, young, dung, dice, Musick-strings,
Wooll, Milk? one Sheep supplies with all these things.

Here is the vocabulary:

ovis - sheep
seu...seu... - either...or...
caro - meat, flesh
corium - skin, leather
foetus - offspring, young
fimus - manure, dung
alea - knucklebone, die
chorda - rope, cord, catgut
lana - wool
ve...ve... - either...or...
lac - milk
desum - lack, be missing
omnis - all, every
praesto - exhibit, present, be at hand
ovis - sheep

(image source)

De Parvis, Grandis Acervus

Here is today's emblem by Joachim Camerarius, 1:91. In the emblem there are the individual ears of grain, spicae, which are put into small bundles and which you can now see is a large bundle, (tibi) est cernere fascem. In the same way, then, from little things, a parvis, we can proceed step by step to greater rewards! This motto about de parvis, grandis acervus is a great motto for bloggers, I think - with one post after another, I hope to end up with a book of Latin distich poetry... eventually!

De Parvis, Grandis Acervus
Spica fuit primo, quem nunc est cernere fascem:
A parvis facimus munera ad ampla gradum.

Here is the vocabulary:

de - from
parvus - small, tiny
grandis - large, big
acervus - heap
spica - ear of grain
sum - be, exist
primo - at first, first
qui - who, which, that
nunc - now
cerno - see, perceive
fascis - bundle
a - from
facio - do, make
munus - gift, tribute
ad - to, towards
amplus - great, large, ample
gradus - step

Fiscus

Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 4:239. Owen's metaphor this time is prompted by two similar-sounding Latin words: fiscus and viscus. Although birdlime is not something people are necessarily familiar with nowadays, just think flypaper - it's the same idea!

Fiscus
Ut visco capiuntur aves (fiscus quasi viscus
Dicitur), a fisco sic capiuntur opes.

THE TREASURY
Birds are with Bird-lime caught, both young and old:
So Treasuries like Lime-twigs catch our Gold.

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

fiscus - basket, money basket, state treasury
viscum (viscus), viscī - birdlime, mistletoe

ā ab abs: from, by (+abl.)
avis -is f.: bird
capiō capere cēpī captum: seize
dīcō dīcere dīxī dictum: say; causam dicere, plead a case; diem dicere, appoint a day
ops opis f.: assistance, resources
quasi: as if
sīc: in this manner, thus; sīc . . . ut: in the same way as
ut, uti: as (+ indic.); so that, with the result that (+ subj.)

(image source)

Venus Improba

Here is today's emblem by Joachim Camerarius, 4:90. The poem sets up a sic...ut comparison between the person who consorts with a prostitute and the legendary viper, who supposedly engaged in a fatal sex act. According to a belief widely reported in ancient natural history writers, when copulating, the female viper would bite off the head of the male viper; see the emblematic embracing as illustrated below. This dire form of mating was paired with a dire form of giving birth: the young vipers supposedly killed their mother by chewing their way out of the belly. Thus, in the process of reproducing, both the viper father and the viper mother died - the viper father killed by the viper mother, and the viper mother killed by the viper children. Improbitas indeed! Camerarius is a bit hampered by the fact that viper is a feminine noun in Latin, vipera, but it was definitely the male who died in the sex act, a warning to reckless males of the human species!

Venus Improba
Sic pereat quisquis meretrici turpiter haeret,
Per Venerem ut nimiam vipera morsa perit.

Here is the vocabulary:

Venus - Venus, goddess of love, love
improbus - wicked, shameless
sic - thus, in this way
pereo - perish
quisquis - any person, whoever
meretrix - prostitute, harlot
turpiter - foully, shamefully
haereo - cling to, stick to
per - through, by means of
ut - as, just as
nimius - excessive, too much
vipera - viper
mordeo - bite

Filum Ariadnes

Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 4:203. Here Owen adapts the myth of Ariadne's thread guiding Theseus to the way that faith can guide the human race.

Filum Ariadnes
Rexit ut errantis Thesei vestigia filum
Virginis, humanum sic genus una fides.

ARIADNE’S THREAD
As Theseus by Ariadne’s Thread
Was Led, so Men, One Faith to Truth doth lead.

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

Ariadne - Ariadne
fīlum, fīlī n. - thread
Theseus - Theseus
 
errō -āre: go astray, wander
fidēs -eī f.: trust, faith
genus generis n.: origin, lineage, kind
hūmānus -a -um: human
regō regere rēxī rectum: guide, rule
sīc: in this manner, thus; sīc . . . ut: in the same way as
ūnus -a -um: one
ut, uti: as (+ indic.); so that, with the result that (+ subj.)
vēstīgium -ī n.: footstep, footprint, track
virgo -inis f.: maiden, virgin, girl

(image source: Jean-Baptiste Regnault)

Labor Omnibus Unus

Here is today's emblem by Joachim Camerarius, 3:90. This emblem about the bees alludes to a line in Vergil's Georgics, IV (the book dedicated to bee-keeping; English version here): Omnibus una quies operum, labor omnibus unus, "There is one rest from work for all, there is one labor for all." In the ancient world, bees were considered to be the most pure and productive creatures, with a society that exemplified everything a human society could be - ruled by a king bee, of course, not a queen bee. Here Camerarius urges the wise man to reflect upon and keep the bees in mind at all times: revolvat.

Labor Omnibus Unus
Doctus apum et studia et mores et iura revolvat,
Qui bene vult populis dicere iura suis.

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

apis, apis f. - bee
revolvo -ere, revolvī, revolūtum - roll back, revolve, turn

bene: well
dīco dīcere dīxī dictum: say; causam dicere, plead a case; diem dicere, appoint a day
doceo -ēre -uī doctum: teach
et: and
iūs iūris n.: right, justice, law
labor -ōris m.: toil, exertion
mōs mōris m.: custom, habit; (pl.) character
omnis -e: all, every, as a whole
populus -ī m.: people
qui, quae, quod: who, which, what; quis quid: who? what? which?
studium -ī n.: eagerness, zeal
suus -a -um: his own, her own, its own
ūnus -a -um: one
volo velle voluī: wish, be willing

Dolor

Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 4:217. Here Owen constructs a wonderful "Golden Mean" with the present in-between past and future. If you are having troubles right at this moment, now is the time to fret - if you are fretting about past troubles, it's too late to do anything about them... and there's no reason to fret about troubles before they're here!

Dolor
Sola dolenda reor praesentia damna. Dolemus
Praeterita heu nimium sero, futura cito.

GRIEF
Loss present’s to be griev’d, for We bemoan
Past, ah, too late, and future loss too soon.

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

heu - oh, ah, alas
praetereō -īre -iī -itum: pass, pass over
sērus -a -um - late, too late, slow; adv. sero

cītus -a -um: swift; citō swiftly
damnum -ī n.: damage, injury
doleō -ēre doluī: feel pain or grief, grieve
dolor -ōris m.: pain, grief
nimius -a -um: too much, excessive; nimis or nimium: excessively
praesēns -ntis: present, in person, ready
reor rērī rātus sum: think, imagine, suppose, deem
sōlus -a -um: only, alone; sōlum (adv.), only, merely
sum, esse, fuī: be, exist

(image source)

Dives et Lazarus

Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 3:18. The epigram is inspired by the famous parable of "The Rich Man and Lazarus" from the Gospel of Luke 16. Owen plays on the fact that while we know the name of the poor man in this story, Lazarus, the rich man is sine nomine, without a name.

Dives et Lazarus
Est in Evangelio, verum sine nomine, dives,
Pauper ubi aeternum, Lazare, nomen habes.

DIVES AND LAZARUS
The Gospel doth a nameless Rich man blame,
Where Lazarus hath an eternal Name.

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

ēvangelium, n. - gospel, good news
Lazarus - proper name

aeternus -a -um: everlasting, eternal
dīves, dīvitis: rich (poet. dīs, dītis)
et: and
habeo -ēre -uī habitum: have, hold
in: in, on (+ abl.); into onto (+ acc)
nōmen -inis n.: name
pauper -eris: poor, lowly
sine: without (+ abl.)
sum, esse, fuī: be, exist
ubi: where, when
vērus -a -um: true; vērē, truly

(image source)

De Viva Voce et Scriptis

Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 3.208. The paradox expressed by this distich is really delightful: Owen opens with the phrase viva vox of speaking as opposed to the vox mortua of writing, he then notes that it is those dead voices of the written word which live on, while spoken words do not.

De Viva Voce et Scriptis
Sit verbum vox viva licet, vox mortua scriptum,
Scripta diu vivunt, non ita verba diu.

OF SPEAKING AND WRITING
Though words be living voices, writings dead,
Yet these survive, when those are vanished.

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

licet conj. - although, granted that
vīvus -a -um - living, alive

dē: down from, about, concerning (+ abl.)
diū: for a long time
et: and
ita: thus, so
morior morī mortuus sum: die
nōn: not
scrībō scrībere scrīpsī scrīptum: write
sum, esse, fuī: be, exist
verbum -ī n.: word
vīvō vīvere vīxī victum: live
vōx vōcis f.: voice, utterance

Here is a cuneiform inscription from the 26th century B.C.E. - written in stone, and still speaking to us, over 4000 years later.

(image source)

Vita et Venus

Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 1:36. This epigram depends on the concession of licet: even though every action hurries along to its conclusion, there are two exceptions to that rule - life and love, here personified by the goddess Venus.

De Vita et Venere
Omnis ad extremum properet licet actio finem,
Oderunt finem vita Venusque suum.

OF LIFE AND LOVE
Though ev’ry Action unt’ Its End doth tend,
Yet Life and Love abominate their End.

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

actio, actiōnis f. - doing, acting, act
licet conj. - although, granted that
Venus, Veneris f. - Venus, goddess of love, love

ad: to, up to, towards (+acc.)
dē: down from, about, concerning (+ abl.)
et: and
extrēmus -a -um: farthest, situated at the end or tip, extreme
fīnis -is m.: end, boundary
ōdī ōdisse: hate
omnis -e: all, every, as a whole
properō -āre: hasten, speed
que (enclitic) - and
suus -a -um: his own, her own, its own
vīta -ae f.: life

(Venus and Adonis)

De Statu Hominum

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494     -     495     -     496

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Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 4:255. This epigram expresses a metaphor you can often see in images of the "Wheel of Fortune" also: when someone goes up, someone else goes down - just like your feet go up and down, alternately, when you are walking.

De Statu Hominum
Deprimitur nisi pes alter, non tollitur alter.
Sic casu alterius tollitur alter homo.

THE STATE OF MAN
If one Foot down, Then th’ other is above:
Thus one mans Fall, anothers Rise doth prove.

The vocabulary is keyed to the DCC Latin Vocabulary list. There are two words which are not on the DCC list:

dēprimo -ere, depressi, depressum - suppress, force down, depress
status, statūs m. - posture, position, condition, state

alter altera alterum: other of two
cāsus -ūs m.: a fall; chance, accident;
dē: down from, about, concerning (+ abl.)
homo hominis m.: human being
nisi/nī: if not, unless
nōn: not
pēs pedis m.: foot
sīc: in this manner, thus; sīc . . . ut, in the same way as
tollo -ere sustulī sublātum: raise up, destroy

(image source)

De Somno

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103     -     104     -     105

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De Somno
Si somnus nihil est nisi mors, nil mors nisi somnus,
   Quo plus in vita dormio, vivo minus.

If Sleep be but as death, Death but as Sleep,
The more I Sleep, the less of Life I keep.

Source: John Owen (c.1564-c.1628), Epigrammata, 3.140. The English version is by Thomas Harvey. Meter: Elegiac. This epigram depends on an elaborate little equation which Owen sets up in the first line: death is sleep and sleep is death. So, the more you spend your life sleeping (dying), the less you live. Conclusion: wake up, and live!

The vocabulary is keyed to the DCC Latin Vocabulary list. All the words are on the DCC list:

If sleep (si somnus) is nothing except death (est nihil nisi mors), and death (mors) nothing but sleep (nil nisi somnus), the more I sleep in life (quo plus dormio in vita), the less I live (minus vivo).

dē: down from, about, concerning (+ abl.)
dormio -īre: sleep
in: in, on (+ abl.); into onto (+ acc)
minus -oris n.: a smaller number or amount, less; (adv.) minus, to a smaller extent, less
mors mortis f.: death
nihil, nīl: nothing; not at all
nihil, nīl: nothing; not at all
nisi/nī: if not, unless
plūs plūris n.: a greater amount or number, more
qui, quae, quod: who, which, what; quis quid: who? what? which?
sī: if
somnus -ī m.: sleep, slumber; (pl.) dreams
sum, esse, fuī: be, exist
vīta -ae f.: life
vīvo -ere vīxī victum: live

(image source)

De Ortu et Occasu

Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 5:39. There the epigraph is based on a paired parallelism: the sunrise should remind us of resurrection (and remember Owen's little poem comparing sleep and death, De Somno), while sunrise should remind us of death.

Sole oriente, tui reditus a morte memento.
Sis memor occasus, sole cadente, tui.

Remember at Sun-setting Death, thine Urn:
And at Sun-rising mind thy thence return.

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

memor, memoris - mindful of, remembering
occāsus, occāsūs m. - falling, going down, setting, west
reditus, reditūs m. - returning, return

ā ab abs: from, by (+abl.)
cadō cadere cecidī cāsum: fall, be killed
meminī meminisse: remember, recollect
mors mortis f.: death
orior orīrī ortus sum: arise, begin
sōl sōlis m.: sun
sum, esse, fuī: be, exist
tuus -a -um: your

(image source)

De Die

Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 1:82. The paradoxical contrast here is between the sun, the single light (unum lumen) of the one-eyed day (lusca dies) and the many eyes of the night, the stars. Although the sun is but one it sees more than the many-eyed night!

De Die
Sit nox centoculo quamvis oculatior Argo,
Plus uno cernit lumine lusca dies.

OF THE DAY
Though Night than Argus be more full of Eyes,
The Day’s One Eye more clearly things descries.

Here is the vocabulary:

de - about
dies - day
sum - be, exist
nox - night
centoculus - hundred-eyes
quamvis - although
oculatus - eyed, with eyes
Argus - Argus
plus - more
unus - one
cerno - see, perceive
lumen - light
luscus - one-eyed

(Hermes slaying Argos)

De Autumno

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481     -     482     -     483

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Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 3:27. The poem is addressed Ad Amicum Suum D. Ricardum Conok, although nothing else is known about this person. The epigram plays on the two verb forms, fert and aufert. Just what it might mean for us to take off our "leaves" and be fruitful is left to the reader to imagine - but it might not be inappropriate to imagine Adam and Eve without their fig leaves!

De Autumno 
Aufert arboribus frondes Autumnus, et idem
Fert secum fructus: nos faciamus idem.

OF AUTUMN
Autumn shakes off the Leaves, and for man’s use
Produceth fruit: let us the like produce.

The vocabulary is keyed to the DCC Latin Vocabulary list. There are two words which are not on the DCC list:

autumnus, -ī m. - autumn; autumn fruits, harvest
frons, frondis f. - foliage, leaves, frond

arbor arboris f.: tree
aufero -ferre abstulī ablātum: take away
cum: with (prep. + abl.); when, since, although (conjunction + subj.)
dē: down from, about, concerning (+ abl.)
et: and
facio facere fēcī factum: do, make
fero ferre tulī lātum: bear, carry
frūctus -ūs m.: fruit, crops; enjoyment, delight
īdem, eadem, idem: the same
nōs, nostrum/nostrī nobis nōs: we
sui, sibi, sē: him- her- itself

(image source)

Coniuges

Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 3:124. This epigram is based on the contrast between the two lines: the whole house (tota domus) is not big enough for the quarreling spouses (discordes), while a single bed (unus lectus) can hold the spouses who are not quarreling.

Coniuges
Discordes nos tota domus non continet ambos.
Concordes lectus nos tamen unus habet.

MAN AND WIFE
The total House us holds not, when we chide,
But one Bed serves both when pacifi’d.

The vocabulary is keyed to the DCC Latin Vocabulary list. There are three words which are not on the DCC list:

ambō, ambae, ambō - both (of two)
discors, discordis - disagreeing, unlike, differing
lectus, lectī m. - bed

coniunx, coniugis m./f.: spouse, husband, wife
contineo -tinēre -tinuī -tentum: contain, restrain
domus -ūs f.: house, home
habeo -ēre -uī habitum: have, hold
nōn: not
nōs, nostrum/nostrī nobis nōs: we
tamen: nevertheless, still
tōtus -a -um: whole, entire
ūnus -a -um: one

(Lorenzo Lotto)

Clepsydra

Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 2:202. Although Owen uses the word clepsydra, he is clearly talking about an hourglass with sand running through it. Clepsydra is a Greek word, "thief of water," cleps- and -hydra.

Clepsydra
Clepsydra mentitur verissima: nempe foramen
Tempore fit semper maius, arena minor.

AN HOUR-GLASS
False is the truest Hour-glass: for with use
The Sand wears smaller, wider grows the Sluce.

Here is the vocabulary:

clepsydra - water-clock, hourglass
mentior - lie
verus - true
nempe - truly, certainly
foramen - hole
tempus - time
fio - become
semper - always
maior - greater
arena (harena) - sand
minor - smaller

(Ambrogio Lorenzetti)

Christus

Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 3:135. The two lines of this distich present a compound set of parallels: dawn is the end of night and the beginning of day, so Christ (=dawn) was the end of night (=death) and the source of salvation.

Christus
Finis noctis ut est aurora, et origo diei,
Tu finis mortis, fonsque salutis eras.

CHRIST
As Morning ends the Night, begins the Day,
So thou Death’s End wert, and Lifes rising Ray.

The vocabulary is keyed to the DCC Latin Vocabulary list. There are three words which are not on the DCC list:

aurōra f. - dawn, light of dawn
Christus, m. - Christ
orīgo, orīginis f. - beginning, source, origin

diēs diēī m./f.: day
et: and
fīnis -is m.: end, boundary
fōns, fontis f.: spring, fountain
mors mortis f.: death
nox noctis f.: night
que: and (enclitic)
salūs -ūtis f.: health, safety
sum, esse, fuī: be, exist
tū tuī tibi tē: you (sing.)
ut, uti: as (+ indic.); so that, with the result that (+ subj.)

(Piero della Francesca)

Cessatio Miraculorum

Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 3:132. Note that Owen is hedging his bets here: the first question is if miracles have ceased or not (siquidem), and, if they have, then we can ask about whether it is God's hand or own faith that is diminished.

Cessatio Miraculorum
Abbreviata Dei, siquidem miracula cessant,
Est manus? An potius nostra minuta fides?

THE CEASING OF MIRACLES
Sith Miracles are ceas’d (what shall I speak?)
Is Gods hand shorter? or our faith more weak?

Here is the vocabulary:

cessatio - end, cessatio
miraculum - miracle
abbreviatus - shortened
deus - god
siquidem - if indeed; even supposing
cesso - leave off, cease
sum - be, exist
manus - hand
an - question particle; can it be...?
potius - rather
noster - our, ours
minutus - small, petty
fides - faith

(Giotto: Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata)

Bombyx

Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 2:186. When the silkworm spins its cocoon, it uses a thread of raw silk that is between 300 and 900 meters in length. It takes several thousand of these cocoons to produce a pound of silk.

Bombyx
Arte mea pereo, tumulum mihi fabricor ipse;
Fila mei fati duco, necemque neo.

THE SILK-WORM
Me skill doth kill, I make my self my Tomb,
I draw my fatal Thread, spin Death my Doom.

Here is the vocabulary:

bombyx - silkworm
ars - art, skill
meus - my, mine
pereo - perish, die
tumulus - tomb
ego - I
fabricor - build, construct
ipse - (him/her/it)self
filum - thread
fatum - fate
duco - lead, draw
nex - death, murder
que - and
neo - spin, weave

(image source)

Auditus

Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 2:175. English "ear" and "air" do not quite capture the Latin auris and aura, but it comes close!

Auditus
Quam cito vocalis vanescit in aure voluptas!
Quae velut aura venit, quae velut aura fugit.

HEARING
How soon sounds vocal vanish from our Ear!
Like Air they come, like Air they disappear.

The vocabulary is keyed to the DCC Latin Vocabulary list. There are three words which are not on the DCC list:

audītus, audītūs m. - hearing, sense of hearing
vānesco -ere - disappear, vanish
vōcālis, vōcāle; vōcālis - speaking, singing, vocal

aura -ae f.: breeze
auris -is f.: ear
cītus -a -um: swift
fugio fugere fūgī fugitum: flee, escape
in: in, on (+ abl.); into onto (+ acc)
quam: how?; (after comparative) than
qui, quae, quod: who, which, what; quis quid: who? what? which?
velut: even as, just as
venio -īre vēnī ventum: come
voluptās -ātis f.: pleasure enjoyment

(image source)

Ars Longa, Vita Brevis

Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 3:155. You can read more about the famous phrase attributed to Hippocrates, ars longa, vita brevis (Greek: Ὁ βίος βραχύς, ἡ δὲ τέχνη μακρή), in this Wikipedia article.

Ars Longa, Vita Brevis
Ut solide sapiat, nulli sua sufficit aetas,
Mors prius a tergo, quam sapiamus, adest.

LONG ART, SHORT LIFE
An Age to make one wise doth not suffice:
Death’s at our backs before we can be wise.

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

solidus -a -um - firm, whole, complete, real
sufficio -ere, suffēcī, suffectum - be sufficient, suffice, be enough
 
ā, ab, abs: from, by (+abl.)
adsum adesse affuī: be present
aetās -tātis f.: age, time of life
ars artis f.: skill
brevis -e: short, shallow, brief; adv. breviter
longus -a -um: long, far; longē, far, far off
mors mortis f.: death
nūllus -a -um: not any, no one
prior -ius: earlier, preceding; prius or priusquam, before
quam: how?; (after comparative) than
sapio sapere sapīvī: be wise
suus -a -um: his own, her own, its own
tergum -ī n.: back, rear; a tergō, from the rear
ut, uti: as (+ indic.); so that, with the result that (+ subj.)
vīta -ae f.: life

Here is an image of Hippocrates and Galen:

Apologia Fortunae

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141     -     142     -     143

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Apologia Fortunae
Nulla mala est Fortuna, aequa omnibus, omnibus una.
Spem dat pauperibus, divitibusque metum.

Dame Fortune doth an equiballance bear,
Shee fills the Poor with Hope, the Rich with Fear.

Source: John Owen (c.1564-c.1628), Epigrammata, 1.107. The English version is by Thomas Harvey. Meter: Elegiac. As often, the paradox is in the "oneness" of Fortune: Lady Luck may be equal to all, but that does not mean she is the same, because she appears as hope to the poor (hoping to become rich) and as fear to the rich (fearing to become poor). I thought the illustration below was a good choice, since Lady Luck is shown as blindfolded, as also in the iconography of Lady Justice.

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:

No Luck (nulla Fortuna) is bad (mala est): it is equal to all (aequa omnibus), one to all (una omnibus). Luck gives hope (spem dat) to the poor (pauperibus), and to the rich (divitibusque) it gives fear (metum).

apologia (apologiae, f.): defense, apology

aequus -a -um: equal; aequē, equally
dīvitiae -ārum f. pl.: riches, wealth
dō dare dedī datum: give
fortūna -ae f.: fortune
malus -a -um: bad, evil; male: (adv.) badly
metus -ūs m.: fear, dread
nūllus -a -um: not any, no one
omnis -e: all, every, as a whole
pauper -eris: poor, lowly
que (enclitic) - and
spēs speī f.: hope
sum, esse, fuī: be, exist
ūnus -a -um: one

(image source)

Amicitia

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11     -     12     -     13

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Amicitia
Cur similis similem sibi quaerit, amicus amicum?
   Uno nemo potest in pede stare diu.

Why seekst Likes like Friends friend? Because that none
Can long stand stedfast on one foot alone.

Source: John Owen (c.1564-c.1628), Epigrammata, 4.47. Meter: Elegiac. The English version is by Thomas Harvey. Owen addresses this poem to his friend Thomas Bridges, who was also a student at Oxford, having matriculate from Queen's College in 1591. The idea is that like seeks like and friend seeks friend because without a friend, you are like someone trying to stand on one foot - something you will not be able to do for very long!

Why (cur) does like seek what is like itself (similis similem sibi quaerit), why does friend seek friend (amicus amicum)? No one can stand (nemo potest stare ) for a long time (diu) on one foot (in uno pede).

The vocabulary is keyed to the DCC Latin Vocabulary list. All the words in this poem are on that list!

amīcitia -ae f.: friendship
amīcus -a -um: friendly; (as subst.) friend
cūr: why?
diū: for a long time
in: in, on (+ abl.); into, onto (+ acc)
nēmo: no one (gen. nullius, dat. nulli, abl. nullo or nulla > nullus -a -um)
pēs pedis m.: foot
possum posse potuī: be able
quaerō -rere -sīvī-situm: seek, inquire
similis -e: like, similar
stō stāre stetī statum: stand
sui, sibi, sē: him- her- itself
ūnus -a -um: one

(image source - full size poster; poster made with AutoMotivator)

Amator

Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 2:52. Note how the second hemistich of the second line heightens the sense of paradox. The word dulcis modifies dolor (which is a paradox in and of itself), but consider the second hemistich as a unit: dulcis amarus amor, where love itself becomes both bitter and sweet. The title, Amator, means "Lover."

Spes incerta, timor constans, fugitiva voluptas,
Gaudia moesta, dolor dulcis, amarus amor.

Uncertain Hope, Fear constant, flying Pleasure,
Sad Joyes, sweet Grief, Love bitter. Where’s the Treasure?

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

amārus -a -um - bitter, pungent, harsh
fugitīvus -a -um - running away, fleeing, fugitive
incertus -a -um - uncertain, unsure, unreliable

amor -ōris m.: love
cōnstō -stāre -stitī: agree; constat, it is established that (+ infin.)
dolor -ōris m.: pain, grief
dulcis -e: sweet
gaudium -ī n.: delight, joy, pleasure
maestus -a -um: sad, sorrowful; depressing
spēs speī f.: hope
timor -ōris m.: fear
voluptās -ātis f.: pleasure enjoyment

(image source)

Agrorum Stercoratio

Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 2:194. As often, Owen's epigram is based on a paradox of how something vile and foul is essential to produce the very food that nourishes us. Thank goodness it's not Soylent Green... just manure! :-)

Agrorum Stercoratio
Vile excrementum stercus, sed inutile non es:
Tu nutrimento das alimenta meo.

SOYLING OF FIELDS
Dung’s a vile Excrement; yet hath its worth:
Its Element mine Aliment brings forth.

Here is the vocabulary:

ager - field
stercoratio - fertilizing
vilis - vile, common, cheap
excrementum - excrement
stercus - manure
sed - but
inutilis - useless
non - not, no
sum - be, exist
tu - you
nutrimentum - nourishment
do - give
alimentum - sustenance, food
meus - my, mind

(image source)

Aesopi Lingua

Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 4:214. The poem refers to a famous incident from the folkloric Life of Aesop, when Aesop's master tells him to serve the best food for every course at a feast; Aesop serves a dish of tongues for the first course, and tongues for the next course and then tongues again. When his master challenges him, Aesop explains that the tongue is the best thing because of all the good things that can be accomplished through the power of human language. Frustrated, his master orders Aesop to do just the opposite for the next feast; he asks Aesop to serve the worst food. Again, Aesop brings out a dish of tongues, and then tongues for the next course, and tongues again. His master is enraged, but Aesop then explains about all the dreadful things that are brought about as a result of human language. So Aesop proved that the human tongue is the best thing and the worst, too.

Aesopi LinguaHumano membrum non est in corpore lingua
Nobiliusve bona, mobiliusve mala.

AESOP’S TONGUE
No Member is, that doth to man belong
More Noble, or Ignoble, than the Tongue.

The vocabulary is keyed to the DCC Latin Vocabulary list. There are three words which are not on the DCC list:

Aesopus - Aesop
hūmānus -a -um - human
mōbilis, mōbile; mōbilis - movable, quick, fickle

-ve: or
bonus -a -um: good
corpus, corporis n.: body
in: in, on (+ abl.); into onto (+ acc)
lingua -ae f.: tongue; language
malus -a -um: evil
membrum -ī m.: limb, member of the body
nōbilis -e: distinguished, noble; (as subst.) a nobleman or woman
nōn: not
sum, esse, fuī: be, exist

(Aesop serving tongues at his master's feast:
image source)

Aequinamitas

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402     -     403     -     404

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Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 3:104.

Aequinamitas
Seu mortis venit, seu nondum venerit, hora,
Culpa est nolle mori, culpaque velle mori.

AEQUANIMITY
Whether Deaths hour be come or not, abhor it
To be too willing, or unwilling for it.

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:

aequanimitas, aequanimitātis f. - calmness, good will

culpa -ae f.: guilt, fault, blame
hōra -ae f.: hour
morior morī mortuus sum: die
mors mortis f.: death
nōlo nōlle, nōluī: be unwilling
nōndum: not yet
que: and (enclitic)
sīve, seu: whether; sīve . . . sīve, whether . . . or
sum, esse, fuī: be, exist
venio -īre vēnī ventum: come
volo velle voluī: wish, be willing

(from an Aesop's fable about Death)

Adverbia Christiana

Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 3:168. The addressee of the poem, John Tovey, was a student at Balliol College in Oxford in the 1590s and was then Master of Coventry Grammar School. The metaphor of the poem depends on a linguistic metaphor: adverbs stand for how things are done, while adjectives stand for the quality of things - thus Owen contends that adverbs are better than adjectives, because God is more impressed by things that are done well, as opposed to things that simply are good.

Adiectiva parum prosunt, adverbia multum:
Non bona tam pensat quam bene facta Deus.

Adverbs all Adjectives do far excel:
God less rewards good Deeds, than Deeds done well.

The vocabulary is keyed to the DCC Latin Vocabulary list. There are three words which are not on the DCC list:

adiectīvus -a -um - adjective
adverbium, n. - adverb
penso, -āre - weigh, pay, ponder

bene: well
bonus -a -um: good
deus -ī m.; dea -ae f. god; goddess
facio facere fēcī factum: do, make
multus -a -um: much, many; multō, by far
nōn: not
parum: too little
prōsum -desse -fuī: be of use, do good, help (+ dat.)
quam: how?; (after comparative) than
tam: so

(image source)

Adulator et Invidus

Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 3.188. This epigram plays on the archetypal carping critic, Zoilus, the Cynic philosopher (cf. Owen's epigram Ad Zoilum), and the archetypal flatterer and parasite, Gnatho, from Terence's Eunuch. The epigram contends that while they act differently - one using harsh words, and the other sweet words - they are both motivated by the same emotion: jealousy. (Note that the name Zoilus in the first line needs to scan as a spondee.)

Adulator et Invidus
Zoilus et Gnatho non re, sed nomine, distant.
Virtutem ille bonis invidet, iste malis.

THE FLATTER AND THE CARPER
These differ not in Nature but in Name,
This Good, that Bad maligneth: Both to blame.

The vocabulary is keyed to the DCC Latin Vocabulary list. There are two words which are not on the DCC list:

disto, distāre - to to stand apart, be separate, be different
invideo -ēre, invīdī, invīsum - envy, be jealous, begrudge
Gnatho - Gnatho, proverbial for adultation and flattery
Zoilus - Zoilus, proverbial for envy and criticism

bonus -a -um: good
et: and
ille, illa, illud: that
iste, ista, istud: that, that of yours; adv. istīc or istūc, over there; istinc, from over there
malus -a -um: evil
nōmen -inis n.: name
nōn: not
rēs reī f.: thing (rēs pūblica, commonwealth; rēs familiāris, family property, estate; rēs mīlitāris, art of war; rēs novae, revolution)
sed: but
virtūs -ūtis f.: valor, manliness, virtue

(the parasite Gnatho pretending to be amused)

Ad Zoilum

Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 2.104. The title of the poem is ironic: Zoilus was an ill-tempered ancient Greek grammarian, a Cynic philosopher notorious for his harsh criticism. He became known as the "Homeromastix," "The Scourge of Homer," because of his stinging criticisms of Homer's poetry. By addressing his poem to a "Zoilus," Owen is addressing someone who praises no one, and therefore is praised by no one, and who loves no one, and therefore is loved by no one - that "Zoilus" needs to take the lessons of the epigram to heart!

Ad Zoilum
Laudatur merito laudator, amatur amator.
Ergo ut lauderis lauda, ut ameris ama.

TO ZOILUS
The Praiser Praise, the Lover Love doth merit:
Praise then if Praise; Love, if thou’t Love inherit.

The vocabulary is keyed to the DCC Latin Vocabulary list. There are three words which are not on the DCC list:

laudātor, laudatōris, m. - praiser, eulogizer
amātor, amātōris m. - lover, friend
Zoilus - Zoilus, proverbial for envy and criticism
 
ad: to, up to, towards (+acc.)
amo -āre: to love
ergo: therefore
laudo -āre: praise
mereo -ēre meruī meritum: deserve, merit; serve as a soldier

(Cynic philosopher)

Ad Philopatrum

Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 1.48. Owen is responding to the famous words of Horace's Ode 3.2, Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori. You can read more about Horace's poem and its legacy in this Wikipedia article. The title of the poem is a play on philo- (Greek, love) and -pater (father); compare the English word philopatry. Owen, however, contents that it is sweeter to live, vivere, rather than to die, mori, for one's country.

Ad Philopatrum
Pro patria sit dulce mori licet atque decorum.
Vivere pro patria dulcius esse puto.

TO PHILOPATER
Though for Ones Country noble ’tis to die,
Yet nobler ’tis to live for It, think I.

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

licet conj. - although, granted that
decōrus -a -um - beautiful, graceful, noble

atque, ac: and in addition, and also, and; (after comparatives) than; simul atque, as soon as
dulcis -e: sweet
morior morī mortuus sum: die
patria -ae f.: fatherland, country
prō: for, on behalf of, in proportion to (+abl.)
puto -āre: think, suppose
sum, esse, fuī: be, exist
vīvo -ere vīxī victum: live

The following is a detail from a stained-glass Tiffany window by Robert O. Mellown commemorating the University of Alabama students who fought in the Civil War:


The detail comes from the lower-right portion of the window:

Ad Parentes

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384     -     385     -     386

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Ad Parentes
Sum tua, care pater, tua sum caro, mater: in una
   Carne mea duo vos estis, et una caro.

TO HIS PARENTS
Dear Parents I am of your Flesh and Bone:
You both are in my Flesh, yet Flesh but one.

Source: John Owen (c.1564-c.1628), Epigrammata, 3.163, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey. Meter: Elegiac. The epigram is an elegant play on words involving caro, meaning "flesh," and carus, meaning "dear, beloved," along with a play on the words one and two, unus and duo.

Dear father (care pater), I am your flesh (sum tua caro); I am your flesh, mother: in my one flesh (in una carne mea), you are two (duo vos estis), and one (et una caro).

The vocabulary is keyed to the DCC Latin Vocabulary list. There is only one word not on the list:

caro (carnis, f.): flesh
 
ad: to, up to, towards (+acc.)
duo: two
et: and
in: in, on (+ abl.); into onto (+ acc)
māter, mātris f.: mother
meus -a -um: my
parēns -ntis m./f.: parent
pater, patris m.: father, ancestor
sum, esse, fuī: be, exist
tuus -a -um: your
ūnus -a -um: one
vōs: you (pl.);  (gen.) vestrum/vestrī, (dat./abl.) vobis, (acc.) vōs

(image source)