Scabrisque Tenacius Haerent

Here is today's emblem by Joachim Camerarius, 3:98. The poem urges you to be strong when the going gets tough, because that's where real virtue is on display; in contrast, there is little praiseworthy virtue in taking advantage of prosperous times. Put that together with the title about clinging more tenaciously to rough things, and then look at the emblem: you see those flies buzzing around the mirror? Well, the mirror is so nice and smooth that they actually cannot cling to it - there is nothing to hold onto! The flies need something rough to hang on to, just as we need tough times to manifest our own excellence.


Scabrisque Tenacius Haerent
Rebus in adversis sis fortis: nempe ea parva
Laus est virtutis, prosperitate frui.

 

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:

nempe - truly, certainly, of course
prosperitas, prosperitātis f. - good fortune, success

adversus -a -um: turned towards, facing, opposed; unfavorable
fortis -e: brave
fruor fruī frūctus sum: enjoy
in: in, on (+ abl.); into onto (+ acc)
is ea, id: he, she, it; eō, there, to that place
laus, laudis f.: praise, glory
parvus -a -um: small
rēs reī f.: thing (rēs pūblica, commonwealth; rēs familiāris, family property, estate; rēs mīlitāris, art of war; rēs novae, revolution)
sum, esse, fuī: be, exist
virtūs -ūtis f.: valor, manliness, virtue