Thursday, January 19, 2012

Troianus

Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 2.10. This epigram alludes to a famous Latin proverb: Sero sapiunt Phryges, "The Phrygians (Trojans) wise up too late." As Owen points out, we are all metaphorically Trojans. So, watch out for that wooden horse, real or metaphorical!

Troianus
Troiani eversa sapuerunt denique Troia.
Quis non Troianum se fateatur in hoc?


A TROJAN
Troy lost, at last the Trojans wiser grew:
What man is not in this a Trojan true?

Here is the vocabulary:

Troianus - Trojan
everto - overturn, overthrow
sapio - taste, sense, understand
denique - finally, at last
quis - who
non - not, no
se - reflexive pronoun
fateor - confess, admit
in - in
hic - this, this one