Gerundia et Supina

Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 8.31. This witty little poem plays with the grammatical terms gerund and supine, using them to describe the ups and downs of poor Dido's love life.

Gerundia et Supina
Di-do-dum Aeneas aberat, caruisse gerundis
Dicitur, et nullum nosse supina virum.

GERUNDS AND SUPINES
Di-do-dum while Aeneas was away
Did want her Gerunds, and Un-supine lay.

Here is the vocabulary:

gerundium - gerund
et - and
supinum - supine (gram.)
Dido - Dido
dum - while, when
Aeneas - Aeneas
absum - be absent, be away
careo - lack
dico - say
nullus - not any, none
nosco - know
supinus - lying on one's back, face up
vir - man

(Sacchi: Death of Dido)