Sunday, February 19, 2012

Me Copia Perdit

Here is today's emblem and distich by Joachim Camerarius, 1:13. For an Aesop's fable about a tree undone by its own abundance of fruit, see the story of the apple tree and the olive tree.

Me Copia Perdit
Rumpitur innumeris arbos uberrima pomis,
Et subito nimiae praecipitantur opes.



Here is the vocabulary:

ego - I, me
copia - abundance, plenty
perdo - ruin, lose, destroy
rumpo - burst
innumerus - countless, innumerable
arbor (arbos) - tree
uber - rich, fertile, fruitful
pomum - fruit
et - and
subito - suddenly
nimius - too much, excessive
praecipito - throw headlong, cast down
ops - power, might; resources, wealth (pl.)