Verba Malorum
Cum recte vivas, ne cures verba malorum;
Arbitrii non est nostri quid quisque loquatur.
Upright, care not if bad men thee deride;
'T is not within our power men's tongues to guide.
(Chase)
Mind not ill tongues, if you live straight of soul:
A neighbour's words are not in our control.
(Duff)
'T is not within our power men's tongues to guide.
(Chase)
Mind not ill tongues, if you live straight of soul:
A neighbour's words are not in our control.
(Duff)
Source: Source: The Distichs of Cato (4th century), 3.2, with English translations by Duff and Chase. Meter: Dactylic Hexameter.
When you live as you should (cum recte vivas), don't worry (ne cures) about the words of the wicked (verba malorum); what anyone might say (quid quisque loquatur) is not under your control (arbitrii non est nostri).
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:
arbītrium, arbītriī n. - judgment, decision, will, mastery
cum: with (prep. + abl.); when, since, although (conjunction + subj.)
cūro -āre: care for (+ acc.)
loquor loquī locūtus sum: speak, talk
malus -a -um: evil
nē: lest, that not
nōn: not
noster nostra nostrum: our
qui, quae, quod: who, which, what; quis quid: who? what? which?
quis-, quae-, quidque: each one, everyone
rectus -a -um: straight, direct
sum, esse, fuī: be, exist
verbum -ī n.: word
vīvo -ere vīxī victum: live
