Miranda, Non Credenda
Multa legas facito; tum lectis neglege multa,
Nam miranda canunt, sed non credenda poetae.
Read much and much of it forget:
'T is well T' admire but not believe what poets tell.
(Chase)
Read much but, having read, with much dispense;
Bards' themes are wonders, but revolt the sense.
(Duff)
'T is well T' admire but not believe what poets tell.
(Chase)
Read much but, having read, with much dispense;
Bards' themes are wonders, but revolt the sense.
(Duff)
Source: The Distichs of Cato (4th century), 3.18, with English translations by Duff and Chase. Meter: Dactylic Hexameter.
The vocabulary is keyed to the DCC Latin Vocabulary list. There is only one word in the poem not on the list:
Make it (facito) so that you read a lot of things (multa legas); then, having read a lot of things (lectis), ignore them (neglege multa), for the poets (nam poetae) sing amazing things (miranda canunt), but not to be believed (sed non credenda).
neglego, neglegere: disregard, ignore, neglect
cano canere cecinī cantum: sing
crēdo -ere crēdidī crēditum: believe
facio facere fēcī factum: do, make
lego legere lēgī lēctum: gather, choose, read
mīror mīrārī mīrātus sum: wonder at, marvel at (+ acc.)
multus -a -um: much, many; multō, by far
nam: for, indeed, really
nōn: not
poēta -ae m.: poet
sed: but
(Bosch)
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