Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Parum, Nihil, Nimis, Satis

Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 7.35.

Parum, Nihil, Nimis, Satis
Pauper in orbe parum, mendicus nil habet usquam.
Dives habet nimium, quis, nisi nemo, satis?


A LTTLE, NOTHING; TOO MUCH, ENOUGH
The Poor have little, Beggars that are common,
Have nothing, rich too much, enough hath no man.


The vocabulary is keyed to the DCC Latin Vocabulary list. There are only two words in this poem that are not on the DCC list:

mendīcus -a -um - beggarly, indigent, needy, poor
usquam - anywhere, in any way, at all

dīves, dīvitis: rich (poet. dīs, dītis)
habeō habēre habuī habitum: have, hold
in: in, on (+ abl.); into, onto (+ acc)
nēmo: no one (gen. nullius, dat. nulli, abl. nullo or nulla > nullus -a -um)
nihil, nīl: nothing; not at all
nihil, nīl: nothing; not at all
nimius -a -um: too much, excessive; nimis or nimium: excessively
nisi/nī: if not, unless
orbis -is m.: circle; orbis terrārum: world
parum: too little
pauper -eris: poor, lowly
qui quae quod: who, which, what / quis quid: who? what? which?
satis/sat: enough, sufficient