Spes Una
Rebus in adversis animum submittere noli;
Spem retine: spes una hominem nec morte relinquit.
Let not despair o'er ill thy courage take;
Not e'en at death doth hope a man forsake.
(Chase)
Let not your courage droop in darkest hours:
Hope on; for hope alone at death is ours.
(Duff)
In adverse circumstances (rebus in adversis), don't let your courage sink (animum submittere noli); keep hope of hope (spem retine): hope alone (spes una) does not abandon a person even in death (hominem nec morte relinquit).
Source: The Distichs of Cato (4th century), 2.25. Meter: Dactylic Hexameter. Note the adverbial use of nec, meaning "not even."
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:
Not e'en at death doth hope a man forsake.
(Chase)
Let not your courage droop in darkest hours:
Hope on; for hope alone at death is ours.
(Duff)
In adverse circumstances (rebus in adversis), don't let your courage sink (animum submittere noli); keep hope of hope (spem retine): hope alone (spes una) does not abandon a person even in death (hominem nec morte relinquit).
Source: The Distichs of Cato (4th century), 2.25. Meter: Dactylic Hexameter. Note the adverbial use of nec, meaning "not even."
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:
submittō, submittere: place under, send below, lower
adversus -a -um: turned towards, facing, opposed; unfavorable
animus -ī m.: spirit, mind
homo hominis m.: human being
in: in, on (+ abl.); into onto (+ acc)
mors mortis f.: death
neque, nec: and not, nor; neque . . . neque, neither . . . nor
nōlo nōlle, nōluī: be unwilling
relinquo -linquere -līquī -lictum: abandon
rēs reī f.: thing (rēs pūblica, commonwealth; rēs familiāris, family property, estate; rēs mīlitāris, art of war; rēs novae, revolution)
retineo -ēre -uī retentum: hold back, keep
spēs, speī f.: hope
ūnus -a -um: one
