Saturday, April 21, 2012

Astrologus et Geographus

Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 9.55. Note that for the meter, Owen regards the first syllable of geographus as long (in Greek, it is the second syllable that would be long: γεωγράφος).

Astrologus et Geographus
Dividitur totus vos inter maximus orbis,
Coelum est astrologi, terraque geographi.


ASTROLOGER AND GEOGRAPHER
You two the total World divide: The Stars
Astrologers, th’ Earth claim Geographers.

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:

astrologus, astrologī m. - astronomer, astrologer
geographus, geographī m. - geographer

caelum -ī n.: sky, heavens
dīvido -ere dīvīsī dīvīsum: divide, separate
et: and
inter: between, among; during  (+ acc.)
māximus -a -um: greatest; māximē, most, especially, very much
orbis -is m.: circle; orbis terrārum world
que: and (enclitic)
sum, esse, fuī: be, exist
terra -ae f.: land
tōtus -a -um: whole, entire
vōs: you (pl.);  (gen.) vestrum/vestrī, (dat./abl.) vobis, (acc.) vōs