Sunday, April 29, 2012

Cygnus

Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 7.58. The poem alludes to the famous legend of the swan song.

Cygnus
Cum me fata vocant, ad amoeni fluminis oram
Me moriens maesto carmine solor olor.


THE SWAN
When Fates me call, the Rivers Bank close by,
I sweetly sing my Requiem, and die.

Here is the vocabulary:

cygnus - swan
cum - when
ego - I, me
fatum - fate
voco - call
ad - to, towards
amoenus - beautiful, pleasant, agreeable
flumen - river, stream
ora - shore
morior - die
maestus - sad, gloomy
carmen - song
solor - console, comfort
olor - swan