Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Discere ne cessa...

Here is today's distich by Cato (so-called), 4.27, with English translations by Duff and Chase.

Discere ne cessa; cura sapientia crescit,
Rara datur longo prudentia temporis usu.


Cease not to learn; wisdom's through study gained;
By lapse of years alone 't is ne'er attained.
(Chase)

Fail not to learn; for wisdom grows by pains:
Mere long-drawn waiting rarely prudence gains.
(Duff)

The vocabulary is keyed to the DCC Latin Vocabulary list. There are three words which are not on the DCC list:

prūdentia, f. - foresight, knowledge, skill, wisdom
sapientia f. - wisdom
cesso -āre - delay, stop, cease

crēsco -ere crēvī crētum: grow, increase
cūra -ae f.: care, concern
disco -ere didicī: learn
do dare dedī datum: give
longus -a -um: long, far; longē, far, far off
nē: lest, that not
rarus -a -um: wide apart, loose, thin; rare seldom
tempus -oris n.: time
ūsus -ūs m.: use, experience