Monday, April 23, 2012

In Avarum

Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 7.55.

In Avarum
Non vis ut modico maior pede calceus extet,
Cur tibi quaeris opum plus, tibi quam sit opus?


OF THE COVETOUS
Shooes wider than thy Feet thou wilt not have;
Why then more Wealth than’s fit, or needs, dost crave?

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

calceus, calceī m. - shoe, slipper
exstō, exstāre - stand out, project
modicus -a -um - moderate, controlled

cūr: why?
māior -ius: greater, older; maiōres -um: ancestors
nōn: not
ops opis f.: assistance, resources
opus operis n.: work
pēs pedis m.: foot
plūs plūris n.: a greater amount or number, more
quaerō -rere -sīvī-situm: seek, inquire
quam: how?; (after comparative) than
sum, esse, fuī: be, exist
tū tuī tibi tē: you (sing.)
ut, uti: as (+ indic.); so that, with the result that (+ subj.)
volō velle voluī: wish, be willing