Saturday, May 26, 2012

Qui Probitate Caret


180     -     181     -     182


Qui Probitate Caret
Dat probitas speciem, sed non species probitatem;
Qui probitate caret, nil sibi forma valet.


Source: Florilegium Gottingense (ed. Voigt), 39. Meter: Elegiac. Note the adverbial use of nil in the phrase nil valet, "has no validity, is worth nothing."

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:

probitas (probitātis, f.): goodness, honesty, worth

careo -ēre -uī: lack (+ abl.)
do dare dedī datum: give
fōrma -ae f.: shape; beauty
nōn: not
qui, quae, quod: who, which, what; quis quid: who? what? which?
sed: but
speciēs -ēī f.: aspect, appearance
sui, sibi, sē: him- her- itself
valeo valēre valuī: be strong, excel, be valid, prevail; valē, farewell!