Monday, May 21, 2012

Summa Voluptas


145     -     146     -     147


Summa Voluptas
Dulcis Amor, tu vera animi, tu summa voluptas,
Ah! mihi tu flammis pectus adure tuis!


Source: Urbano Appendini (1777-1834), De Educatione Disticha. Meter: Elegiac. Note the use of the dative to express possession with a body part: mihi pectus, "my breast."

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:

Sweet Love (Dulcis Amor), you are (tu) the true pleasure of the soul (vera animi voluptas), you are the highest pleasure (tu summa voluptas), Ah! burn my breast (mihi tu pectus adure) with your flames! (flammis tuis)

adūro, adūrere: set fire to, burn, inflame

amor -ōris m.: love
animus -ī m.: spirit, mind
dulcis -e: sweet
ego me mihi mē: I, me
flamma -ae f.: flame, fire
pectus -oris n.: chest, breast
summus -a -um: highest, farthest, last
tū tuī tibi tē: you (sing.)
tuus -a -um: your
vērus -a -um: true; vērē, truly
voluptās -ātis f.: pleasure enjoyment