Saturday, May 26, 2012

Hora et Mora


340     -     341     -     342


Hora et Mora 
Dum sapiens loquitur, exspectat tempus et horam;
   Dum stultus loquitur, nescit habere moram.


Source: Florilegium Gottingense (ed. Voigt), 77. Meter: Elegiac. Note the rhyme: horam-moram.

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:

When a wise man speaks (dum sapiens loquitur), he waits (exspectat) the right time and moment (tempus et horam); when a fools speaks (dum stultus loquitur), he doesn't know (nescit) how to pause first (habere moram).

stultus -a -um - foolish, fool

dum: while (+ indic.); until (+ subj.); provided that (+ subj.)
et: and
exspecto -āre: watch, wait, expect
habeo -ēre -uī habitum: have, hold
hōra -ae f.: hour
loquor loquī locūtus sum: speak, talk
mora -ae f.: delay, hindrance
nescio -scīre: not know, be ignorant
sapiens -ntis: wise, sensible
tempus -oris n.: time