Quod Paucis Orandus Deus
Da bona, sive rogere, deus, seu nulla rogere;
Et mala, sive rogere, nega, seu nulla rogere.
Source: Thomas More (1478-1535), Epigrammata. Meter: Dactylic Hexameter. Although the words are familiar, the syntax is a bit tricky. God is the addressee of the poem, and More tells God in the first line to give good things, da bona, whether asked or not, sive rogere seu nulla rogere, and also to not give bad things, mala nega, whether asked or not, sive rogere seu nulla rogere.
The vocabulary is keyed to the DCC Latin Vocabulary list. All the words in this poem are on that list, except for the one proper noun:
bonus -a -um: good
deus -ī m.; dea -ae f. god; goddess
do dare dedī datum: give
et: and
malus -a -um: evil
nego -āre: deny, refuse
nūllus -a -um: not any, no one
ōro -āre: pray
paucī -ae -a: few
qui, quae, quod: who, which, what; quis quid: who? what? which?
rogo -āre: ask
sīve, seu: whether; sīve . . . sīve, whether . . . or
(image source - full size poster; poster made with AutoMotivator)
