Sunday, May 20, 2012

Si non primus Adam...


448     -     449     -     450


Here is another Rhyming Distich, and here are some more posts with Rhyming Distichs. The poem pairs Adam, the first man, and Christ as the new Adam, who would be crucified on a tree to redeem mankind. This one comes from the Florilegium Gottingense edited by Voigt.

Si non primus Adam peccasset in arbore quadam,
Non foret alter Adam natus de virgine quadam.



The vocabulary is keyed to the DCC Latin Vocabulary list. All the words in this poem are on that list, plus one proper name:

Adam: Adam

alter altera alterum: other of two
arbor arboris f.: tree
dē: down from, about, concerning (+ abl.)
in: in, on (+ abl.); into onto (+ acc)
nāscor nāscī nātus sum: be born; nātus, son
nōn: not
pecco -āre: commit a wrong, injure
prīmus -a -um: first
quī-, quae-, quoddam: a certain one, someone
sī: if
sum, esse, fuī: be, exist
virgo -inis f.: maiden, virgin, girl