Praemia Servorum
Si tibi servierit aliquis, sua praemia tecum
Ne retinere diu cures, si diligis aequum.
Source: Andreas Gartner, Proverbialia Dicteria (1578). Meter: Dactylic Hexameter. Note the end-line rhyme, with "qu" pronounced as "c" and "ae" as "e," giving the rhyme tecum-aequum.
If someone is your servant (si aliquis tibi servierit), make sure (cures) that you do not long keep for yourself (ne retinere diu tecum) the servant's reward (sua praemia), if you love what is right (si diligis aequum).
The vocabulary is keyed to the DCC Latin Vocabulary list. All the words in this poem are on that list!
aliquis -quae -quod: some, any; si quis, si quid: anyone who, anything that
cum: with (prep. + abl.); when, since, although (conjunction + subj.)
cūrō -āre: care for (+ acc.)
dīligō -ligere -lēxī -lēctum: choose, cherish, love
diū: for a long time
nē: lest, that not
praemium -iī n.: bounty, reward
retineō -tinēre -tinuī -tentum: hold back, keep
serviō -īre: be a slave, serve (+ dat.)
servus -ī m.: slave
sī: if
suus -a -um: his own, her own, its own
tū tuī tibi tē: you (sing.)
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