Utere Parce
Ne tibi quid desit, quod quaesisti, utere parce,
Utque quod est serves, semper tibi deesse putato.
Nurse what thou hast, that it may farther go;
Deem thyself poor and thus miss being so.
(Duff)
Save up your gains lest you go short some day:
To keep possessions, fancy they're away.
(Chase)
Source: The Distichs of Cato (4th century), 1.24. Meter: Dactylic Hexameter. Note that quid is like aliquid after the ne. Note also that the referent of the relative pronoun quod is implied but not stated: utere parce [hoc] quod quaesisti. The form putato is a future imperative.
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:
(Duff)
Save up your gains lest you go short some day:
To keep possessions, fancy they're away.
(Chase)
Source: The Distichs of Cato (4th century), 1.24. Meter: Dactylic Hexameter. Note that quid is like aliquid after the ne. Note also that the referent of the relative pronoun quod is implied but not stated: utere parce [hoc] quod quaesisti. The form putato is a future imperative.
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:
parcus, -a, -um: sparing, frugal; adv. parce
aliquis -quae -quod: some, any; si quis, si quid: anyone who, anything that
dēsum -esse -fuī: be lacking
nē: lest, that not
puto -āre: think, suppose
quaero -ere -sīvī -situm: seek, inquire
que: and (enclitic)
qui, quae, quod: who, which, what; quis quid: who? what? which?
semper: always, ever
servo -āre: save, watch over
sum, esse, fuī: be, exist
tū tuī tibi tē: you (sing.)
ut, uti: as (+ indic.); so that, with the result that (+ subj.)
ūtor ūtī ūsus sum: use
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