Friday, June 8, 2012

Tela Dei

This is a distich from Daniël Heinsius' emblem collection entitled Quaeris quid sit amor? (sometimes also titled: Emblemata amatoria) published c. 1601. You can find the book online at the Emblem Project Utrecht.

Vulnus alit fera laesa fuga, sic tu licet usque
Tela Dei fugias, non tamen effugies.


The vocabulary is keyed to the DCC Latin Vocabulary list. There are only two words in this poem that are not on the DCC list:

effugio, -ere, effūgī - escape, run away from, avoid
licet conj. - although, granted that

alō alere aluī alitum: nourish
deus -ī m.; dea -ae f. god; goddess
ferus -a -um: wild, fierce; fera -ae f.: wild animal
fuga -ae f.: flight, route
fugiō fugere fūgī fugitum: flee, escape
laedō laedere laesī laesum: injure by striking, hurt
nōn: not
sīc: in this manner, thus; sīc . . . ut: in the same way as
tamen: nevertheless, still
tēlum -ī n.: missile, weapon, spear
tū tuī tibi tē: you (sing.)
ūsque: up to; continuously
vulnus -eris n.: wound