Noli Differre
Non alias, hodie quod agendum est, differ in horas;
Saepius in magnis nam mora rebus obest.
Source: Anton Moker (1540-1605), Decalogus Metricus. Meter: Elegiac. Note the way the prepositional phrase non alias in horas wraps around the entire first line.
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:
Don't put off (non differ) to some other time (alias in horas) what is to be done today (hodie quod agendum est); because usually (saepius nam) a delay is harmful (mora obest) in serious matters (in magnis rebus).
obsum, obesse: be an obstacle, hinder, hurt
agō agere ēgī āctum: drive, do, act
alius -a -um: other, another; alias: at another time
differō differre distulī dīlātum: scatter; publish, divulge; differ; defer, postpone
hodiē: today
hōra -ae f.: hour
in: in, on (+ abl.); into, onto (+ acc)
māgnus -a -um great
mora -ae f.: delay, hindrance
nam or namque: for, indeed, really
nōlō nōlle nōluī: be unwilling
nōn: not
qui quae quod: who, which, what / quis quid: who? what? which?
rēs reī f.: thing (rēs pūblica, commonwealth; rēs familiāris, family property, estate; rēs mīlitāris, art of war; rēs novae, revolution)
