This poem is from a book published in 1624 by Jean Pignewart (Iohannes Pignevvart), a Cistercian monk and scholar. He attributes his collection of distich poetry to "Cato Bernardinus," invoking both the legendary "Cato" of Latin distich fame and also Saint Bernard of Clairveax who was famously associated with the Cistercian order.
Quales Mori Cupimus, Tales Vivamus
Talis in hac vita fieri contende, sub hora
Extrema qualem te reperire cupis.
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:
contendō, contendere: stretch, contend, strive
cupiō -ere -īvī -ītum: desire
extrēmus -a -um: farthest, situated at the end or tip, extreme
fīō fierī factus sum: become
hic haec hoc: this; hōc: on this account
hōra -ae f.: hour
in: in, on (+ abl.); into, onto (+ acc)
morior morī mortuus sum: die
quālis -e: of what kind? what?
reperiō -perīre -perī -pertum: find, find out
sub: under, close to (+acc. or abl.)
tālis tale: such
tū tuī tibi tē: you (sing.)
vīta -ae f.: life
vīvō vīvere vīxī victum: live
