Solus Sapiens Dives
Quis dives? Solus sapiens. Cur? Nil cupit ille,
Aut metuit; vitam cum ratione regit.
Source: Nicolaus Reusnerus (1545-1602), Aureola Emblemata, 91. Meter: Elegiac. I'm not quite sure what to make of the emblem which accompanies this poem in Reusner. What do people think? Is the man in the image something like a Diogenes character? Any input/suggestions would be welcome!
The vocabulary is keyed to the DCC Latin Vocabulary list. All the words in this poem are on that list:
Who is rich? (Quis dives?) Only the wise man. (Solus sapiens.) Why? (Cur?) He wants nothing (ille cupit nil), nor does he fear anything (aut metuit); he rules his life (regit vitam) with wisdom (cum ratione).
aut: or
cum: with (prep. + abl.); when, since, although (conjunction + subj.)
cupiō -ere -īvī -ītum: desire
cūr: why?
dīves, dīvitis: rich (poet. dīs, dītis)
ille illa illud: that
metuō metuere metuī: to fear, to dread
nihil, nīl: nothing; not at all
qui quae quod: who, which, what / quis quid: who? what? which?
ratio -ōnis f.: method, plan, reason
regō regere rēxī rectum: guide, rule
sapiens -ntis.: wise man
sōlus -a -um: only, alone; sōlum (adv.), only, merely
vīta -ae f.: life
