Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Spes Altera Vitae
This poem is from the proverbial distichs of Georgius Carolides (1569-1612), which you can read online at the University of Mannheim.
Spes Altera Vitae
Non metuo mortem; superest spes altera vitae:
Mors mihi perpetuae ianua pacis erit.
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:
I do not fear death (non metuo mortem); another hope for life (spes altera vitae) survives (superest): my death will be (mors mihi erit) a doorway into endless peace (ianua perpetuae pacis).
iānua (iānuae, f.): door, doorway
alter altera alterum: other of two
ego meī mihi mē: I, me
metuō metuere metuī: to fear, to dread
mors mortis f.: death
nōn: not
pāx pācis f.: peace
perpetuus -a -um: unbroken, perpetual
spēs speī f.: hope
sum, esse, fuī: be, exist
supersum -esse -fuī: be above; remain, survive
vīta -ae f.: life
