Sunday, July 15, 2012

Vivere Mundo Mors Est


119     -     120     -     121


Vivere Mundo Mors Est
Qui mundo vivis, vitam ne dixeris esse,
Sed mortem; vera est vivere vita deo.


Source: Ubertus Clericus (active 1610), in Nihus (1642). Meter: Elegiac. Note the use of the subjunctive dixeris in a construction very similar to the English "you would not say, you would not call it."

The vocabulary is keyed to the DCC Latin Vocabulary list. All the words in this poem are on that list:

deus -ī m.; dea -ae f. god; goddess
dīcō dīcere dīxī dictum: say; causam dicere, plead a case; diem dicere, appoint a day
mors mortis f.: death
mundus -ī m.: world, universe, heavens
nē: lest, that not
qui quae quod: who, which, what / quis quid: who? what? which?
sed: but
sum, esse, fuī: be, exist
vērus -a -um: true; vērē, truly
vīta -ae f.: life
vīvō vīvere vīxī victum: live