Pecunia Rerum Regina

This little poem comes from the distichs of Publius Faustus Andrelinus (c. 1460-1518). You can find his hecatodistichon, his "hundred distichs," at Google Books.

Pecunia Rerum Regina
Unica cunctarum regina Pecunia rerum;
Praecipuum magno pro Iove numen habet.


The vocabulary is keyed to the DCC Latin Vocabulary list. There are four words in this poem that are not on the DCC list:

Iūppiter, Iovis - Jupiter (Zeus)
praecipuus -a -um: special, particular, excellent
rēgina -ae f.: queen
ūnicus -a -um - one only, sole, singular
cūnctus -a -um: entire all together
habeō habēre habuī habitum: have, hold
māgnus -a -um great
nūmen -inis n.: divine will, deity
pecūnia -ae f.: money
prō: for, on behalf of, in proportion to (+abl.)
rēs reī f.: thing (rēs pūblica, commonwealth; rēs familiāris, family property, estate; rēs mīlitāris, art of war; rēs novae, revolution)

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Atris Obscura Tenebris

Here is today's emblem by Joachim Camerarius, 2:94. It compares the human race to the proverbially blind mole. Like the mole, we exist in the dark - until we are enlightened with the help of heaven. For a story about the mole's sad situation, take a look at Aesop's fable about the monkey, the donkey and the mole: Talpa, Asinus, et Simia.

Atris Obscura Tenebris
Heu mortale genus, ceu talpae, lumine captum,
Caelesti donec restituatur ope.

The vocabulary is keyed to the DCC Latin Vocabulary list. There are four words in this poem that are not on the DCC list:

ceu - as, like, just as
heu - oh, ah, alas
restituō -stituere -stituī -stitūtum: restore
talpa f. - mole (animal)

caelestis -e: from or of heaven; caelestēs, the gods
capiō capere cēpī captum: seize
dōnec: until
genus generis n.: origin, lineage, kind
lūmen luminis n.: light
mortālis -e: liable to death, mortal
ops opis f.: assistance, resources