Wednesday, July 27, 2011

In Procillum, Magnatem

Here is another distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 1.109:

In Procillum, Magnatem
Si non audires dicentem falsa, Procille,
Auderet falsum dicere nemo tibi.


If thou to Lyers wouldst not lend thine Ear,
None with a Lye before Thee durst appear.

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

magnas (magnātis, m.): important person, magnate
Procillus (Procillī, m.): Procillus

audeō audēre ausus sum: dare, be eager
audiō -īre -īvī/-iī -itum: hear, listen to
dīcō dīcere dīxī dictum: say; causam dicere, plead a case; diem dicere, appoint a day
falsus -a -um: deceptive, false
nēmo: no one (gen. nullius, dat. nulli, abl. nullo or nulla > nullus -a -um)
nōn: not
sī: if
tū tuī tibi tē: you (sing.)