Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Qui Vita Defuncti Sunt

This is from the enormous anthology of distich poetry assembled by Barthold Nihus, Epigrammata Disticha, published in 1642; the poem is anonymous.

Qui Vita Defuncti Sunt
Defunctos vita non defleo; defleo mortis
Iam iam venturae quos metus acer agit.

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

dēfleō, dēflēre: lament, bewail, weep
dēfungor, dēfungī, dēfunctus: have done with, quit

ācer ācre ācre: sharp, piercing
agō agere ēgī āctum: drive, do, act
iam: now; already
metus -ūs m.: fear, dread
mors mortis f.: death
nōn: not
qui quae quod: who, which, what / quis quid: who? what? which?
veniō venīre vēnī ventum: come
vīta -ae f.: life