Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Si Vis Dives Fieri

This is from the enormous anthology of distich poetry assembled by Barthold Nihus, Epigrammata Disticha, published in 1642; the poem is by Hieronymus Balbus (c.1450-c.1535).

Si Vis Dives Fieri
Est quicumque cupit congesto pauper in auro;
Vis dives fieri, Pontice? Nil cupias.


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

congestus, -a, -um - collected, piled up
Ponticus (Ponticī, m.): Ponticus

aurum -ī n.: gold
cupiō -ere -īvī -ītum: desire
dīves, dīvitis: rich (poet. dīs, dītis)
fīō fierī factus sum: become
in: in, on (+ abl.); into, onto (+ acc)
nihil, nīl: nothing; not at all
pauper -eris: poor, lowly
quī- quae- quodcumque: who-, whatever
sum, esse, fuī: be, exist
volō velle voluī: wish, be willing