Friday, February 10, 2012

Puris Manibus

Here is today's emblem and distich by Gabriel Rollenhagen, Book 1.41, with an English rendering by George Wither. Note the elegant third-person future imperative: adeunto.

Puris Manibus
Ad divos manibus puris adeunto, fideli
Pectore, quo possint pondus habere preces.


Let him, that at Gods Altar stands,
In Innocencie, wash his Hands.




The vocabulary is keyed to the DCC Latin Vocabulary list. There are two words which are not on the DCC list:

prex, precis f. - prayer, request
pūrus -a -um - pure, clean, blameless

ad: to, up to, towards (+acc.)
adeo -īre -iī -itum: go to
dīvus -a -um: divine, godlike
fidēlis -e: faithful
habeo -ēre -uī habitum: have, hold
manus -ūs m.: hand; band of men
pectus -oris n.: chest, breast
pondus poderis n.: weight
possum posse potuī: be able
qui, quae, quod: who, which, what; quis quid: who? what? which?