Monday, April 2, 2012

Abscisa servum...

Here is today's distich by Martial, 2.82. Martial seems to be rebuking Ponticus not for the cruelty of what he has done, but instead for the futility of it.

Abscisā servum quid figis, Pontice, linguā?
Nescis tu populum, quod tacet ille, loqui?


What 'vails it thee to make thy slave a mute?
Of thy foul crimes much louder now's the bruit.
- Anon. 1695


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

abscīdo -ere, abscīdī, abscīsum - cut off, deprive
fīgo ere, fīxī, fīxum - fasten, pierce, crucify
Ponticus - Ponticus

ille, illa, illud: that
lingua -ae f.: tongue; language
loquor loquī locūtus sum: speak, talk
nescio -scīre: not know, be ignorant
populus -ī m.: people
qui, quae, quod: who, which, what; quis quid: who? what? which?
servus -ī m.: slave
taceo -ēre -uī -itum: be silent; tacitus -a -um, silent
tū tuī tibi tē: you (sing.)