Thursday, April 12, 2012

Tibi Soli Peccavi

Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 3.51.

Tibi Soli Peccavi
Subditus in legem peccat, regemque, Deumque.
Rex peccat soli (rex quia nempe) Deo.


AGAINST THEE ONLY HAVE I SINNED
Subjects do sin ’gainst God, the King, the Laws,
A King ’gainst God alone: A King because.


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

nempe - truly, certainly, of course
subdō -ere, subdidī, subditum - place under, subject, subdue

deus -ī m.; dea -ae f. god; goddess
in: in, on (+ abl.); into, onto (+ acc)
lēx lēgis: f. law
peccō -āre: commit a wrong, injure
que (enclitic) - and
quia: because
rēx rēgis m.: king
sōlus -a -um: only, alone; sōlum (adv.), only, merely
tū tuī tibi tē: you (sing.)