Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Christus Via

Here is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 3.101.

Christus Via
Ad caelos vis scire viam tibi qua sit eundum?
Ad te descendit caelitus ipsa via.

CHRIST THE WAY
Would’st know the way which doth unt’ Heaven tend?
The Way from Heaven doth to thee descend.


The vocabulary is keyed to the DCC Latin Vocabulary list. There is only one word in this poem that is not on the DCC list, plus one proper name:

caelitus -a -um - from heaven, heavenly
Christus, m. - Christ

ad: to, up to, towards (+acc.)
caelum -ī n.: sky, heavens
dēscendo -ere -scendi -scēnsum: climb down, descend
eo īre iī/īvī itum: go
ipse, ipsa, ipsum: him- her- itself
qui, quae, quod: who, which, what; quis quid: who? what? which?
scio -īre -īvī/-iī -ītum: know
tū tuī tibi tē: you (sing.)
via -ae f.: way, street
volo velle voluī: wish, be willing