Friday, May 25, 2012

Ut Sis Tibi Amicus


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Ut Sis Tibi Amicus
Dilige sic alios, ut sis tibi carus amicus;
Sic bonus esto bonis, ne te mala damna sequantur.


Love other men; yet be your own true friend:
Do good to good men so no loss attend.
(Duff)

Love others so that thou'rt to self a friend;
Prefer the good and thus dire harm forfend.
(Chase)

Source: The Distichs of Cato (4th century), 1.11. Meter: Dactylic Hexameter.The idea here is to take care of yourself at the same time that you are being a good friend to them likewise.

Love others (dilige alios) in such a way that (sic ut) you are a dear friend to yourself (sis carus amicus tibi); be good thus unto the good (esto bonus sic bonis) so that evil losses (ne mala damna) do not pursue you (sequantur te).

The vocabulary is keyed to the DCC Latin Vocabulary list.  All the words in the poem are on that list:

alius -a -um: other, another; alias: at another time
amīcus -a -um: friendly; (as subst.) friend
bonus -a -um: good
cārus -a -um: dear
damnum -ī n.: damage, injury
dīligō -ligere -lēxī -lēctum: choose, cherish, love
malus -a -um: bad, evil; male: (adv.) badly
nē: lest, that not
sequor sequī secūtus sum: follow
sīc: in this manner, thus; sīc . . . ut: in the same way as
sum, esse, fuī: be, exist
tū tuī tibi tē: you (sing.)
ut, uti: as (+ indic.); so that, with the result that (+ subj.)