Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Res Dulcissimae


383     -     384     -     385


Res Dulcissimae
Dulce merum, dulcis coniunx, mens optima dulcis:
Dulcius his iunctis in rebus nil puto cunctis.


Source: Philosophia Patrum (ed. Wegeler), 270. Meter: Dactylic Hexameter. Note the rhyme: iunctis-cunctis.

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:

Wine is sweet (dulce merum), a spouse is sweet (dulcis coniunx), an excellent state of mind is sweet (mens optima dulcis): I think (puto) there is nothing sweeter (nil dulcius) in all the world (in rebus cunctis) than these joined together (his iunctis).

merum (merī, n.): wine

coniunx, coniugis m./f.: spouse, husband, wife
cūnctus -a -um: entire all together
dulcis -e: sweet
hic, haec, hoc: this; hōc, on this account
in: in, on (+ abl.); into onto (+ acc)
iungo -ere iūnxī iūnctum: join
mēns mentis f.: mind
nihil, nīl: nothing; not at all
optimus -a -um: best, excellent; adv. optimē
puto -āre: think, suppose
rēs reī f.: thing (rēs pūblica, commonwealth; rēs familiāris, family property, estate; rēs mīlitāris, art of war; rēs novae, revolution)