Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Amicus Falsus


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Amicus Falsus

Quem tibi divitiae peperere, est falsus amicus:
   Argentum, non te, diligit ille tuum.


Source
: Michaelis Verinus (c.1469-c.1487), Disticha. Meter: Elegiac. Note the implied referent of the relative pronoun: [is] quem tibi divitiae peperere... The perfect peperere = pepererunt.

The friend whom (quem) wealth has produced for you (divitiae tibi peperere) is a false friend (est falsus amicus): he loves (ille diligit) your silver (argentum tuum) non te (not you).

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

amīcus -a -um: friendly; (as subst.) friend
argentum -ī n.: silver, money
dīligō -ligere -lēxī -lēctum: choose, cherish, love
dīves, dīvitis: rich (poet. dīs, dītis)
dīvitiae -ārum f. pl.: riches, wealth
falsus -a -um: deceptive, false
ille illa illud: that
nōn: not
pariō parere peperī partum: bring forth, give birth to; accomplish
qui quae quod: who, which, what / quis quid: who? what? which?
sum, esse, fuī: be, exist
tū tuī tibi tē: you (sing.)
tuus -a -um: your