Daily Latin

The Stoics and Epicureans agree philosophy is the way.Philosophiae servias oportet, ut tibi contingat vera libertas.It is necessary that you must serve philosophy, so that you may gain true freedom.Philosophiae: to philosophyServias: may you serve, you must serveOportet: it is necessaryUt contingat: so that it may happenTibi: to youVera libertas: true freedom

Virgil prophesies Carthage’s avenger.Exoriare aliquis nostris ex ossibus ultorMay someone arise, an avenger, out of our bonesExoriare: may you ariseAliquis: someoneNostris: our (abl. pl.)Ex ossibus: from (our) bonesUltor: avenger

Ausonius shows battles won without weapons, or anything else really.Armatam vidit Venerem Lacedaemone Pallas. “Nunc certemus,” ait, “iudice vel Paride.” Cui Venus: “Armatam tu me, temeraria, temnis, quae, quo te vici tempore, nuda fui?”Minerva saw Venus armed in Sparta.“Now let us fight,” she said, “with Paris as judge, even.”To whom Venus: “reckless are you to scorn me, now I am armed, I, who at the time when I last defeated you, was naked?”Armatam: armedVidit: she sawVenerem: VenusLacedaemone: in SpartaPallas: Pallas Athene / MinervaNunc: nowCertemus: let us competeAit: she saidIudice vel Paride: even with Paris as judgeCui: to whomTe: youMe: meTemeraria: recklessTemnis: you scornQuae: who, which, that (relative pronoun)Quo … tempore: at the time whenTe vici: I defeated youNuda fui: I was naked

Statius on the power of dignity and justice.Vade, atra dature supplicia, extremique tamen secure sepulcri.Go, you who are destined to suffer dark punishments, yet without fear of your final tomb.Vade: Go!Atra: black, gloomyDature: about to give, sufferSupplicia: punishmentsExtremi sepulcri: of the final tombTamen: yet, neverthelessSecure: without fear, safely

Lucretius on how to live in the world.Quod siquis vera vitam ratione gubernet, divitiae grandes homini sunt vivere parce aequo animo; neque enim est umquam penuria parvi.That if anyone should govern their life with true reason, there are great riches to a man who may live simply with a calm mind; for indeed one lacks not, who has little.Quod: but, because, thatSiquis: if anyoneVera: trueRatione: reasonVitam: lifeGubernet: should governDivitiae grandes: great richesHomini sunt: are to a manVivere parce: to live frugally, simplyAequo animo: with a calm mindNeque enim: for indeed notEst umquam: as everPenuria: poverty, lackParvi: of little