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Latin Love

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" 'Mensa Rotundum' said little Marius and died". Latin, on the other hand, is a language that refuses to die, and thanks to books like Arne Garborg's classical "Gift" ("Poison"), from which the above cite is the closing words, Latin will always have a special meaning for the people of Western Norway.

On this page I will regularly add Latin cites, sayings and words that I come across.

Cites

"Aperit praecordia Liber" (Horats): The wine opens the heart.
"Causa latet, vis est notissima" (Ovid): The cause is hidden, the effect visible for everyone.
"Boni pastori est tondere pecus non deglubere" (Sueton): A good sheppard cuts his sheep, he doesn't flay them. (Tiberius later used this expression about too high tax rates.)
"Carpe diem" (Horats): Seize the day. I.e. take pleasure in the time while you have it.

Sayings

Cave ab homine unius libri. "Beware the man who knows only one book" (because he probably knows it better than others do).

Fac totum. "Do it all." (We also use the expression 'a factotum' about a person who fixes (or arranges) everything, a gopher).

Words

Excelsior: Higher, towards the heights. New York chose this as it's motto.

Mailed contributions

Several people know that I am fond of Latin stuff, and every now and then I get things in the mail. Some of it ends up here.

"Sed lupus agnum devorare voluit; quod voluit, fecit." This was mailed to me by S. Hodne, without a translation. My translation is, "Thus the wolf wants to eat the lamb; what one wants, one does". I don't know the origin or context; the word 'lupus' may have been used in one of it's allegorical senses (whore, student-watcher).

 

 

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Last modified: september 26, 1999