Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Latin term or phrase:
O fortvnata mors qvae natvrae debita pro patria est potissimvm reddita brevis a
English translation:
Oh happy death, which, due to nature, has been paid in the cause of one's country!
Added to glossary by
Chris Rowson (X)
Apr 18, 2002 02:43
22 yrs ago
Latin term
chris
O fortvnata mors qvae natvrae debita pro patria est potissimvm reddita brevis a
Non-PRO
Latin to English
Art/Literary
O fortvnata mors qvae natvrae debita pro patria est potissimvm reddita brevis a natvra nobis vita data est at memoria bene redditae vitae sempiterna
Proposed translations
(English)
| 4 +3 | Oh happy death, which, due to nature, has been paid in the cause of one's country! |
Chris Rowson (X)
|
Proposed translations
+3
1 hr
Selected
Oh happy death, which, due to nature, has been paid in the cause of one's country!
This is two separate sentences from Cicero´s 14th Phillippic. The first ends with "reddita", and is translated as "Oh happy death, which, due to nature, has been paid in the cause of one's country!".
The second ("brevis a natura ...") is translated as "A brief life has been allotted to us by nature."
Cicero writes the most wonderful Latin, but I can´t say I like his message.
Did you get this from am inscription? The choice of sentences suggests this. They are not far apart, and come from the section before last of this, the last in Cicero´s series of speeches in which he fired up the Senate to carry on the war against Mark Anthony.
This left the way open for the 20 year-old marvel Octavian to come to power, after which he ruled for I forget how many decades as the Emperor Augustus. Cicero, the Republican, would have hated that too.
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Note added at 2002-04-18 06:13:24 (GMT)
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Sorry, that wasn´t the whole of the second sentence - it is \"A brief life has been allotted to us by nature; but the memory of a well-spent life is imperishable.\"
These sentences are in praise of Roman soldiers who gave their lives in the battles against Antony, defending the Republic.
It was, however, a lost cause. The Republic had lasted and developed for centuries, but its days were already over. It seems now to have been inevitable that Rome would revert to having a single person at its head. Exactly why would be a fascinating study.
The second ("brevis a natura ...") is translated as "A brief life has been allotted to us by nature."
Cicero writes the most wonderful Latin, but I can´t say I like his message.
Did you get this from am inscription? The choice of sentences suggests this. They are not far apart, and come from the section before last of this, the last in Cicero´s series of speeches in which he fired up the Senate to carry on the war against Mark Anthony.
This left the way open for the 20 year-old marvel Octavian to come to power, after which he ruled for I forget how many decades as the Emperor Augustus. Cicero, the Republican, would have hated that too.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-04-18 06:13:24 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Sorry, that wasn´t the whole of the second sentence - it is \"A brief life has been allotted to us by nature; but the memory of a well-spent life is imperishable.\"
These sentences are in praise of Roman soldiers who gave their lives in the battles against Antony, defending the Republic.
It was, however, a lost cause. The Republic had lasted and developed for centuries, but its days were already over. It seems now to have been inevitable that Rome would revert to having a single person at its head. Exactly why would be a fascinating study.
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Comment: "Graded automatically based on peer agreement. KudoZ."
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