Lectio quadragesima
Dē corporis partibus (sequitur)Dē córporis pártibus (séquitur)
On the Parts of the Body (continued)
Dē capite conclūdāmus. Lingua loquēlae1 ministeriō2 fungitur3.Dē cápite conclūdā́mus. Lingua loquḗlae1 ministériō2 fúngitur3.
Let’s finish [talking] about the head. The tongue [is the organ] of speech (the function performs).
Dentibus mandūcāmus4. Nōnnunquam ipsī dolent eōsque ēvellere dēbēmus: dentīs enim ēvulsiō rēs jūcunda nōn est.Déntibus mandūcā́mus4. Nōnnúnquam ipsī dolent eṓsque ēvéllere dēbḗmus: dentīs enim ēvúlsiō rēs jūcúnda nōn est.
We chew with [our] teeth. Sometimes they (themselves) hurt, and we must extract them: indeed the extraction of a tooth is not a pleasant thing.
Oculum prō oculō, dentem5 prō dente, dīcit Scrīptūra.Óculum prō óculō, dentem5 prō dente, dīcit Scrīptū́ra.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, says the Scripture.
Matronae labra et genās saepe roseō vel rubrō colōre6 pingunt. Nōn sōlum virginēs, sed etiam omnēs mulierēs7, colōrēs nitidī, quōs nātūra sāna praebet, multō magis decent.Mátronae labra et genās saepe róseō vel rubrō colṓre6 pingunt. Nōn sōlum vírginēs, sed étiam omnēs mulíerēs7, colṓrēs nítidī, quōs nātū́ra sāna praebet, multō magis decent.
Ladies often paint [their] lips and cheeks with [rouge] (rosy or red pigment). The bright colors that a healthy nature provides are much more becoming not only [to] maidens, but also all women.
Barbā virīle decus, fēmineum crīnēs.Barbā virī́le decus, fēmíneum crīnēs.
The beard [is] a manly distinction, locks a womanly [one].
Caput cervīcibus8 seu collō sustinētur, collum autem humerīs.Caput cervī́cibus8 seu collō sustinḗtur, collum autem húmerīs.
The head is supported by the (nape-of-the-)neck, otherwise-called neck; the neck, on the other hand, by the shoulders.
Pulmōnibus spīrāmus. Tussis ē faucium9 īnflammātiōne oritur.Pulmṓnibus spīrā́mus. Tussis ē fáucium9 īnflammātiṓne óritur.
We breathe with [our] lungs. Coughing arises from an inflammation of the throat.
Amor tussisque nōn cēlātur. Dum spīrō, spērō.Amor tussísque nōn cēlā́tur. Dum spīrō, spērō.
Love and coughing cannot be hidden. While I breathe, I hope (= where there is life there is hope).
Cor est antlia quae sanguinem10 per artēriās et vēnās movet. Stomachus cibōs dīgerit.Cor est ántlia quae sánguinem10 per artḗriās et vēnās movet. Stómachus cibōs dī́gerit.
The heart is a pump which moves the blood through the arteries and veins. The stomach digests food.
Jecur graviter labōrat sī merō vel pōtiōnibus11 alcoholīcīs abūtimur.Jecur gráviter labṓrat sī merō vel pōtiṓnibus11 alcoholī́cīs abū́timur.
The liver is severely troubled if we overindulge in (pure) wine or alcoholic beverages.
Famēs optimus est coquus. Cōpia nauseam parit.Famēs óptimus est coquus. Cṓpia náuseam parit.
Hunger is the best cook. Abundance begets nausea.
Notes
Loquela, -ae, f., speech, comes from loqui.
Ministerium, -i, n., service, office, function.
Fungor, -eris, -i, functus sum, to fulfill (a function), deponent verb governing the ablative (here ministerio) or the genitive.
Manducamus. Do we still need to point out that the verb is manducare? Here, as this verb is to all evidence in the present indicative, we see that it is a verb of the first conjugation (in -as, -are).
Henceforth, when we give you no information about a new verb, it is because it is a regular verb of the first conjugation. Take, for example, sentence 8, celatur; you can see by the translation that this verb is in the passive. As we don’t say anything (and, into the bargain, you have noticed in it a very significant -a-), its active form is celo, -as, -are (-avi, -atum) and its passive form celor, -aris, -ari (-atus sum). Finally, if we mention neither the perfect nor the supine (the forms in brackets above), it’s because they are in -avi and -atum, but this formation is not a general rule.
It is amusing to note that manducare, which is derived from mando, -is, -ere, mandi, mansum, to chew, was formerly employed in the sense to eat only in vulgar speech. It is, however, this word that gave the French manger and the Italian mangiare. In the classical language to eat was edo, -is, ere, edi, esum (compare English “eat”, German “essen”). You should know that this verb has a series of irregular forms matching those of the verb to be: es, you are or you eat; equally in the third person est, he is or he eats, and in the infinitive esse, to be or to eat, used alongside the regular forms edis, edit, edere.
Oculum and dentem are here in the accusative because they function as direct objects of an understood verb (to remove). In the same way, if you order beer, you would not say cervisia! but cervisiam! because it is the object that you order, and not the subject of any sort of action.
Color, -oris, m. Generally, words in -or are masculine, as their equivalents in Italian and Spanish, unlike in French and, almost always, in Catalan (although not with the word color in particular).
What are the singulars of labra and genas? Answer: Labrum, -i, n., lip; gena, -ae, f., cheek.
Mulier, -ieris, f., woman, in general; virgo, -inis, young woman; matrona, -ae, f., married woman.
Cervix, -icis, f., neck. Rather the plural cervices, gen. cervicum, is used in the sense of the English singular.
Fauces, -ium, f., throat, corridor, narrow passage, is used only in the plural. Pulmo, -onis, m., lung. Tussis, -is, f., just as turris, tower; vis, force, febris, fever and securis, axe, have accusatives in -im instead of -em and ablatives in -i instead of -e.
Cor, cordis, n., heart; sanguis, -inis, m., blood; antlia, -ae, f., pump (also the name of a constellation of the southern hemisphere).
Jecur, -oris (or jecinoris), n., liver; potio, -onis, f., drink; merus, -a, -um, pure; merum, -i, n., pure wine (without water).
You should have noticed that the present lesson contained a respectable number of proverbs and proverbial expressions. It is not a bad thing to know such phrases: they have, in general, the interest of containing —sometimes in very concentrated form— useful and easy-to-remember expressions. We point to a treasure-house of these in the Bibliographical Index (p. 545, #2, Arthaber).
Exercitatio
Jecur hujus hominis magnum est ut follis ovālis.Jecur hujus hóminis magnum est ut follis ovā́lis.
This man’s liver is [as] large as a [rugby] ball (egg-shaped).
Quōmodo id fierī potest? — Quia nimium merī bibit.Quṓmodo id fíerī potest? — Quia nímium merī bibit.
How can that happen? — Because he has drunk too-much (of) wine.
Venter aurēs nōn habet.
The belly does not have ears.
Mel in ōre, fel in corde. Ita dīcitur dē virīs et mulieribus quī eīs dulcia dīcunt quōs in corde ōdērunt.Mel in ōre, fel in corde. Ita dī́citur dē virīs et muliéribus quī eīs dúlcia dīcunt quōs in corde ōdḗrunt.
Honey in the mouth, gall in the heart. So it is said about men and women who say sweet-things to those whom they hate in their heart (odisse, cf. L. 30, N. 8).
Quae est ista mātrōna? Est māter virginis quam heri vīdistī.Quae est ista mātrṓna? Est māter vírginis quam heri vīdístī.
Which is that lady? She is the mother of the maiden whom you saw yesterday.
Ejus vultum reddit: quālis māter, tālis fīlia.Ejus vultum reddit: quālis māter, tālis fī́lia.
[She resembles her] (her face she returns): like (as) mother, like (such) daughter.
Ut domum faucibus intrās, sīc ēsca in stomachum faucibus intrat.Ut domum fáucibus intrās, sīc ēsca in stómachum fáucibus intrat.
As you enter the house by the corridor, so food enters (into) the stomach by the throat.
Praetereā aditus, quō nāvēs in portum intrant, faucēs quoque vocantur.Praetéreā áditus, quō nāvēs in portum intrant, faucēs quoque vocántur.
Moreover, the entrance by which ships enter the port is also called «fauces».