Carmina Ratisponensia 46

Carmina Ratisponēnsia, Carmen 46

The Carmina Ratisponēnsia are an eleventh-century collection of Latin verse exchanged among scholars and clerics at Regensburg. In this poem, the speaker chides a friend nicknamed “Fortis” for failing to answer his verses, turning the friend's name and his rusty arms into a sustained joke about cowardice and neglect.

Tier 1

ō amīce, vāna est tua fidēs. amor tuus nōn est aeternus. quī tibi nōmen "Fortis" dedit, omen āmīsit. nōmen tuum nōn prōdest, sī honōrem nōn retinēs. nōmen "Fortis" eōs decet quī fortia faciunt. tū igitur nōn "Fortis" es, sed "Mollis". iūre igitur tē "Mollem" iam vocō.

nunc breviter dīcam. tē enim culpāre volō. ego tibi versūs bonōs et bene factōs mīsī. tū tamen mihi nōn rescrīpsistī. tū dīxistī: "turbātiō rēgnī mihi rescrībere vetuit." sed haec excūsātiō falsa est. hoc nōvum vitium tuum est. multa enim vitia anteā habuistī.

tū sōlus huic morbō medērī potuistī. arma tamen tua tē nōn iūvērunt. lōrīca pectus tuum nōn prōtēxit, quia mollis es. gladius enim tuus vetus est et male cūrātus. etsī gladius hostem percussit, hostis vulnus nōn accēpit. fortasse manus tua scūtum aptum portāre nōn potest. dextra enim tua, ut putō, manus virī timidī est. timidō virō tālī scūtum convenit.

sed forsitan dīcis: "nūntium nōn habuī." respondeō: illa fēmina quae tibi mea scrīpta dedit, tua scrīpta mihi quoque ferre potuit. sed tū rescrībere nōn voluistī. fortasse etiam scrībere nōn potuistī.

Tier 2

Tier 3

Tier 4 - Carmen Ipsum

Tier 4 - Carmen Ipsum (AP Core Vocabulary)

est tibi vāna fidēs, nōn est dīlēctiō perpes;
quī “Fortis” nōmen tibi iūnxit, perdidit omen.
quid prōdest nōmen, sī nōn retinēbis honōrem?
nōmine fulgēbunt tālī quī fortia quaerunt.
tū “Mollis” potius sīs amodo iūre vocātus.

AP Core Vocabulary

sum, esse, fuī=to be; sīs, may you be (pres. subj.)

fidēs, -eī (f.)=trust, faith, loyalty

quī, quae, quod=who, which

fortis, -e=strong, brave; fortia (n. pl.), brave deeds

nōmen, -inis (n.)=name

perdō, -ere, -didī, -ditum=to destroy, lose, ruin

quis, quid=who? what?; quid prōdest, what good does it do?

prōsum, prōdesse, prōfuī=to be of use, benefit, profit

sī=if

teneō, -ēre, tenuī, tentum=to hold; retineō, to keep, retain

honor (honōs), -ōris (m.)=honor, distinction

tālis, -e=such, of such a kind

quaerō, -ere, quaesīvī, quaesītum=to seek, ask, search for

mollis, -e=soft, yielding, weak

vocō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum=to call, name

nunc breviter dīcam cūr sīc aenigmata solvam.
cum tibi versiculōs ratiōne polītōs mīsī,
nōn mihi responsum cūrāstī reddere dignum,
sed mihi rescrībī vetuit “turbātiō rēgnī.”
istud nempe tuae vitium successiō culpae.

nunc=now

dīcō, -ere, dīxī, dictum=to say, speak, tell

cūr=why?

sīc=so, thus, in this way

solvō, -ere, solvī, solūtum=to loosen, untie; to solve, explain

cum=conj. when, since, although

ratiō, -ōnis (f.)=reckoning, reason, method; ratiōne polītōs, polished with care

mittō, -ere, mīsī, missum=to send

respondeō, -ēre, -spondī, -spōnsum=to answer; respōnsum, a reply

reddō, -ere, -didī, -ditum=to give back, return; to render

dignus, -a, -um=worthy, deserving

sed=but

scrībō, -ere, scrīpsī, scrīptum=to write; rescrībō, to write back

rēgnum, -ī (n.)=kingdom, royal power

iste, -a, -ud=that (of yours)

tuus, -a, -um=your, yours

vitium, -ī (n.)=fault, defect, vice

tū sōlus pestī potuissēs huic medicārī,
nec lōrīca tuum pectus prōtēxit ineptum;
ēnsis namque tuus multā ferrūgine tēctus
etsī percussit hostem, sine vulnere mānsit.

sōlus, -a, -um=alone, only

possum, posse, potuī=to be able, can; potuissēs, you would have been able (plupf. subj.)

hic, haec, hoc=this

tuus, -a, -um=your, yours

pectus, -oris (n.)=breast, chest, heart

tegō, -ere, tēxī, tēctum=to cover; prōtegō, to protect, shield

multus, -a, -um=much, many

maneō, -ēre, mānsī, mānsum=to remain, stay

at mīror clipeum tua quae ferret manus aptum.
dextra, reor, timidō nam convenit hoc bene virō.
sed forsan dīcis: “deerat mihi nūntius omnis.”
quae tibi porrēxit mea scrīpta, tua mihi ferret,
mittere sī vellēs, vel sī compōnere scīrēs.

at=but, yet

clipeus, -ī (m.)=round shield

tuus, -a, -um=your, yours

quī, quae, quod=who, which

ferō, ferre, tulī, lātum=to bear, carry

manus, -ūs (f.)=hand

dexter, -tera, -terum (or -tra, -trum)=right, on the right; dextra (f. as noun), the right hand

veniō, -īre, vēnī, ventum=to come; conveniō, to suit, befit

hic, haec, hoc=this

bene=well

vir, virī (m.)=man

sed=but

dīcō, -ere, dīxī, dictum=to say, speak

dēsum, -esse, -fuī=to be lacking, be missing

omnis, -e=all, every

meus, -a, -um=my, mine

scrībō, -ere, scrīpsī, scrīptum=to write; scrīpta (n. pl.), writings, letters

mittō, -ere, mīsī, missum=to send

sī=if

volō, velle, voluī=to wish, want; vellēs, you would wish (impf. subj.)

vel=or; vel ... vel, either ... or

compōnō, -ere, -posuī, -positum=to compose, put together

sciō, -īre, -īvī, -ītum=to know, know how

Carmina Ratisponēnsia, Carmen 46

Tier 1

Tier 2

Tier 3

Tier 4 - Carmen Ipsum

Tier 4 - Carmen Ipsum (AP Core Vocabulary)

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