Proverbs/Grammar ~ Grammar/Proverbs: Latin Lesson #126: Finishing the preposition review

The focus for today's lesson is one more day of ablative preposition review. And yes, we will move on to something new for next week, working on verbs again and learning new verb forms (you already know so many noun forms!).

Remember: as you read through today's sayings, look for the prepositional phrase with its ablative, and then ask yourself which declension you see there: 1st (-a ending), 2nd (-o ending), or 3rd (-e ending).

So here is a little slideshow (with cats) of the words you have seen before; you know almost all the words in today's sayings already, so there are lots of words in this slideshow, and lots of cats:

And here are today's proverbs:

1. Bibit venenum in auro.
(Someone) is-drinking poison in gold.
bibit ve-NE-num in auro.

You've seen all the words in this saying before!
The word auro is the ablative form of the neuter noun aurum, used with the preposition in. The word literally means "gold," and here it stands for a "gold (goblet)."

The word venenum is the accusative form of the neuter noun venenum (remember: the nominative and accusative forms of neuter nouns are always identical!).

Metaphorically this means that with great wealth and power (aurum) comes danger and threats from all sides (venenum).

2. Ex scintilla incendium.
From (a) spark, (a) conflagration.
ex scin-TIL-la in-CEN-dium.

You've also seen all the words in this saying before, and in a very similar saying which makes explicit the contrast between the small spark and the big fire: Parva saepe scintilla magnum excitat incendium.

The word scintilla (scintillā) is the ablative form of the feminine noun scintilla, used with the preposition ex.

3. Non distat Croesus ab Iro.
Croesus doesn't differ from Irus.
non distat Croesus ab Iro.

The word Iro is the ablative form of the name Irus, used with the preposition ab. Irus was a proverbial poor man in ancient Greece; he was a beggar on the island of Ithaca who ran errands for the suitors who had besieged Odysseus's wife Penelope in Odysseus's absence. You can find out more at Wikipedia: Irus.

The name Croesus was proverbial for wealth in the ancient world, referring to King Croesus of Lydia. You can find out more about Croesus and his legendary wealth at Wikipedia: Croesus.

The verb distat means "stands apart, differs." It is a compound verb: dis-stat, "apart-stands, stands apart." You've seen two other -stat compounds before: obstat, "stands in the way, blocks," and praestat "stands in front, excels, is outstanding."

The idea is that, rich or poor, people are just people: they are born, they live, and they die. Wealth and power does not change that trajectory, although that was a hard lesson for Croesus to learn! The words come from the Roman poet Propertius.

4. In cavea minus bene canit luscinia.
In (a) cage, (the) nightingale sings less well.
in CA-vea minus bene canit lus-CI-nia.

Another saying where you've seen all the words before!

The word cavea (caveā) is the ablative form of the feminine noun cavea, used with the preposition in.

You've seen a saying similar to this one before but in a simpler form: In cavea non canit luscinia.

5. Mors servat legem: tollit cum paupere regem.
Death observes (this) law: (it) carries-away (the) king with (the) pauper.
mors servat legem: tollit cum PAU-pere regem.

And all the words in this saying should be familiar too!

The word paupere is the ablative form of the masculine noun pauper, used with the preposition cum.

The word legem is the accusative form of the feminine noun lex, and the word regem is the accusative form of the masculine noun rex. These words provide the rhyme: legem-regem, indicating that this is a medieval Latin saying.

Compare the saying about Croesus and Irus above; this saying expresses the same idea! Croesus was a rex, and Irus was a pauper, but death came for them both.

Here's a recap: