The Stoics and Epicureans agree philosophy is the way.
Philosophiae servias oportet, ut tibi contingat vera libertas.
It is necessary that you must serve philosophy, so that you may gain true freedom.
Philosophiae: to philosophy
Servias: may you serve, you must serve
Oportet: it is necessary
Ut contingat: so that it may happen
Tibi: to you
Vera libertas: true freedom
Virgil prophesies Carthage’s avenger.
Exoriare aliquis nostris ex ossibus ultor
May someone arise, an avenger, out of our bones
Exoriare: may you arise
Aliquis: someone
Nostris: our (abl. pl.)
Ex ossibus: from (our) bones
Ultor: avenger
Ausonius shows battles won without weapons, or anything else really.
Armatam vidit Venerem Lacedaemone Pallas.
“Nunc certemus,” ait, “iudice vel Paride.”
Cui Venus: “Armatam tu me, temeraria, temnis,
quae, quo te vici tempore, nuda fui?”
Minerva saw Venus armed in Sparta.
“Now let us fight,” she said, “with Paris as judge, even.”
To whom Venus: “reckless are you to scorn me, now I am armed,
I, who at the time when I last defeated you, was naked?”
Armatam: armed
Vidit: she saw
Venerem: Venus
Lacedaemone: in Sparta
Pallas: Pallas Athene / Minerva
Nunc: now
Certemus: let us compete
Ait: she said
Iudice vel Paride: even with Paris as judge
Cui: to whom
Te: you
Me: me
Temeraria: reckless
Temnis: you scorn
Quae: who, which, that (relative pronoun)
Quo … tempore: at the time when
Te vici: I defeated you
Nuda fui: I was naked
Statius on the power of dignity and justice.
Vade, atra dature supplicia, extremique tamen secure sepulcri.
Go, you who are destined to suffer dark punishments, yet without fear of your final tomb.
Vade: Go!
Atra: black, gloomy
Dature: about to give, suffer
Supplicia: punishments
Extremi sepulcri: of the final tomb
Tamen: yet, nevertheless
Secure: without fear, safely
Lucretius on how to live in the world.
Quod siquis vera vitam ratione gubernet, divitiae grandes homini sunt vivere parce aequo animo; neque enim est umquam penuria parvi.
That if anyone should govern their life with true reason, there are great riches to a man who may live simply with a calm mind; for indeed one lacks not, who has little.
Quod: but, because, that
Siquis: if anyone
Vera: true
Ratione: reason
Vitam: life
Gubernet: should govern
Divitiae grandes: great riches
Homini sunt: are to a man
Vivere parce: to live frugally, simply
Aequo animo: with a calm mind
Neque enim: for indeed not
Est umquam: as ever
Penuria: poverty, lack
Parvi: of little
Ovid drinks to oblivion
Aut nulla ebrietas, aut tanta sit, ut tibi curas
Either no drunkenness, or let it be so great that it dispels your worries
Aut … aut: either … or
Nulla: no
Ebrietas: drunkenness
Tanta: so great, much
Sit: let it be
Ut: so that
Tibi: for you
Curas: cares, worries
Martial says the rich get richer.
Dantur opes nullis nunc nisi divitibus.
Wealth is now given to no one but the rich.
Dantur: are given
Opes: wealth
Nullis: to no one
Nunc: now
Nisi: except, unless
Divitibus: to the rich
Statius on the fatalism of epic warfare.
Huc mecum ad manes.
Come here, with me, to the spirits of the dead.
Huc: to here
Mecum: with me
Ad: to, toward
Manes: the spirits of the dead
Seneca is circumspect on success.
Non est tuum, fortuna quod fecit tuum.
It is not yours, what Fortune has made yours.
Non est: it is not
Tuum: yours
Fortuna: the goddess of luck
Quod: what
Fecit: made
Tuum: yours
Gellius sets the stage for a morality tale.
"In Circo Maximo," inquit, "venationis amplissimae, pugna populo dabatur."
“In the Circus Maximus,” he said, “a most magnificent hunt and fight was being given to the people.”
In Circo Maximo: in the Circus Maximus
Inquit: he said
Venationis: of a hunt
Amplissimae: most magnificent (superlative agreeing with venationis)
Pugna: fight, combat
Populo: for the people
Dabatur: was being given
Aeneas makes landfall in Italy having lost his father.
Hic labor extremus, longarum haec meta viarum.
This, our final struggle, the last of our long wanderings.
Hic: this
Labor: labour, effort, struggle, trial
Extremus: last, final
Longarum: long
Haec: demonstrative pronoun referring to meta
Meta: goal, end point
Viarum: of the roads/journeys
Martial’s irony captures the essence of wealth.
Quas dederis solas semper habebis opes.
The only riches you will always have, you will have given away.
Quas: relative pronoun referring to opes
Dederis: you will have given
Solas: only
Semper: always
Habebis: you will have
Opes: wealth, riches
Statius is no self-help guru.
Invida Fata piis et Fors ingentibus ausis rara comes.
Fate spites the righteous and Fortune rarely attends to the daring.
Invida: jealous, spiteful
Fata: fates, destinies
Piis: to the righteous, dutiful
Et: and
Fors: Fortune
Ingentibus: mighty, vast
Ausis: daring deeds, bold ventures
Rara: rare
Comes: companion, attendant
Seneca’s secret to be content.
Nisi sapienti sua non placent
Unless to the wise person, his own things are not pleasing
Or more idiomatically:
The wise alone are content with what is theirs
Nisi: unless
Sapienti: to the wise man/woman/person
Sua: his own things
Non placent: are not pleasing
Virgil, on the sorrow lived and seen as one wanders the world.
Sunt lacrimae rerum et mentem mortalia tangunt.
There are tears for such things, and mortal things that touch the heart.
Sunt: there are
Lacrimae: tears
Rerum: of things, events, affairs
Et: and
Mentem: mind, heart
Mortalia: mortal things, human affairs, things subject to death
Tangunt: touch
Why rush fame, if the price is death? Martial is in no hurry.
Si post fata venit gloria, non propero.
If after the fates glory comes, I am not rushing.
Si: if
Post fata: after the fates (i.e. after death)
Venit: comes, arrives
Gloria: glory
Non propero: I do not hurry, I am not rushing
Love is a battlefield, says Ovid.
Bella mihi, video, bella parantur.
Wars against me, I see, wars are being prepared.
Bella: wars
Mihi: for me, against me
Video: I see
Parantur: are being prepared
Ausonius plays on passion ungoverned.
Nymphis quae Hylam merserunt furtim:
Naides amore saevo et irrito:
ephebus iste flos erit.
To the nymphs who secretly drowned Hylas,
the Naiads’ with savage and unfulfilled love,
that young man will be a flower.
Nymphis: to the nymphs
Quae: who
Hylam: accusative of Hylas
Merserunt: they drowned, plunged
Furtim: secretly, stealthily
Naides: the Naiads
Amore: with love
Saevo et irrito: savage and unfulfilled (ablative)
Ephebus: young man (from the Greek)
Iste: that
Flos erit: will be a flower
One friend is a stage, for Seneca.
Satis enim magnum alter alteri theatrum sumus.
Indeed, we are a large enough stage for one another.
Satis: enough, quite
Enim: for, indeed
Magnum: great, large, impressive (agrees with theatrum)
Alter … alteri: one … for the other (reciprocal pronouns)
Theatrum: theatre (literal), stage, spectacle, audience (metaphorical)
Sumus: we are
Ovid speaks of the daring love requires.
Per Styga detur, Stygias transabimus undas; sunt mihi naturae iura novanda meae.
If passage be granted through the Styx, we will cross over Stygian waves; the laws of my nature must be changed
Per: through
Styga: Styx (accusative singular)
Detur: if it be granted
Stygias: Stygian (plural adjective)
Undas: waves
Transabimus: we will cross over
Sunt mihi: I have
Naturae meae: of my nature
Iura: laws
Novanda: must be changed