Lectitō › Cicero › The Dream of Scipio (Somnium Scipionis)
Somnium Scipionis (De Re Publica 6.21)
Floods and fires
Cicero, Somnium Scipionis. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōRep. 6.21.1Quīn etiam sī cupiat prōlēs illa futūrōrum hominum deinceps laudēs ūnīus cuiusque nostrum ā patribus acceptās posterīs prōdere, tamen propter ēluviōnēs exūstiōnēsque terrārum, quās accidere tempore certō necesse est, nōn modo aeternam, sed nē diūturnam quidem glōriam adsequī possumus.
Indeed, even if the generations of men to come should wish to hand down to their descendants the praises of each one of us that they received from their fathers, yet because of the floods and conflagrations of the earth, which must happen at fixed times, we cannot achieve a glory that is lasting, let alone eternal.
Note. Quīn etiam: 'moreover'. prōlēs … futūrōrum hominum: 'the offspring of men to come'. ēluviōnēs exūstiōnēsque: periodic floods and world-fires, a Stoic idea. nōn modo …, sed nē … quidem: 'not only not …, but not even'; here 'not eternal, not even lasting'.
Rep. 6.21.1Quid autem interest ab iīs, quī posteā nāscentur, sermōnem fore dē tē, cum ab iīs nūllus fuerit, quī ante nātī sunt?
And what does it matter that there will be talk of you among those who will be born later, when there was none among those born before,
Note. Quid … interest: 'what difference does it make'. fore = futūrum esse. The sentence runs on into the next.
Vocabulary
| quīn, conj. | so that ... not, but that, but |
| etiam, adv. | and now, also, too, even |
| sī, conj. | if |
| cupiō, -ere, -īvī, -ītus | desire, long for, wish |
| prōlēs, -is f. | offspring, children |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| homō, hominis, m. | man |
| deinceps (adv.) | one after another, in succession |
| laus, laudis f. | praise, glory |
| ūnus, -a, -um | one; only, alone |
| quisque, quaeque, quidque, indef. pron. | each |
| nōs | plur. of ego |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| pater, patris, m. | father |
| accipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take to oneself, receive, accept; hear; suffer |
| posterī, -ōrum m. pl. | descendants, posterity |
| prōdō, -ere, -didī, -ditum | hand down; betray |
| tamen, adv. | however, yet, nevertheless |
| propter, prep. with acc. | on account of, because of |
| ēluviō, -ōnis f. | flood, deluge |
| exūstiō, -ōnis f. | burning up, conflagration |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| terra, -ae, f. | land, earth |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| accidō, -cidere, -cidī | fall to or upon; befall, happen |
| tempus, temporis, n. | time, season |
| certus, -a, -um | determined, fixed, certain; certiōrem facere, to make more certain, inform |
| necesse, indecl. adj. | necessary |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| modo, adv. | only |
| aeternus, -a, -um | everlasting, eternal |
| sed, conj. | but |
| nē, adv. | not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest |
| diūturnus, -a, -um | long-lasting |
| quidem, adv. | in fact, indeed, certainly; nē ... quidem, not ... even |
| glōria, -ae, f. | glory |
| assequor, -sequī, -secūtus sum | overtake; attain, accomplish |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| quis, quid, interrog. pron. | who? which? what? |
| autem, conj. | moreover; but, however; now |
| intersum, -esse, -fuī, -futūrus | be or lie between |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| posteā, adv. | after this, afterwards |
| nāscor, -ī, nātus sum | be born; rise, begin |
| sermō, -ōnis, m. | conversation, talk, speech |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| tū, tuī, pers. pron. | thou, you |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| nūllus, -a, -um | not any, none, no |
| ante, prep, with acc. and adv. | before |