I was quietly and patiently cooking lunch at home when I realized I've spent the whole week talking about life and death with my friends, students............. Was it because last week on the Day of the Dead, we all missed our loved ones who passed away? Was it because it's Autumn, the days are shorter and we feel more introspective and less physically active?..... I don't know why but I wanted to share a few things with you, in English from Latin.......
The aphorism "Carpe Diem" was written more than 2,000 years ago by Horace, in his Odes.
It's been translated by "Seize the day": the verb seize, in English means in this case: to quickly and eagerly do something when you have the chance to (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English).
This is the actual translation of Horace's lines......
"Don't ask (it's forbidden to know) what end
the gods have given me or you, Leuconoe. Don't play with Babylonian
numerology either. How much better it is to endure whatever will be!
Whether Jupiter has allotted you many more winters or this one,
which even now wears out the Tyrrhenian sea on the opposing rocks, is the final one
be wise, be truthful, strain the wine, and scale back your long hopes
to a short period. While we speak, envious time will have {already} fled:
seize the day, trusting as little as possible in the next day"
the gods have given me or you, Leuconoe. Don't play with Babylonian
numerology either. How much better it is to endure whatever will be!
Whether Jupiter has allotted you many more winters or this one,
which even now wears out the Tyrrhenian sea on the opposing rocks, is the final one
be wise, be truthful, strain the wine, and scale back your long hopes
to a short period. While we speak, envious time will have {already} fled:
seize the day, trusting as little as possible in the next day"
And then I looked on youtube and found this beautiful piece of the film "Deads Poets Society",
Seize it!
