Epitaph to Claudia Flashcards
HOSPES, quod dico paulum est; asta ac perlege
Stranger, what I have to say is brief: stand still and read it through
hic est speculcrum haud pulchram pulchrae fiminae
here is the not very beautiful tomb of a beautiful woman
nomen parents nominarunt claudium
her parents gave her the name claudia
suum maritum corde dilexit suo
she loved her husband with all her heart
natos duos creavit: horum alterum
she bore two sons: one of them
in terra linquit, alium sub terra locat
she leaves on earth, the other she has placed beneath the earth
sermone lepido, tum autem incessu commodo
of charming conversation and indeed of elegant step
donum servavit, lanam fecit. dixi.abi.
she looked after the house and spun wool. I have spoken. go on your way
hospes
stranger
direct address
-> creates a personal and conversational tone
paulum
brief
adjective
-> persuades the reader to stop as it wont take long
asta ac perlege
stand and read it through
imperatives
-> changes tone to make it more commanding and appeal to the reader
prefix ‘per’
-> intesifies the order to read it through
nomen … nomimarunt
name … named
repition of nomen
-> focuses reader on first detail about claudia and looks at her life chronoligically
nomen … claudiam
Name … Claudia
emphatic placement
-> emphasises her name
suum … suo
her … with her
emphatic placement
-> frames the line, she posses the other words by enclosing them. her heart and her husband are enclosed together
corde dilexit suo
She loved with her heart
word order/ hyperbaton
-> her heart was full of love
dixi. abi.
i have spoken. go on your way
short words and imperatives
-> mirrors the commands at the start and sends the reader back on their way
Why did romans write epitaphs
- so family members were remembered
- passers by would pay respect as graves were by roads
- allowed your deeds to live on through generations after your death
