2006-07-26 20:46:09 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
Nothing to be despaired, friend, it will be well.
Habeo has a great number of uses, so it can translate any number of ways. The phrasing here does seem a bit odd, but not unheard of. Bene habet is an adverbial construction that means all right, which is similar to what you have given us here.
salvus -a -um [safe, unhurt, well, all right]. Adv. salve.
intransit., 'bene habet', [all right]
2006-07-27 01:24:05 · answer #1 · answered by Jeannie 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It's a gentle, if empty, consolation.
"You must not despair, my friend, for it will pass safely."
Broken down, "nil desperandum" is a gerundive expressing the necessity of not despairing, "amice" simply the vocative addressing the friend, and "habebit salve" an admittedly odd construction of the adverbial "salve" and habeo in its sense of the passing of time. Alternatively it could mean "...for (s)he will have a welcome" but you'll have to decide that based on the context.
Fair enough?
2006-07-26 21:55:14 · answer #2 · answered by Blackmjck 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nothing comes from despair, friend, it'll/he'll/she'll be ok.
At least that's my best guess. "Habebit salve" seems really strange to me. Either there's an error or I'm missing something. As is, it doesn't seem to make sense: "it will have, be well" or "it will have hi" or any number of odd things.
2006-07-26 21:40:47 · answer #3 · answered by ooooo 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i don't know. maybe it says Latin is a dead language
2006-07-26 20:52:09 · answer #4 · answered by misterangryeyes 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋