One of my all-time fave quotations -- "while there's life, there's hope" -- has been attributed to 2 ancient Romans: Publius Terentius Afer, a.k.a. Terence (190 - 159 BC), and Cicero (106 - 43 BC).
The problem is, I've found 2 different Latin translations of this same English phrase. I don't know Latin myself, so I wondered if someone can tell me which of the following is the most accurate, and how it translates literally? Thanks! :)
Terence has it as: "Modo liceat vivere, est spes."
Cicero has it as: "Dum anima est, spes est."
2007-09-05 16:09:35 · 4 answers · asked by scary shari 5 in Education & Reference ➔ Quotations
They are both literally correct!
While it is allowed to live, there is hope.
While there is spirit, there is hope.
anima means life in the sense of spirit or soul
vivere literally means "to live"
The first has the word live.
2007-09-06 11:48:14 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋
I guess "Dum anima est, spes est" is better translating the English sentence.
It's absolutely its literal translation while Terence's quote means almost the same but not exactly (I would translate "Till it's allowed to live there's hope"). If I were you I would go then with Cicero's quote.
2007-09-05 21:35:50 · answer #2 · answered by martox45 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Someone with a stronger Latin background would be a more reliable source, but I would prefer the first translation because "anima" is better translated as "soul" not life. Although, theologically speaking, the soul is your life. You lose your soul and there is no hope beyond the mercy of God and the blood of the Lamb.
2007-09-05 16:19:56 · answer #3 · answered by Babs 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Not precisely the phrase you ask for, but a similar one that trips nicely off the tongue is
Dum spiro spero.
While I breathe I hope.
I do not know if there is any specific attribution for this common motto.
2007-09-06 06:40:17 · answer #4 · answered by tee_eff_em 3 · 5⤊ 0⤋