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Prudentius · Epilogue §1-34

The Metaphor of Vessels and Humble Praise

Passage 1 of 1 · Latin

Summary

The poet compares his humble poetic offering to the diverse vessels in a rich man's house—ranging from gold and silver to simple wood and clay. He asserts that singing of Christ is highly meaningful, however lowly his service may be.

§1Inmolat Deo Patri §2pius, fidelis, innocens, pudicus §3dona conscientiae, §4quibus beata mens abundat intus.
He offers to God the Father, the pious, faithful, innocent, and modest man, the gifts of conscience, with which his blessed mind abounds within.
§5alter et pecuniam §6recidit, unde victitent egeni.
Another also cuts down his money, from which the needy may derive their living.
§7nos citos iambicos §8sacramus et rotatiles trochaeos §9sanctitatis indigi §10nec ad levamen pauperum potentes.
We consecrate swift iambics and rolling trochees, lacking in holiness and powerless to relieve the poor.
§11approbat tamen Deus §12pedestre carmen et benignus audit.
Yet God approves the pedestrian song and listens benignly.
§13multa divitis domo §14sita est per omnes angulos supellex: §15fulget aureus scyphus §16nec aere defit expolita pelvis, §17est et olla fictilis §18gravisque et ampla argentea est parapsis, §19sunt eburna quaepiam, §20nonnulla quercu sunt cavata et ulmo.
In the rich man's house, much furniture is placed in every corner: a golden cup shines, nor is a polished bronze basin lacking; there is also an earthen pot, and heavy and large is the silver dish; some are of ivory, others are hollowed out of oak and elm.
§21omne vas fit utile §22quod est ad usum congruens erilem; §23instruunt enim domum §24ut empta magno, sic parata ligno.
Every vessel becomes useful which is suitable for the master's use; for they furnish the house, those bought at a great price as well as those prepared from simple wood.
§25me paterno in atrio §26ut obsoletum vasculum caducis §27Christus aptat usibus §28sinitque parte in anguli manere.
Me, in his Father's hall, like a worn-out vessel for perishable uses, Christ adapts, and permits to remain in a part of a corner.
§29munus ecce fictile §30inimus intra regiam salutis.
Behold, an earthen gift, we enter into the palace of salvation.
§31attamen vel infimam §32Deo obsequellam praestitisse prodest.
Yet even to have offered the humblest service to God is profitable.
§33quidquid illud accidit, §34iuvabit ore personasse Christum. 1
Whatever that may turn out to be, it will be a help to have sounded forth Christ with our mouth.

Notes

  1. §6unde victitent egeni — The relative adverb `unde` (= *ex qua pecunia*, "from which money") introduces a relative clause of purpose or characteristic, with the verb `victitent` (present subjunctive third-person plural of *victito*, "to live, subsist").
  2. §9sanctitatis indigi — The adjective `indigi` (nominative masculine plural of *indigus*, "lacking, in want of") governs the genitive `sanctitatis` ("holiness") and stands in apposition to the subject `nos` (§7).
  3. §24ut empta magno, sic parata ligno — A comparative correlation of `ut..., sic...` ("just as..., so..."). `empta magno` ("things bought at a great price", with `magno` as an ablative of price) and `parata ligno` ("things made of wood", with `ligno` as an ablative of material) modify the vessels that make up the house (`domum` in §23 or `omne vas` in §21).
  4. §34iuvabit ore personasse Christum — The accusative-and-infinitival phrase `personasse Christum` ("to have sounded forth Christ," where `personasse` is a syncopated form of *personavisse*) functions as the subject of the impersonal verb `iuvabit` (future indicative of *iuvat*, "it helps, it pleases").

Cite this passage

Prudentius, Epilogue §1-34. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:stoa0238.stoa009.humanitext-lat2:1-34

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