AMICI LATINAE
Labor omnia vincit.—Virgil
Marcus and I had our first Latin lesson the first of July. We sprawled together in the softly-lit parlor, the rain-slicked street outside the windows hissing beneath afternoon traffic. A fragrant taco soup was simmering on the stove, and filled the house with the warm aromas of cumin and chili.
With the guidance of Cheryl Lowe’s recorded voice, Marcus and I stumbled and laughed through the Table Blessing—
Benedic, Domine, nos et haec Tua dona quae de Tua largitate sumus sumpturi per Christum Dominum Nostrum, Amen.
{Bless, Lord, us and these your gifts which from your bounty we are about to receive through Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.}
—and whispered along to a choir singing a Gregorian chant.
Christus vincit, Christus regnant, Christus, Christus imperat.
{Christ conquers, Christ reigns, Christ rules.}
We recited first conjugations: amo, amas, amat, amámus, amatis, amant. {I love, you love, he loves, we love, you all love, they love.} We love to say amámus.
In the six weeks since, we have recited Latin mottoes, drilled in forty-five vocabulary words and additional phrases, and learned the first conjugation and declension. We have read Plutarch’s Romulus and Numa Pompilius {in English!} and studied and labeled a map of ancient Italy. We have shared games of Pre-Rummy Root with siblings {‘Go-Fish’ with Latin or Greek roots and English definitions}. We are learning Adeste Fidelis, familiar to us already as ‘Come, All Ye Faithful.’
We have completed the first review lesson, and look forward to continuing our pursuit of this beautiful, ancient language. Veni, vidi, vici, and all that, you know.
Vale.
• detail from The Conversion of Paula by Saint Jerome by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadmea •
August 13, 2013