In gratiam luminis ...

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pb
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In gratiam luminis ...

Post by pb »

can anyone help with "in gratiam luminis"? - The obvious literal translation for gratia doesn't seem to me to apply. I wonder if 'in gratiam' has some special meaning but my dictionaries only give:- "in kindness, to show favor, out of good feeling, to show honor, etc., to any one".

I know that 'gratia' can be 'for the sake of' but that doesn't seem to be applicable as used in this case. 'gratiam' here is dependent upon 'in' - maybe I should try to make sense of the obvious, but ...

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klewlis
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Post by klewlis »

what's the context?
First say to yourself what you would be; then do what you need to do. ~Epictetus

Timothy
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Post by Timothy »

I read it as, "pleasing to the Light"

A religious context? This is sound like, "May it please the Light,..."

- tim

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benissimus
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Post by benissimus »

In an ecclesiastical context, this could probably be translated as into the light's grace. Context would make it clearer as to whether it should be translated literally or idiomatically.
flebile nescio quid queritur lyra, flebile lingua murmurat exanimis, respondent flebile ripae

Timothy
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Post by Timothy »

benissimus wrote:In an ecclesiastical context, this could probably be translated as into the light's grace.
I think my first shot there was off the mark, too. The words didn't quite add up this afternoon. Something is off with this, as far as I can tell.

Context would help.

- Tim

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