Need help translating

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Kalailan
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Need help translating

Post by Kalailan »

I have been learning latin on my own with 'the clarendon latin course' on and off for several years now.
I would get up to a certain frustrating point, then stop for several months, then do it all over again, getting to the point, understanding easily, and moving farther each time.

This way worked fine for me, until i got to 'Supplementary Exercise L'.
I just couldn't make any sense in # 1.
i thought i should stop and come back to it after a while, and i have done so, but it doesn't seem o have any more sense than before.
here is the sentence; i hope that anyone can help me.

Caelum non animum mutant qui trans mare currunt.

thanks,
Ronen

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benissimus
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Post by benissimus »

the subject of the main clause, which is the antecedent of the relative clause, is implied. This should be obvious because there is no nominative plural that could be the subject/antecedent. Let me know if you can figure it out now. :)
flebile nescio quid queritur lyra, flebile lingua murmurat exanimis, respondent flebile ripae

Interaxus
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Post by Interaxus »

Salve!

Try 'Caelum, non animum, mutant / qui trans mare currunt' or 'Mutant' (they change/exchange) caelum, non animum (heart/disposition) qui trans mare currunt'. In other words, 'They/those who ... the sea, change their sky but not their ...

Hope this helps. Time to move on?
Vale.

Kalailan
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Post by Kalailan »

Oh... that's right.
one of the things which confused me is that the overall meaning isn't very clear, regardless of the grammatical difficulties.
Anyway, now i can run across the sea to the # 2.
Thank ye.

Interaxus
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Post by Interaxus »

the overall meaning isn't very clear, regardless of the grammatical difficulties
Isn't or wasn't? As regards the overall meaning, Horace is saying he'd rather stay at home on his cosy farm than seek a fortune on perilous journeys (the sea being a dangerous place in those days). If we like, we can extrapolate a rule of cautionary wisdom something like:

Changing your place of residence, your country, your husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend, your job, etc isn't guaranteed to change/improve your life situation, your inner self, your problems ...

Like all proverbial sayings, the opposite is readily available:

A change is as good as a cure. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Etc.

The poet Milton developed his own variation of the Horatian theme in his sonnet On His Blindness:

"... thousands at his bidding speed,
And post o'er land and ocean without rest;
They also serve who only stand and wait."

For Horace himself, backyard contentment is one of his pet topics.

Vale.

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