Someone asked me about this phrase, or rather, the phrase “Vos qui transitis, nostri memores rogo sitis: quod sumus hoc eritis, fuimus quandoque quod estis.” I’m posting what I sent him:
I believe it means “You (pl) who pass here (there is a pun here, as transire means to both pass by and to ignore), I ask you to remember us/that you be our memories (?): What we are, this you will be, we have been what you are (i.e., living).”
I’m not sure here: Rogo I get, but memores could either be a second-person singular subjunctive, but I doubt it as they would most likely keep the plural, or the plural accusative/nomative for memories, but then the sitis, present subjunctive of esse wouldn’t make sense either, but I’m guessing the meaning isn’t far from what I have down.
Now in addition here is my logic agai
Nostri must be a genitive: It cannot be nomative as then there would need be a verb in the third-person.
Memores: It could be the accusative (not nomative as there is no third-person plural verb) plural of memor and thus remembering, reminiscent, or so says my dictionary. It could also be the second-person singular subjunctive present of memoro (call to mind, relate), but this doesn’t make sense, because if they’re using the second-person plural, why would you suddenly switch to singular?
Sitis: I’m guessing present subjunctive second-person plural of sum? Then what? That part still doesn’t make much sense to me.
I think the answer is that ‘memores’ is an adjective i.e." be mindful of us "
Hope that make sense of it for you ?
Salve!
I would also like to add: Maybe the ‘sitis’ part will make more sense if you add in ‘ut’ - making it
‘nostri memores rogo ut sitis’
Valeto,
Iulianus
I second this answer. Memores is an adjective.
It’s pretty common for the ut to be omitted in subordinate clauses dependent on a verb of desire or asking (like volo, rogo, peto, facio, efficio etc.)
As for memores, it’s definitely the adjective (which is nothing new). Consider Iuno ueteris belli memor from the beginning of the Aeneid: “Juno, still remembering the old war.” Memor (like many other adjectives and verbs of memory) commonly takes the genitive.
David
Yeah, in hindsight, I don’t see why I didn’t see that. I guess things always look that way in hindsight but whatever, thanks.
PS - this site (hosted by George Mason University) has a pretty neat collection of Roman epitaphs, including the vos qui transitis one discussed here. I highly recommend the first epitaph (hospes, quod dico paulum est…), which I first read in an anthology of easy Roman poetry.
There’s also a passage from the Vulgate (Lamentations 1:12?) similar to the vos qui transitis epitaph. Based on the google hits, it seems to be used in the Catholic liturgy.
O, vos omnes, qui transitis per viam, attendite et videte attendite et videte: si est dolor similis, sicut dolor meus.