Tattoo Until my heart grows silent

Jakkalsfourie

New Member

Hello,

Could someone please help with a translation for the phrase "Until my heart grows silent."
It's for a wall decoration and possibly later a tattoo.
The idea being that even through difficult times, you don't give up and keep fighting.

Thank you very much
Have a great day
J
 

Pacifica

grammaticissima

  • Aedilis

Location:
Belgium
Hello,

Dum conticescit cor.
 

Michael Gisonda

New Member

I intend possibly using this phrase for a tattoo. I showing this to someone who teaches Latin and he refined this to read : 'Dum meum cor conticescit' . He states that it is closer to the translation. Is he correct? I would appreciate your thoughts and feedback.
 

syntaxianus

Civis Illustris

  • Civis Illustris

Location:
Massachusetts, USA
The idea being that even through difficult times, you don't give up and keep fighting.
Just a thought: your statement sounds more like a love-quote: "(My love will last) until my heart stops." Are you sure you wouldn't prefer something like "usque ad finem" (all the way to the end)?
 

Michael Gisonda

New Member

The quote will appear under an image of a guardian angle with the names of my family. The intention being that I will protect them until I am dead. (or my heart grows silent as this quote states). However, before I place anything on my body in a language I do not know how to read, I try to confirm from multiple sources, that it means what I intend. Are you confirming that this read appropriately. I don't want to have happen to me that Ariana Grande had happen with her tattoo for 7 rings. I am just simple that way.

And thank you for replying.
 

Pacifica

grammaticissima

  • Aedilis

Location:
Belgium
I intend possibly using this phrase for a tattoo. I showing this to someone who teaches Latin and he refined this to read : 'Dum meum cor conticescit' . He states that it is closer to the translation. Is he correct? I would appreciate your thoughts and feedback.
Meum means "my" so it makes it more explicit that the heart referred to is the speaker's. However, possessives can easily be left implied in Latin, as in my translation. If someone says dum conticescit cor, which means literally "until heart grows silent" without any literal equivalent of "my", it will be understood that it's about their own heart unless the context points to a different interpretation.
your statement sounds more like a love-quote: "(My love will last) until my heart stops."
I'm not sure what makes you think so. As far as I can tell, anything could be implied.
 

syntaxianus

Civis Illustris

  • Civis Illustris

Location:
Massachusetts, USA
I'm not sure what makes you think so. As far as I can tell, anything could be implied.
It is a popular motif. It indeed could have large possible context, like "I will have this wart until I die." But that is not all that common for quotations. The "Till I die" idea is often associated with love. Other life-long commitments are a distant second in the genre, I would think.
 

Michael Gisonda

New Member

I appreciate the answers and feedback. I had read/heard elsewhere that in Latin possessives are implied. But I do kind of like being definitive. Based on the banter back and forth, it seems that "Dum meum cor conticescit" would be recognized and interpreted by someone who is fluent in Latin as "Until my heart grows silent" or "Until I my heart stops beating" or "until I am dead". (All variations of the same concept.) At least it will not be interpreted as "I blow bubbles out my nose!" Once ink is placed to skin, it is very hard to undo. I really do appreciate you help in this matter and confirming its meaning before I get it done.
 
 

Dantius

Homo Sapiens

  • Civis Illustris

Location:
in orbe lacteo
Personally I think Dum conticescit cor has a much more elegant/smoothly flowing sound than Dum meum cor conticescit, so I'd go with that. Either way's grammatical though.
 
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