Tattoo it is truly artistic to love people

sophiewalker

New Member

Hi everyone! I'm looking to get a tattoo - a Vincent van Gogh quote but in Latin! Could anybody translate either:

"It is truly artistic to love people"
Or
"It is truly artistic to love"

Thank you!
 

Pacifica

grammaticissima

  • Aedilis

Location:
Belgium
Hi,

Verae artis est homines amare for the longer version. For the shorter one, just drop homines (which means "people").
 

sophiewalker

New Member

Basically I'm deciding between 3 quotes:

non oculis sed mente specta (do not look with the eyes but with the mind)
quam stulti hi mortales (what fools these mortals be)
Or this one vertae artis est amare (it is truly artistic to love)

Which do you prefer? 2 are Shakespeare quotes then the other van gogh .
 
B

Bitmap

Guest

You could make a case that 'specta' works somehow (with spectaveris, I would prefer the move order ne oculis spectaveris, sed mente; just to be sure ...) ... but it *has* to be ne and not non ... in which thread did you receive that translation?
 

sophiewalker

New Member

You could make a case that 'specta' works somehow (with spectaveris, I would prefer the move order ne oculis spectaveris, sed mente; just to be sure ...) ... but it *has* to be ne and not non ... in which thread did you receive that translation?
In my other thread from 2017. They suggested your option as it puts for emphasis on do not look with the eyes, or they suggested "non oculis sed mente specta" as it emphasizes the look with the mind
 

Pacifica

grammaticissima

  • Aedilis

Location:
Belgium
This one is not proper Latin.
It would have to be
ne oculis sed mente spectaveris.
It's OK to use non in a command if the negation applies to a single word (other than the verb), as is the case here. Maybe ne is possible too but I'm not sure.
 

Pacifica

grammaticissima

  • Aedilis

Location:
Belgium
You could make a case that 'specta' works somehow (with spectaveris, I would prefer the move order ne oculis spectaveris, sed mente; just to be sure ...) ... but it *has* to be ne and not non ... in which thread did you receive that translation?
"non oculis sed mente specta" as it emphasizes the look with the mind
Yes, basically, specta is a positive command, and only oculis is negated.
 

Pacifica

grammaticissima

  • Aedilis

Location:
Belgium
I don't think a comma makes much difference. It's not wrong to add it, but it's not wrong to leave it out, either.
 

Issacus Divus

H₃rḗǵs h₁n̥dʰéri diwsú

  • Civis Illustris

Location:
Gæmleflodland
I've learned this just today. Everyday, it seems, I learn something new here.
 
Top