Tattoo: Forgive, but never forget

[Anonymous]

Hi guys i'm new here and would firstly like to say hello

I like many users that post in this section would like some help translating english into latin. I've had a go myself using online dictionaries and such but i believe what i have researched is wrong.

It is my wife's birthday shortly and she would like a tattoo and has left me to do the designing. All she gave me was a phrase: "Forgive, but never forget".

If possible I would like that translated into Latin, from my extremely weak knowledge of latin I understand that you have to have ending verbs completed correctly otherwise it will make no sense at all? (correct me if im wrong, which i probably am).

So my poor attempt using a dictionary: "Indulgeo autem nunquam dediscebo"

Any help would be excellent

Regards

David

 

[Matthaeus]

Re: Translation help please

Is this a mild command? "Forgive me, but never forget" doesn't sound like true forgiveness at all to me, it implies bygones are never bygones. But anyway, I would say Ignosce mihi, at obliviscere numquam .

 

[Chamaeleo]

Re: Translation help please

I agree with Mattheus about the sentiment.

So my poor attempt using a dictionary: "Indulgeo autem nunquam dediscebo"

Gibberish.

 

[Anonymous]

Re: Translation help please

no its not a mild command. It's an adaption of the phrase "forgive and forget", "never forgive never forget"

"Forgive, but never forget", not "me" but in general. Stating that you should forgive others but never forget what they have done. Hope this makes sense.

 

[Bitmap]

Re: Translation help please

I'd use the prohibitive subjunctive here: ne umquam oblitus sis

 

[Chamaeleo]

Re: Translation help please

no its not a mild command. It's an adaption of the phrase "forgive and forget", "never forgive never forget"

It seems there's a category error here, leading to a false dichotomy.

It's an adaptation of ‘forgive and forget’, but that doesn't preclude it being a mild command. If anything, it implies that it is such. In fact, I would normally interpret ‘forgive and forget’ as some form of command (‘[Hey you,] forgive and forget!’). It could also easily be interpreted as a motto or maxim. ‘[I undertake to] forgive and forget,’ ‘[Let's] forgive and forget,’ etc. English verbs standing by themselves are somewhat vague.

 

[Matthaeus]

Re: Translation help please

From your original post, Mr. Greenthumb, I'm gleaning that your wife tells you to 'forgive, but never forget.' Grammatically speaking, this is a command. Why use an adaptation that doesn't make sense instead of keeping the original 'forgive and forget', which is much simpler and right to the point? As I said above, if she wants you to forgive her, but not forget whatever you've done, then that implies she wants you to remember the deed. If this is truly so, then undoubtedly it is something she cannot forgive and bothers her. Why would you want to remember something that has been already forgiven? The whole point of forgiving and confession is to admit your guilt, pay your penance, and SIMPLY FORGET! Bygones are bygones, don't forget that! lol this is pointless...

 

[Frnky4fngrs]

Matthaeus, although your post is quite dated, I think you're wrong. For instance: you'd have a wife who you'd love to death, but you find out she cheats on you for some reason or the other.
You've been together for +30 years, have 4 children and you decide to forgive her.
I reckon you'd want her not to forget what she has done to you, so it won't happen again, am I right?
With this given, imo there are hundreds, if not thousands of other situations in which you could positively change people in their ways if you'd strive this motto.
But I guess you just need to have a bit more life experience to truly understand.

 

[Nikolaos]

You're both about the same age, you know. There are differing philosophies.