- Lacrimae rerum
Lacrimae rerum (pronEng|ˈlækrɨmaɪ ˈrɛərəm [
OED Page number] ; Latin IPA2|ˈlakrimai ˈreːrum [cite web
url=http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/rerum
title=lacrimae rerum
work=Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
publisher=Merriam-Webster
accessdate=2007-12-20] ) is theLatin for "tears for things."The term comes from line 462 of Book I of
The Aeneid , an epic poem written inLatin byVirgil , one of Rome's most distinguished poets, in the first century BC.Aeneas , while crying, says, "sunt lacrimae rerum et mentem mortalia tangunt" as he gazes at one of the murals found in aCarthaginian temple, which depicts battles of theTrojan War and deaths of his friends and countrymen. Translated this says, "These are tears for events and mortal things touch the soul." As he stands there, Aeneas is overcome by the futility of warfare and waste of human life. The burden man has to bear, ever present frailty and suffering, is what would define the essence of human experience.See also
*
Pathos
*Mono no aware References
External links
* [http://whenhernameyouwriteyoublot.blogspot.com/2006/11/thou-majestic-in-thy-sadness-at.html Discussion about different translations of the line]
* [http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/vergil/aen1.shtml The Aeneid Book I at The Latin Library]
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