Hoc, Genitrix, scriptum proles tibi sedula mittit
A Letter of Filial Tears
The author addresses his mother with a message of sorrow, contrasting the worldly preparations of kings with the humble, tearful devotion of his own heart.
Mother, your diligent child sends this letter to you. Pause your singing for a moment to read these words. To know what they are doing is a kind of music for the saints, and what was once a care can still endure. We weep miserably, covering our kindly suns with a double cloud of tears on our cheeks. Meanwhile, the King prepares his fleet with great daring; we, however, do nothing but weep—it's the only thing left for your people. Look, it's about to set sail, having blamed the winds for the delay; if it were rain, our tears would have provided the water. Tillius leans on the Dane, and the Frenchman on the sea-dwellers; we lean on weeping—this is the only badge of our leaders. Thus the slow age is spent, while the thousand wheels of the swift year are hindered by excessive waters.
The Sweetness of Remembrance
The author reflects on the necessity of celebrating the day with his mother, finding a resolution to his sorrow through the clarity of their shared bond.
I intended to send you more; for what laurel or what nectar is there for me, except when I celebrate the day with you? But even while tears demand a place in these writings, a clear humor dissolves the opposing waters.
Read the original Latin
Hoc, Genitrix, scriptum proles tibi sedula mittit. Siste parum cantus, dum legis ista, tuos. Nosse sui quid agant, quaedam est quoque musica sanctis, Quaeque olim fuerat cura, manere potest. Nos misere flemus, solesque obducimus almos Occiduis, tanquam duplice nube, genis. Interea classem magnis Rex instruit ausis: Nos autem flemus: res ea sola tuis. Ecce solutura est, ventos causata morantes: Sin pluviam: fletus suppeditasset aquas. Tillius incumbit Dano, Gallusque marinis: Nos flendo: haec nostrum tessera sola ducum. Sic aevum exigitur tardum, dum praepetis anni Mille rotae nimiis impediuntur aquis.
Plura tibi missurus eram; nam quae mihi laurus, Quod nectar, nisi cum te celebrare diem? Sed partem in scriptis etiam dum lacryma poscit Diluit oppositas candidus humor aquas.
The Latin Poems companion
Read all 57 of Herbert's Latin poems, one a day
Chosen Portion delivers a Herbert poem (or another royal-court devotional text) as your free daily reading on iOS
Herbert's short poems were written for meditative re-reading; Chosen Portion serves one per day, turning the two collections into a two-month devotional cycle
- All 57 Latin poems in modern English, roughly two months of daily readings
- One short poem a day, readable in under 5 minutes
- Includes the full Sub Rosa archive of 78 historic devotional works