Morbī mōle iacet mīlvus mātremque precātur
Ut superīs prō sē det sacra detque precēs.
Māter ait: “Mī nāte, deōs et sacra deōrum
Laesistī; recolunt inpia facta deī.
Crīminis ultōrēs pēnsant prō crīmine poenam. 5
Cum sacra turbārēs, poena timenda fuit.
Tē cōgit timor esse pium, tē poena fidēlem;
Hic timor, haec pietās cum nece sēra venit.
Quī maculat vītam, mundās cūr incolis ārās? 10
Quem sua facta premunt, cūr aliēna levant?
notes
Here, a kite is dying, and asks for his last rights, but is denied them because he has been a criminal his entire life. The moral is rather religious. The reader is reminded that sometimes it can be too late to repent.
iacet: “lies” i.e. is bed-ridden
ut ... det: pres. subj. noun clause after precatur.
prō sē: “on his behalf.”
pro crimine: “in return for the crime”; ablative of manner.
cum ... turbares: “when you were disturbing the holy things”; impf. subj. in a cum circumstantial.
timenda fuit: “punishment ought to have been feared”; gerundive in a passive past periphrastic with contrafactual force.
pium ... fidelem: “compels you to be pious ... faithful”; acc. pred.
pietas ... sera: “this piety comes late”; nom.
cum nece: “with (your) death”; ablative of attendant circumstance.
vocabulary
aegroto –are –avi –atum: to be sick, be distressed
moles –is f.: difficulty, weight
milvus –i m.: a kite, bird of prey
superum –i n.: heaven (pl.), heavenly beings
sacrum –i n.: sacrifice, religious rites (pl.)
recolo –ere –colui –cultus: to remember
inpius –a –um: wicked
ultor –is m.: an avenger, revenger
penso –are –avi –atus: to pay for, punish for
serus –a –um: late