Quisque tumulum suum complet

Rea Filius

New Member

I was looking through an old book titled "Bleibe in Jefu". In the margin, I found the hand written sentence, "Quisque tumulum suum complet". The book is in German, was published in the 1880's, and reads a little like a Biblical epistle.

The Latin sentence, literally is, "Each person fills (or finishes) his own tomb", I believe. Does the phrase have a deeper, perhaps idiomatic meaning?
 

Aurifex

Aedilis

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Does the phrase have a deeper, perhaps idiomatic meaning?
I would say the literal meaning is that each of us occupies his own tomb, the metaphorical meaning that each of us determines his reputation (or dwelling-place) after death by the way he chooses to live.
 

Rea Filius

New Member

I don't disagree. The English translation might be a metaphor meant as a warning to live life with an eye toward your reputation after death. It would be similar to the English idiom, "you made the bed, now lie in it". Translating that idiom into Latin, though, would probably not convey what it means to an English speaker. I guess I was asking if anyone knew the sentence, "Quisque tumulum suum complet" as a Latin idiom. The book has a lot of Latin marginalia. My 1880's German is not too good, but the Latin seems to be related to either to the words of the book's author or to German biblical quotes, (themselves translations, of course). Thank you.
 

Aurifex

Aedilis

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I don't disagree. The English translation might be a metaphor meant as a warning to live life with an eye toward your reputation after death. It would be similar to the English idiom, "you made the bed, now lie in it". Translating that idiom into Latin, though, would probably not convey what it means to an English speaker. I guess I was asking if anyone knew the sentence, "Quisque tumulum suum complet" as a Latin idiom. The book has a lot of Latin marginalia. My 1880's German is not too good, but the Latin seems to be related to either to the words of the book's author or to German biblical quotes, (themselves translations, of course). Thank you.
It would have been useful to know the words of the text beside which the note was written.
The note may be in the same spirit as Virgil's quisque suos patimur manes.
 

Batavus_II

Civis Illustris

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Not sure if this means anything, but if you modify the order of the words slightly, you end up with what could be a partial hexameter (quisque suum complet tumulum or complet quisque suum tumulum).
 
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