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Dwight Gruber · 01-18-2003, 01:21 AM

"Si vis pacem, para bellum."

I've been looking at this phrase and its gernerally accepted translation. Now, I'm not a Latin speaker but I do have good language sensibilities, and it has always seemed to me that something isn't quite right--the sticking point is the word "vis".

Having some time on my hands this evening, I did a little bit of poking around on the internet. Vis, in the context of its surrounding words, refers to seeing, or the root of the latin for face.

I would suggest that a more accurate translation, certainly a more poetic one, is: "If you would see peace, prepare for war."

--Dwight

01-18-2003, 01:21 AM	#1
Dwight Gruber User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 3,908 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1,330 Times in 435 Posts	Translation "Si vis pacem, para bellum." I've been looking at this phrase and its gernerally accepted translation. Now, I'm not a Latin speaker but I do have good language sensibilities, and it has always seemed to me that something isn't quite right--the sticking point is the word "vis". Having some time on my hands this evening, I did a little bit of poking around on the internet. Vis, in the context of its surrounding words, refers to seeing, or the root of the latin for face. I would suggest that a more accurate translation, certainly a more poetic one, is: "If you would see peace, prepare for war." --Dwight