Virgil, Aeneid X.467-469
Melphi speaks
Stat sua cuique dies, breve et inreparabile tempus
omnibus est vitae: sed famam extendere factis,
hoc virtutis opus.
The priest translates
«Each has his appointed day; short and beyond recovery is the span of life for all: but to lengthen one’s name by deeds, that is the work of courage.»
And interprets
This verse sets before you a truth we often avoid: time is short and does not come back. It is not a threat, it is an invitation. Perhaps you feel stuck among a thousand postponed plans, or you are grieving and wondering what any of it means. Melphi answers that you cannot lengthen your days, but you can fill them with acts that last. Worth does not lie in how long you endure, but in what your actions leave behind: in your family, in your work, in the people you help. Be careful not to waste your strength on regrets: now is the right time to choose one thing that truly matters and begin it.
The historical translations
Destinato a ciascuno è ’l giorno suo;
E breve in tutti e lubrica e fugace
E non mai reparabile sèn vola
L’umana vita. Sol per fama è dato
Agli uomini, che sian vivaci e chiari
Più lungamente. Ma virtute è quella
Che gli fa tali. E non per questo alcuno
“To each his day is given. Beyond recall
man's little time runs by: but to prolong
life's glory by great deeds is virtue's power.