James Baquet

    “Sic transit gloria mundi” is a Latin expression meaning “So passes the glory of this world.” It means that everything changes, and no matter how much we achieve, it will someday be gone.

    In today’s dialogue, we’ll learn about a poem that opens with this line.

    James sees his student, a girl named Paula, coming out of the student activities office. She has just run for re-election to a second term as Student Body president.

    James: Madame President!

    Paula: Haven’t you heard? We had a recount and I lost.

    James: Oh, Paula, that’s too bad!

    Paula: Oh, well. “Sic transit gloria mundi.”

    James: Wow, how do you know an old Latin saying like that?

    Paula: It was in an Emily Dickinson poem we studied. You know, “Sic transit gloria mundi,” / “How doth the busy bee,” / “Dum vivimus vivamus,” / I stay mine enemy!

    James: A poetry-reciting politician. Paula, you’re amazing!

    Paula: Aw, shucks. ‘Tweren’t nuthin.’ But listen, speaking of “the busy bee:” gotta run!

    James: See ya.

    Notes on the dialogue:

    — To run for re-election: When a person is in office, and wants to be elected for the same office again, he or she “runs for re-election.”

    — Madame President: The proper form of address for a woman president; the male form is “Mister President.”

    — A recount: Sometimes the loser in an election wants the votes to be counted again. This is “calling for a recount.” Apparently Paula seemed to have won the first time, and that was the last James heard. He didn’t know that the results had changed after a recount.

    — Emily Dickinson: A famous poet studied by virtually every American high school student.

    — Aw, shucks: A silly expression meaning the same as “oh, shoot!”

    — ‘Tweren’t nuthin:’ “It wasn’t anything,” a kind of false modesty.

    — Speaking of “the busy bee:” Paula alludes to the poem to say that she is busy and has to go.

    The lines of the poem are:

    — “Sic transit gloria mundi”: As above.

    — “How doth the busy bee:” A quote from a song which encourages everyone (even children) to keep busy and be productive.

    — “Dum vivimus vivamus:” A Latin proverb meaning literally “Let us live while we live.” The idea is not to waste time, but enjoy every moment.

    — I stay mine enemy!: The speaker can “stay” — that is, delay or hold back — her enemy, which is death. “Mine” is just a poetic way to say “my” before a vowel, as we use “an” instead of “a.”

    The poem is much longer, but at least in this first stanza, it means that “Everything changes, but by working hard and enjoying every moment, I can delay (or maybe even defeat) death.”