This is another proverb about the transitoriness of things, in this case, how time itself is transitory, on the move, like the breeze. In English we use the phrase "time flies" to indicate how swiftly time moves by, as in the phrase "time flies when you're having fun." What this proverb emphasizes is instead that time is always on the move, tempus it, "time goes." Time simply cannot stand still; tempus volat, "time flies," just as the breeze does as it blows.
The Latin word aura means "breeze," but it was also extended to mean heat, sound, smell or other phenomena that were perceptible to the senses, being invisibly conveyed by the movement of the air. Thus the aura solis, the "sun's breeze" or the "sun's aura," was something hot. When people talk about an "aura" in English, they usually have in mind this kind of invisible emanation that radiates out from a person, as heat radiates from the sun.
For Latin students, there are three Latin word roots that look suspiciously like "aura" and which are easy to mix up. Be careful not to confuse these words!
aura: "breeze," the word used in today's proverb (this Latin word is actually borrowed from Greek)
aurum: "gold," as in the chemical symbol for gold Au
auris: "ear," as in the English word "aural," something you hear with your ear
So, here is an aural recitation of today's proverb about the "aura" of time!
2237. Tempus it et tamquam mobilis aura volat.
The number here is the number for this proverb in
If you are reading this via RSS: The Flash audio content is not syndicated via RSS; please visit the Latin Audio Proverbs blog to listen to the audio.
Keep up with the latest posts... Subscribe by Email. I also post a daily round-up of all the Bestiaria Latina blogs: fables, proverbs, crosswords, and audio.
