The iron is not able to know why it is scorched by the fire The stone is not able to know why it is cleft by the chisel This now translates in its most literal form as: Not perfect, but that's the best I seem to be able to render it :Erg: Per trib/ulat/ion/es qui/ tib' inf/orma/verint Non pect/us plan/g' et mal/am for/tunam/ vitup/era Ubi/ vita/ tua/ disciss/a torr/idaqu/e sitД¬um mors/ desper/ati/oqu' in/ t' impet/um fac/eant Saxum/ scire/ non pot/est cur/ scalpro/ disciss/um sitДЇerrum/ scire/ non pot/est cur/ igni/ torrid/um sit Which with metric notation is read in heptameter as:

Non pectus plange et malam fortunam vitupera Saxum scire non potest cur scalpro discissum sitДЇerrum scire non potest cur igni torridum sitД¬um mors desperatioque in te impetum faceant The best I can render that in Latin, and make it fit a meter, is: The iron cannot know why the fire scorches itД«eat not thy breast and curse thy evil fateД«ut thank the Builder for the trials that shape thee

The stone cannot know why the chisel cleaves it See if you can improve on it at all / offer ideas. Now, the translation itself was not difficult, but then making it fit a nice meter (unlike the English) became a little trickier, and I was forced to be a little, well, 'poetic' with the grammar.

I was trying to put the 'The stone cannot know.' text from the Hammer Book of Tenets into Latin. I know that some of you here are scholarly Latin people, so I wonder if you can help me with this.

Necesse in english