Contra vim mortis non crescit herba in hortis
Encyclopedia
Contra vim mortis non crescit herba in hortis (or Contra vim mortis non crescit salvia in hortis, Latin: "No herb grows in the gardens against the power of death", "No sage
grows in the gardens against the power of death" correspondently) is a phrase which appears in the medieval literature
. According to Jan Wielewicki in his Dziennik spraw Domu zakonnego OO. Jezuitów u św. Barbary w Krakowie these words were said by Sigismund III Vasa
on his deathbed. In Das Buch der Zitate by Gerhard Hellwig the phrase appears in Flos medicinae.
As many adages and proverbial or wisdom maxims handed on till nowadays from the Latin cultural tradition, this line is a hexameter
: the rhythmical verse, typical of the great epic poetry, both in Greek and Latin literature.
The extensive meaning of the maxim is: " Although you search any garden, you won 't find a medical remedy against the lethal power of death".
Of the two variants in which this sentence appears, surely the latter is more alluring and allusive; because it "plays" with the name of "salvia" (sage), which literally means healer or healthmaker.
Salvia
Salvia is the largest genus of plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae, with approximately 700-900 species of shrubs, herbaceous perennials, and annuals. It is one of several genera commonly referred to as sage. When used without modifiers, sage generally refers to Salvia officinalis ; however, it is...
grows in the gardens against the power of death" correspondently) is a phrase which appears in the medieval literature
Medieval literature
Medieval literature is a broad subject, encompassing essentially all written works available in Europe and beyond during the Middle Ages . The literature of this time was composed of religious writings as well as secular works...
. According to Jan Wielewicki in his Dziennik spraw Domu zakonnego OO. Jezuitów u św. Barbary w Krakowie these words were said by Sigismund III Vasa
Sigismund III Vasa
Sigismund III Vasa was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, a monarch of the united Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1587 to 1632, and King of Sweden from 1592 until he was deposed in 1599...
on his deathbed. In Das Buch der Zitate by Gerhard Hellwig the phrase appears in Flos medicinae.
As many adages and proverbial or wisdom maxims handed on till nowadays from the Latin cultural tradition, this line is a hexameter
Hexameter
Hexameter is a metrical line of verse consisting of six feet. It was the standard epic metre in classical Greek and Latin literature, such as in the Iliad and Aeneid. Its use in other genres of composition include Horace's satires, and Ovid's Metamorphoses. According to Greek mythology, hexameter...
: the rhythmical verse, typical of the great epic poetry, both in Greek and Latin literature.
The extensive meaning of the maxim is: " Although you search any garden, you won 't find a medical remedy against the lethal power of death".
Of the two variants in which this sentence appears, surely the latter is more alluring and allusive; because it "plays" with the name of "salvia" (sage), which literally means healer or healthmaker.