Translating "life amidst death"

[Arved Sandstrom]

I was out in the garden yesterday, and saw a single forget-me-not that had
sprouted between the 5 or 6 stumps of a long-dead willow. I am sketching
this, because I like to draw, but I needed a title.

It seemed to me that "Life amidst Death" would not be bad, and I undertook
to translate this into Latin. My feeling is that "life" in this sense is
best captured by "anima".

"Mors/mortis" is probably not bad, but I wonder if there is anything better.
I liked "letum/leti" but don't know if it fits.

My main problem is translating "amidst", particularly in this context. Any
suggestions?

AHS

[B. T. Raven]

Post by Arved Sandstrom
I was out in the garden yesterday, and saw a single forget-me-not that had
sprouted between the 5 or 6 stumps of a long-dead willow. I am sketching
this, because I like to draw, but I needed a title.
It seemed to me that "Life amidst Death" would not be bad, and I undertook
to translate this into Latin. My feeling is that "life" in this sense is
best captured by "anima".
"Mors/mortis" is probably not bad, but I wonder if there is anything better.
I liked "letum/leti" but don't know if it fits.
My main problem is translating "amidst", particularly in this context. Any
suggestions?
AHS

Vita in media morte

Smith and Hall s.v. "amidst" have inter as in "inter tela hostium versari."

Eduardus

[Ed Cryer]

Post by Arved Sandstrom
I was out in the garden yesterday, and saw a single forget-me-not that
had sprouted between the 5 or 6 stumps of a long-dead willow. I am
sketching this, because I like to draw, but I needed a title.
It seemed to me that "Life amidst Death" would not be bad, and I
undertook to translate this into Latin. My feeling is that "life" in
this sense is best captured by "anima".
"Mors/mortis" is probably not bad, but I wonder if there is anything
better. I liked "letum/leti" but don't know if it fits.
My main problem is translating "amidst", particularly in this context.
Any suggestions?
AHS

I hit straight away on "viva" and "mortua". That seems get away from the
implications of "anima" and souls.
Some things are viva; some are mortua. And you don't have to hold a
mirror in front of their mouth to find out which category they belong
in.

Res et vivae et mortuae sunt.

Ed

[Ben C]

Post by Arved Sandstrom
I was out in the garden yesterday, and saw a single forget-me-not that had
sprouted between the 5 or 6 stumps of a long-dead willow. I am sketching
this, because I like to draw, but I needed a title.
It seemed to me that "Life amidst Death" would not be bad, and I undertook
to translate this into Latin. My feeling is that "life" in this sense is
best captured by "anima".

Do plants have animas? It seems likely the word is somehow related to
animal.

Post by Arved Sandstrom
"Mors/mortis" is probably not bad, but I wonder if there is anything better.
I liked "letum/leti" but don't know if it fits.

It's a bit more poetic. Not necessarily a bad thing.

Post by Arved Sandstrom
My main problem is translating "amidst", particularly in this context. Any
suggestions?

Possibly "apud": "vita apud letum".

[J. W. Love]

Post by Arved Sandstrom
It seemed to me that "Life amidst Death" would not be bad, and I undertook
to translate this into Latin. My feeling is that "life" in this sense is
best captured by "anima".
"Mors/mortis" is probably not bad, but I wonder if there is anything better.
I liked "letum/leti" but don't know if it fits.

That reminds me of the well-known sentence "In the midst of life we
are in death," which goes back to a sequence attributed to Notker, and
the Latin there is "Media vita in morte sumus," which, for "Life
amidst Death"---or, in your order, "Amidst death life"---would seem to
give you "Media morte in vita," with or without "sumus," or, in the
case of the forget-me-not, "est"; or maybe just plain "Media morte
vita" would suffice.

Post by Arved Sandstrom
My main problem is translating "amidst", particularly in this context. Any
suggestions?

The medieval try used an unprepositioned ablative.

[Arved Sandstrom]

Post by J. W. Love

Post by Arved Sandstrom
It seemed to me that "Life amidst Death" would not be bad, and I undertook
to translate this into Latin. My feeling is that "life" in this sense is
best captured by "anima".
"Mors/mortis" is probably not bad, but I wonder if there is anything better.
I liked "letum/leti" but don't know if it fits.

That reminds me of the well-known sentence "In the midst of life we
are in death," which goes back to a sequence attributed to Notker, and
the Latin there is "Media vita in morte sumus," which, for "Life
amidst Death"---or, in your order, "Amidst death life"---would seem to
give you "Media morte in vita," with or without "sumus," or, in the
case of the forget-me-not, "est"; or maybe just plain "Media morte
vita" would suffice.

Post by Arved Sandstrom
My main problem is translating "amidst", particularly in this context. Any
suggestions?

The medieval try used an unprepositioned ablative.

Thanks to both Ed's, Ben and you for your suggestions.

At the moment I sort of like "media morte vita est". Ed Cryer's phrase is
good - it will have to be held to another sketch.

AHS