Lethi Vive Memor

[Bert]

This phrase is written on the side of a campanile in Venice, just under the clock. It is followed by 'Fugit Hora', which I understand. I did Latin at school, but never came across the combination of letters 'th'. This is probably medieval Latin. Does anybody know the meaning?
Thanks.

[colesey]

"Live mindful of death , time is flowing "
from Colesey

[kempie]

Also transliterated as "leti", this phrase is attributed to 1st Century AD Roman poet Persius (Aulus Persius Flaccus) and is taken from Satires V 151-3:

indulge genio, carpamus dulcia ! nostrum est
quod vivis; cinis et manes et fabula fies.
vive memor leti ! fugit hora ; hoc quod loquor inde est

This, part of a speech by Luxury, may be translated as:

"Indulge your genius. Let us seize things that are sweet.
It's thanks to me that you're alive. You'll become ashes, a ghost, a fable. Live mindful of death. The hour is fleeing. Every word I speak is [stolen] from it."

and which appears to convey the message

"Let us eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die"

[fredpuli47]

The 'th' in lethi is the result of Romans attempting etymology, and getting it wrong! They had the Greek word Lethe, for a place in Greek mythology. .They spelt that with 'th' in an attempt to render the Greek word into Latin. Lethe was a river in the infernal regions, from which the Shades [deceased] drank and obtained forgetfulness of the past.The Latin word letum (whence leti), a poetic word meaning death, isn't related to Lethe, but , some Romans made a connection, thinking one derived from the other, so they spelt 'letum' and 'leti' 'lethum' and 'lethi'.

[jno]

a bit like the 's' in island, then, fredpuli...