# Music says what words can't



## seepok

Hello everyone,

I'm getting a new tatto and I want the phrase: Music says what words can't translated in Latin.

Thanks for your help.

grtz,
Steven


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## WaftingLullaby

Musica dicet quod verba non possunt.


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## J.F. de TROYES

WaftingLullaby said:


> Musica dicet quod verba non possunt.


 
_Dicet  _is the future       So use the form  _dicit_.


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## WaftingLullaby

That's true, sorry. Consequences of having abandoned Latin for a year :/


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## Stoicorum_simia

Maybe a little more elegantly: Quae (_or _quod) verba nequeunt, exprimit musica.


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## J.F. de TROYES

Stoicorum_simia said:


> Maybe a little more elegantly: Quae (_or _quod) verba nequeunt, exprimit musica.


 
Right . Much better


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## 2wse2

What would be the correct sentence then, if I want to translate:

"Spoken words fly away, written ones stay and music says what words can't"

Would that be:

"Verba volant, scripta manent quod quae verba nequeunt, exprimit musica"?


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## Stoicorum_simia

2wse2 said:


> What would be the correct sentence then, if I want to translate:
> 
> "Spoken words fly away, written ones stay and music says what words can't"
> 
> Would that be:
> 
> "Verba volant, scripta manent quod quae verba nequeunt, exprimit musica"?


Yes, the first part is proverbial, so that is fine. But if you link the two with _quod_, it could only mean 'because', which doesn't make a lot of sense. I'd be inclined to leave the two sentences in asyndeton (just put a semi-colon or full stop and take out the quod), but you could also link them with _autem_: '...scripta manent; quae autem verba nequeunt...' which is sort of 'but', but also suggests you're taking the argument a stage further.


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