O Fortuna, ┃ O Fortune,
velut luna ┃ like the moon
statu variabilis, ┃ you are changeable,
semper crescis ┃ ever waxing
aut decrescis; ┃ and waning;
vita detestabilis ┃ hateful life
nunc obdurat ┃ first oppresses
et tunc curat ┃ and then soothes
ludo mentis aciem, ┃ as fancy takes it;
egestatem, ┃ poverty
potestatem ┃ and power
dissolvit ut glaciem. ┃ it melts them like ice.
Sors immanis ┃ Fate - monstrous
et inanis, ┃ and empty,
rota tu volubilis, ┃ you whirling wheel,
status malus, ┃ you are malevolent,
vana salus ┃ well-being is in vain
semper dissolubilis, ┃ and always fades to nothing,
obumbrata ┃ shadowed
et velata ┃ and veiled
michi quoque niteris; ┃ you plague me too;
nunc per ludum ┃ now through the game
dorsum nudum ┃ I bring my bare back
fero tui sceleris. ┃ to your villainy.
Sors salutis ┃ Fate is against me
et virtutis ┃ in health
michi nunc contraria, ┃ and virtue,
est affectus ┃ driven on
et defectus ┃ and weighted down,
semper in angaria. ┃ always enslaved.
Hac in hora ┃ So at this hour
sine mora ┃ without delay
corde pulsum tangite; ┃ pluck the vibrating strings;
quod per sortem ┃ since Fate
sternit fortem, ┃ strikes down the strong man,
mecum omnes plangite! ┃ everybody weep with me!
（注：左边是拉丁文，右边是英文） 罗马帝国的奥古斯都皇帝时期使用的文言文称为“古典拉丁语”(latina classica)，而2-6世纪民众所使用的白话文则称为“通俗拉丁语”(sermo vulgaris)。而通俗拉丁文在中世纪又衍生出一些“罗曼语族”(包括中部罗曼语：法语、意大利语、萨丁岛方言、加泰罗尼亚；西部罗曼语：西班牙语、葡萄牙语；与东部罗曼语：罗马尼亚语。十六世纪后西班牙与葡萄牙势力扩张到整个中南美洲，因此中南美洲又称“拉丁美洲”。
