To every one at birth nature has allotted some fault.

[Unicuique dedit vitium natura creato.]

Sextus Propertius
Propertius (50–16 BC) Roman elegiac poet [Sextus Propertius]
Elegies, Book 2, Elegy 22, l. 17ff (2.2.17) [tr. Goold (Loeb) (1990)]
    (Source)

While sounding more broadly philosophical, Propertius goes on to note his own "fault" is always desiring pretty girls.

Because of the corruption of the manuscripts of Propertius and speculating from internal references, some 19th Century scholars (e.g., Lachmann) argued for a different division of the elegies into books, thus the translations noted which instead label this as Book 3, Elegy 13.

(Source (Latin), 2.22a). Other translations:

Nature gives to every one some failing.
[tr. Gantillon (1854), 3.13]

To each man at his birth nature has given some fault.
[ed. Henderson (1869)]

Some failing, Nature did to each assign.
[tr. Cranstoun (1875), 3.13a]

Every man's nature gave him his particular weakness when he was made.
[tr. Phillimore (1906), 2.22]

To each at birth nature allotted a vice.
[tr. Butler (Loeb) (1912), 2.22]

Every man is given a vice by nature.
[tr. Carrier (1963), 2.22]

Nature gives each at birth his peculiar folly.
[tr. Musker (1972), 2.22a]

To every one at birth Nature allots a failing.
[tr. Lee (1992), 2.22A]

Nature at birth gave every man his fault.
[tr. Kline (2001), 2.22]

Each one’s engendered with some natural fault.
[tr. Holcombe (2009)]


 
Added on 26-Oct-26 | Last updated 26-Oct-26
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