Expert: Maria - 1/20/2010

Question
Hello. I studied Latin a long time ago and am struggling to remember how to construct a phrase, "Like a phoenix from the ashes". I have got as far as e cineribus.....
Please help!
Thank you so much

Answer
Hello,

The Latin phrase you partially  remember  is the following:

-“Ut Phoenix e cineribus ” (Like a phoenix from the ashes)

Or in full:

-“Ut Phoenix e cineribus suis resurgit ” (“As the phoenix arises from its ashes” just related to the fabulous Arabian bird that was said to live 500 years and rise again from its ashes)

Hope this can be helpful to you.

Best regards,
Maria
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Note that:

-Ut = like/as

-Phoenix (nominative case, 3rd.declension) = phoenix

-e (preposition which takes the ablative ) = from

-cineribus (ablative plural of CINIS, 3rd.declension)

-suis (ablative plural of the possessive SUUS agred with “cineribus”)= its

-resurgit (from “resurgo”) = arises