I can’t help it; my curiosity sometimes carries me into weird and dark corners. In this case – after I brushed the spiderwebs out of the way, I found some background to “Lorem ipsum”.
We’ve all seen it: a paragraph or page of what appears to be Latin text.
Used with trepidation by some, it represents garbled Latin derived from Cicero‘s “De finibus bonorum et malorum”. Its purpose is to allow observation of a printed layout with the inclusion of text without the distraction of understanding the text. It’s a visual representation of text with no meaning. I’ve found no rationale for using Cicero’s work as opposed to some other Latin writings …
The first five “standard” paragraphs:
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, usu ut quot epicuri, cibo evertitur eos eu, vim ne oratio viderer maiestatis. Eam ne noster consetetur. Ea per tincidunt voluptaria, pro lorem patrioque cu, feugait perfecto expetendis ad vel. Duo ei altera splendide. Id wisi clita insolens eum. Senserit eloquentiam vim in. Mel ad erat vivendum forensibus, cu pri gloriatur sadipscing.
Usu cu enim similique vulputate, duo debitis suavitate ea. Mutat fastidii facilisi usu at, et verear assentior est. Splendide voluptaria ex qui, quo stet minimum ut. No albucius expetenda eam, erant tamquam graecis in ius.
At pro quando ceteros accusam, his no oblique delicata, in cum sint oportere. Eu ullum virtute corpora usu, viris quodsi mediocrem sed ei. Pro ubique utamur consequuntur ei, sed ad delenit iudicabit, simul appareat instructior an sed. At duo tota similique adversarium, alii saepe at has, ei duo dicta equidem. Debitis molestiae cum ea, vel quando eripuit intellegat id, vel sumo commodo cu. Audire deserunt mea et. Per ex aeque copiosae.
Nullam epicuri eos te, ex quo apeirian repudiare, ad inani posidonium vituperatoribus sit. Pri ut purto tation legere, est quod percipitur ullamcorper ex. Eum perpetua rationibus an, sea cu soleat invidunt consetetur. Mel meis labitur maiorum at, eius everti cotidieque eum no. An vel graecis omnesque, id usu molestie erroribus conclusionemque. Per vide movet simul et. Choro decore impedit usu ex.
Qui cu sumo atomorum, nam commune inciderint an, doctus suavitate eum ne. Te nec tantas graeco, dicit mollis iriure no mel, diam interpretaris an has. At pro clita nostrud graecis, wisi probatus appellantur te eam, at mel solum civibus. Ei his unum interpretaris. Alia ridens sed ea, fabulas ponderum te nec.
The inspiration is derived from Cicero:“De finibus bonorum et malorum“, Book 1
[32] Sed ut perspiciatis, unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam eaque ipsa, quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt, explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem, quia voluptas sit, aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos, qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt, neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum, quia dolor sit amet consectetur adipisci[ng] velit, sed quia non numquam [do] eius modi tempora inci[di]dunt, ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit, qui in ea voluptate velit esse, quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum, qui dolorem eum fugiat, quo voluptas nulla pariatur?
[33] At vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus, qui blanditiis praesentium voluptatum deleniti atque corrupti, quos dolores et quas molestias excepturi sint, obcaecati cupiditate non provident, similique sunt in culpa, qui officia deserunt mollitia animi, id est laborum et dolorum fuga. Et harum quidem rerum facilis est et expedita distinctio. Nam libero tempore, cum soluta nobis est eligendi optio, cumque nihil impedit, quo minus id, quod maxime placeat, facere possimus, omnis voluptas assumenda est, omnis dolor repellendus. Temporibus autem quibusdam et aut officiis debitis aut rerum necessitatibus saepe eveniet, ut et voluptates repudiandae sint et molestiae non recusandae. Itaque earum rerum hic tenetur a sapiente delectus, ut aut reiciendis voluptatibus maiores alias consequatur aut perferendis doloribus asperiores repellat…
The 1914 English translation of above per Wikipedia.
[32] But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing of a pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?
[33] On the other hand, we denounce with righteous indignation and dislike men who are so beguiled and demoralized by the charms of pleasure of the moment, so blinded by desire, that they cannot foresee the pain and trouble that are bound to ensue; and equal blame belongs to those who fail in their duty through weakness of will, which is the same as saying through shrinking from toil and pain. These cases are perfectly simple and easy to distinguish. In a free hour, when our power of choice is untrammeled and when nothing prevents our being able to do what we like best, every pleasure is to be welcomed and every pain avoided. But in certain circumstances and owing to the claims of duty or the obligations of business it will frequently occur that pleasures have to be repudiated and annoyances accepted. The wise man therefore always holds in these matters to this principle of selection: he rejects pleasures to secure other greater pleasures, or else he endures pains to avoid worse pains.
Some rather off-the-wall stuff.