Per me quod eritque fuitque estque patet
“Through me is revealed what will be, what was and what is.”
Ovid, Metamorphoses 1.517–518
What does “Per me quod eritque fuitque estque patet” mean?
Per me quod eritque fuitque estque patet translates as “Through me is revealed what will be, what was and what is.”
Words of a god of knowledge and prophecy.
“Per me quod eritque fuitque estque patet” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Per | through, by means of | preposition governing the accusative |
| me | me | accusative singular of ego, “I”; the object of per |
| quod | what, that which | relative pronoun, nominative neuter singular; subject of eritque, fuitque and estque, and the whole clause is the subject of patet |
| eritque | and will be | erit, future indicative active of sum, “I am”, plus the attached -que, “and” |
| fuitque | and was | fuit, perfect indicative active of sum, “I am”, plus -que, “and” |
| estque | and is | est, present indicative active of sum, “I am”, plus -que, “and” |
| patet | is revealed, is open | third person singular present indicative active of pateo, “to lie open, to be clear” |
How to pronounce “Per me quod eritque fuitque estque patet”
Both pronunciations sound the same here, because the quote has no c, g, v or ae to change. The -que ending is attached to the word before it, and the stress stays on the syllable before it: EH-rit-kweh, FOO-it-kweh, EST-kweh.
The story behind it
Word for word the line says “through me, what will be and was and is lies open”. It comes from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the Roman poet’s long poem of myths about transformation, written around the turn of the first century AD.
The speaker is Apollo, god of prophecy, music and healing. In Book 1 he chases the nymph Daphne and tries to win her by listing his powers, including that he can reveal the future, the past and the present.
The boast does not save him. Daphne is turned into a laurel tree to escape, and the laurel becomes Apollo’s sacred plant. Out of context, the line is now read as a motto about knowledge, foresight and seeing time as a whole.
How to use “Per me quod eritque fuitque estque patet”
It suits a tattoo or engraving about knowledge, prophecy or seeing past, present and future together. It also works as an epigraph for a piece on fate, memory or foresight, or as a caption for an oracle or tarot image.
- Latin
- Per me quod eritque fuitque estque patet
- English
- Through me is revealed what will be, what was and what is.
- Source
- Ovid, Metamorphoses 1.517–518
- Era
- Antiquity
- Theme
- Mystery
Common mistakes
- The word order is poetic. The sense is “through me, what will be and was and is is revealed”, not “through me it will be, was and is”.
- The three -que endings each mean “and” and attach to the word before them. They are not separate words, and removing one changes the rhythm of the line.
- These are the boasting words of Apollo, who is trying to impress Daphne, so the line sounds more modest and more mystical than it was in the poem.
Questions about “Per me quod eritque fuitque estque patet”
What does “Per me quod eritque fuitque estque patet” mean?
It means “through me is revealed what will be, what was and what is”. It is a claim of knowing the future, the past and the present.
Who said “Per me quod eritque fuitque estque patet”?
It is spoken by the god Apollo to Daphne in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Book 1, lines 517 to 518. Ovid wrote the words; Apollo is the speaker in the story.
How do you pronounce “Per me quod eritque fuitque estque patet”?
In classical Latin it sounds like “per meh kwod EH-rit-kweh FOO-it-kweh EST-kweh PAH-tet”. The church pronunciation is the same for this line.
Is “Per me quod eritque fuitque estque patet” good Latin for a tattoo?
Yes. It is genuine, correct Latin from a famous poem. Copy it exactly, including the three -que endings, and know that it is Apollo’s boast.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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