Solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris
“It is a comfort to the wretched to have companions in sorrow.”
Christopher Marlowe, ‘Doctor Faustus’
What does “Solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris” mean?
Solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris translates as “It is a comfort to the wretched to have companions in sorrow.”
Misery loves company: suffering is easier to bear when others share it.
“Solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Solamen | a comfort, a consolation | nominative singular neuter of solamen, “comfort”; the subject of the sentence (est, “is”, is left out) |
| miseris | to the wretched | dative plural of miser, “wretched”; “for the unhappy”, used as a noun (dative of the person who benefits) |
| socios | companions, partners | accusative plural masculine of socius, “companion”; subject of the infinitive in an accusative-and-infinitive construction |
| habuisse | to have had | perfect infinitive active of habeo, “I have”; literally “to have had”, but in English simply “to have” |
| doloris | of sorrow, of grief | genitive singular of dolor, “pain, grief”; depends on socios (“companions in grief”) |
How to pronounce “Solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris”
The main differences are the c in socios (hard k classically, ch in Church Latin) and the vowel sounds in miseris and habuisse, which are a little different in the two systems. The stress falls on sol-A-men, MIS-er-is, SO-ci-os, ha-bu-IS-se and do-LO-ris.
The story behind it
Word for word the line says “comfort for the wretched, to have had companions of sorrow”. It is a verse line, and the sentence is built on a missing “is”, so the whole line works as one compact saying.
The English reader meets it in Christopher Marlowe’s play ‘Doctor Faustus’, where Mephistopheles speaks it to Faustus. It is quoted there as an existing proverb rather than something Marlowe composed, so it does not belong to him alone.
The idea that sorrow is lighter when shared is old and common in many languages, and the line still turns up as a Latin way to say “misery loves company”, though the Latin sounds gentler than the English proverb.
How to use “Solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris”
It suits a card to someone going through a hard time alongside others, an epigraph for an essay on shared suffering or on Marlowe, or a quiet motto about solidarity and friendship in difficult times.
- Latin
- Solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris
- English
- It is a comfort to the wretched to have companions in sorrow.
- Source
- Christopher Marlowe, ‘Doctor Faustus’
- Era
- Renaissance
- Theme
- Life
Common mistakes
- It does not say that misery loves company in a malicious sense. The Latin is about comfort, not about enjoying other people’s pain.
- Habuisse is a perfect infinitive (“to have had”), not a past tense verb. Do not translate it as “had” or change it to habuit.
- Do not change miseris to miser or miseri when adapting the line: it must be dative plural to mean “for the wretched”.
- Marlowe is the best-known source in English, but the line is quoted as a proverb, so avoid presenting it as his original wording.
Questions about “Solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris”
What does “Solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris” mean literally?
“It is a comfort to the wretched to have had companions in sorrow.” The verb “is” is left out in Latin, as often in sayings.
Who said “Solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris”?
Mephistopheles speaks it to Faustus in Christopher Marlowe’s play ‘Doctor Faustus’. It is quoted there as a proverb, so its ultimate origin is older and uncertain.
How do you pronounce “Solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris”?
In Classical Latin: soh-LAH-men MIH-seh-rees SOH-kee-ohs hah-boo-IS-seh doh-LOH-rees. Church Latin changes the c in socios to ch.
Is “Solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris” good Latin for a tattoo?
Yes, the grammar is sound. Keep the word endings exactly as they are, and note that it is a full sentence, so it takes some room on the skin.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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