Sic transit gloria mundi is a
Latinphrase that means "Thus passes the worldly glory." In idiomatic contexts, the phrase has been used to mean "fame is fleeting".[1][2]
The phrase was used in the ritual of
papal coronation ceremonies between 1409 (when it was used at the coronation of
Alexander V)[3] and 1963. As the newly chosen Pope proceeded from the
sacristy of
St. Peter's Basilica in his
sedia gestatoria, the procession stopped three times. On each occasion, a papal master of ceremonies would fall to his knees before the Pope, holding a silver or brass reed, bearing a
tow of smoldering
flax. For three times in succession, as the
cloth burned away, he would say in a loud and mournful voice, "Pater Sancte, sic transit gloria mundi!" ("Holy Father, so passes worldly glory!").[4] These words, thus addressed to the Pope, served as a reminder of the
transitory nature of life and earthly honours.[5][6][7]
A form of the phrase appeared in
Thomas à Kempis's 1418 work
The Imitation of Christ: "O quam cito transit gloria mundi" ("How quickly the glory of the world passes away").[8][9]
In literature and art
American poet
Emily Dickinson's first published poem was titled "Sic Transit Gloria Mundi".[10][11]
An 1819 etching by British illustrator
George Cruikshank is titled The Sailors Progress: Sic Transit Gloria Mundi.[12][13]
In
Robert A. Heinlein's novel Starman Jones, toward the end of Chapter 12 "Halcyon", there is this line of dialogue: "Sic transit gloria mundi—Tuesday is usually worse."
The first-season finale of American TV series Yellowjackets is titled "Sic Transit Gloria Mundi".
It is the last line spoken in the movie The Masque of the Red Death, by the Red Death after he reveals he spared six from his plague.
In the opening scene of the final episode of
Babylon 5, season 4 entitled "The Deconstructions of Falling Stars," a person in the crowd welcoming President Sheridan and Ambassador Delenn can be seen holding a sign that reads "Sic Transit Gloria Mundi."
See also
In ictu oculi, the companion painting to Finis gloriae mundi