Luther’s “On the Freedom of a Christian,” Versified

At the beginning of his On the Freedom of a Christian (Von der Freiheit eines Christenmenschen), or On Christian Freedom (De libertate Christiana), Luther offers a famous and thought-provoking paradox:^[1]

Christianus homo omnium dominus est liberrimus, nulli subiectus.

Christianus homo omnium servus est officiosissimus, omnibus subjectus.

A Christian is the most free lord of all, subject to none.

A Christian is the most dutiful slave of all, subject to everyone.^[2]

The statement has an almost epigrammatic form. So, as an exercise, I decided to versify this in both Latin and English. The Latin version is in elegiac couplets; the English is in alternating iambic tetramters and trimeters.

First, in Latin:

Quicumque in Christo pius est, liberrimus atque
     subiectus nulli est; omnibus imperitat.
Quicumque in Christo pius est, est officiosus
    servus et imprimis omnibus obsequitur.

And now in English:

The Christian is the lord of all, 
     most free, subject to none.
The Christian is the slave of all,
     Subject to everyone.