IMHO, the verse should be original. Like other members of the list I have a goodish collection of mottoes in various languages, and it would be easy to submit them, even if tedious to type them up.
The science behind dials gets a fair airing on the list, and very welcome it is to a non-scientist like myself. But dials are about more than the mere science. They can be works of art, intrinsically beautiful and useful even in a time-accurate world. A good motto enhances this beauty and crates interset. The point is that sundials are happily more appreciated now than they have been for some time, and although the mottoes of old may be quaint, they reflect human thought at the time of their manufacture. Surely the conception of a good motto is not a dead art and we, who all have a more than passing interest in dial, can come up with some apt, witty, profound and perhaps beautiful ones for our age. As to the method of picking a winner, I think this should be in the hands of a wordsmith, perhaps a poet, not necessarily a dialler but one who can appreciate a motto for its 'artistic' merit and purpose. And as to language, why not accept entries in any language, with the proviso that the author provide a translation, even in faltering English, for ease of administration and assessment by whoever is agreed as judge, eg, Nuair a thiteann an Grian go geall ar'n Domhain, Abair an t-a'm o' sca'th mo shro'in. Trans: "When the Sun's shine falls upon the earth Tell the time from my nose's shadow" (Which works well with the poetic conventions of one language, but is pure and dreadful drivel in another!) Paul Murphy @ 53* 17.3' N and 06* 08.7' W
