Monday, December 28, 2009

Vas Fictile et Vas Ferreum (Porta Latina)

SOURCE: The text is taken from the Latin textbook Porta Latina: Fables of La Fontaine by Frank Gardner Moore, available at GoogleBooks. You can consult the textbook for vocabulary and also for notes on each fable. For more information and other versions of this fable, see Perry 378. In LaFontaine, the fable is 5.2, Le Pot de terre et le Pot de fer.

READ OUT LOUD. Choose which marked text you prefer to practice with - macrons or accent marks - and read the text out loud until you feel comfortable and confident. Then, try reading the unmarked text at the bottom. It should be easy for you after practicing with the marked texts. :-)


MACRONS. Here is the text with macrons:

Vās ferreum amīcō suō, vāsī fictilī, cum iter prōposuisset, hoc "Benignē," inquit; "domī melius ad focus manēbō. Nam ita sum fragile, ut ex istō itinere vix frūstum meī reditūrum sit. Tibi autem, cui cutis dūrior, nūllam videō causam quīn proficīscāris." Cui illud "Ego," inquit, "tē dēfendam; sī quid tibi minābitur, mē interpōnam, ut salvum sīs." Persuāsit; profecta sunt tribus utrumque pedibus claudicandō, cum, ubicumque aspera via erat, alterum in alterum sē impingerent. Itaque, quamquam amīcissima erant et sine querēlā, post centum ferē passūs ab alterō fictile vās frāctum comminūtumque est. Proinde, nē nobis quoque tāle quicquam accidat, aequālibus tantum nōs societāte coniungāmus.



ACCENT MARKS. Here is the text with ecclesiastical accents, plus some color-coding for the words of three or more syllables (blue: penultimate stress; red: antepenultimate stress):

Vas férreum amíco suo, vasi fíctili, cum iter proposuísset, hoc "Benígne," inquit; "domi mélius ad focus manébo. Nam ita sum frágile, ut ex isto itínere vix frustum mei reditúrum sit. Tibi autem, cui cutis dúrior, nullam vídeo causam quin proficiscáris." Cui illud "Ego," inquit, "te deféndam; si quid tibi minábitur, me interpónam, ut salvum sis." Persuásit; profécta sunt tribus utrúmque pédibus claudicándo, cum, ubicúmque áspera via erat, álterum in álterum se impíngerent. Ítaque, quamquam amicíssima erant et sine queréla, post centum fere passus ab áltero fíctile vas fractum comminutúmque est. Proínde, ne nobis quoque tale quicquam áccidat, aequálibus tantum nos societáte coniungámus.



UNMARKED TEXT. Here is the unmarked text - after practicing with the marked text that you prefer, you should not have any trouble with the unmarked text; I've inserted spaces between the segments to make it easier to follow:

Vas ferreum
amico suo, vasi fictili,
cum iter proposuisset,
hoc "Benigne," inquit;
"domi melius ad focus manebo.
Nam ita sum fragile,
ut ex isto itinere
vix frustum mei
rediturum sit.
Tibi autem,
cui cutis durior,
nullam video causam
quin proficiscaris."
Cui illud "Ego," inquit,
"te defendam;
si quid tibi minabitur,
me interponam,
ut salvum sis."
Persuasit;
profecta sunt
tribus utrumque pedibus claudicando,
cum, ubicumque aspera via erat,
alterum in alterum se impingerent.
Itaque,
quamquam amicissima erant
et sine querela,
post centum fere passus
ab altero
fictile vas
fractum comminutumque est.
Proinde,
ne nobis quoque
tale quicquam accidat,
aequalibus tantum
nos societate coniungamus.



IMAGE. Here is the illustration of the fable by Aractingy: