Thursday, January 28, 2010

Aquila et Corvus (Trinity)

SOURCE: This poem was composed by the anonymous "Trinity Master" who published a lovely little book in 1852 setting Latin fables in prose side-by-side with his verse compositions; read the book at Google Books. This is poem 25 in the collection. For more versions, see Perry 2. You can find the word list for this fable online at NoDictionaries.com, and use it interactively

READ OUT LOUD. Choose which marked text you prefer to practice with - macrons in verse form, or macrons in prose order, or accent marks in prose order, or focusing on the meter. You will find materials for all of these options below. :-)


VERSE MACRONS. Here is the verse text with macrons:

Sublīmem rapuit Volucer Iovis unguibus agnum;
Āërium ē celsā rūpe secābat iter.
Cōnspicit intereā Corvus. Sī crēdere fās est,
Aemulus hic statuit dēspoliāre pecus;
Tum gregis in rēgem vēlōcibus irruit ālīs:
Sīdera pennārum strīdor ad alta venit.
In vellus tamen infēlix tantum implicat unguēs:
Ambitiōsus avis dēperit arte suā.
Haud mora longa fuit, cum captī Rusticus ālās
Incīsit, puerīs lūdibriōque dedit.
Fertur, quae sit avis, cuīdam dīxisse rogantī,
"Nunc ego sum Corvus, mox Iovis āles eram."


PROSE MACRONS. Here is the same text with macrons written out in prose word order:

Volucer Iovis agnum unguibus sublīmem rapuit; iter āërium ē celsā rūpe secābat. Intereā Corvus cōnspicit. Sī crēdere fās est, hic aemulus pecus dēspoliāre statuit; tum in gregis rēgem ālīs vēlōcibus irruit: pennārum strīdor ad sīdera alta venit. Infēlix tamen in vellus tantum unguēs implicat: ambitiōsus, arte suā avis dēperit. Mora haud longa fuit, cum rusticus captī ālās incīsit, et puerīs lūdibriō dedit. Fertur dīxisse cuīdam rogantī quae sit avis, "Nunc ego Corvus sum, mox Iovis āles eram."


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

Vólucer Iovis agnum únguibus sublímem rápuit; iter aérium e celsa rupe secábat. Intérea Corvus cónspicit. Si crédere fas est, hic aémulus pecus despoliáre státuit; tum in gregis regem alis velócibus írruit: pennárum stridor ad sídera alta venit. Infélix tamen in vellus tantum ungues ímplicat: ambitiósus, arte sua avis déperit. Mora haud longa fuit, cum rústicus capti alas incísit, et púeris ludíbrio dedit. Fertur dixísse cuidam rogánti quae sit avis, "Nunc ego Corvus sum, mox Iovis ales eram."


ELEGIAC COUPLET METER. Below I have used an interpunct dot · to indicate the metrical elements in each line, and a double line || to indicate the hemistichs of the pentameter line.

Sublī·mem rapu·it Volu·cer Iovi·s unguibus· agnum;
Āëri~· ē cel·sā || rūpe se·cābat i·ter.
Cōnspicit· intere·ā Cor·vus. Sī· crēdere· fās est,
Aemulus· hic statu·it || dēspoli·ēre pe·cus;
Tum gregi·s in rē·gem vē·lōcibus· irruit· ālīs:
Sīdera· pennā·rum || strīdor ad· alta ve·nit.
In vel·lus tame·n infē·lix tan·t~ implicat· unguēs:
Ambiti·ōsus a·vis || dēperit· arte su·ā.
Haud mora· longa fu·it, cum· captī· rusticus· ālās
Incī·sit, pue·rīs || lūdibri·ōque de·dit.
Fertur,· quae sit a·vis, cuī·dam dīx·isse ro·gantī,
Nunc ego· sum Cor·vus, || mox Iovis· āles e·ram.


IMAGE. Here's an illustration for the fable (image source) from a 15th-century edition of Aesop:


What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches: Volucer Iovis agnum unguibus sublimem rapuit; iter aërium e celsa rupe secabat. Interea Corvus conspicit. Si credere fas est, hic aemulus pecus despoliare statuit; tum in gregis regem alis velocibus irruit: pennarum stridor ad sidera alta venit. Infelix tamen in vellus tantum ungues implicat: ambitiosus, arte sua avis deperit. Mora haud longa fuit, cum rusticus capti alas incisit, et pueris ludibrio dedit. Fertur dixisse cuidam roganti quae sit avis, "Nunc ego Corvus sum, mox Iovis ales eram."