Thursday, January 7, 2010

Camelus et Cornua (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 8 in the collection. For variations on this fable, Perry 117.
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:

Cornibus īnsīgnēs taurōs errāre Camēlus
Sēque omnī queritur succubuisse ferae;
Nec placuit quod inermis erat. Sibi cornua tandem
Ut daret instituit sollicitāre Iovem.
Iūpiter āversō questūs audīvit ocellō;
Stultitiam rīdēns ferre negāvit opem.
Nōn modo ferre negat, vērum nē dīgna petentī
Poena absit, curta mittitur aure ferus.
Hinc culpāre, venit quod nōn mūtābile, nōlī:
Quae tibi cōntulerit sors, ea ferre decet.


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

Camēlus queritur taurōs cornibus īnsīgnēs errāre, et sē omnī ferae succubuisse; non placuit quod inermis erat. Camelus tandem instituit Iovem sollicitāre ut sibi cornua daret. Iūpiter questūs audīvit āversō ocellō; stultitiam rīdēns, opem ferre negāvit. Nōn modo ferre negat: vērum, nē poena absit petentī dīgna, ferus curta aure mittitur. Hinc nōlī culpāre, quod nōn mūtābile venit; ferre decet ea quae sors tibi cōntulerit.


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):

Camélus quéritur tauros córnibus insígnes erráre, et se omni ferae succubuísse; non plácuit quod inérmis erat. Camélus tandem instítuit Iovem sollicitáre ut sibi córnua daret. Iúpiter questus audívit avérso océllo; stultítiam ridens, opem ferre negávit. Non modo ferre negat: verum, ne poena absit peténti digna, ferus curta aure míttitur. Hinc noli culpáre, quod non mutábile venit; ferre decet ea quae sors tibi contúlerit.


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.

Cornibus· īnsīg·nēs tau·rōs er·rāre Ca·mēlus
Sēqu~ om·nī queri·tur || succubu·isse fe·rae;
Nec placu·it quod· i·nermis e·rat. Sibi· cornua· tandem
Ut daret· institu·it || sollicit·āre Io·vem.
Iūpiter· āver·sō ques·tūs au·dīvit o·cellō;
Stultiti·am rī·dēns || ferre ne·gāvit o·pem.
Nōn modo· ferre ne·gat, vē·rum nē· dīgna pe·tentī
Poen~ ab·sit, cur·ta || mittitur· aure fe·rus.
Hinc cul·pāre, ve·nit quod· nōn mū·tābile,· nōlī:
Quae tibi· cōntule·rit || sors, ea· ferre de·cet.


IMAGE. Here is the illustration of the fable (image source) by Francis Barlow:


What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches:
Camelus queritur tauros cornibus insignes errare, et se omni ferae succubuisse; non placuit quod inermis erat. Camelus tandem instituit Iovem sollicitare ut sibi cornua daret. Iupiter questus audivit averso ocello; stultitiam ridens, opem ferre negavit. Non modo ferre negat: verum, ne poena absit petenti digna, ferus curta aure mittitur. Hinc noli culpare, quod non mutabile venit; ferre decet ea quae sors tibi contulerit.