Friday, January 29, 2010

Ranae Metuentes Proelia Taurorum (Phaedrus)

SOURCE: For a complete edition of Phaedrus with macrons, see the edition by J.H. Drake at GoogleBooks. This is fable 1.30 in Phaedrus. For parallel versions, see Perry 485.

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 iambic meter. You will find materials for all of these options below. :-)


VERSE MACRONS. Here is the verse text with macrons:

Humilēs labōrant ubi potentēs dissident.
Rāna ē palūde pūgnam taurōrum intuēns,
"Heu, quanta nōbīs īnstat perniciēs" ait.
interrogāta ab aliā cūr hōc dīceret,
dē prīncipātū cum illī certārent gregis
longēque ab ipsīs dēgerent vītam bovēs,
"Sit statiō sēparāta ac dīversum genus;
expulsus rēgnō nemoris quī profūgerit,
palūdis in sēcrēta veniet latibula,
et prōculcātās obteret dūrō pede.
Ita caput ad nostrum furor illōrum pertinet.



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

Humilēs labōrant, ubi potentēs dissident. Rāna, taurōrum pūgnam ē palūde intuēns, ait: Heu, quanta perniciēs nōbīs īnstat. Interrogāta ab aliā cūr hōc dīceret, cum illī dē gregis prīncipātū certārent et bovēs longē ab ipsīs vītam dēgerent. Statiō sēparāta sit, ac dīversum genus; quī profūgerit, nemoris rēgnō expulsus, in palūdis latibula sēcrēta veniet, et pede dūrō prōculcātās obteret. Ita furor illōrum ad caput nostrum pertinet.


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):

Húmiles labórant, ubi poténtes díssident. Rana, taurórum pugnam e palúde íntuens, ait: Heu, quanta pernícies nobis instat. Interrogáta ab ália cur hoc díceret, cum illi de gregis principátu certárent et boves longe ab ipsis vitam dégerent. Státio separáta sit, ac divérsum genus; qui profúgerit, némoris regno expúlsus, in palúdis latíbula secréta véniet, et pede duro proculcátas óbteret. Ita furor illórum ad caput nostrum pértinet.


IAMBIC METER. Here is the verse text with some color coding to assist in the iambic meter. The disyllabic elements (iambs/spondees) are not marked, but the trisyllabic elements are color-coded: dactyls are red, anapests are purple, and tribrachs are green (as is any proceleusmaticus, although that is a rare creature):

Humilēs· labō·rant ubi· poten·tēs dis·sident.
Rān~ ē· palū·de pūg·nam tau·rōr~ in·tuēns,
Heu, quan·ta nō·bīs īn·stat per·niciēs· ait.
inter·rogā·t~ ab ali·ā cūr· hōc dī·ceret,
dē prīn·cipā·tū c~ il·lī cer·tārent· gregis
longē·qu~ ab ip·sīs dē·gerent· vītam· bovēs,
Sit stati·ō sē·parā·t~ ac dī·versum· genus;
expul·sus rēg·nō nemo·ris quī· profū·gerit,
palū·dis in· sēcrē·ta veni·et lati·bula,
et prō·culcā·tās ob·teret· dūrō· pede.
Ita caput· ad nos·trum furo·r illō·rum per·tinet.



IMAGE. Here is an illustration for the story (image source).


What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches:
Humiles laborant, ubi potentes dissident. Rana, taurorum pugnam e palude intuens, ait: Heu, quanta pernicies nobis instat. Interrogata ab alia cur hoc diceret, cum illi de gregis principatu certarent et boves longe ab ipsis vitam degerent. Statio separata sit, ac diversum genus; qui profugerit, nemoris regno expulsus, in paludis latibula secreta veniet, et pede duro proculcatas obteret. Ita furor illorum ad caput nostrum pertinet.