Thursday, February 4, 2010

Anguis et Agricola (Osius)

SOURCE: The poem comes from Phryx Aesopus Habitu Poetico, by Hieronymus Osius, published in 1574, and online at the University of Mannheim as page images and text scan. This is poem 7 in the collection. For parallel versions, see Perry 176.

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:

Paene necārat hiems quem frīgore, repperit Anguem
Rusticus, huic quī nōn ferre gravātur opem.
Fōvit enim ille sinū, subterque recondidit ālās
Sponte suās, studiō nōn patiente morī.
Anguis ubī vīrēs revocante calōre recēpit,
Et grave paulātim sēnsit abīre gelū:
Auctōrem meritī lētālī sauciat ictū,
Quīque sibī vītam reddidit ille necat.
Ista malī reddunt prō fīdīs praemia factīs,
Ut, cum prōfueris ipse, nocēre velint.
Ā tristī servās cuī tū discrīmine vītam,
Ille tibī exitiī perfidus auctor erit.


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

Anguem quem hiems frīgore paene necārat, repperit Rusticus quī huic opem ferre nōn gravātur. Ille enim sinū fōvit, et sponte subter ālās suās recondidit, studiō nōn patiente morī. Anguis, ubī vīrēs recēpit, calōre revocante, et sēnsit gelū grave paulātim abīre, meritī auctōrem lētālī ictū sauciat, et ille necat quī sibī vītam reddidit. Prō fīdīs factīs malī ista praemia reddunt, ut, cum prōfueris ipse, nocēre velint. Ille perfidus, cuī tū vītam servās ā discrīmine tristī, exitiī tibī auctor erit.


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):

Anguem quem hiems frígore paene necárat, répperit Rústicus qui huic opem ferre non gravátur. Ille enim sinu fovit, et sponte subter alas suas recóndidit, stúdio non patiénte mori. Anguis, ubi vires recépit, calóre revocánte, et sensit gelu grave paulátim abíre, mériti auctórem letáli ictu saúciat, et ille necat qui sibi vitam réddidit. Pro fidis factis mali ista praémia reddunt, ut, cum profúeris ipse, nocére velint. Ille pérfidus, cui tu vitam servas a discrímine tristi, exítii tibi auctor erit.


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.

Paene ne·cārat hi·ems quem· frīgore,· repperit· Anguem
Rusticus,· huic quī· nōn || ferre gra·vātur o·pem.
Fōvit e·nim il·le si·nū, sub·terque re·condidit· ālās
Sponte su·ās, studi·ō || nōn pati·ente mo·rī.
Anguis u·bī vī·rēs revo·cante ca·lōre re·cēpit,
Et grave· paulā·tim || sēnsit a·bīre ge·lū:
Auctō·rem meri·tī lē·tālī· sauciat· ictū,
Quīque si·bī vī·tam || reddidit· ille ne·cat.
Ista ma·lī red·dunt prō· fīdīs· praemia· factīs,
Ut, cum· prōfue·ris || ipse, no·cēre ve·lint.
Ā tris·tī ser·vās cuī· tū dis·crīmine· vītam,
Ille ti·b~ exiti·ī || perfidus· auctor e·rit.


IMAGE. Here is an illustration for the story from the 1574 edition of Osius:


What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches: Anguem quem hiems frigore paene necarat, repperit Rusticus qui huic opem ferre non gravatur. Ille enim sinu fovit, et sponte subter alas suas recondidit, studio non patiente mori. Anguis, ubi vires recepit, calore revocante, et sensit gelu grave paulatim abire, meriti auctorem letali ictu sauciat, et ille necat qui sibi vitam reddidit. Pro fidis factis mali ista praemia reddunt, ut, cum profueris ipse, nocere velint. Ille perfidus, cui tu vitam servas a discrimine tristi, exitii tibi auctor erit.