Sunday, February 7, 2010

Aper et Vulpes (Dana)

SOURCE: Liber Primus, by Joseph Dana (1832) at GoogleBooks. For more information and other versions of this fable, see the links list for Perry 224.

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:

Vidēns vulpēcula ad truncum rōboris acuentem dentēs aprum interrogat illum, quō cōnsiliō id faciat, cum nulla urgeat necessitas, neque bellum īnstet. Cui aper rēspondit sibi perīculum sī forte adeundum sit, nōn ōtium tum futūrum ad acuendōs dentēs: ergō sē rectē, dum concēdātur tempus, ad ēventum pugnae praeparāre.



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):

Videns vulpécula ad truncum róboris acuéntem dentes aprum intérrogat illum, quo consílio id fáciat, cum nulla úrgeat necéssitas, neque bellum instet. Cui aper respóndit sibi perículum si forte adeúndum sit, non ótium tum futúrum ad acuéndos dentes: ergo se recte, dum concedátur tempus, ad evéntum pugnae praeparáre.



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:

Videns vulpecula
ad truncum roboris
acuentem dentes aprum
interrogat illum,
quo consilio id faciat,
cum nulla urgeat necessitas,
neque bellum instet.
Cui aper respondit
sibi periculum si forte adeundum sit,
non otium tum futurum
ad acuendos dentes:
ergo se recte,
dum concedatur tempus,
ad eventum pugnae praeparare.



Here is an illustration from the Medici Aesop, which is online at the New York Public Library website.