Saturday, February 27, 2010

Cervus Oculo Captus (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 75.

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:

Cervus, alterō oculō captus, iuxtā mare pascī cōnsuēverat, ita ut integrum oculum in terram habēret versum: nihil enim perīculī vidēbātur ē marī impendere. Cum autem forte nāvis praeterveherētur, quī in illā erant, dīrectā in cervum sagittā, incautum confīxēre. Ille ictus, "Mē miserum (inquit), quantopere dēceptus fuī, quī ā terrā metuī, undīs frētus, ē quibus mihi mors immittitur."



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):

Cervus, áltero óculo captus, iuxta mare pasci consuéverat, ita ut íntegrum óculum in terram habéret versum: nihil enim perículi videbátur e mari impéndere. Cum autem forte navis praeterveherétur, qui in illa erant, dirécta in cervum sagítta, incaútum confixére. Ille ictus, "Me míserum (inquit), quantópere decéptus fui, qui a terra metui, undis fretus, e quibus mihi mors immíttitur."



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:

Cervus,
altero oculo captus,
iuxta mare
pasci consueverat,
ita ut integrum oculum
in terram haberet versum:
nihil enim periculi
videbatur
e mari impendere.
Cum autem forte
navis praeterveheretur,
qui in illa erant,
directa in cervum sagitta,
incautum confixere.
Ille ictus,
"Me miserum (inquit),
quantopere deceptus fui,
qui
a terra metui,
undis fretus,
e quibus
mihi mors immittitur."



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

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