Friday, February 12, 2010

Cornix superbiens (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 29 in the collection. For parallel versions, see Perry 472.

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:

Dē grege collectās avium Cornīcula pennās,
Quondam aptāre suīs fūtilis audet avis.
Ob variōs est quae iam facta superba colōrēs,
Et prae sē volucrum sprēvit inepta genus.
Sed quia forte suam pennam cognōvit hirundo,
Advolat, et fastūs ālitis osa rapit.
Quō factō reliquae pariter nōn dēmere cessant
Quisque suam (faciant īra lacessit) avēs.
Sīc ubi furtīvīs nūdata colōribus esset,
Turpia rīdiculam damna sequuntur avem.
Commendīcātam speciem cito damna sequuntur,
Nōn nātīva brevī tempore forma perit.


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

Quondam Cornīcula, fūtilis avis, pennās dē grege avium collectās pennis suīs audet aptāre. Cornicula ob variōs colōrēs superba iam facta est et, inepta, prae sē genus volucrum sprēvit. Sed quia Hirundo forte pennam suam cognōvit, osa, advolat et fastūs ālitis rapit. Hōc factō avēs reliquae pariter nōn cessant - īra lacessit ut faciant - quisque pennam suam dēmere. Sīc ubi Cornicula colōribus furtīvīs nūdata esset , damna turpia avem rīdiculam sequuntur. Damna speciem commendīcātam cito sequuntur; nōn nātīva forma brevī tempore perit.


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):

Quondam Cornícula, fútilis avis, pennas de grege ávium colléctas pennis suis audet aptáre. Cornícula ob vários colóres supérba iam facta est et, inépta, prae se genus vólucrum sprevit. Sed quia Hirúndo forte pennam suam cognóvit, osa, ádvolat et fastus álitis rapit. Hoc facto aves réliquae páriter non cessant - ira lacéssit ut fáciant - quisque pennam suam démere. Sic ubi Cornícula colóribus furtívis nudáta esset, damna túrpia avem ridículam sequúntur. Damna spéciem commendicátam cito sequúntur; non natíva forma brevi témpore perit.


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.

Dē grege· collec·tās avi·um Cor·nīcula· pennās,
Quond~ ap·tāre su·īs || fūtilis· audet a·vis.
Ob vari·ōs est· quae iam· facta su·perba co·lōrēs,
Et prae· sē volu·crum || sprēvit i·nepta ge·nus.
Sed quia· forte su·am pen·nam cog·nōvit hi·rundo,
Advolat, ·et fas·tūs || ālitis· osa ra·pit.
Quō fac·tō reli·quae pari·ter nōn ·dēmere· cessant
Quisque s·uam (faci·ant || īra la·cessit) a·vēs.
Sīc ubi· furtī·vīs nū·data co·lōribus ·esset,
Turpia ·rīdicu·lam || damna se·quuntur a·vem.
Commen·dīcā·tam speci·em cito· damna se·quuntur,
Nōn nā·tīva bre·vī || tempore ·forma pe·rit.


IMAGE. Here's an illustration for the fable (image source) from a Renaissance edition of Aesop:


What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches: Quondam Cornicula, futilis avis, pennas de grege avium collectas pennis suis audet aptare. Cornicula ob varios colores superba iam facta est et, inepta, prae se genus volucrum sprevit. Sed quia Hirundo forte pennam suam cognovit, osa, advolat et fastus alitis rapit. Hoc facto aves reliquae pariter non cessant - ira lacessit ut faciant - quisque pennam suam demere. Sic ubi Cornicula coloribus furtivis nudata esset , damna turpia avem ridiculam sequuntur. Damna speciem commendicatam cito sequuntur; non nativa forma brevi tempore perit.