Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Corvus et Mercurius (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 323.

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:

Corvus, laqueō captus, Apollinī ut opem ferret supplicat, tūra et odōrēs illī incendere pollicitus. Perīculō līberātus, eius quod prōmīserat oblītus est. Rursus aliō irrētītus laqueō, Apolline praeteritō, Mercurium invocāvit, spondēns eī sacra factūrum. Cui ille, "Apage, omnium nequissime; nōn est quod tibi fidem habeam, quī priōribus nōn stetistī prōmissīs, et Apollinī līberātōrī dēbitum nondum solvistī.



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):

Corvus, láqueo captus, Apóllini ut opem ferret súpplicat, tura et odóres illi incéndere pollícitus. Perículo liberátus, eius quod promíserat oblítus est. Rursus alio irretítus láqueo, Apólline praetérito, Mercúrium invocávit, spondens ei sacra factúrum. Cui ille, "Ápage, ómnium nequíssime; non est quod tibi fidem hábeam, qui prióribus non stetísti promíssis, et Apóllini liberatóri débitum nondum solvísti.



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:

Corvus, laqueo captus,
Apollini ut opem ferret
supplicat,
tura et odores
illi incendere pollicitus.
Periculo liberatus,
eius quod promiserat
oblitus est.
Rursus alio irretitus laqueo,
Apolline praeterito,
Mercurium invocavit,
spondens
ei sacra facturum.
Cui ille,
"Apage, omnium nequissime;
non est
quod tibi fidem habeam,
qui prioribus non stetisti promissis,
et Apollini liberatori
debitum nondum solvisti.



IMAGE. Here is an illustration for the story (image source) showing a pensive crow!