Sunday, February 14, 2010

Lupus et Asinus (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 32 in the collection. For parallel versions, see Perry 187.

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:

Quem videt in prātīs pascentem, saevus Asellō,
Imminet īnstituēns dīlaniāre Lupus.
Extrahat ante tamen sibi spīnam exōrat Asellus,
In pede quae fixa huīc posteriōre fuit.
Hīs cum post Asinum verbīs persuāsus abīret,
Illō paene necem percutiente tulit.
Strātus humī, est ubi iam vertīgō mōta cerēbrō,
Ut fuga mox Asinō tūta sit inde facit.
Ad sēsē rediēns tandem Lupus, arte coquendī
Cum valeam, medicam cūr profitēbar, ait?
Hanc, quam quisque tenet, temerē sī dēserit artem,
Exercēns aliam damna pudenda feret.


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

Lupus saevus Asellum in prātīs pascentem videt; imminet Asellō, īnstituēns dīlaniāre. Asellus tamen exōrat ut ante sibi spīnam extrahat, quae fixa fuit huīc in pede posteriōre. Cum persuāsus hīs verbīs abīret post Asinum, paene tulit necem, illō percutiente. Strātus humī, ubi iam vertīgō cerebro mōta est, inde mox facit ut Asinō fuga tūta sit. Lupus tandem rediēns ad sēsē ait: "Cum valeam arte coquendī, cūr profitēbar medicam artem? Sī quisque temerē dēserit hanc artem quam tenet, aliam artem exercēns, damna pudenda feret.


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):

Lupus saevus Aséllum in pratis pascéntem videt; ímminet Aséllo, instítuens dilaníare. Aséllus tamen exórat ut ante sibi spinam éxtrahat, quae fixa fuit huic in pede posterióre. Cum persuásus his verbis abíret post Ásinum, paene tulit necem, illo percutiénte. Stratus humi, ubi iam vertígo cérebro mota est, inde mox facit ut Ásino fuga tuta sit. Lupus tandem rédiens ad sese ait: "Cum váleam arte coquéndi, cur profitébar médicam artem? Si quisque témere déserit hanc artem quam tenet, áliam artem exércens, damna pudénda feret.


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.

Quem videt· in prā·tīs pas·centem,· saevus A·sellō,
Imminet ·īnstitu·ēns || dīlani·āre Lu·pus.
Extrahat ·ante ta·men sibi ·spīn~ ex·ōrat A·sellus,
In pede· quae fix·~ huīc || posteri·ōre fu·it.
Hīs cum· post Asi·num ver·bīs per·suāsus a·bīret,
Illō ·paene ne·cem || percuti·ente tu·lit.
Strātus hu·m~, est ubi ·iam ver·tīgō ·mōta ce·rēbrō,
Ut fuga ·mox Asin·ō || tūta sit· inde fa·cit.
Ad sē·sē redi·ēns tan·dem Lupus,· arte co·quendī
Cum vale·am, medi·cam || cūr profi·tēbar, a·it?
Hanc quam ·quisque te·net teme·rē sī· dēserit ·artem
Exer·cēns ali·am || damna pu·denda fe·ret.


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: Lupus saevus Asellum in pratis pascentem videt; imminet Asello, instituens dilaniare. Asellus tamen exorat ut ante sibi spinam extrahat, quae fixa fuit huic in pede posteriore. Cum persuasus his verbis abiret post Asinum, paene tulit necem, illo percutiente. Stratus humi, ubi iam vertigo cerebro mota est, inde mox facit ut Asino fuga tuta sit. Lupus tandem rediens ad sese ait: "Cum valeam arte coquendi, cur profitebar medicam artem? Si quisque temere deserit hanc artem quam tenet, aliam artem exercens, damna pudenda feret.