Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Scrofa et Lupus (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 19 in the collection. For parallel versions, see Perry 547.

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:

Anxia vīcīnō partū dum Scrōfa labōrat,
Obstētrīcis opem ferre volente Lupō:
Hōc praesente suōs nōn audēns ēdere fētūs,
Quīn obstētrīcem tū mihi quaeris, ait?
Namque ministeriō nōn ēnīxūra virīlī
Ūtī, sollicitō mōta pudōre velim.
Sīc abeunte Lupō loca cum iam tūta petisset,
Ēdita mox sobolēs huic numerōsa fuit.
Iamque revertentem nōn dērīdēre verētur
Dēceptum stolidā crēdulitāte Lupum.
Convenit ēlūdī fallācibus artibus artēs,
Fallere cōnantem fraude repelle, licet.


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

Scrōfa, dum partū vīcīnō labōrat, anxia, Lupō obstētrīcis opem ferre volente; hōc praesente, fētūs suōs ēdere nōn audēns, ait: Quīn tū obstētrīcem mihi quaeris? Namque ēnīxūra, pudōre sollicitō mōta, nōn velim ministeriō virīlī ūtī. Sīc Lupō abeunte, cum iam loca tūta petisset, mox ēdita sobolēs huic numerōsa fuit. Iamque nōn verētur Lupum revertentem dērīdēre crēdulitāte stolidā dēceptum. Convenit artēs ēlūdī fallācibus artibus; repelle fraude fallere cōnantem; licet.


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):

Scrofa, dum partu vicíno labórat, ánxia, Lupo obstetrícis opem ferre volénte; hoc praesénte, fetus suos édere non audens, ait: Quin tu obstetrícem mihi quaeris? Namque enixúra, pudóre sollícito mota, non velim ministério viríli uti. Sic Lupo abeúnte, cum iam loca tuta petísset, mox édita sóboles huic numerósa fuit. Iamque non verétur Lupum reverténtem deridére credulitáte stólida decéptum. Cónvenit artes elúdi fallácibus ártibus; repélle fraude fállere conántem; licet.


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.

Anxia ·vīcī·nō par·tū dum· Scrōfa la·bōrat,
Obstē·trīcis o·pem || ferre vo·lente Lu·pō:
Hōc prae·sente su·ōs nōn· audēns· ēdere ·fētūs,
Quīn ob·stētrī·cem || tū mihi· quaeris, a·it?
Namque mi·nisteri·ō nōn· ēnīx·ūra vi·rīlī
Ūtī, ·sollici·tō || mōta pu·dōre ve·lim.
Sīc abe·unte Lu·pō loca· cum iam· tūta pe·tisset,
Ēdita· mox sobo·lēs || huic nume·rōsa fu·it.
Iamque re·verten·tem nōn· dērī·dēre ve·rētur
Dēcep·tum stoli·dā || crēduli·tēte Lu·pum.
Convenit· ēlū·dī fal·lācibus ·artibus· artēs,
Fallere ·cōnan·tem || fraude re·pelle, li·cet.


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: Scrofa, dum partu vicino laborat, anxia, Lupo obstetricis opem ferre volente; hoc praesente, fetus suos edere non audens, ait: Quin tu obstetricem mihi quaeris? Namque enixura, pudore sollicito mota, non velim ministerio virili uti. Sic Lupo abeunte, cum iam loca tuta petisset, mox edita soboles huic numerosa fuit. Iamque non veretur Lupum revertentem deridere credulitate stolida deceptum. Convenit artes eludi fallacibus artibus; repelle fraude fallere conantem; licet.