Sunday, April 11, 2010

Crines Alieni (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 99 in the collection. For parallel versions, see Perry 375.

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:

Est cuī calvitiēs, aliēnīs crīnibus ūtī
Incipit, hōc ūtēns ornat honōre caput.
Quōs tamen huīc ortī vīs maxima turbinis aufert,
Hōs dēturbārī quae violenta facit.
Calvitiēs iterum sīc huīc manifesta relinquī
Coepit, et orbārī crīnibus omne caput.
Quod Cum rīdērent aliī, quibus obvius ībat,
Ōra tuēns hōrum sustinet illa loquī:
An, mea quae nōn sunt, ea mīrum dēmere ventōs,
Ablātīsque malī nīl quibus ipse ferō?
Prūdentēs nīl paene movet iactūra bonōrum,
Quae data fortūnae mūnere nempe tenent.


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

Cuī calvitiēs est, aliēnīs crīnibus ūtī incipit, hōc honōre ūtēns caput ornat. Quōs tamen vīs turbinis ortī maxima huīc aufert, quae violenta hōs dēturbārī facit. calvitiēs sīc iterum manifesta huīc relinquī et caput omne crīnibus orbārī coepit. quod cum aliī rīdērent, quibus obvius ībat, hōrum ōra illa tuēns, sustinet loquī: An mīrum ventōs dēmere ea, quae mea nōn sunt et, quibus ablātīs, ipse nīl malī ferō? Iactūra bonōrum prūdentēs paene nīl movet, quae nempe tenent, mūnere fortūnae data.


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):

Cui calvíties est, aliénis crínibus uti íncipit, hoc honóre utens caput ornat. Quos tamen vis túrbinis orti máxima huic aufert, quae violénta hos deturbári facit. Calvíties sic íterum manifésta huic relínqui et caput omne crínibus orbári coepit. Quod cum álii ridérent, quibus óbvius ibat, horum ora illa tuens, sústinet loqui: An mirum ventos démere ea, quae mea non sunt et, quibus ablátis, ipse nil mali fero? Iactúra bonórum prudéntes paene nil movet, quae nempe tenent, múnere fortúnae data.


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.

Est cuī ·calviti·ēs, ali·ēnīs ·crīnibus· ūtī
Incipit, ·hōc ū·tēns || ornat ho·nōre ca·put.
Quōs tamen· huīc or·tī vīs· maxima· turbinis· aufert,
Hōs dē·turbā·rī || quae vio·lenta fa·cit.
Calviti·ēs ite·rum sīc· huīc mani·festa re·linquī
Coepit, et ·orbā·rī || ·crīnibus· omne ca·put.
Quod Cum· rīdē·rent ali·ī, quibus ·obvius ·ībat,
Ōra tu·ēns hō·rum || sustinet· illa lo·quī:
An, mea ·quae nōn ·sunt, ea· mīrum· dēmere ·ventōs,
Ablā·tīsque ma·lī || nīl quibus· ipse fe·rō?
Prūden·tēs nīl· paene mo·vet iac·tūra bo·nōrum,
Quae data· fortū·nae || mūnere ·nempe te·nent.


IMAGE. Here is an illustration for the story (image source), showing a sad looking toupée:



What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches: Cui calvities est, alienis crinibus uti incipit, hoc honore utens caput ornat. Quos tamen vis turbinis orti maxima huic aufert, quae violenta hos deturbari facit. calvities sic iterum manifesta huic relinqui et caput omne crinibus orbari coepit. quod cum alii riderent, quibus obvius ibat, horum ora illa tuens, sustinet loqui: An mirum ventos demere ea, quae mea non sunt et, quibus ablatis, ipse nil mali fero? Iactura bonorum prudentes paene nil movet, quae nempe tenent, munere fortunae data.