Friday, March 12, 2010

Milvus Aegrotans (Walter)

SOURCE: The text is online as the "Anonymus Neveleti" at the Latin Library, and the text is sometimes attributed to Walter of England. This is poem 19 in the collection. For parallel versions, see Perry 324.

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:

Morbī mōle iacet milvus mātremque precātur,
Ut superīs prō sē det sacra detque precēs.
Māter ait: Mī nāte, deōs et sacra deōrum
Laesistī; recolunt impia facta deī.
Crīminis ultōres pēnsant prō crīmine poenam.
Cum sacra turbārēs, poena timenda fuit.
Tē cōgit timor esse pium, tē poena fidēlem.
Hic timor, haec pietas cum nece sēra venit.
Quī maculat vītam, mundās cūr incolit ārās?
Quem sua facta premunt, cūr aliēna levant?


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

Milvus iacet, morbī mōle, et mātrem precātur, ut superīs prō sē sacra det et precēs det. Māter ait: Mī nāte, deōs et sacra deōrum laesistī; deī impia facta recolunt. Crīminis ultōres poenam prō crīmine pēnsant. Cum sacra turbārēs, poena timenda fuit. Timor cōgit tē pium esse, poena tē fidēlem. Cum nece hic timor, haec pietas sēra venit. Quī vītam maculat, cūr ārās mundās incolit? Quem facta sua premunt, cūr aliēna levant?


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):

Milvus iacet, morbi mole, et matrem precátur, ut súperis pro se sacra det et preces det. Mater ait: Mi nate, deos et sacra deórum laesísti; dei ímpia facta récolunt. Críminis ultóres poenam pro crímine pensant. Cum sacra turbáres, poena timénda fuit. Timor cogit te pium esse, poena te fidélem. Cum nece hic timor, haec píetas sera venit. Qui vitam máculat, cur aras mundas íncolit? Quem facta sua premunt, cur aliéna levant?


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.

Morbī ·mōle ia·cet mil·vus mā·tremque pre·cātur,
Ut supe·rīs prō· sē || det sacra· detque pre·cēs.
Māter a·it: Mī· nāte, de·ōs et· sacra de·ōrum
Laesis·tī; reco·lunt || impia· facta de·ī.
Crīminis· ultō·res pēn·sant prō· crīmine· poenam.
Cum sacra· turbā·rēs, || poena ti·menda fu·it.
Tē cō·git timor· esse pi·um, tē· poena fi·dēlem.
Hic timor,· haec pie·tas || cum nece· sēra ve·nit.
Quī macu·lat vī·tam, mun·dās cūr· incolit· ārās?
Quem sua· facta pre·munt, || cūr ali·ēna le·vant?


Here is an illustration from the Medici Aesop, which is online at the New York Public Library website.


What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches:
Milvus iacet, morbi mole, et matrem precatur, ut superis pro se sacra det et preces det. Mater ait: Mi nate, deos et sacra deorum laesisti; dei impia facta recolunt. Criminis ultores poenam pro crimine pensant. Cum sacra turbares, poena timenda fuit. Timor cogit te pium esse, poena te fidelem. Cum nece hic timor, haec pietas sera venit. Qui vitam maculat, cur aras mundas incolit? Quem facta sua premunt, cur aliena levant?