Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Rana et Bos (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 40 in the collection. For parallel versions, see Perry 376.

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:

Aequārī vult rāna bovī, tumet ergo; tumentī
Nātus ait: "Cessā, prae bove tōta nihil."
Rāna dolet meliusque tumet; premit ille tumentem:
"Vincere non poteris, victa crepāre potēs."
Tertius īrātam vexat tumor; illa tumōris
Cōpia findit eam; guttura rupta patent.
Cum māiōre minor conferrī dēsinat et sē
Cōnsulat et vīrēs temperet ipse suās.


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

Rāna bovī aequārī vult, tumet ergo; nātus tumentī ait: Cessā; prae bove tōta nihil. Rāna dolet et melius tumet; ille tumentem premit: Vincere nōn poteris; victa, crepāre potēs. Tertius, tumor īrātam vexat; illa tumōris cōpia eam findit; guttura rupta patent. Minor dēsinat cum māiōre conferrī, et sē cōnsulat, et ipse vīrēs suās temperet.


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):

Rana bovi aequári vult, tumet ergo; natus tuménti ait: Cessa; prae bove tota nihil. Rana dolet et mélius tumet; ille tuméntem premit: Víncere non póteris; victa, crepáre potes. Tértius, tumor irátam vexat; illa tumóris cópia eam findit; gúttura rupta patent. Minor désinat cum maióre conférri, et se cónsulat, et ipse vires suas témperet.


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.

Aequā·rī vult· rāna bo·vī, tumet· ergo; tu·mentī
Nātus a·it: "Ces·sā, || prae bove· tōta ni·hil."
Rāna do·let meli·usque tu·met; premit· ille tu·mentem:
"Vincere· nōn pote·ris, || victa cre·pāre po·tēs."
Tertius· īrā·tam vex·at tumor;· illa tu·mōris
Cōpia· findit e·am; || guttura· rupta pa·tent.
Cum mā·iōre mi·nor con·ferrī· dēsinat· et sē
Cōnsulat· et vī·rēs || temperet· ipse su·ās.


IMAGE. Here's an illustration for the fable (image source) by Arthur Rackham:


What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches:
Rana bovi aequari vult, tumet ergo; natus tumenti ait: Cessa; prae bove tota nihil. Rana dolet et melius tumet; ille tumentem premit: Vincere non poteris; victa, crepare potes. Tertius, tumor iratam vexat; illa tumoris copia eam findit; guttura rupta patent. Minor desinat cum maiore conferri, et se consulat, et ipse vires suas temperet.