Saturday, April 24, 2010

Aper Excors (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 115 in the collection. For parallel versions, see Perry 583.

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:

Cēpit Aprum, cuī mox ūnam praecīderat aurem
Rusticus, hāc truncum passus abīre fuit.
At fortūna novō cāsū cum redderet illum,
Quae superest, mutilum tunc simul aure facit.
At sē rursus ubī hōc praedam vēnante dedisset
Obtruncāre feram tum iubet īra manū.
Iamque suīs affert exemptō corde patrōnis,
Corque iocō lūdēns hunc habuisse negat.
Quī mala mille ferēns ōlim nōn cautior exit,
Ille fit exitiī causa pudenda suī.


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

Rusticus Aprum cēpit, cuī mox aurem ūnam praecīderat; passus hāc truncum abīre fuit. At cum fortūna novō cāsū illum redderet, tunc simul mutilum aure, quae superest, facit. At ubī rursus, hōc vēnante, sē praedam dedisset, tum īra iubet manū feram obtruncāre. Iamque corde exemptō, suīs patrōnis affert, et, iocō lūdēns, negat hunc cor habuisse. Ille, quī ōlim mala mille ferēns nōn cautior exit, exitiī suī causa pudenda fit.


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):

Rústicus Aprum cepit, cui mox aurem unam praecíderat; passus hac truncum abíre fuit. At cum fortúna novo casu illum rédderet, tunc simul mútilum aure, quae súperest, facit. At ubi rursus, hoc venánte, se praedam dedísset, tum ira iubet manu feram obtruncáre. Iamque corde exémpto, suis patrónis affert, et, ioco ludens, negat hunc cor habuísse. Ille, qui olim mala mille ferens non caútior exit, exítii sui causa pudénda fit.


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.

Cēpit A·prum, cuī ·mox ū·nam prae·cīderat ·aurem
Rusticus,· hāc trun·cum || passus a·bīre fu·it.
At for·tūna no·vō cā·sū cum· redderet· illum,
Quae supe·rest, muti·lum || tunc simul ·aure fa·cit.
At sē· rursus u·b~ hōc prae·dam vē·nante de·disset
Obtrun·cāre fe·ram || tum iubet· īra ma·nū.
Iamque su·īs af·fert ex·emptō ·corde pa·trōnis,
Corque io·cō lū·dēns || hunc habu·isse ne·gat.
Quī mala ·mille fe·rēns ō·lim nōn ·cautior ·exit,
Ille fit ·exiti·ī || causa pu·denda su·ī.


IMAGE. Here is an illustration showing a wild boar (image source):



What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches: Rusticus Aprum cepit, cui mox aurem unam praeciderat; passus hac truncum abire fuit. At cum fortuna novo casu illum redderet, tunc simul mutilum aure, quae superest, facit. At ubi rursus, hoc venante, se praedam dedisset, tum ira iubet manu feram obtruncare. Iamque corde exempto, suis patronis affert, et, ioco ludens, negat hunc cor habuisse. Ille, qui olim mala mille ferens non cautior exit, exitii sui causa pudenda fit.