Thursday, April 22, 2010

Cochlea Domigera (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 164 in the collection. This is not a fable found in Perry's classical canon of Aesop's fables.

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:

Ā Iove cum peterent alia hīs animālia dōnīs
Hīs alia ornārī, Cochlea tāle petit:
Quō sibi cumque quidem sit eundī forte cupīdo,
Ferre suam sēcum possit ut inde domum.
At quaerente Iove hanc rem sit quae causa petendī,
Huic vīcīnōrum mē metus urget, ait.
Hōs experta malōs mox hinc ut tūta remīgrem,
Sī portāre domum, quō libet, inde licet.
Vīcīnō fugienda malō vix altera pestis
Est magis, hinc variō nōmine damna ferēs.
Sīc res nulla bonō fēlīcior, ille salūtem
Cūrat, et est promptā mente iuvāre tuam.


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

Cum animālia ā Iove peterent alia hīs dōnīs alia hīs ornārī, Cochlea tāle petit: Quo sibi forte sit cumque quidem eundi cupīdo, ut possit inde domum suam sēcum ferre. At Iove quaerente quae causa sit hanc rem petendī, ait: metus vīcīnōrum mē huic urget, ut mox hinc tūta remīgrem, hōs malōs experta, sī inde, quō libet, domum portāre licet. fugienda pestis vix altera magis est vīcīnō malō; hinc damna ferēs, nōmine variō. sīc res nulla bonō fēlīcior; ille salūtem cūrat, et promptā mente est iuvāre tuam.


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):

Cum animália a Iove péterent ália his donis ália his ornári, Cóchlea tale petit: Quo sibi forte sit cumque quidem eúndi cupído, ut possit inde domum suam secum ferre. At Iove quaerénte quae causa sit hanc rem peténdi, ait: metus vicinórum me huic urget, ut mox hinc tuta remígrem, hos malos expérta, si inde, quo libet, domum portáre licet. Fugiénda pestis vix áltera magis est vicíno malo; hinc damna feres, nómine vário. Sic res nulla bono felícior; ille salútem curat, et prompta mente est iuváre tuam.


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.

Ā Iove· cum pete·rent ali·~ hīs ani·mālia· dōnīs
Hīs ali·~ ornā·rī, || Cochlea ·tāle pe·tit:
Quō sibi ·cumque qui·dem sit e·undī ·forte cu·pīdo,
Ferre su·am sē·cum || possit ut· inde do·mum.
At quae·rente Io·v~ hanc rem ·sit quae· causa pe·tendī,
Huic vī·cīnō·rum || mē metus ·urget, a·it.
Hōs ex·perta ma·lōs mox ·hinc ut· tūta re·mīgrem,
Sī por·tāre do·mum, || quō libet,· inde li·cet.
Vīcī·nō fugi·enda ma·lō vix· altera· pestis
Est magis,· hinc vari·ō || nōmine ·damna fe·rēs.
Sīc res· nulla bo·nō fē·līcior,· ille sa·lūtem
Cūrat, et ·est promp·tā || mente iu·vāre tu·am.


IMAGE. Here is an illustration for the story (image source) showing a snail with her house:



What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches: Cum animalia a Iove peterent alia his donis alia his ornari, Cochlea tale petit: Quo sibi forte sit cumque quidem eundi cupido, ut possit inde domum suam secum ferre. At Iove quaerente quae causa sit hanc rem petendi, ait: metus vicinorum me huic urget, ut mox hinc tuta remigrem, hos malos experta, si inde, quo libet, domum portare licet. fugienda pestis vix altera magis est vicino malo; hinc damna feres, nomine vario. sic res nulla bono felicior; ille salutem curat, et prompta mente est iuvare tuam.