Monday, April 26, 2010

Thunnus et Delphinus (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 190 in the collection. For parallel versions, see Perry 113.

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:

Delphīnum fugiēns, quī sēsē pōne fatīgat,
Thunnus agī praeceps coeperat inter aquās.
Maximus in terram sīc ut ferat impetus ambōs,
Delphīnō moriēns hinc ita Thunnus ait:
Ergō cum pereās ūnō discrīmine mēcum,
Nōn mea nunc adeō mors mihi tristis erit.
Tē necis auctōrem nostrae quia mūtua perdunt
Fāta, morī tēcum promptior esse velim.
Quī fert immeritō mala, tum patientior hōrum est,
Auctōrēs pariter cum videt illa patī.


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

Thunnus, Delphīnum fugiēns, quī pōne sēsē fatīgat, agī coeperat praeceps inter aquās, sīc ut impetus maximus ambōs in terram ferat. Hinc Thunnus moriēns ita Delphīnō ait: Ergō cum pereās mēcum, discrīmine ūnō, mors mea nunc nōn mihi adeō tristis erit. Quia fāta mūtua tē perdunt necis nostrae auctōrem, tēcum morī promptior esse velim. Quī mala fert immeritō, tum hōrum patientior est, cum auctōrēs videt pariter illa patī.


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):

Thunnus, Delphínum fúgiens, qui pone sese fatígat, agi coéperat praeceps inter aquas, sic ut ímpetus máximus ambos in terram ferat. Hinc Thunnus móriens ita Delphíno ait: Ergo cum péreas mecum, discrímine uno, mors mea nunc non mihi ádeo tristis erit. Quia fata mútua te perdunt necis nostrae auctórem, tecum mori prómptior esse velim. Qui mala fert immérito, tum horum patiéntior est, cum auctóres videt páriter illa pati.


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.

Delphī·num fugi·ēns, quī ·sēsē· pōne fa·tīgat,
Thunnus a·gī prae·ceps || coeperat ·inter a·quās.
Maximus· in ter·ram sīc ·ut ferat· impetus· ambōs,
Delphī·nō mori·ēns || hinc ita ·Thunnus a·it:
Ergō· cum pere·ās ū·nō dis·crīmine ·mēcum,
Nōn mea· nunc ade·ō || mors mihi· tristis e·rit.
Tē necis ·auctō·rem nos·trae quia ·mūtua ·perdunt
Fāta, mo·rī tē·cum || promptior· esse ve·lim.
Quī fert ·immeri·tō mala, ·tum pati·entior ·hōr~ est,
Auctō·rēs pari·ter || cum videt· illa pa·tī.


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: Thunnus, Delphinum fugiens, qui pone sese fatigat, agi coeperat praeceps inter aquas, sic ut impetus maximus ambos in terram ferat. Hinc Thunnus moriens ita Delphino ait: Ergo cum pereas mecum, discrimine uno, mors mea nunc non mihi adeo tristis erit. Quia fata mutua te perdunt necis nostrae auctorem, tecum mori promptior esse velim. Qui mala fert immerito, tum horum patientior est, cum auctores videt pariter illa pati.