Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Cucurbita in Arbore (Yenni)

SOURCE: A Grammar of the Latin Language, by D. Yenni (1845) at GoogleBooks. This fable is not in Perry - and it is a great little story. If anyone has information about Yenni's source, let me know!

READ OUT LOUD. Choose which marked text you prefer to practice with - macrons or accent marks - and read the text out loud until you feel comfortable and confident. Then, try reading the unmarked text at the bottom. It should be easy for you after practicing with the marked texts. :-)


MACRONS. Here is the text with macrons:

Sunt quī vel mundī opificem sapientissimum reprehendere audeant. Cum quīdam cucurbitam grandiōrem tenuī in caule humī iacentem vidēret: Hem! (inquit) nōn in caule tenuī, sed in altā quercū egō eam suspendissem. Abīre deinde, et sub quercū aliquā obdormiscere. Quī cum dormīret, ventus glandēs innumerās ā quercū dēcutere, quārum aliqua nāsum hominis vehementius tetigit. Expergēfactus ille, cum sanguinem ē nāsō prōfluentem cerneret: Quid (inquit) sī haec cucurbita fuisset, vix equidem vīverem amplius. Deum profectō sentiō sapientissimē atque optimē mundum disposuisse.


ACCENT MARKS. Here is the text with ecclesiastical accents, plus some color-coding for the words of three or more syllables (blue: penultimate stress; red: antepenultimate stress):

Sunt qui vel mundi opíficem sapientíssimum reprehéndere aúdeant. Cum quidam cucúrbitam grandiórem ténui in caule humi iacéntem vidéret: Hem! (inquit) non in caule ténui, sed in alta quercu ego eam suspendíssem. Abíre deinde, et sub quercu áliqua obdormíscere. Qui cum dormíret, ventus glandes innúmeras a quercu decútere, quarum áliqua nasum hóminis veheméntius tétigit. Expergefáctus ille, cum sánguinem e naso profluéntem cérneret: Quid (inquit) si haec cucúrbita fuísset, vix équidem víverem ámplius. Deum profécto séntio sapientíssime atque óptime mundum disposuísse.



UNMARKED TEXT. Here is the unmarked text - after practicing with the marked text that you prefer, you should not have any trouble with the unmarked text:

Sunt qui
vel mundi opificem sapientissimum
reprehendere audeant.
Cum quidam
cucurbitam grandiorem
tenui in caule
humi iacentem videret:
Hem! (inquit)
non in caule tenui,
sed in alta quercu
ego eam suspendissem.
Abire deinde,
et sub quercu aliqua
obdormiscere.
Qui cum dormiret,
ventus
glandes innumeras
a quercu decutere,
quarum aliqua
nasum hominis
vehementius tetigit.
Expergefactus ille,
cum sanguinem
e naso profluentem cerneret:
Quid (inquit)
si haec cucurbita fuisset,
vix equidem viverem amplius.
Deum
profecto sentio
sapientissime atque optime
mundum disposuisse.



IMAGE. Here is an illustration for the story (image source) showing a "pumpkin tree" of sorts: