Fable of the Day: De leone et urso (Barlow)

[Laura Gibbs]

Leo et Ursus, simul magnum adepti Hinnulum, de eo concertabant. Graviter autem a se ipsis affecti, ut ex multa pugna etiam vertigine corriperentur, defatigati iacebant. Vulpes interea, circumcirca eundo ubi prostratos eos vidit et Hinnulum in medio iacentem, hunc, per utrosque percurrendo, rapuit fugiensque abivit. At illi videbant quidem furacem Vulpem sed, quia non potuerunt surgere, "Eheu, nos miseros," dicebant, "quia Vulpi laboravimus."

You will notice a new format here! This is because I am now finalizing materials for the edition of Aesop's fables that I'll be publishing with Bolchazy-Carducci, based on Barlow's Aesop of 1687.

Here is the vocabulary for the fable, excluding the words which are on the Common Word List:

hinnulus: deer, fawn
medium: middle, center
pugna: fight
vertigo (vertiginis, f.): dizziness

furax (furacis): thieving
magnus: great, large
miser, misera, miserum: wretched, unfortunate
uterque (uter-que): each of two

abeo (abire), abivi: go away, depart
adipiscor (adipisci), adeptus: gain, obtain, win
afficio (afficere), affectus: afflict, weaken
concerto (concertare): fight over, argue over
corripio (corripere): seize, grasp, lay hold of
defatigo (defatigare), defatigatus: tire out, exhaust
eo (ire): go
fugio (fugere): run away, flee
iaceo (iacere): lie, lie down
laboro (laborare), laboravi: work, exert effort
percurro (percurrere): run through
possum (posse), potui: be able, can
prosterno (prosternere), prostratus: knock down, lay low
rapio (rapere): seize, grab, snatch
surgo (surgere): rise up, get up

at: but, but yet
circumcirca: round about, all around
eheu: alas
etiam: even, besides, too
graviter: heavily, seriously
interea: meanwhile
per: through, by means of
quia: because
simul: at the same time
ubi: where

Comments: For a segmented version of the text and an English translation, see the Aesopus website.

magnum...hinnulum: noun phrase wraps around the participle

adepti: deponent verb, although passive in form, here takes an object - hinnulum

ipsis: agrees with se, which is ablative plural

eundo...percurrendo...: parallel construction with gerunds

hunc: hunc (hinnulum)

per utrosque: per leonem et ursum

quidem: emphasizes videbant (they did indeed see the fox, but...)

nos miseros: accusative used in an exclamation

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