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Barlow 104. DE PAVONE ET PICA

*Not included in the Bolchazy-Carducci book.*

Parallels: For parallel versions, see Perry 219.

Latin Text:

Gens Avium, cum libere vagaretur, optabat sibi dari regem. Pavo se imprimis dignum qui eligeretur putabat, quia esset formosissimus. Hoc in regem accepto, Pica, O rex, inquit, si te imperante Aquila nos perstrenue, ut solet, insequi coeperit, quo illum modo abiges? quo nos pacto servabis?

Here is a segmented version to help you see the grammatical patterns:

Gens Avium,

cum libere vagaretur,

optabat

sibi dari regem.

Pavo

se

imprimis dignum

qui eligeretur

putabat,

quia esset formosissimus.

Hoc

in regem accepto,

Pica,

O rex, inquit,

si

te imperante

Aquila

nos

perstrenue, ut solet,

insequi coeperit,

quo illum modo

abiges?

quo nos pacto

servabis?

Translation: The tribe of birds, when they were wandering around at liberty, wanted to award themselves a king. The peacock thought that he was especially worthy of being elected because he was the most beautiful. This plan for choosing the king was accepted but the jaybird said, "O king, while you are ruling us, if the eagle beings to pursue us very vigorously, as the eagle is wont to do, how will you drive him off? By what arrangement will you preserve us?

[This translation is meant as a help in understanding the story, not as a "crib" for the Latin. I have not hesitated to change the syntax to make it flow more smoothly in English, altering the verb tense consistently to narrative past tense, etc.]

Illustration: Here is an illustration from this edition, by the renowned artist Francis Barlow; click on the image for a larger view.