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I.27. Canis et Thesaurus

 

Parallels: For parallel versions, see Perry 483.

 

Haec res avaris esse conveniens potest,

et qui, humiles nati, dici locupletes student.

Humana effodiens ossa thesaurum canis

invenit, et, violarat quia Manes deos,

iniecta est illi divitiarum cupiditas,

poenas ut sanctae religioni penderet.

Itaque, aurum dum custodit oblitus cibi,

fame est consumptus. Quem stans vulturius super

fertur locutus "O canis, merito iaces,

qui concupisti subito regales opes,

trivio conceptus, educatus stercore".

 

Here is the poem in a more prose-like word order for easy reading:

 

Haec res potest esse conveniens avaris

et eis,

qui humiles nati

student dici locupletes.

Canis effodiens humana ossa

invenit thesaurum

et, quia violarat deos Manes,

cupiditas divitiarum iniecta est illi,

ut penderet poenas sanctae religioni.

Itaque, dum custodit aurum,

oblitus cibi,

consumptus est fame.

Vulturius stans super canem

fertur locutus:

"O canis, iaces merito,

qui concupisti subito regales opes,

conceptus trivio,

educatus stercore".

 

Here is the poem with meter marks:

 

Haec res ~ ava~ris es~se con~venjens ~ potest,

et qu(i h)um~'les na~ti, di~ci loc'~pletes ~ student.

Huma~n(a) effod~jens os~sa the~saurum ~ canis

inve~nit, et, ~ vjola~rat qui' ~ Manes ~ deos,

iniec~t(a) est il~li di~vijia~rum cup'~ditas,

poenas ~ ut sanc~tae re~ligjo~ni pen~deret.

It'qu(e) au~rum dum ~ custo~dit ob~litus ~ cibi,

fam(e) est ~ consump~tus. Quem ~ stans vul~turjus ~ super

fertur ~ locu~tus "O ~ canis, ~ mer'to ~ iaces,

qui con~cupis~ti sub'~to re~gales ~ opes,

trivjo ~ concep~tus, e~duca~tus ster~core".

 

Translation:

 

This account can be applied to greedy people and to people who, born poor, strive to be called rich. A dog, while digging up dead people's bones, uncovered a treasure, and because he outraged the spirits of the dead, the dog was stricken by a greed for wealth, in order to appease sacred taboo. Thus, while the dog guarded the treasure, he took no thought for food and wasted away from starvation. A vulture perched above him is rumored to have said, 'O you dog, you deserve to lie there dead, since you wanted to gain the wealth of a king all at once, even though you were conceived in the gutter and were raised on a dung heap!'

 

[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.]

 

The Dog, Treasure, and Vulture (trans. C. Smart)

A Dog, while scratching up the ground,

'Mongst human bones a treasure found;

But as his sacrilege was great,

To covet riches was his fate,

And punishment of his offence;

He therefore never stirr'd from thence,

But both in hunger and the cold,

With anxious care he watch'd the gold,

Till wholly negligent of food,

A ling'ring death at length ensued.

Upon his corse a Vulture stood,

And thus descanted :-" It is good,

O Dog, that there thou liest bereaved

Who in the highway wast conceived,

And on a scurvy dunghill bred,

Hadst royal riches in thy head."

 

Illustration:

 

ere is an image of a dog digging (let's just hope he's not digging in a graveyard!):