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osius061

Page history last edited by Laura Gibbs 15 years, 11 months ago

 

HOME | Osius: Previous Page - Next Page

 

 

Aquila et Vulpes

 

Parallels: For parallel versions, see Perry 1.

 

Cum Vulpes Aquilae sociam se iungeret olim,

Usus amicitiae firmet ut huius opus:

Vicinos habeant ut nidos foedera fiunt,

Firma quod haec tali lege futura putant.

Ipsa suum celsa Iovis ales in arbore ponit,

Vicini nemoris Vulpe tenente locum.

Accidit illa domi natis ut mane relictis

Iret, et usa suum quaereret arte cibum.

Hoc cum forte die praedam non nacta fuisset,

Progenie Vulpem perfida privat avis.

Abreptamque suis hanc affert improba pullis,

Curat amicitiae nec violenta fidem.

Rem gestam rediens cognovit ut anxia Vulpes,

Hinc incredibili tacta dolore fuit.

Acriter interitu dolet indignata suorum,

Haec maerore gravi quam quoque causa movet:

Impia tam temere quod sese spreverit ales,

Nec via vindictae quod sit aperta sibi.

Norat enim celeri quam praestans illa volatu,

Et validis prae se viribus esset avis.

Quod licet, hoc sequitur, conata levare dolorem,

Arboris ad truncum stans maledicta serit.

Non iam fautricem magis, insectata sed hostem,

Ultores Dii sint flagitat ipsa sui.

At ridere minas has regia desuper ales

Sustinet, ista parum verba timenda putat.

Sed cum non longe post essent festa colonis,

Sacraque sollemni more sequenda forent.

Advolat, ut praedam flagrantibus auferat extis,

Vulpis amicitiam quae violarat avis.

Sed rapiens partem, fert cum carbone favillam,

Semina cui flaminae viva latentis erant.

Hanc ubi materiam iam pullis attulit ales,

Vis oriens venti magna repente furit.

Qui ciet, igne cremant quae mox incendia nidum,

Res Aquilae pullos illa perire facit.

Qui quia semusti nido flagrante cadebant

Desuper, his Vulpes laeta potita fuit.

In sua quos raptos dumeta fugacius aufert,

Matre vidente gulam pascat ut illa suam.

Ut sua defendant quondam vi facta tyranni,

Seque impune sequi, quae voluere, putent:

Non tamen effugiunt ultricem numinis iram,

Ut sit lenta, Deo vindice poena venit.

 

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

 

Cum olim Vulpes iungeret se sociam Aquilae,

ut usus firmet opus huius amicitiae,

foedera fiunt ut habeant vicinos nidos

quod tali lege putant haec futura firma.

Ipsa ales Iovis ponit suum in celsa arbore,

Vulpe tenente locum vicini nemoris.

Accidit ut illa iret mane,

domi natis relictis,

et quaereret suum cibum, usa arte.

Cum forte non nacta fuisset praedam hoc die,

perfida avis privat Vulpem progenie

et improba affert abreptam progeniem suis pullis,

et violenta non curat fidem amicitiae.

Ut Vulpes rediens anxia cognovit rem gestam,

hinc tacta fuit incredibili dolore.

Acriter indignata dolet interitu suorum;

haec causa quoque movet Vulpem maerore gravi:

quod impia ales spreverit sese tam temere,

et quod non via vindictae aperta sit sibi.

Norat enim quam illa praestans est celeri volatu,

et avis esset prae se validis viribus.

Sequitur hoc, quod licet:

conata levare dolorem,

stans ad truncum arboris

serit maledicta;

iam insectata non fautricem sed magis hostem,

ipsa flagitat Dii sint sui ultores.

At regia ales sustinet ridere minas has desuper;

putat ista verba parum timenda.

Sed non longe post

cum essent festa colonis,

et sacra sequenda forent sollemni more,

avis, quae violarat amicitiam Vulpis, advolat,

ut auferat praedam flagrantibus extis.

Sed rapiens partem, fert favillam cum carbone,

cui semina viva flaminae latentis erant.

Ubi iam ales attulit hanc materiam pullis,

magna vis venti oriens repente furit.

Ventus ciet incendia, quae mox cremant nidum igne;

res illa perire facit pullos Aquilae.

Quia pulli semusti cadebant desuper,

nido flagrante,

Vulpes, his potita, laeta fuit;

fugacius aufert pullos raptos in sua dumeta

ut illa pascat suam gulam,

matre vidente.

Ut quondam tyranni defendant sua facta vi,

et putent se impune sequi haec, quae voluere,

tamen non effugiunt ultricem iram numinis;

ut sit lenta, poena venit, Deo vindice.

 

Here is the poem with meter marks:

 

Cum Vul~pes Aqui~lae soci~am se ~ iungeret ~ olim,

Usus a~miciti~ae = firmet ut ~ huius o~pus:

Vici~nos habe~ant ut ~ nidos ~ foedera ~ fiunt,

Firma quod ~ haec ta~li = lege fu~tura pu~tant.

Ipsa su~um cel~sa Iovis ~ ales in ~ arbore ~ ponit,

Vici~ni nemo~ris = Vulpe te~nente lo~cum.

Accidit ~ illa do~mi na~tis ut ~ mane re~lictis

Iret, et ~ usa su~um = quaereret ~ arte ci~bum.

Hoc cum ~ forte di~e prae~dam non ~ nacta fu~isset,

Progeni~e Vul~pem = perfida ~ privat a~vis.

Abrep~tamque su~is hanc ~ affert ~ improba ~ pullis,

Curat a~miciti~ae = nec vio~lenta fi~dem.

Rem ges~tam redi~ens cog~novit ut ~ anxia ~ Vulpes,

Hinc in~credibi~li = tacta do~lore fu~it.

Acriter ~ interi~tu dolet ~ indig~nata su~orum,

Haec mae~rore gra~vi = quam quoque ~ causa mo~vet:

Impia ~ tam teme~re quod ~ sese ~ spreverit ~ ales,

Nec via ~ vindic~tae = quod sit a~perta si~bi.

Norat e~nim cele~ri quam ~ praestans ~ illa vo~latu,

Et vali~dis prae ~ se = viribus ~ esset a~vis.

Quod licet, ~ hoc sequi~tur, co~nata le~vare do~lorem,

Arboris ~ ad trun~cum = stans male~dicta se~rit.

Non iam ~ fautri~cem magis, ~ insec~tata sed ~ hostem,

Ulto~res Dii ~ sint = flagitat ~ ipsa su~i.

At ri~dere mi~nas has ~ regia ~ desuper ~ ales

Sustinet, ~ ista pa~rum = verba ti~menda pu~tat.

Sed cum ~ non lon~ge post ~ essent ~ festa co~lonis,

Sacraque ~ sollem~ni = more se~quenda fo~rent.

Advolat, ~ ut prae~dam fla~grantibus ~ auferat ~ extis,

Vulpis a~miciti~am = quae vio~larat a~vis.

Sed rapi~ens par~tem, fert ~ cum car~bone fa~villam,

Semina ~ cui flami~nae = viva la~tentis e~rant.

Hanc ubi ~ materi~am iam ~ pullis ~ attulit ~ ales,

Vis ori~ens ven~ti = magna re~pente fu~rit.

Qui ciet, ~ igne cre~mant quae ~ mox in~cendia ~ nidum,

Res Aqui~lae pul~los = illa pe~rire fa~cit.

Qui quia ~ semus~ti ni~do fla~grante ca~debant

Desuper, ~ his Vul~pes = laeta po~tita fu~it.

In sua ~ quos rap~tos du~meta fu~gacius ~ aufert,

Matre vi~dente gu~lam = pascat ut ~ illa su~am.

Ut sua ~ defen~dant quon~dam vi ~ facta ty~ranni,

Seq(ue) im~pune se~qui, = quae volu~ere, pu~tent:

Non tamen ~ effugi~unt ul~tricem ~ numinis ~ iram,

Ut sit ~ lenta, De~o = vindice ~ poena ve~nit.

 

Translation:

 

Once upon a time, when the Fox had joined herself as an ally to the Eagle, in order that their behavior might confirm their friendship, an agreement was made to have their homes next to each other because by this rule they thought their friendship would be strong. The Eagle, Jupiter's own bird, put her home in a high tree, with the Fox taking her place in a neighboring grove. It happened that she went out one morning, leaving her children at home, in order to look for food, practicing her skill. When by chance she did not find any spoils that day, the treacherous bird deprived the Fox of her offspring and wickedly offered the stolen babies to her own chicks, violently disregarding her pledge of friendship. As the Fox came home, anxious, and learned what had happened, as a result she was stricken by incredible pain. Bitterly upset she grieved over the loss of her children, plus this reason moved the Fox with great pain: the fact that the evil bird had scorned her so heedlessly and because there was no means of revenge open to her, for she knew that the eagle was more swift in flight and that the bird had greater powers than she did. The Fox did what was possible: trying to lighten her pain, she stood at the tree trunk and poured curses on the Eagle, now following her not as a friend but more as an enemy, she begged the Gods to be her avengers. But the royal bird kept on laughing from on high at these threats; she thought that the words were not to be feared much at all. But not long afterwards, when there was a festival among the villagers and sacrificial offerings were to be made according to solemn custom, the bird who had betrayed the Fox's friendship flew there in order to take some of the spoils from the flaming entrails. But when she grabbed a portion, she also got some hot ashes together with the coals, and in the hot ashes there were the living seeds of a flame hiding inside. When the bird then brought this stuff to her chicks, a great blast of wind rose up all of a sudden and raged; the wind stirred up fires which quickly incinerated the nest with fire, causing the death of the Eagle's chicks. Because the chicks, half-burned, were falling from above as the nest burned, the Fox grabbed them and was happy; very quickly she carried off the stolen chicks into the thornbushes in order to stuff her throat, while their mother was watching. Although tyrants at one time might defend their acts of violence and think that they are able to do what they want with impunity, nevertheless they cannot escape the avenging wrath of heaven; although it may be slow, punishment does come, when God is the avenger.

 

[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:

 

Although there is an illustration in the 1575 edition of Osius's poems, the image does not fit this story at all, so I've provided here an illustration for the fable from a 1501 edition of Aesop. In this version of the story, the eagle does not bring the fire back from a sacrifice; instead, the fox herself decides to set the tree on fire!

 

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