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DE VULPE, CANE ET GALLO

 

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Source: Aesop's Fables, 1687 (illustrated by Francis Barlow).

 

Introduction: In this fable you will find a distinctively Greek word, ᾠδή, which is rendered in Latin as "ode" - and of course "ode" is a word that English also has borrowed from Greek. The fox promises to teach the rooster a "nova ode," a "new ode" or a "new song." Of course, you should always be careful when the fox offers to do you some kind of favor, and the rooster in this fable is no fool. Watch for a special clue about what gets the fox into trouble: the fox is sneaky, but she also has a negative character trait that gets her into trouble in this fable! What is the vice that leads to the fox's downfall in this story? For more fables about the rooster, see the story of the rooster who found a precioius gem, or the story of the rooster who crowed at dawn.

 

Latin Text:

 

Canis et Gallus rus obambulabant. Nocte appropinquante, Gallus altam ascendebat arborem, Canis autem ad pedem arboris securus dormiebat. Intempesta nocte, Gallus canoram vocem edidit. Vulpes praeteriens audit accurritque et inter salutandum promisit quod optimam doceret novamque oden, si ab arbore descenderet. "Descendam subito," respondebat Gallus. "Saltem a te peto ut Comitem expergiscaris meum, qui infra in utramque aurem dormit." Vulpes, novae praedae avida, Canem expergiscitur. Canis subito in eam irruens apprehendit laniatque.

 

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

 

Canis et Gallus

rus obambulabant.

Nocte appropinquante,

Gallus

altam ascendebat arborem,

Canis autem

ad pedem arboris securus dormiebat.

Intempesta nocte,

Gallus

canoram vocem edidit.

Vulpes praeteriens

audit

accurritque

et inter salutandum promisit

quod optimam doceret novamque oden,

si ab arbore descenderet.

"Descendam subito,"

respondebat Gallus.

"Saltem a te peto

ut Comitem expergiscaris meum,

qui infra in utramque aurem dormit."

Vulpes,

novae praedae avida,

Canem expergiscitur.

Canis subito

in eam irruens

apprehendit laniatque.

 

Translation: A dog and a rooster were journeying through the countryside. Night came on, and the rooster went up a tall tree, while the dog slept unconcerned at the foot of the tree. In the dead of night, the rooster gave out a loud cock-a-doodle-doo. A fox, who was passing by, heard the rooster. She ran up and as she greeted the rooster she promised that she would teach the rooster an excellent new song, if he would just come down from the tree. I'll come down right away, said the rooster, only I need you to wake up my friend who is sound asleep down below. The fox, greedy for yet another victim, woke the dog. The dog immediately attacked the fox, grabbed her, and tore her to pieces.

 

[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.]

 

Parallels: For parallel versions, see Perry 252.

 

Related Links: Crossword Puzzle

 

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

 

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