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DE CORVO ET VULPE

 

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

 

Latin Text:

 

Nacto casei frusto, Corvus in Arborem volavit. Quem cum Vulpes conspexerat, abunde collaudat pennarum pulchritudinem et corporis formam, nil illi deesse (inquiens) nisi vocis harmoniam, unde Iovis ales evaderet. Quod cum Corvus audierat, cantare conatus ore soluto, caseus elabitur, quem cum devorasset vulpes, cachinnos movit, dicens nil Corvo, praeterquam cor et mentem, defuturum.

 

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

 

Nacto casei frusto,

Corvus

in Arborem volavit.

Quem

cum Vulpes conspexerat,

abunde collaudat

pennarum pulchritudinem

et corporis formam,

nil illi deesse

(inquiens)

nisi vocis harmoniam,

unde Iovis ales evaderet.

Quod

cum Corvus audierat,

cantare conatus

ore soluto,

caseus elabitur,

quem

cum devorasset vulpes,

cachinnos movit,

dicens

nil Corvo,

praeterquam cor et mentem,

defuturum.

 

Translation: Having found a piece of cheese, the crow flew up into a tree. When the fox saw the crow, she lavishly praised the beauty of the crow's feathers and the beauty of his body, saying that the crow lacked nothing except a harmonious voice, which would make the crow Jupiter's bird. When the crow heard this, he opened his mouth and tried to sing, the cheese slipped out. When the fox had devoured the cheese, she burst out laughing and said that the crow was lacking nothing except for heart and mind.

 

[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 124.

 

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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