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Barlow 67. DE CORVO ET VULPE
*Not included in the Bolchazy-Carducci book.*
Parallels: For parallel versions, see Perry 124.
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.]
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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