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Barlow 100. DE EQUO ET ASELLO ONUSTO

 

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Introduction, Grammar Notes and Glossary: See the printed book.

 

Quizzes and Activities: See the del.icio.us catalog for the supplementary materials.

 

Parallels: For parallel versions, see Perry 181.

 

Latin Text:

 

Agitabat Coriarius quidam una Equum et Asinum onustum. Sed in via fatiscens, Asinus rogabat Equum ut sibi succurreret et velit portiunculam oneris tanti tolerare. Recusabat Equus et mox Asinus oneri totus succubuit et halitum clausit supremum. Herus accedens mortuo Asino sarcinam detraxit et, pelle superaddita excoriata, omnia Equo imposuit. Quod cum sensisset Equus, ingemuit, inquiens, “Quam misellus ego, qui, cum portiunculam oneris socii ferre recusaverim, iam totam sarcinam cogar tolerare.”

 

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

 

Agitabat Coriarius quidem

una Equum et Asinum onustum.

Sed in via fatiscens,

Asinus rogabat Equum

ut sibi succurreret

et velit

portiunculam oneris tanti tolerare.

Recusabat Equus

et mox Asinus

oneri totus succubuit

et halitum clausit supremum.

Herus accedens

mortuo Asino sarcinam detraxit

et,

pelle superaddita excoriata,

omnia Equo imposuit.

Quod cum sensisset Equus,

ingemuit inquiens,

"Quam misellus ego,

qui

cum portiunculam oneris socii

ferre recusaverim,

iam totam sarcinam

cogar tolerare."

 

Translation: A certain tanner was driving a horse together with a laden donkey. But on the way the donkey grew weak, and he asked the horse to help him, if he would be able to bear a tiny portion of the donkey huge burden. The horse refused and immediately the donkey collapsed completely under the weight and breathed out his last breath. The owner approached and dragging the burden off the dead donkey and he also added on the stripped off hide of the donkey, putting it all on the horse. When the horse felt the burden he groaned and said, "What a wretched creature I am, who refused to carry a little portion of my partner's burden, and now I am compelled to bear the whole burden."

 

[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. The image shows the moment in the story when the donkey collapses under the weight of the load. Notice that while the donkey is heavily burdened, and even the man is carrying a bundle of his own, the horse does not carry any load at all. Soon enough, though, the horse will be carrying all the load of the donkey, plus the donkey's carcass too!

 

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