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Lupus et Agna

 

Parallels: For parallel versions, see Perry 155.

 

Vidit Ovem liquidi sorbentem fluminis undae

Inferius stantem, quam stetit ipse, Lupus.

Iure volens ergo, si devoret, ille videri

Hoc fecisse, minax, fronteque torvus adest.

Cur, ait, hausturo puram mihi polluis undam,

Cur facis huc a te turbidus amnis eat?

Mene, ait Agna, tibi turbare probaveris undam,

Quam tamen huc prono flumine cursus agit?

At maledicis enim, Lupus inquit, an excidit, a me

Ut tuus occiderit dilaniante pater?

Menses ante neci septem quem misimus, illi

Hanc sua perniciem lingua proterva tulit.

Non ego respondens tum subicit anxia vixi,

Usa sed hac frustra voce tuentis Ovis.

Ille negas vero late nudaris ut agros

Vernantes viridi gramine nuper, ait?

Agna probans falsum, caream cum dentibus, inquit,

Hoc a me fieri non potuisse liquet.

Cui Lupus: ut valeas satis ipsa dicacula verbis,

Nunc cenare tamen lautius ipse velim.

Sic ait, atque metu trepidantem corripit Agnam,

Et pascens avido devorat ore gulam.

Ut, quos oderunt, violent impune, tyrannis

Causa dari facili conditione solet.

Qui quaecumque volunt patrare licentius audent,

Illorum sceleri vel pudor omnis abest.

 

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

 

Lupus vidit Ovem

sorbentem undae liquidi fluminis

stantem inferius quam ipse stetit.

Ergo Lupus volens,

si devoret Ovem,

videri fecisse hoc iure,

adest minax et torvus fronte.

Lupus ait: "Cur polluis puram undam mihi hausturo?

Cur facis ut amnis eat turbidus huc a te?

Agna ait: "Probaverisne me turbare tibi undam?

Tamen cursus agit undam huc prono flumine."

Lupus enim inquit: "At maledicis enim?

An excidit ut tuus pater occiderit a me dilaniante?

Misimus patrem neci ante septem menses;

sua lingua proterva tulit illi hanc perniciem."

Ovis respondens subicit anxia:

"Tum ego non vixi,"

sed frustra usa hac voce tuentis.

Ille ait: "Negas vero

ut nuper late nudaris agros

vernantes viridi gramine?"

Agna, probans falsum, inquit:

"Cum caream dentibus,

liquet hoc non potuisse fieri a me."

Lupus ei ait:

Ut ipsa satis valeas verbis, dicacula,

nunc tamen ipse velim necare lautius.

Sic ait

atque corripit Agnam trepidantem metu

et devorat avido ore, pascens gulam.

Facili conditione

causa solet dari tyrannis

ut violent impune quos oderunt.

Tyranni licentius audent patrare quaecumque volunt,

vel pudor omnis abest sceleri illorum.

 

Here is the poem with meter marks:

 

Vidit O~vem liqui~di sor~bentem ~ fluminis ~ undae

Inferi~us stan~tem, = quam stetit ~ ipse, Lu~pus.

Iure vo~lens er~go, si ~ devoret, ~ ille vi~deri

Hoc fe~cisse, mi~nax, = fronteque ~ torvus a~dest.

Cur, ait, ~ haustu~ro pu~ram mihi ~ polluis ~ undam,

Cur facis ~ huc a ~ te = turbidus ~ amnis e~at?

Me~n(e), ait ~ Agna, ti~bi tur~bare pro~baveris ~ undam,

Quam tamen ~ huc pro~no = flumine ~ cursus a~git?

At male~dicis e~nim, Lupus ~ inquit, an ~ excidit, ~ a me

Ut tuus ~ occide~rit = dilani~ante pa~ter?

Menses ~ ante ne~ci sep~tem quem ~ misimus, ~ illi

Hanc sua ~ pernici~em = lingua pro~terva tu~lit.

Non ego ~ respon~dens tum ~ subicit ~ anxia ~ vixi,

Usa sed ~ hac frus~tra = voce tu~entis O~vis.

Ille ne~gas ve~ro la~te nu~daris ut ~agros

Vernan~tes viri~di = gramine ~ nuper, a~it?

Agna pro~bans fal~sum, care~am cum ~ dentibus, ~ inquit,

Hoc a ~ me fie~ri = non potu~isse li~quet.

Cui Lupus: ~ ut vale~as satis ~ ipsa di~cacula ~ verbis,

Nunc ce~nare ta~men = lautius ~ ipse ve~lim.

Sic ait, ~ atque me~tu trepi~dantem ~ corripit ~ Agnam,

Et pas~cens avi~do = devorat ~ ore gu~lam.

Ut, quos ~ ode~runt, vio~lent im~pune, ty~rannis

Causa da~ri faci~li = conditi~one so~let.

Qui quae~cumque vo~lunt pa~trare li~centius ~ audent,

Illo~rum scele~ri = vel pudor ~ omnis a~best.

 

Translation:

 

A Wolf saw a Sheep drinking from the water of the running brook, standing downstream from where the Wolf stood. Therefore the Wolf, wanting - if he were to eat the Sheep - to seem to have down this by right, approached in a threatening way with a grim look on his face. The Wolf said: "Why are you muddying the clear water when I am just about to take a drink? Why are you making the stream flow from you to me all stirred up?" The Lamb said: "Surely you are not trying to show that I am stirring up your water? After all, the course leads the water downstream from me here." The Wolf said: "Are you going to insult me? Or did it escape your notice that your father died at my hands? We sent him to his doom seven months ago: his loud mouth brought on his death." The Sheep interjected nervously in response: "I was not alive then," but she spoke these defensive words in vain. The Wolf said: "Are you denying in fact that just now you stripped my fields far and wide, fields which had been flourishing with green grass?" The Lamb, proving this was not true, said: "Since I have no teeth, it's clear that I could not have done that." The Wolf said: "You sassy creature! While you are able enough when it comes to words, I'll now do a very nice job of killing you anyway." So he spoke, and he grabbed the Lamb who was trembling with fear and greedily swallowed her, feeding his gullet. A pretext can by an easy arrangement given to tyrants so that they can attack with impunity those whom they hate. Tyrants very freely dare to do whatever they want, in fact they feel no sense of shame at all in their wrong-doing.

 

[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 the 1575 edition; click on the image for a larger view.