HOME | Osius: Previous Page - Next Page

 

Vespertilio Transfuga

 

Parallels: For parallel versions, see Perry 566.

 

Cum grege pennigero bellum crudele gerebant,

Ut premerent hostes cetera bruta suos.

Gens avium fore visa suis erat hostibus impar,

Hinc Vespertilio transfuga facta fuit.

Eventum exspectans ea neutram callida partem

Iuverat, at iungi nunc fuit ausa feris.

Sed quia iam volucres Aquilae virtute triumphant,

Coepit ad illarum mox revolare gregem.

Quae nudata suis ideo ceu transfuga pennis,

A convictu avium iure repulsa fuit.

Estque ad nocturnos merito damnata volatus,

Perfidiae poenas has dare fertur avis.

 

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

 

Cetera bruta gerebant bellum crudele

cum grege pennigero,

ut premerent hostes suos.

Gens avium visa erat fore

impar suis hostibus,

hinc Vespertilio facta fuit transfuga.

Ea callida

exspectans eventum

iuverat neutram partem,

at nunc ausa fuit iungi feris.

Sed quia iam volucres triumphant virtute Aquilae,

mox coepit revolare ad gregem illarum.

Ideo Vespertilio ceu transfuga

nudata suis pennis,

iure repulsa fuit a convictu avium.

Et merito damnata est ad nocturnos volatus,

fertur dare has poenas perfidiae avis.

 

Here is the poem with meter marks:

 

Cum grege ~ pennige~ro bel~lum cru~dele ge~rebant,

Ut preme~rent hos~tes = cetera ~ bruta su~os.

Gens avi~um fore ~ visa su~is erat ~ hostibus ~ impar,

Hinc Ve~spertili~o = transfuga ~ facta fu~it.

Even~t(um) exspec~tans ea ~ neutram ~ callida ~ partem

Iuverat, ~ at iun~gi = nunc fuit ~ ausa fe~ris.

Sed quia ~ iam volu~cres Aqui~lae vir~tute tri~umphant,

Coepit ad ~ illa~rum = mox revo~lare gre~gem.

Quae nu~data su~is ide~o ceu ~ transfuga ~ pennis,

A con~vict(u) avi~um = iure re~pulsa fu~it.

Estqu(e) ad ~ noctur~nos meri~to dam~nata vo~latus,

Perfidi~ae poe~nas = has dare ~ fertur a~vis.

 

Translation:

 

The rest of the animals were waging a fierce war with the winged flock in order to defeat their enemies. It seemed that the tribe of birds would not be equal to their enemies, so the Bat became a deserter. Craftily waiting on the final outcome, she had been favoring a neutral position, but now she dared to join herself to the animals. But because the birds eventually won, thanks to the Eagle's strength, the Bat immediately started to fly back to the flock of birds. Therefore the Bat was stripped of her feathers as a turncoat, and rightly she was driven away from the society of birds. And appropriately the Bat was condemned to nocturnal flight; the Bat reportedly paid the penalty of a traitorous bird.

 

[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.