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III.12. Pullus ad Margaritam

 

Parallels: For parallel versions, see Perry 503.

 

In sterculino pullus gallinacius

dum quaerit escam margaritam repperit.

"Iaces indigno quanta res" inquit "loco!

Hoc si quis pretii cupidus vidisset tui,

olim redisses ad splendorem pristinum.

Ego quod te inveni, potior cui multo est cibus,

nec tibi prodesse nec mihi quicquam potest."

Hoc illis narro qui me non intellegunt.

 

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

 

Dum pullus gallinacius quaerit escam in sterculino

repperit margaritam.

Inquit: "Quanta res iaces indigno loco!

Si quis cupidus tui pretii vidisset hoc,

olim redisses ad splendorem pristinum.

Quod ego inveni te - et mihi cibus est multo potior -

non tibi nec mihi potest prodesse quicquam."

Narro hoc illis qui non intellegunt me.

 

Here is the poem with meter marks:

 

In ster~culi~no pul~lus gal~lina~cius

dum quae~rit es~cam mar~gari~tam rep~perit.

"Iaces ~ indig~no quan~ta res" ~ inquit ~ "loco!

Hoc si ~ quis pre~tji cup'~dus vi~disset ~ tui,

olim ~ redis~ses ad ~ splendo~rem pris~tinum.

Eg' quod ~ t(e) inve~ni, pot~jor cui ~ mult(o) est ~ cibus,

nec tib' ~ prodes~se nec ~ mihi ~ quicquam ~ potest."

Hoc il~lis nar~ro qui ~ me non ~ intel~legunt.

 

Translation:

 

A young rooster was looking for food in the manure when he found a pearl. 'What a fine thing you are,' he exclaimed, 'and in what an unfortunate situation! If a person longing to possess something of such value had found you, you would have been restored to your original splendor. Yet it is I who have found you, when I would have much preferred to find some food instead. So this isn't going to do you any good, and it doesn't do me any good either!' This is a story I tell for people who do not know how to appreciate me.

 

[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.]

 

The Cock and the Pearl (trans. C. Smart)

A Cock, while scratching all around,

A Pearl upon the dunghill found:

"O splendid thing in foul disgrace,

Had there been any in the place

That saw and knew thy worth when sold,

Ere this thou hadst been set in gold.

But I, who rather would have got

A corn of barley, heed thee not;

No service can there render'd be

From me to you, and you to me."

I write this tale to them alone

To whom in vain my pearls are thrown.

 

Illustration:

 

Here is an illustration from an early printed edition; click on the image for a larger view.