Thursday, February 18, 2010

Astrologus (Dana)

SOURCE: Liber Primus, by Joseph Dana (1832) at GoogleBooks. For more information and other versions of this fable, see the links list for Perry 40.

READ OUT LOUD. Choose which marked text you prefer to practice with - macrons or accent marks - and read the text out loud until you feel comfortable and confident. Then, try reading the unmarked text at the bottom. It should be easy for you after practicing with the marked texts. :-)


MACRONS. Here is the text with macrons:

Astrologī cuiusdam mos erat dē nocte domō exīre, ut caelum stellāsque contemplārētur. Aliquando autem, tōtus caelō intentus, in fossam, quam ante pedēs sitam nōn vīderat, incidit. Tum alius, per eandem viam iter faciēns, cum dē gemitū illīus, quod acciderat, cognōvisset: "Optimē (inquit) tū, quī ōs in caelum ērigēbās, terram pedibus subiectam potius intuērī dēbuerās.



ACCENT MARKS. Here is the text with ecclesiastical accents, plus some color-coding for the words of three or more syllables (blue: penultimate stress; red: antepenultimate stress):

Astrólogi cuiúsdam mos erat de nocte domo exíre, ut caelum stellásque contemplarétur. Aliquándo autem, totus caelo inténtus, in fossam, quam ante pedes sitam non víderat, íncidit. Tum álius, per eándem viam iter fáciens, cum de gémitu illíus, quod accíderat, cognovísset: "Óptime (inquit) tu, qui os in caelum erigébas, terram pédibus subiéctam pótius intuéri debúeras.



UNMARKED TEXT. Here is the unmarked text - after practicing with the marked text that you prefer, you should not have any trouble with the unmarked text:

Astrologi cuiusdam
mos erat
de nocte domo exire,
ut caelum stellasque
contemplaretur.
Aliquando autem,
totus caelo intentus,
in fossam,
quam
ante pedes sitam
non viderat,
incidit.
Tum alius,
per eandem viam
iter faciens,
cum
de gemitu illius,
quod acciderat, cognovisset:
"Optime (inquit) tu,
qui
os in caelum erigebas,
terram pedibus subiectam
potius intueri debueras.



IMAGE. Here is an illustration for the story (image source) from the emblems of Alciato: