Sunday, March 7, 2010

Anser et Grus (Osius)

SOURCE: The poem comes from Phryx Aesopus Habitu Poetico, by Hieronymus Osius, published in 1574, and online at the University of Mannheim as page images and text scan. This is poem 85 in the collection. For parallel versions, see Perry 228.

READ OUT LOUD. Choose which marked text you prefer to practice with - macrons in verse form, or macrons in prose order, or accent marks in prose order, or focusing on the meter. You will find materials for all of these options below. :-)


VERSE MACRONS. Here is the verse text with macrons:

Pābula dum prātō Grus carpit et Ānser eōdem,
Īnsidiās illīs quī meditētur, adest.
Quō veniente levem sua pernix ocius aufert
Āla Gruem, similī nōn valet Ānser ope.
Impedit hunc gravitas damnōsa, fugamque morātur,
Aucupe confestim sīc capiente perit.
Hostica vīs domitīs cum cīvibus occupat urbem,
Prōtinus illaesō corpore pauper abit.
At quī dīves opum est, hostīlēs ferre catēnās
Cogitur, et servō vincula mōre patī.


PROSE MACRONS. Here is the same text with macrons written out in prose word order:

Dum Grus et Ānser prātō eōdem pābula carpit, adest quī illīs īnsidiās meditētur. Quō veniente, āla sua pernix Gruem levem ocius aufert; Ānser ope similī nōn valet. Gravitas damnōsa hunc impedit et fugam morātur, sīc confestim perit, aucupe capiente. Cum vīs hostica urbem occupat, cīvibus domitīs, prōtinus pauper abit, corpore illaesō. At quī dīves opum est, cogitur catēnās hostīlēs ferre et vincula patī, mōre servō.


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

Dum Grus et Anser prato eódem pábula carpit, adest qui illis insídias meditétur. Quo veniénte, ala sua pernix Gruem levem ócius aufert; Anser ope símili non valet. Grávitas damnósa hunc ímpedit et fugam morátur, sic conféstim perit, aúcupe capiénte. Cum vis hóstica urbem óccupat, cívibus dómitis, prótinus pauper abit, córpore illaéso. At qui dives opum est, cógitur caténas hostíles ferre et víncula pati, more servo.


ELEGIAC COUPLET METER. Below I have used an interpunct dot · to indicate the metrical elements in each line, and a double line || to indicate the hemistichs of the pentameter line.

Pābula ·dum prā·tō Grus· carpit et ·Ānser e·ōdem,
Īnsidi·ās il·līs || quī medi·tētur, a·dest.
Quō veni·ente le·vem sua· pernix ·ocius ·aufert
Āla Gru·em, simi·lī || nōn valet· Ānser o·pe.
Impedit ·hunc gravi·tas dam·nōsa, fu·gamque mo·rātur,
Aucupe ·confes·tim || sīc capi·ente pe·rit.
Hostica ·vīs domi·tīs cum ·cīvibus ·occupat· urbem,
Prōtinus· illae·sō || corpore ·pauper a·bit.
At quī· dīves o·p~ est, hos·tīlēs· ferre ca·tēnās
Cogitur, ·et ser·vō || vincula· mōre pa·tī.


IMAGE. Here is an illustration for the story from the 1574 edition of Osius:



What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches: Dum Grus et Anser prato eodem pabula carpit, adest qui illis insidias meditetur. Quo veniente, ala sua pernix Gruem levem ocius aufert; Anser ope simili non valet. Gravitas damnosa hunc impedit et fugam moratur, sic confestim perit, aucupe capiente. Cum vis hostica urbem occupat, civibus domitis, protinus pauper abit, corpore illaeso. At qui dives opum est, cogitur catenas hostiles ferre et vincula pati, more servo.