Monday, March 22, 2010

Tubicen Captivus (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 57 in the collection. For parallel versions, see Perry 370.

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 (note the e in tubicen long before caesura):

Saeva suō Tubicen irrītāns proelia cantū
Captus ab hoste, mihī parce misertus, ait.
Mē quoniam cecidit nēmō caedente tuōrum,
Cuī nōn arma, nisī dīxeris esse tubam.
At magis hōc est tē perimendī iusta cupīdo,
Esse rudem bellī quod liquet, hostis ait.
Et tamen ad pugnās aliōrum pectora cantū
Exstimulās, dignum rēs ea morte probat.


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

Tubicen, cantū suō saeva proelia irrītāns, ab hoste captus, ait: "Parce misertus mihī. Quoniam nēmō tuōrum cecidit, mē caedente, cuī nōn arma, nisī dīxeris tubam arma esse." Hostis ait: "At hōc, quod liquet tē bellī rudem esse, cupīdo tē perimendī iusta magis est, et tamen aliōrum pectora cantū ad pugnās exstimulās, rēs ea probat tē morte dignum."


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):

Túbicen, cantu suo saeva proélia irrítans, ab hoste captus, ait: "Parce misértus mihi. Quóniam nemo tuórum cécidit, me caedénte, cui non arma, nisi díxeris tubam arma esse." Hostis ait: "At hoc, quod liquet te belli rudem esse, cupído te periméndi iusta magis est, et tamen aliórum péctora cantu ad pugnas exstímulas, res ea probat te morte dignum."


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.

Saeva su·ō Tubi·cen ir·rītāns· proelia· cantū
Captus ab· hoste, mi·hī || parce mi·sertus, a·it.
Mē quoni·am ceci·dit nē·mō cae·dente tu·ōrum,
Cuī nōn· arma, ni·sī || dīxeris· esse tu·bam.
At magis· hōc est· tē peri·mendī ·iusta cu·pīdo,
Esse ru·dem bel·lī || quod liquet,· hostis a·it.
Et tamen ·ad pug·nās ali·ōrum· pectora ·cantū
Exstimu·lās, dig·num || rēs ea· morte pro·bat.


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: Tubicen, cantu suo saeva proelia irritans, ab hoste captus, ait: "Parce misertus mihi. Quoniam nemo tuorum cecidit, me caedente, cui non arma, nisi dixeris tubam arma esse." Hostis ait: "At hoc, quod liquet te belli rudem esse, cupido te perimendi iusta magis est, et tamen aliorum pectora cantu ad pugnas exstimulas, res ea probat te morte dignum."