Silva sonat, fugiunt leporēs; palūs obviat, haerent.
Fit mora: respiciunt ante retrōque, timent.
Dum lībrant in mente metūs, sē mergere pactī,
sē metuī et rānās stāgna subīre vident.
Ūnus ait: “Spērāre licet; nōn sōla timōris 5
turba sumus: vānō rāna timōre latet.
Spem decet amplectī, spēs est via prīma salūtis.
Saepe facit metuī nōn metuenda metus.
Corporis est levitās et mentis inertia nōbīs:
ista fugae causam suggerit, illa fugam.”10
Sīc metuat quīcumque timet nē mōle timōris
spē careat: gravis est spē fugiente timor.
Spēret quī metuit: moritūrōs vīvere vīdī
spē duce, vīctūrōs spē moriente morī.
notes
The Rabbits and the Frogs
A group of rabbits is frightened by a noise in the forest. They flee and stop when faced with a marsh. They decide to drown themselves, but see that there are frogs in the water who are scared of them. Embracing hope, they decide to live after all. Never yield entirely to fear or give up hope.
Other versions: Perry 138, Prose Romulus versions (ed. Thiele)
1 haerent: "halt."
2 Fit mora: “there is a delay.”
2 ante retrōque: both adverbs go with respiciunt; order matters: “they look forward, then back”, showing rising fear.
3 sē mergere pactī: “having agreed to submerge themselves.” The rabbits, in their panic, have made a suicide pact. This is clearer in Babrius (25.1 Γνώμη λαγωοὺς εἶχε μηκέτι ζώειν) and the prose Romulus versions (consilium simul fecerunt ut se praecipitarent, propter assiduos metus, Thiele p. 112),
4 sē metuī: "that they (the rabbits) are feared" by the frogs. Indirect statement after vident.
5 timōris: i.e. timida, "(full) of fear."
6 rāna: singular for plural.
7 amplectī: pres. inf. dep. after decet.
7 via ... salūtis: “path to safety," a fairly common metaphor in classical Latin. Salūtis could be seen as an objective genitive, or genitive of specification, a poetic construction (AG 349.d).
8 metuī ... facit: “causes to be feared,” pres. pass. infin.
8 metuenda: gerundive, neut. pl. acc., object of facit and subject of the infinitive metuī.
8 metus: subject of facit.
10 ista ... illa: “the latter (inertia) ... the former (levitas.)”
11 Sīc: i.e., in the manner of the rabbits, without total despair.
11 timeat: pres. jussive subj.
11 mōle timōris: “because of the massive weight of (his) fear.”
11-12 nē ... careat: pres subj., either in a negative purpose clause, or else jussive.
12 spē: ablative of separation after careat, as normal.
12 spē fugiente: “when hope flees,” ablative absolute.
13 spēret: pres. jussive subj.
14 moritūrōs: substantival, "(those who were) about to die."
14 spē duce: “with hope being the leader,” ablative absolute with no participle (AG 419.a).
14 victūrōs: “those about to win,” fut. part. acc., subject of morī in indirect statement after vīdī.
vocabulary
lepus –oris m.: a hare, rabbit
palus –udis f.: a swamp, marsh
obvio –are –avi –atus: to be in the way
haereo –ēre haesi haesurus: to hesitate; halt
retro: backwards
libro –are –avi –atus: to balance, weigh
mergo –ere mersi mersus : to drown, submerge
paciscor pacisci pactus sum: to decide, make an agreement
rana –ae f.: a frog
stagnum –i n.: a pool, lake
amplector –i –exus: to embrace
levitas –tatis f.: lightness, quickness
inertia –ae f.: sluggishness, lack of spirit, cowardice
suggero –ere –gessi –gestus : to suggest
moles –is f.: a mass