Vulpe vocante venit spēratque cicōnia cēnam:

fallit avem liquidus vulpe iocante cibus.

Cum bibat ista cibōs, sōlum bibit illa dolōrem:

hic dolor in vulpem fabricat arma dolī.

Sunt paucī mora pauca diēs; avis inquit: “Habēmus 5

fercula quae sapiunt: dulcis amīca, venī.”

Haec venit; haec vāse vitreō bona fercula condit,

at sōlam recipit fōrmula vāsis avem.

Laudat opēs oculō vāsis nitor; hās negat orī

fōrmula: sīc geminat vīsus odorque famem. 10

Sīc vulpēs iēiūna redit, sīc fallitur audēns

fallēre, sīc tēlō laeditur ipsa suō.

 

Quod tibi nōn facerēs aliī fēcisse cavētō.

Vulnera nē faciās quae potes ipse patī.

    The Fox and the Stork

    A fox invites a stork over for a meal, but as a prank she only serves soup in a dish, so the stork is unable to eat it. The stork in turn invites the fox over, but serves food at the bottom of a glass jar, so that the fox is unable to reach the food. 

    Other versions: Perry 426.

    1  vulpe vocante: ablative absolute.

    2  liquidus ... cibus: soup served in a shallow dish, as Phaedrus makes clear (1.26.4-5 liquidam in patulo marmore posuisse / sorbitionem).

    2  vulpe iocante: “the fox playing a joke,” ablative absolute.

    3  ista … illa: vulpēs ... cicōnia.

    3  bibit dolōrem: “she drinks grief,” because she is unable to drink with her long beak.

    4  in vulpem: “against the fox.”

    4  arma dolī: = dolum.

    mora pauca: predicate nominative.

    6  fercula: "dishes" of food, "courses."

    7  Haec … haec: vulpēs ... cicōnia.

    7  condit: "hides," "encloses," LS condo II.B.4.

    9  vāsis nitor: “the shine of the vessel," i.e., its brilliant transparency.

    9  oculō: dative after laudat.

    9  hās: opēs.

    9  orī: “to the mouth,” dat. of disadvantage.

    11  quod tibi nōn faceres: "(that) which you would not do to yourself," impf. subj. in a relative clause of characteristic.

    11  fēcisse: = facere.

    11  cavētō: = nolī, “make sure you do not," + infin., LS caveo I.D.3. The solemn future imperative form is often used for general directions serving for all time, as precepts, or in statutes (AG 449.2).

    vulpes –is f.: a fox

    ciconiaae f.: a stork

    cenaae f.: dinner

    liquidusaum: liquid

    ioco –are –avi –atus: to (play a) joke

    bibo –ere bibi –– : to drink

    fabrico –are –avi –atus: to make, construct, invent

    dolum -ī n.: a trick

    paucusum: little

    ferculumi n.: food

    sapio –ere –ivi –– : to be tasty, to taste good

    vas vasis n.: a vessel

    vitreusaum: of glass

    formulaae f.: a shape

    nitor –oris m.: brightness, splendor

    gemino –are –avi –atus: to double, repeat

    visus –us m.: appearance

    odoris m.: a scent, odor

    ieiunusum: hungry

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