Grāculus, inventō pictī pāvōnis amictū,
sē polit et sociās ferre superbit avēs.
Quem fore pāvōnem pāvōnis penna fatētur,
pāvōnum generī nōn timet īre comes.
Pāvō dolum sentit, falsī pāvōnis honōrem 5
increpat et domitam verbere nūdat avem.
Nūda latet sociōsque fugit minuīque pudōrem
sīc putat; hanc dūrō corripit ōre comes:
“Ascēnsor nimius nimium ruit, aptus in īmīs
est locus: haec levis est, illa ruīna gravis.10
Quī plūs posse putat sua quam nātūra ministrat,
posse suum superāns, sē minus esse potest.
Sī tibi nōta satis nātūrae mēta fuisset,
nōn vīlis nec inops nec sine veste forēs.”
Cui sua nōn sapiunt, aliēnī sēdulus auceps, 15
quod nōn est rapiēns, dēsinit esse quod est.
notes
The Grackle and the Peacock
A grackle dresses in the feathers of a peacock and spurns the other grackles to consort with the peacocks, until the grackle is caught, beaten and stripped of its borrowed feathers by a peacock. The grackle hides in shame but is reprimanded by a fellow grackle. Attempts to rise high beyond one's own station can lead to a great fall.
Other versions: Perry 472.
1 amictū: "clothing," in this case feathers, or perhaps a single feather (see penna in line 3).
2 sē polit: "decorates itself with," + abl. (inventō ... amictū), DMLBS polire 3. Graculus is grammatically masculine and the relative pronoun Quem (line 3) is masculine, but domitam (line 6) and Nuda (line 7) indicate the bird is female.
2 sociās ferre superbit avēs: “disdains to endure its fellow birds,” i.e., is too arrogant to associate with other grackles.
3 Quem: = hunc, connecting relative (AG 308.f).
3 Quem fore pāvōnem pāvōnis penna fatētur: order: penna pāvōnis fatētur ("declares") hunc fore (= esse) pāvōnem.
4 generī: dative with comes.
4 timet: graculus is the subject.
6 domitam verbere: “subdued with a blow." Verbere is no doubt singular for plural.
7 minuī: pres. pass. inf. after putat.
8 sīc: by hiding.
9 Ascēnsor nimius: “the one who ascends too much.” The other nimium is adverbial and modifies the verb ruit.
10 haec ... illa: ruīna.
11 Quī: “he who,” stating a general rule.
11 plus posse: "that he can (do) more." The omission of an infin. like agere is normal.
11 ministrat: "provides," i.e., allows.
12 posse suum: “his own ability,” treating the infinitive as a noun, not uncommon in Medieval Latin (DMLBS posse 7).
12 sē minus: “less than himself," sē is abl. of comparison.
13 Sī tibi nōta satis nātūrae mēta fuisset: order: Sī mēta nātūrae fuisset satis nōta tibi, past contrary-to-fact conditional.
14 forēs: = essēs, “you would not be”; impf. subj. in a present contrafactual apodosis.
15 Cui sua non sapiunt: “the one to whom his own things do not taste good,” "he who is unsatisfied with this own (situation)."
15 aliēnī ... auceps: “a bird-catcher of the property of a stranger,” i.e., “a grasper at another's status,” an avian metaphor appropriate to the fable.
16 quod nōn est rapiēns: “(by) snatching what (he) is not.”
vocabulary
graculus –i m.: a grackle, jackdaw, crow, rook, or sim.
pictus –a –um: painted, multi-colored
pavo –onis m.: a peacock
amictus –ūs m.: a cloak, clothing
polio –ire –ivi –itus: to smooth, polish; decorate
socius -a -um: fellow, allied, companion
superbio –ire –– –– : to disdain to (+ inf.)
penna –ae f.: a feather, wing
increpo –are –ui –itus: to rebuke, chide, criticize
domo –are –ui –itus: to subdue
verber –eris n.: a blow
nudo –are –avi –atus: to lay bare, strip
minuo –ere –ui –utus: to lessen, reduce
corripio –ere –ripui –reptus: to chastise, criticize
ascensor ascensoris m.: one who ascends
ruo –ere –ui –utus: to destroy, ruin
imus –a –um: lowest
ruina –ae f.: a fall
ministro –are –avi –atus: to provide
meta –ae f.: a boundary
vilis –e: cheap, common
inops –opis (gen.): weak, poor
alienum -ī n: the property of a stranger
sedulus –a –um: persistent
auceps –ipis m.: a bird-catcher, grasper
sapio –ere –ivi –– : to be tasty