Aequārī vult rāna bovī: tumet ergō. Tumentī
Nātus ait: “Cessa; prae bove tōta nihil.”
Rāna dolet meliusque tumet; premit ille tumentem:
“Vincēre nōn poteris, victa crepāre potes.”
Tertius īrātam vexat tumor; illa tumōris 5
Cōpia findit eam: vīscera rupta patent.
Cum maiōre minor cōnferrī dēsinat et sē
Cōnsulat et vīrēs temperet ipse suās.
notes
A frog is jealous of the large size of an ox, so she increases her own size. Her son asks her to stop, noting that there is no way that the size of the frog, even inflated, could compare to the size of the ox. The frog becomes increasingly upset by this, and swells so greatly that she bursts. The moral of this fable, as to be expected, cautions the lesser from comparing themselves to the greater.
aequari: “she wishes to be made equal to”; pres. inf. pass. after vult (+ dat.).
tumenti: “speaks to the one swelling (herself up)”; pres. part. dat. ind. Obj.
prae bove: “before the ox,” i.e., in comparison to an ox.
meliusque: literally, “better,” but works better as, “more,” or “larger.”
conferri: “cease to be compared”; pres. inf. pass. after desinat.
desinat: “let the smaller (one) cease”; pres. jussive subj. (+ inf.). Its subject is minor.
consulat ... temperet: “let him consider ... let him moderate!”; pres. jussive subj.
vocabulary
aequo –are –avi –atus: to make equal to (+ dat.)
rana –ae f.: a frog
tumeo –ere –– –– : to swell, be swollen with conceit
cesso –are –avi –atus: to be remiss
crepo –are –ui–itus: to rattle, crack
vexo –are –avi –atus: to shake, vex
tumor –oris m.: a swelling
findo –ere fidi fissus: to split, divide
viscus –eris n.: entrails
minor –us: smaller
tempero –are –avi –atus: to moderate, control oneself