Fōns nitet, argentō similis. Sītis ārida cervum
Hūc rapit; haurit aquās, sē speculātur aquīs.
Hunc beat; hunc mulcet rāmōsae glōria frontis;
Hunc premit, hunc laedit tībia macra pedum.
Ecce canēs, tonat īra canum; timet ille, timentī 5
Fit fugā: culpātī crūris adōrat opem.
Silvae claustra subit, cornū retinente morātur:
Crūre necī raptum cornua longa necant.
Spernere quod prōsit et amāre quod obsit ineptum est.
Prōdest quod fūgimus et quod amāmus obēst. 10
notes
A stag sees the reflection of his antlers in a pool, which gladdens him.Then he looks down and notices his legs, which are very thin, and scorns their weakness. A pack of dogs begins to chase him, and he runs away, but is soon trapped in a tree by his horns. The end of the fable notes that his legs, which he had shamed, would have been his escape, while the horns that he was so proud of ensnared him and brought upon his death. The moral notes the foolishness of scorning anything that might be of benefit.
argento: “like silver”; dat. after similis.
aquīs: abl. of pl. where with in understood.
hunc ... hunc: anaphora. Hunc refers to the stag in both cases.
culpati: “power of the blamed leg”; perf. part., agreeing with cruris. Singular for plural.
cornu retinente: “with the horn holding (him) back”; ablative absolute.
crure: “ by a tree stalk (i.e. a tree stump)”; ablative of means. Note the pun on crus, which is somewhat forced because presumably his horns would be caught by the branches, not the “stalk” or “stump” of the tree.
neci: “snatched for death”; dative of purpose with raptum.
spernere ... amare: “to spurn ... to love is foolish”; inf., subject of est.
quod prosit ... quod obsit: “that which is useful ... that which is harmful”; pres. subj. in a relative clause of characteristic.
quod fūgimus: “that which we flee,” subject of prōdest.
quod amāmus: “that which we love,” subject of obēst.
vocabulary
niteo –ere –ui: to shine, glitter
sitis –is f.: thirst
aridus –a –um: dry, parched
cervus –i m.: a stag, deer
haurio hausi haustus: to drink, swallow, drain
speculor –ari –atus: to watch, observe
beo –are –avi –atus: to bless
mulceo –ere –si –sus: to appease, please
ramosus –a –um: having many branches
tibia –ae f.: a leg, flute
macer –ra –rum: thin
tono –are –ui –– : to thunder
culpo –are –avi –atus: to blame, find fault with
crus –uris n.: a leg, shank (of a tree)
adoro –are –vi –atus: to beg
claustrum –i n.: an enclosure
nex necis f.: death
moror: to delay
obsum obesse obfui (offui): to hurt
ineptus –a –um: silly, foolish