Incūsant avidī pēs et manus ōtia ventris:
“Omnia sōlus habēs lucra, labōre carēs.
Nōs labor ēdomuit, tē fōvit inertia: sorbēs
Omnia, quae nostrī cūra labōris emit.
Disce patī famis ācre iugum vel disce labōrī 5
Cēdere, tēque tuī cūra labōris alat.”
Sīc ventrī servīre negant; sē venter inānem
Comperit, ōrat opem: nīl dat avāra manus.
Ille precēs iterat: iterum fugit illa precantem.
In stomachī fundō torpet obitque calor; 10
Vīcta famē, nātūra fugit, vīs ārida faucēs
Obsērat ut solitum nōn sinat īre cibum.
Vult epulās dare sēra manus, sed corporis aegrī
Perdita, nōn reparāns, māchina tōta perit.
Nēmō sibi satis est: eget omnis amīcus amīcō. 15
Sī nōn vīs aliī parcere, parce tibi.
notes
This fable reflects the Biblical idea that each member of the church body contributes an equal amount, found in 1 Corinthians 12:12-22. The scripture invokes a scenario in which one part of the body decides that it does not want to serve the rest of the body, and compares this to the members of the church working together. This fable elaborates this idea; the foot and the hand complain about the easy life that the stomach lives: it receives the profits of the work that the rest of the body performs, but doesn’t have to do any work itself. The hand and foot suddenly refuse to feed the stomach, but, of course, this leads to the death of the entire body. The moral corresponds to the Biblical idea that no man can subsist alone.
ōtia ventris: “the laziness of the stomach.” Direct object of incūsant.
sōlus habēs: “you alone have.”
labōre carēs: ablative with carēs.
nostrī cūra labōris: “the care of our labor.” Subject of emit.
labōrī: dative with cēdere.
alat: jussive subj.
ventrī: dative with servīre.
nīl: direct object of dat.
precantem: acc. present participle, “the one (who is) praying.”
famē: abl. of means.
vīs ārida: subject of obsērat. Faucēs is the direct object.
ut solitum nōn sinat īre cibum: result clause, “that it does not permit the usual food to go down.”
sēra: technically modifies manus, but works well if taken adverbially, and as if it were comparative, “too late.”
corporis aegrī: gen. Take with the subject, māchina tōta, “the whole machine of the sick body.”
Perdita: “having wasted away.” Perfect participle in apposition to māchina tōta.
nōn reparāns: a present participle in apposition to māchina tōta. Has a causal sense, “unable to repair (itself).”
amīcō: abl. with eget.
alii: “to be sparing to another”; dat. after parcere.
vocabulary
venter –tris n.: a stomach
incuso –are –avi –atus: to criticize, condemn
avidus –a –um: greedy
lucrum –i n.: gain, profit
edomo –are –ui –itus: conquer, overcome
foveo –ere fovi fotus: to keep warm, favor
inertia –ae f.: ignorance, inactivity
sorbeo –ere –ui –– : to drink, absorb
emo –ere emi emptus: to gain, acquire
inanis –e: void, empty
comperio –ire –peri –pertus: to learn, discover
avarus –a –um: avaricious, greedy
itero –are –avi –atus: to do a second time, repeat
stomachus –i m.: a gullet, stomach
fundus –i m.: bottom, lowest part
torpeo –ere –– –– : to be numb or lethargic
obeo –ire –ivi –itus: to die
calor –oris m.: heat, warmth
aridus –a –um: dried, thirsty
faux faucis f.: a throat
obsero –are –avi –atus: to fasten, shut off
solitus –a –um: usual, customary
epula –ae f.: food
serus –a –um: too late
reparo –are –avi –atus: to renew, revive
machina –ae f.: a machine
nemo –inis m./f.: no one, nobody
egeo –ere –ui –– : to need (+ abl.)