Dum vulpēs aquilam prō raptā prōle perungit
melle precum, praedam reddere nescit avis.
Praeda gemit nīdīque timet cibus esse gulōsī,
sed redimit nātōs ūtilis arte parēns.
Arboreum zonat stipulīs et vīmine truncum, 5
in stipulam doctō dīrigit ōre facem.
In pullōs aquilae consurgit cōpia fūmī;
hunc tamen et vulpem prōvida plācat avis.
Nōn sit quī studeat, quia maior, obesse minōrī,
cum bene maiōrī possit obesse minor. 10
notes
The Fox and the Eagle
The eagle has stolen the fox’s young and has them in her tree-top nest. The cunning fox builds a fire at the base of the tree to smoke out the eagle and retrieve her kits. The moral points to the danger in the stronger hurting the weaker. Even the weak are capable of inflicting harm.
Also known as The Eagle and the Fox. Other versions: Perry 001.
1 prō raptā prōle: “for the sake of her stolen offspring.”
1-2 perungit / melle precum: “smears with the honey of prayers." The fox tries to butter up the eagle in order to get her babies back.
2 nescit: "is unwilling to" + infin., a rare and late meaning of the verb (DMLBS nescire 4.b) favored by the author.
3 Praeda: the fox kits.
3 nīdī ... gulōsī: objective genitive after cibus: “food for the gluttonous nest (of eagle chicks).” This is clearer in Phaedrus's version (1.28.4) nidoque posuit pullis escam ut carperent.
4 ūtilis arte: "useful in guile," i.e., "clever," the stereotypical quality of the fox.
5 arboreum ... truncum: direct object of zonat, “encircles the tree trunk.” Ironically in the Latin line, the tree trunk encircles the words that encircle it.
5 stipulīs et vīmine: "with (highly flammable) stalks and twigs," ablative of means with zonat.
6 doctō: "skilled."
6 facem: "torch," > fax facis f., object of dirigit. In Phaedrus's version she gets it from an altar.
7 in pullōs aquilae: “against the eagle’s young.” How the smoke only conspires against the eagle’s babies and not her own kits, the world may never know. Apparently both sets of babies were actually affected, but that the eagle was only concerned for her own babies, and in wanting to save them, agreed to return the fox’s kits.
9 nōn sit quī: jussive subj.: “let there not be (anyone) who...!”
9 studeat: pres. subj. in a relative clause of characteristic, as normal with a vague antecedent.
9 obesse minōrī: obesse complements studeat, “is eager to harm the weaker,” or “the smaller.” Obesse takes a dative, as normal.
10 bene ... possit: “is well able.”
vocabulary
vulpēs –is f.: a fox
aquila –ae f.: an eagle
prōlēs –is f.: offspring
perungō –ere –ūnxī –ūnctus: to anoint, smear
mel mellis n.: honey
gemō –ere –uī –itus: to moan, groan, lament
nidus –ī m.: a nest
gulōsus –a –um: gluttonous
redimō –ere –ēmī –ēmptus: to recover
arboreus –a –um: of a tree
zōnō: to bind, encircle
stipula –ae f.: a stalk or reed
vimen –inis n.: a twig, shoot
truncus –ī m.: a trunk (of a tree)
doctus –a –um: learned, skilled, clever
dīrigō –ere –rēxī –rēctus: to arrange, direct
pullus –ī m.: a young bird, chick
coniūrō –āre –āvī –ātus: to conspire
fūmus –ī m.: smoke
prōvidus –a –um: forward-looking, prudent
plācō –āre –āvī –ātus: to appease, placate, reconcile
obsum obesse obfuī (offuī): to harm (+ dat.)