Armāvit nātūra canem pede, dente, iuventā:
Hinc levis, hinc mordāx, fortis et inde fuit.
Tot bona fūrātur senium: nam rōbore prīvat
Corpus, dente genās, et levitāte pedēs.
Hic lepōrem prēndit, faucēs lepus exit inermēs. 5
Ēlumbem dominī verberat īra canem.
Reddit verba canis: “Dum mē pia pertulit aetās,
Nūlla meum potuit fallere praeda pedem.
Dēfendit seniī culpam laus ampla iuventae; 10
Prō sene quī cecidit, facta priōra vigent.
Nūllus amor dūrat nisi frūctus servet amōrem:
Quīlibet est tantī mūnera quanta facit.
Magnus eram, dum magna dedī: nunc marcidus annīs 15
Vileō, dē veterī mentiō nūlla bonō.
Sī laudās quod eram, quod sum culpāre protervum est.
Sī iuvenem recipis, pellere turpe senem est.”
Sē miserē servīre sciat, quī servit inīquō. 20
Parcere subiectīs nescit inīquus homō.
notes
In this fable, an elderly dog is less apt at hunting than he once was. His master is upset and lashes out at the dog, who reminds the master of his prowess in his younger years. Rather than punish the master for his unfaithful anger, however, the moral broadens to assert that love is contingent upon the giving of gifts. Once the gifts cease, the love often ends. The last two lines extend the moral even further: whoever serves an unjust man is destined to serve in misery.
pede, dente, juventa: “armed with feet, teeth, youth”; ablative of means. Singular for plural.
hinc ... hinc ... inde: “because of the first, because of the second, because of the third.” These are the gifts that came from his feet, teeth and youth.
furatur: 3rd sing. deponent; subject is senium
robore, dente, levitate: “separates from his strength, his teeth, his lightness”; ablative of separation after privat.
genas: synecdoche: refers to the mouth or face as a whole
hic: i.e., the old dog.
fauces inermes: “the toothless mouth,” i.e., of the old dog.
pia aetās: subject of pertulit.
fallere … pedem: metonymy for “escape swiftness”; pedem stands for the dog’s swiftness, not its literal foot.
servet: “unless the result keeps the love”; pres. subj. in a future less vivid protasis.
tanti: “something is of so much value”; genitive of value.
annis: “withered by the years”; ablative of specification.
de veteri bono: “concerning my old good,” i.e., prior service.
mentio nulla: nominative.
culpare: inf. epexegetic after protervum, “it is perverse to blame”
iuvenem ... senem: “if you receive me as a youth ... an old man,” predicates of me understood.
se servire: “knows that he serves”; indirect statement after sciat.
sciat: “let him know”; pres. jussive subj. clause.
iniquo: “who serves an unjust master”; dat. after servit.
subjectis: “to spare his subjects”; dat. after parcere.
vocabulary
vetulus –a –um: elderly, aging
armo –are –avi –atus: to equip
dens dentis m.: a tooth
juventa –ae f.: youth
mordax –acis (gen.): biting, snappish
furor –ari –atus: (dep.) to steal, plunder
senium –i n.: condition of old age
robus –oris n.: strength, firmness
privo –are –avi –atus: to deprive, rob
gena –ae f.: cheeks
levitas –atis f.: lightness
lepus –oris m.: a hare
prendo –ere –di –sus: to catch, catch up with
faux faucis f.: a mouth
inermis –e: unarmed, toothless
elumbis –e: weak, feeble
verbero : to beat, strike
perfero –ferre –tuli –latus: carry through, endure
vigeo –ere –ui –– : to be strong
duro –are –avi –atus: to harden
quilibet: someone
marcidus –a –um: withered
vilesco: to become worthless
mentio –onis f.: mention
culpo –are –avi –atus: to blame
protervus –a –um: violent, reckless
misere: wretchedly, desperately
subiectus –i m.: a subject