Musca premit calvum; muscam vult caedere calvus.
Ut muscam feriat, sē ferit; illa ridet.
Calvus ait: “Tē parca iubet fortūna iocārī.
Sī ferior, rīdēs; sī fēriāre, cadēs.
Sospes erō deciēs ictus, semel icta perībis. 5
Est mea prōmpta mihī grātia, surda tibi.”
Iūre potest laedī lūdēns ut laedat: in illum,
unde brevis coepit laesiō, magna redit.
notes
The Bald Man and the Fly
A fly buzzes around the head of a bald man, who strikes himself in an effort to hit the fly. The fly laughs at the man, and it appears that the animal is the smarter character, until the man points out that he can strike himself many times without harm, while one hit will kill the fly. The moral reminds that a great injury (death to the fly) can come from a little injury (the fly annoying the man).
Other versions: Perry 525, Prose Romulus.
1 premit: in other versions the fly bites, not simply "presses."
2 ut feriat: purpose clause after sē ferit.
3 Tē parca iubet fortuna iocārī: "sparing fortune bids you laugh at me," i.e., the only reason you are laughing at me is that you happened to have escaped death, this time.
5 ictus ... icta: “I having been struck … you having been struck," conditional use of the participle.
6 gratia: "forgiveness," "pardon," LS gratia II.A.
7 Iūre: "justly," abl. > iūs iūris n., commonly used as an adverb.
7 laedī: pres. pass. inf. after potest.
7 lūdēns: “the one mocking” (DMLBS ludere 7.d, pres. part., nom. subject), as the fly mocked the bald man.
7 ut laedat: purpose clause after lūdens.
7 in illum: “against him.”
8 unde: (= ex quo) “from whom.”
8 magna: supply laesio. Light mockery of the more powerful by the less powerful can lead to costly retaliation.
vocabulary
musca –ae f.: a fly
calvus –i m.: a bald person
ferio –ire –– –– : to hit, strike
Parca –ae f.: Fate
jocor –ari –atus: (dep.) to pester
sospes –itis (gen.): safe and sound
ico –ere ici ictus: hit, strike
promptus –a –um: manifest, evident
surdus –a –um: falling on deaf ears, stupid
laesio –onis f.: injury, harm