Grāculus, inventō pictī pāvōnis amictū,
Sē polit et sociās ferre superbit avēs.
Quem fore pāvōnem pāvōnis penna fatētur,
Pāvōnum generī nōn timet īre comes.
Pāvō dolum sentit, falsī pāvōnis honōrem 5
Increpat et domitam verbere nūdat avem.
Nūda latet sociōsque fugit minuīque pudōrem
Sīc putat; hanc dūrō corripit ōre comes:
“Ascēnsor nimius nimium ruit, aptus in īmīs.
Est locus: haec levis est, illa ruīna gravis.10
Quī plūs posse putat sua quam nātūra ministrat,
Posse suum superāns, sē minus esse potest.
Sī tibi nōta satis nātūrae mēta fuisset,
Nōn vīlis nec inops nec sine veste forēs.”
Cui sua nōn sapiunt, aliēnī sēdulus auceps, 15
Quod nōn est rapiēns, dēsinit esse quod est.
notes
The animal interactions in this fable are rather predictable; a grackle dresses as the more beautiful peacock until he is eventually caught and stripped. The moral warns against attempts to rise beyond your own station, for such is sure to lead to a great fall. This moral seems to have heavy Biblical overtones, and would certainly resonate with medieval audiences.
invento amictu: “the clothing having been discovered”; ablative absolute.
se polit: “decorated himself.” i.e. put on the peacock’s clothing.
sociās ferre superbit avēs: “will disdain to bear the association of birds.” i.e. the grackle will only bear the association of other peacocks.
Quem fore:, “the one whom the feather claimed to be”; fut. inf. after fatetur.
generī: dative with comes.
comes: “to go as a companion”; nom. Pred.
verbere: “subdued with a blow”; ablative of means with domitam.
minui: “she thinks her decency to be diminished”; pres. pass. inf. after putat.
duro ore: “rebukes with a harsh mouth”; ablative of manner with corripuit.
Ascēnsor nimius: subj., “the one that ascends too much.” The other nimium modifies the verb ruit.
haec ... illa: “the latter ... the former,” i.e., the ascent ... the ruin.
Quī: “he, who.”
plus ... quam: “more ... than.”
sua natura: “than his own nature provides”; nom. subj. of ministrat.
posse suum: “exceeding his own ability”; infinitive as noun
minus: “to be less than himself”; nom. Pred with sē as an abl. of comparison.
si nota fuisset: fuisset is a plupf. subj. in a past contrafactual protasis. Meta, “boundary” is the subject of this clause. Satis and tibi both modify nota, “well known enough to you.”
fores: “you would not be”; impf. subj. in a present contrafactual apodosis.
cui sua non sapiunt: “the one to whom his own things are not tasty.”
alieni auceps: “the grasper of another” but more literally, “the bird-catcher of another (bird).”
sedulus: sc. est.
rapiens: “(by) snatching what he is not”; pres. part. Instrumental with quod non est.
vocabulary
graculus –i m.: a jackdaw
pictus –a –um: painted, colored
pavo –onis m.: a peacock
amictus –us m.: a cloak, clothing
polio –ire –ivi –itus: to smooth, polish
socia –ae f.: a companion
superbio –ire –– –– : to disdain to (+ inf.)
penna –ae f.: a feather, wing
increpo –are –ui –itus: to rebuke
domo –are –ui –itus: to subdue
verber –eris n.: a blow
nudo –are –avi –atus: to lay bare, strip
minuo –ere –ui –utus: to lessen, reduce
corripio –ere –ripui –reptus: to seize, grasp
ascensor ascensoris m.: one who ascends
ruo –ere –ui –utus: to destroy, ruin
imus –a –um: lowest
ruina –ae f.: a fall
ministro –are –avi –atus: to provide
meta –ae f.: a boundary
vilis –e: cheap, common
inops –opis (gen.): weak, poor
alienus –i m.: other, another
sedulus –a –um: persistent, greedy
auceps –ipis m.: a bird-catcher, grasper
sapio –ere –ivi –– : to be tasty