Mūla rapit cursum, nam mūlam mūliō cōgit:
mūlae musca nocet vulnere sīve minīs:
“Cūr pede sōpītō cursum tempusque morāris?
Tē premō, tē pungō: pessima, curre levis."
Mūla refert: “Quia magna sonās, vīs magna vidērī. 5
Nec tua facta nocent, nec tua verba mihi,
Nec tē sustineō, sed eum, quem sustinet axis,
quī mea frēna tenet, quī mea terga ferit."
Audet in audācem timidus fortīque minātur
dēbilis, audendī dum videt esse locum. 10
notes
The Mule and the Horsefly
A horsefly tells a mule pulling a cart to move faster and threatens to sting him, but the mule tells the horsefly to buzz off, as it were, because he only responds to directions from the driver. The weaker will sometimes get angry and threaten the stronger, but without effect.
Other versions: Perry 498, Prose Romulus.
1 rapit cursum: “he hurries on his way.”
2 mūlae: dative with nocet.
2 vulnere sīve minīs: abl. of means with nocet, “with a wound or with threats.”
3 pede sōpītō: “with a sleepy foot”; ablative of manner.
4 Tē premō, tē pungō: these are threats and should be translated as future. The so-called praesens pro futuro construction is found in Plautus and Terence, among other authors, and often appears in the first person singular. See Pinkster, Oxford Latin Syntax 7.15. See also the future tense in the analogous passage in Phaedrus (3.6.3) collum conpungam tibi.
4 levis: “nimble,” i.e., fast, nom. with adverbial force (DMLBS levis 3).
5 magna sonās: “make a big noise.”
5 vīs: “you wish”, pres. > volo (+ inf.).
5 magna vidērī: “to seem great.”
6 mihi: dative with nocent.
7 axis: i.e., the cart (metonymy).
9 Audet: supply an infinitive like invehī ("to attack with words," "to inveigh against"). See Phaedrus 3.6.1 mulam increpans.
9 in audācem: “against a daring one.”
9 fortī: “the strong,” dat. after minātur.
10 audendī ... locum: "an opportunity for daring.” Prose Romulus states the moral with greater clarity: aliquanti, cum nihil sint, irascuntur melioribus, et graviter minantur, cum nihil facere possint.
vocabulary
mula –ae f.: a mule
mulio –onis m.: a muleteer, mule driver
musca –ae f.: a horsefly, fly, mosquito
mina –ae f.: threat
sopitus –a –um: sleepy
pungo –ere pupugi punctus: prick, sting
pessimus –a –um: worst
sono –are –ui –– : to make a noise
axis –is m.: an axle; a cart
frenum –i n.: a bridle
ferio –ire –– –– : to hit, strike
timidus –a –um: timid, fearful
minor –ari –atus : to threaten
debilis –e: weak