Dum filomēna sedet, studium movet ōris amoenum,
sīc sibi, sīc nīdō vīsa placēre suō.
Impetit accipiter nīdum: prō pignore māter
supplicat; alter ait: “Plūs prece carmen amō.
Nec prece nec pretiō, sed amoenō flectere cantū 5
mē potes.” Ille silet, dulcius illa canit.
Mente gemit, licet ōre canat, mēns eius arēscit,
cuius mellifluum mānat ab ōre mēlōs.
Impia fātur avis: “Sordet modus iste canōris,”
et laniat nātum mātre vidente suum. 10
Māter obit, nec obīre potest: sīc vīvit ut ipsam
vincat vīta necem, plūs nece clādis habēns.
Cor mātris patitur plūs nātī corpore: corpus
rōdit avis rōstrō, cor fodit ēnse dolor.
Vestīgat sua poena scelus: nam fraudibus ūsō 15
aucupe, fraudōsam vīscus inēscat avem.
Fīne malō claudī mala vīta merētur: inīquus,
quā capit īnsontēs, sē dolet arte capī.
notes
A hawk attacks a nightingale's nest, and the mother pleads with the hawk to save her young. The hawk concedes as long as the nightingale sings her lovely song for him. The nightingale sings, but the hawk says that the song is vulgar, and kills all of her young. The fable devotes an entire four lines to lamenting the misfortunes of the mother, who would have rather died than lose her young.
1 filomēna: the nightingale, named after the tragic heroine of mythology, Philomela. She was transformed into a nightingale according to the Greek poets. Its mournful song was said to reflect the Philomela's grief for her dead son Itys.
1 studium ... amoenum: “moves the sweet enthusiasm,” i.e. she sings.
2 sibi … nidō suō: “to herself … to her own nest,” dative objects of placēre.
2 visa: “seemed,” supply est.
3 prō pignore: “for the child,” i.e., the nest (LS pignus II.B.1).
4 alter: the hawk.
4 prece: abl. of comparison after plus.
6 ille…illa: the hawk ... the swallow.
6 dulcius: “more sweetly," comparative adverb.
7 mente ... ore: “in the mind ... in the mouth,” an antithesis, ablative of place where.
7 canat: pres. subj., concessive after licet: "although she sings."
8 mellifluum ... melos: “sweet-flowing song” figura etymologica. Note the alliteration, reflecting the mellifluence of the swallow's song, in contrast with the underlying threat.
9 Sordet: "is vulgar" (LS sordeo II.A), a manifestly unfair assessment.
10 matre vidente: “with the mother watching,” ablative absolute.
10 suum: reflexive pronoun where eius would be expected.
11-12: Mater obit ... cladis habens. The swallow, watching her children devoured, suffers a living death, or something worse than death.
12 vincat: "surpasses," i.e. in horribleness. LS vinco II.B.1.
12 plūs ... cladis: "more devastation." The partitive genitive after plus is normal.
12 nece: abl. of comparison.
13 corpore: ablative of comparison after plus.
13-14 corpus … dolor: order: avis rodit corpus rostro, dolor fodit cor ense.
14 cor fodit ēnse dolor: "grief pierces her heart with a sword" (Pepin).
15-16 uso aucupe: “with the fowler having used”; ablative absolute (+ abl.).
15 fraudibus: “trickery,” abl. after ūsō.
16 fraudōsam viscus inēscat avem: "birdlime entices the deceitful bird," i.e. the fowler uses birdlime to catch the hawk. Inesco normally means to entice with bait (esca).
17 fine malo: ablative of means.
17 claudī: “to be ended," LS claudo I.B.1.
17 inīquus: "the wicked (person)," the hawk, or his human analogue.
18 quā capit īnsontēs, sē dolet arte capī: order: dolet sē capī (eādem) arte quā capit īnsontēs.
18 dolet: "laments that," + acc. + infinitive, a classical construction (LS doleo II.A.β).
vocabulary
filomena –ae f.: a nightingale
amoenus –a –um: beautiful
nidus –i m.: a nest
impeto : to attack, assail
accipiter –tris m./f.: a hawk
pignus –oris n.: a hostage
supplico –are –avi –atus: to pray
flecto –ere flexi flexus: to bend, persuade
cantus –us m.: a song
sileo –ere –ui –– : to be silent
dulcior –us: pleasant, sweet
gemo –ere –ui –itus: to moan, groan
aresco –ere –– –– :to become dry, wither; to pine
mellifluus –a –um: sweet flowing
mano –are –avi –atus : to flow, pour
melos –i n.: a song
impius –a –um: wicked, impious
sordeo –ere –– ––: to be dirty, vulgar
canor –oris m.: a song
lanio –are –avi –atus: to tear, mangle
obeo –ire –ivi –itus: die
nex necis f.: death, murder
clades –is f.: defeat
rodo –ere rosi rosus: to gnaw, peck
rostrum –i n.: a beak
fodio –ere fodi fossus: to dig, dig out
ensis –is m.: a sword
vestigo –are –– –– : to track down, search for
fraus fraudis f.: fraud, trickery
auceps –upis m.: a bird-catcher, fowler
viscus –i m.: bird-lime (used for trapping birds)
inesco –are –avi –atus: to entice, fill with food
iniquus –a –um: unjust, unfair
insons –ntis (gen.): guiltless, innocent