Dītat praeda lupum; dūcit lupus ōtia longō
fausta cibō. Vulpēs invidet, ista movet:
“Frāter, avē. Mīror cūr tantō tempore mēcum
nōn fuerīs; nequeō nōn memor esse tuī.”
Ille refert: “Prō mē vigilet tua cūra, precārī 5
nūmina nōn cessēs, nē mea vīta ruat.
Fraude tamen mūnīta venīs falsōque venēnum
melle tegis. Dolor est cōpia nostra tibi.
Extorquēre parās aliquid fūrtumque mināris,
sed mea fūrtīvam respuit ēsca gulam.” 10
Sprēta redit; sprētam stimulat dolor; apta dolōrī
fraus subit: ad pecorum trānsvolat illa ducem.
Hunc monet hīs verbīs: “Tua grātia mūneris īnstar
Sit mihi, namque lupum dat mea cūra tibi.
Hostem perde tuum: tūtō iacet hostis in antrō.” 15
Vir favet: antra petit, hic necat ēnse lupum.
Ista lupī cōnsūmit opēs, sed flōret ad hōram
vīta nocēns. Vulpēs, casse retenta, gemit:
“Cūr nocuī? Nocet ecce mihi nocuisse nocīvō.
Iūre cadō, cuius concīdit arte lupus.” 20
Vīvere dē raptō vītam rapit: invidus, īnstāns
alterīus damnīs, in sua damna redit.
notes
Here the two villains meet again, but this time the fox is not so honest as in the other fable of the same name. The fox is envious of the prey that the wolf has caught and speaks sweetly to the wolf, trying to score a share for herself. The wolf sees through the fox’s guise and refuses to share his catch. The fox, sorely disappointed, finds the shepherd, and tells him the location of the wolf’s den, so that he can slay the wolf. The fox is then able to devour the wolf’s hoard, but her joy is short-lived, as she falls into a snare but an hour later. The moral of this fable is not unlike the previous fable in cautioning that an envious man will bring harm unto himself.
longo cibo: “from the long food,” an example of transferred epithet since the longo more properly goes with otia; ablative of cause.
tanto tempore: “for so great a time”; ablative of time within which, where we would expect an accusative.
cur ... non fueris: “why you have not been”; perf. subj. in an indirect question set up by mīror.
nequeō nōn memor esse: “I am not able to not be mindful,” i.e. I can’t forget.
vigilet: “let your care stay awake!” “let your care be on guard!”; pres. jussive subj.
non cesses: “may you not cease”; pres. jussive subj. + inf. (precārī).
ne ... ruat: “pray that my life not be destroyed”; pres. subj. in a noun clause after precari.
Fraude munita: “you, having been armed with fraud”; fraude, abl. of means. Mūnīta, perf. part. nom.
falso melle: “cover with false sweetness”; ablative of means.
dolor: “our abundance is grief”; nom. pred. with cōpia nostra.
tibi: dat. of disadvantage.
furtivam gulam: “a stolen throat,” i.e. a throat intending to steal; transferred epithet.
spreta: “she, having been scorned”; perf. part. nom.
dolori: “suitable to her pain”; dat. after apta.
pecorum ducem: “the leader of the flocks,” i.e. a shepherd.
hīs verbīs: abl. of means.
mūneris īnstar: “like a gift.” LS instar B 1 𝛃
sit: “let your thanks be”; pres. jussive subj.
mihi: dat. of advantage
tuto in antro: “in a safe cave”; transferred epithet.
ista: i.e., the fox.
flōret: “is prosperous.”
ad horam: “up to an hour.”
vīta nocēns: subject of flōret. Transferred epithet. The fox is living a “harmful life,” now that she’s turned in the wolf.
casse retenta: “she, having been caught by a net”; retenta, perf. part. nom. Casse, abl. of means.
nocuisse: “to have harmed,”; pf. inf. after impersonal nocet. Note the polyptoton.
mihi ... novivo: “harms harmful me”; dat. with nocet.
iure: “I fall justly”; ablative of manner.
cuius arte: “by whose cunning.” LS ars II.
Vīvere dē raptō vītam rapit: “to live from plunder plunders life”; vīvere, subject of rapit.
īnstāns alterīus damnīs: “threatening harm of another,” i.e. threatening to harm another.
alterius damnis … sua damna: synchysis: alterius with sua and damnis with damna; emphasizes the turning of harm of others into self-harm.
vocabulary
dito –are –avi –atus: to enrich
lupus –i m.: a wolf
faustus –a –um: favorable
vulpes –is f.: a fox
invideo –ere –vidi –visus: to envy
miro –are –avi –atus: to be amazed, surprised
nequeo –ire –ivi (–ii) –itum: be unable, cannot (+ inf.)
memor –oris (gen.): remembering (+ gen.)
ruo –ere –ui –utus: to destroy, ruin
vigilo –are –avi –atus: to remain awake, be awake
cesso –are –avi –atus: to be remiss, cease from
munio –ire –ivi –itum: fortify, arm
venenum –i n.: poison, drug
mel mellis n.: honey, sweetness
extorqueo –ere –si –tus: to extort, tear away
furtum –i n.: theft, trick
minor –ari –atus : to threaten
furtivus –a –um: stolen, secret
respuo –ere –ui: to reject, spit, spew out
esca –ae f.: food, meat
gula –ae f.: a throat, neck
sperno –ere sprevi spretus: scorn, despise
stimulo : to incite, rouse to frenzy
transvolo –– –– –aturus: to fly across
Instar: (indecl.) as large as (+ gen.)
antrum –i n.: a cave, cavern
faveo –ere favi fauturus: to favor, oblige
neco –are –avi –atus : to kill, murder
lupus –i m.: a wolf
floreo –ere –ui: to flourish, bloom
nocens –entis (gen.): harmful, guilty
cassis –is n.: a hunting net
gemo –ere –ui –itus: to moan, groan
nocivus –a –um: harmful, injurious
concido –ere –idi –cisus: to die
raptum –i n.: plunder
invidus –a –um: hateful
instans –antis (gen.): eager for (+ dat.)