Quō teneātur eget nīl ausā secāre secūrīs.
Armet eam lūcus, vir rogat; ille favet.
Vir nemus impugnat lassāns in caede secūrim:
Arboris omne genus ūna ruīna trahit.
Lūcus ait: “Pereō. Mihimet sum causa perīclī, 5
Mē necat ex dōnō rūsticā dextrā meō.”
Unde perīre queās, hostem mūnīre cavētō:
Quī dat quō pereat, quem iuvat hoste perit.
notes
With a moral similar to the previous fable, here an axe-blade is without a handle, so it travels into the woods, asking a tree to supply a handle. The tree agrees, but soon the ax, equipped with a handle, is used to chop down the entire forest. The tree then laments his foolishness, and the readers are again reminded not to strengthen their enemy.
quo teneatur: “lacks (something) by which it is held,” i.e. a handle; pres. subj. in a relative clause of characteristic.
ausa: “an ax having dared to cut nothing,” i.e., able to cut nothing; perf. part.
armet: “the man asks the grove to equip her (the ax)”; pres. subj. in an indirect question after rogat.
ille: i.e., the grove.
nemus: the direct object of impugnat.
lassāns in caede secūrim: “exhausting the axe in the slaughter.”
ūna ruīna trahit: “one ruin destroys.” Omne genus is the direct object.
mihimet: “to my own self”; -met is intensive. Dative with causa.
queas: “whence you could die”; pres. subj. in a relative clause of characteristic.
caveto: “beware”; fut. imperat. (+ inf.).
quo pereat: “by which he may perish”; pres. subj. in a relative clause of characteristic.
hoste: “dies from an enemy whom he helps”; ablative of cause.
ex dōnō meō: lit., “from my gift,” but works well as, “by means of a gift that I gave him.”
rūsticā dextrā: “with (his) right hand.” abl. of means.
Unde perīre queās: the unde refers to the hostem in the next clause, “from whom” or “from which.” It works well to swap these two clauses.
hostem mūnīre cavētō: “beware to fortify an enemy!”
quō pereat: “the means by which he perishes.”
quem iuvat hoste perit: “dies by an enemy whom he helps.” Hoste is an abl. of agent with perit.
vocabulary
egeo –ere –ui –– : to lack, be without (+ abl.)
seco –are –cui –ctus: to cut
securis –is f.: an ax
armo –are –avi –atus: to equip
lucus –i m.: a grove
faveo –ere favi fauturus: to grant a favor
impugno –are –avi –atus : to fight against, attack
lasso –are –avi –atus: to tire, wear out
ruina –ae f.: fall, catastrophe, destruction
neco –are –avi –atus : to kill, murder
rusticus –a –um: country, rustic
queo –ire quivi quitus: to be able to (+ inf.)
munio –ire –ivi –itum: to fortify, strengthen