Phaedrus 1.12

The stag at the spring

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Phaedr. 1.12.1Laudātīs ūtiliōra quae contempserīs
saepe invenīrī haec asserit narrātiō.This story shows that the things you have despised often turn out more useful than the things you praised.Note. Laudātīs: ablative of comparison, 'than the things praised'. quae contempseris: 'the things you have despised'. assērit: 'claims, shows'. Phaedr. 1.12.3Ad fontem cervus, cum bibisset, restitit
et in liquōre vīdit effigiem suam.A stag, after drinking at a spring, stood still and saw his own likeness in the water.Note. restitit: 'stood still'. effigiem suam: 'his own likeness', his reflection. Phaedr. 1.12.5Ibi dum rāmōsa mīrāns laudat cornua
crūrumque nimiam tenuitātem vituperat,
vēnantum subitō vōcibus conterritus
per campum fugere coepit et cursū levī
canēs ēlūsit.There, while he admired and praised his branching horns and found fault with the excessive thinness of his legs, he was suddenly terrified by the voices of hunters, began to run across the plain, and with his light speed escaped the dogs.Note. dum + present (laudat, vituperat): 'while he was praising'. rāmōsa cornua: 'branching antlers'. crūrum … tenuitātem: 'the thinness of his legs'. vēnantum = vēnantium, 'of hunters'. Phaedr. 1.12.9Silva tum excēpit ferum,
10in quā retentīs impedītus cornibus
lacerārī coepit morsibus saevīs canum.Then a wood took in the wild creature; there, caught fast with his horns held back, he began to be torn apart by the savage bites of the dogs.Note. excēpit ferum: 'took in the wild creature'. retentīs … cornibus: ablative absolute, 'his horns held fast'. The antlers he admired trap him; the legs he despised had saved him. Phaedr. 1.12.12Tunc moriēns ēdidisse vōcem hanc dīcitur:
Ō mē īnfēlīcem!Then, as he died, he is said to have uttered these words: 'Oh, wretch that I am!Note. moriēns: 'dying'. Ō mē īnfēlīcem: accusative of exclamation, 'oh, wretched me!'.

Phaedr. 1.12.13Quī nunc dēmum intellegō
ūtilia mihi quam fuerint quae dēspexeram,
15et quae laudāram quantum lūctus habuerint.Only now do I understand how useful to me were the things I despised, and how much grief the things I had praised have brought me.'Note. Quī: 'I who'. Two indirect questions: quam ūtilia … fuerint and quantum lūctūs habuerint. laudāram = laudāveram.

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Grammar in this passage: cum clauses ×1, ablative absolute ×1

Latin vocabulary for this passage (68 words)

laudō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum	praise
ūtilis, -e	useful, advantageous
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.	who, which
contemnō, -ere, -tempsī, -temptus	despise, scorn, think little of
saepe, adv.	often, frequently
inveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventus	come upon, find
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.	this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
assero (adserō), -ere, -seruī, -sertum	lay claim to, claim
narrātiō, -ōnis f.	story, narrative
ad, prep. with acc.	to, toward; at, near; for
fōns, fontis, m.	fountain, spring
cervus, -ī, m.	stag
cum, conj.	when, while, after; since; although
bibō, bibere, bibī	drink
restō, -āre, restitī	stay behind, remain
et, conj.	and; et ... et, both ... and
in, prep. with acc. and abl.	with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
liquor, -ōris m.	liquid, water
videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus	see; pass., seem
effigiēs, -ēī f.	likeness, form, appearance
suus, -a, -um	his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their
ibi, adv.	in that place, there
dum, conj.	while, as; as long as; until
rāmōsus, -a, -um	branching, branchy
mīror, -ārī, -ātus	wonder, wonder at
cornū, -ūs, n.	horn
crūs, crūris, n.	leg
que, enclitic conj.	and
nimius, -a, -um	excessive, too great
tenuitās, -ātis f.	thinness; poverty, weakness
vituperō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	find fault with, blame
vēnor, -ārī, -ātus sum	hunt
subitō, adv.	unexpectedly, suddenly
vōx, vōcis, f.	voice; word
conterreō, -ēre, -uī, -itus	frighten badly, terrify
per, prep, with ace.	through, by means of
campus, -ī, m.	plain, field
fugiō, fugere, fūgī, fugitūrus	flee, run away
coepī, coepisse, coeptus (used in tenses of completed action)	have begun, began
cursus, -ūs, m.	running, speed; course, route, voyage; race
levis, -e	light, slight
canis, -is, m. and f.	dog
ēlūdō, -ere, -lūsī, -lūsus	mock, make sport of; elude
silva, -ae, f.	wood, forest
tum, adv.	then, at that time
excipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus	take out or up, receive, welcome, entertain
ferus, -a, -um	wild, savage
retineō, -tinēre, -tinuī, -tentus	hold or keep back, keep, restrain; hold fast
impediō, -pedīre, -pedīvī, -pedītus	hinder, prevent, impede
lacerō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	tear to pieces; squander, waste
morsus, -ūs m.	bite; jaws
saevus, -a, -um	fierce, savage
tunc (adv.)	then, at that time
morior, morī, mortuus	die
ēdō, -dere, -didī, -ditus	put forth, give out, utter
dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus	say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day
ō (interj.)	O! oh!
ego, meī, pers. pron.	I
īnfēlīx, -fēlīcis, adj.	unhappy, unfortunate
nunc, adv.	now
dēmum, adv.	at last
intellegō, -legere, -lēxī, -lēctus	perceive, understand
quam, adv.	how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible
sum, esse, fuī, futūrus	be
dēspiciō, -ere, -spexī, -spectum	look down on, despise
quantus, -a, -um	how great or much?
lūctus, -ūs m.	grief, mourning
habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus	have, hold; consider

Phaedrus, Fabulae I. Latin text: L. Mueller (Teubner, 1876), public domain; digital text from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA. Word analysis: LatinCy, then every word checked and corrected by hand. Vocabulary: F. Ritchie (1903, public domain) and entries written for this app. English translation, notes and grammar hints: written for this app.