Lectitō › Phaedrus › Fables, Book 1
Phaedrus 1.27
The dog, the treasure and the vulture
Phaedrus, Fabulae I. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōPhaedr. 1.27.3Hūmāna effodiēns ossa thēsaurum canis
invēnit, et violārat quia Mānēs deōs,
5iniecta est illī dīvitiārum cupiditās,
poenās ut sānctae Religiōnī penderet.
A dog digging up human bones found a treasure, and because he had violated the gods of the dead, a greed for riches was put into him, so that he might pay the penalty to holy Religion.
Note. effodiēns: 'digging up'. violārat = violāverat. Mānēs deōs: 'the gods of the dead'. pendere poenās: 'to pay the penalty'. Religiō is personified, so Phaedrus' editor prints a capital.
Phaedr. 1.27.7Itaque, aurum dum custōdit oblītus cibī,
fame est cōnsūmptus;
So, while he guarded the gold, forgetting food, he was wasted away by hunger;
Note. oblītus cibī: oblīvīscor takes the genitive. fame est cōnsūmptus: 'he was wasted away by hunger'.
Phaedr. 1.27.8quem stāns vulturius super
fertur locūtus: Ō canis, meritō iacēs,
10quī concupīstī subitō rēgālēs opēs,
triviō conceptus, ēducātus stercore.
and a vulture standing over him is said to have spoken: 'O dog, you lie here deservedly, you who suddenly longed for royal wealth, though you were conceived at a crossroads and brought up on dung.'
Note. stāns … super: 'standing over (him)'. triviō conceptus: 'conceived at the crossroads'. stercore: 'on dung'. The vulture mocks the low-born dog who wanted royal riches.
Vocabulary
| hūmānus, -a, -um | of man, human |
| effodiō, -ere, -fōdī, -fossus | dig out; gouge out |
| ōs, ōris, n. | mouth |
| thēsaurus, -ī m. | treasure; storehouse |
| canis, -is, m. and f. | dog |
| inveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventus | come upon, find |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| violō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | harm, violate |
| quia (conj.) | because |
| mānēs, -ium, m. plur. | spirit, shade |
| deus, -ī, m. | god |
| iniciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectus | throw in or upon; cause, inspire |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| dīvitiae, -ārum f. pl. | riches, wealth |
| cupiditās, -tātis, f. | desire, longing, eagerness |
| poena, -ae, f. | penalty, punishment |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| sānctus, -a, -um | consecrated, sacred |
| religiō, -ōnis f. | religious scruple, religious duty |
| pendō, pendere, pependī, pēnsus | weigh out, pay |
| itaque, adv. | and so, accordingly, therefore |
| aurum, -ī, n. | gold |
| dum, conj. | while, as; as long as; until |
| custōdiō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus | guard |
| oblīvīscor, -līvīscī, -lītus | forget |
| cibus, -ī, m. | food |
| famēs, -is, abl. famē, f. | hunger |
| cōnsūmō, -sūmere, -sūmpsī, -sūmptus | take completely, use up, consume, spend |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| stō, stāre, stetī, status | stand |
| vulturius, -ī m. | vulture |
| super (prep. + acc. or abl.; also adv.) | over, above, on top of; upon; about, concerning |
| ferō, ferre, tulī, lātus | bear, bring |
| loquor, loquī, locūtus | speak |
| ō (interj.) | O! oh! |
| meritō (adv.) | deservedly, rightly |
| iaceō, -ēre, -uī | lie, be prostrate |
| concupīscō, -cupīscere, -cupīvī, -cupītus | long for, covet |
| subitō, adv. | unexpectedly, suddenly |
| rēgālis, -e | royal |
| ops, opis f.; pl. opēs, -um | help; (pl.) resources, wealth, power |
| trivium, -ī n. | crossroads, place where three roads meet |
| concipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take in, conceive; plan, imagine |
| ēducō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | bring up, rear, raise (children) |
| stercus, -oris n. | dung, filth |