Lectitō › Phaedrus › Fables, Book 1
Phaedrus 1.29
The donkey and the boar
Phaedrus, Fabulae I. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōPhaedr. 1.29.1Plērumque stultī rīsum dum captant levem,
gravī dēstringunt aliōs contumēliā
et sibi nocīvum concitant perīculum.
Often fools, while they chase after a cheap laugh, wound others with a serious insult and stir up harmful danger for themselves.
Note. Plērumque: 'often'. rīsum … levem: 'a cheap laugh'. sibi nocīvum … perīculum: 'danger harmful to themselves'.
Phaedr. 1.29.4Asellus aprō cum fuisset obvius:
5salvē inquit frāter.
When a donkey had met a boar, he said: 'Greetings, brother.'
Note. obvius + dative: 'meeting'. salvē … frāter: 'greetings, brother'.
Phaedr. 1.29.5Ille indignāns repudiat
officium et quaerit, cūr sīc mentīrī velit.
The boar indignantly rejected the greeting and asked why he chose to tell such a lie.
Note. indignāns: 'indignant'. repudiat officium: 'rejects the greeting'. cūr … velit: indirect question.
Phaedr. 1.29.7Asinus dēmissō pēne: Similem sī negās
tibi mē esse, certē simile est hoc rōstrō tuō.
The donkey, letting down his member, said: 'If you deny that I am like you, this, at any rate, is like your snout.'
Note. A coarse joke, typical of the fable tradition: the donkey points out at least one likeness to the boar's snout. dēmissō pēne: ablative absolute.
Phaedr. 1.29.9Aper, cum vellet facere generōsum impetum,
10repressit īram et: Facilis vindicta est mihi,
sed inquinārī nōlō ignāvō sanguine.
The boar, though he wanted to make a noble charge, held back his anger and said: 'Revenge is easy for me, but I do not want to be soiled with cowardly blood.'
Note. generōsum impetum: 'a noble charge'. inquinārī: 'to be soiled'. ignāvō sanguine: 'with cowardly blood'.
Vocabulary
| plērumque (adv.) | generally, mostly |
| stultus, -a, -um | foolish, stupid |
| rīsus, -ūs m. | laughter |
| dum, conj. | while, as; as long as; until |
| captō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | try to catch, grasp at, aim at |
| levis, -e | light, slight |
| gravis, -e | heavy; severe, grievous, serious |
| dēstringō, -ere, -strīnxī, -strictum | draw (a sword) |
| alius, -a, -ud | another, other; aliī ... aliī, some ... others |
| contumēlia, -ae f. | insult, outrage |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| nocīvus, -a, -um | harmful |
| concitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | stir up, rouse |
| perīculum, -ī, n. | danger, peril, risk |
| asellus, -ī m. | young donkey, little ass |
| aper, aprī, m. | wild boar |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| obvius, -a, -um | in the way, meeting; sē obvium dare: come to meet |
| salveō, -ēre | be well; salvēre iubeō: I greet, I hail |
| inquam, inquis, inquit, defective verb | I say, you say, he says |
| frāter, frātris, m. | brother |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| indignor, -ārī, -ātus sum | be indignant, resent |
| repudiō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | reject, refuse |
| officium, -ī, n. | service; duty |
| quaerō, quaerere, quaesīvī, quaesītus | seek; ask, inquire |
| cūr, adv. | why |
| sīc, adv. | so, thus |
| mentior, -īrī, -ītus sum | lie, tell a lie |
| volō, velle, voluī | wish |
| asinus, -ī m. | ass, donkey; (as an insult) dolt |
| dēmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send down, let fall; animōs dēmittere, to lose courage |
| pēnis, -is m. | tail; the male organ (here: lust) |
| similis, -e | like, similar (vērī similis: likely) |
| sī, conj. | if |
| negō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | say no or not, deny, refuse |
| tū, tuī, pers. pron. | thou, you |
| ego, meī, pers. pron. | I |
| certē (adv.) | certainly, surely; at any rate |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| rōstrum, -ī, n. | beak |
| tuus, -a, -um | thy, thine, your |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| generōsus, -a, -um | of good family, well-born |
| impetus, -ūs, m. | attack; impetum facere, to charge |
| reprimō, -ere, -pressī, -pressum | hold back, check |
| īra, -ae, f. | anger, wrath |
| facilis, -e (comp. facilior) | easy |
| vindicta, -ae f. | vengeance, revenge |
| sed, conj. | but |
| inquinō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | pollute, soil, defile |
| nōlō, nōlle, nōluī | not wish, be unwilling |
| ignāvus, -a, -um | lazy, cowardly |
| sanguis, sanguinis, m. | blood |