Lectitō › Phaedrus › Fables, Book 1
Phaedrus 1.30
The frogs and the fighting bulls
Phaedrus, Fabulae I. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōPhaedr. 1.30.1Humilēs labōrant ubi potentēs dissident.
The lowly suffer when the powerful quarrel.
Note. Humilēs … potentēs: 'the lowly … the powerful'. dissident: 'quarrel'.
Phaedr. 1.30.2Rāna in palūde pugnam taurōrum intuēns:
heu quanta nōbīs īnstat perniciēs!
A frog in a marsh, watching a fight between bulls, said: 'Alas, what destruction threatens us!'
Note. intuēns: 'watching'. heu: 'alas'. quanta … perniciēs: 'how great a ruin'.
Phaedr. 1.30.3Ait.
So she spoke.
Note. Ait: 'she said', added after the quotation.
Phaedr. 1.30.4Interrogāta ab aliā cūr hoc dīceret,
5dē prīncipātū cum illī certārent gregis
longēque ab ipsīs dēgerent vītam bovēs:
est statiō sēparāta ac dīversum genus;
Asked by another why she said this, since they were fighting for the leadership of the herd and the cattle lived their lives far from the frogs, she said: 'Their station is separate and their kind is different;
Note. Interrogāta ab aliā: 'asked by another (frog)'. dē prīncipātū … gregis: 'over the leadership of the herd'. statiō sēparāta: 'their station is separate'.
Phaedr. 1.30.8expulsus regnō nemoris quī profūgerit,
palūdis in sēcrēta veniet latibula
10et prōculcātās obteret dūrō pede.
but whichever is driven from his kingdom of the woods and flees will come to the hidden lairs of the marsh and will crush us under his hard hoof as he tramples us.
Note. expulsus … quī profūgerit: 'whichever (bull) is driven out and flees'. in sēcrēta … latibula: 'into the hidden lairs'. prōculcātās obteret: 'will trample and crush us'.
Phaedr. 1.30.11Ita caput ad nostrum furor illōrum pertinet.
So their madness concerns our lives.'
Note. caput ad nostrum … pertinet: 'concerns our life'; caput often means 'life'.
Vocabulary
| humilis, -e | low; humble, poor |
| labōrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | labor, toil |
| ubi, adv. | where; conj., when |
| potēns, -entis | powerful |
| dissideō, -ēre, -sēdī | be at odds, disagree, be at variance |
| rāna, -ae f. | frog |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| pālus, -ī, m. | stake |
| pugna, -ae, f. | fighting, battle, combat |
| taurus, -ī, m. | bull |
| intueor, -tuērī, -tuitus | look upon, behold |
| heu (interj.) | alas! oh! |
| quantus, -a, -um | how great or much? |
| nōs | plur. of ego |
| īnstō, -āre, -stitī | press on; be at hand |
| perniciēs, -ēī f. | ruin, destruction |
| āiō (defective) | say, affirm; ut aiunt: as they say |
| interrogō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | ask, question |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| alius, -a, -ud | another, other; aliī ... aliī, some ... others |
| cūr, adv. | why |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus | say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| prīncipātus, -ūs m. | leadership, first place |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| certō, adv. | with certainty, for certain, certainly |
| grex, gregis m. | flock, herd; band, gang |
| longē, adv. | far |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| dēgō, -ere, dēgī | spend (time), live |
| vīta, -ae, f. | life |
| bōs, bovis, gen. plur. boum, dat. and abl. plur. bōbus, m. and f. | ox, bull, cow |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| statiō, -ōnis f. | outpost, picket |
| sēparō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | separate, divide |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| dīversus, -a, -um | turned different ways, opposite, contrary, different |
| genus, generis, n. | kind, nature |
| expellō, -pellere, -pulī, -pulsus | drive out, expel |
| regnum, -ī, n. | royal power, rule, throne; kingdom, realm |
| nemus, -oris n. | grove, wood |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| profugiō, -ere, -fūgī | flee, escape |
| sēcrētus, -a, -um | separate; secret, private |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| latibulum, -ī n. | hiding-place, lair |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| prōculcō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | trample on |
| obterō, -terere, -trīvī, -trītus | trample, crush |
| dūrus, -a, -um | hard; harsh; difficult |
| pēs, pedis, m. | foot |
| ita, adv. | in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as |
| caput, capitis, n. | head |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| furor, -ōris, m. | rage, fury, frenzy, madness |
| pertineō, -ēre, -uī | extend, reach; tend toward, concern |