Lectitō › Phaedrus › Fables, Book 1
Phaedrus 1.31
The kite and the doves
Phaedrus, Fabulae I. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōPhaedr. 1.31.1Quī sē committit hominī tūtandum improbō,
auxilia dum requīrit, exitium invēnit.
Whoever entrusts himself to a wicked man to be protected finds ruin while he looks for help.
Note. tūtandum: gerundive of purpose, 'to be protected'. auxilia dum requīrit: 'while he looks for help'.
Phaedr. 1.31.3Columbae saepe cum fūgissent mīluum
et celeritāte pennae vītāssent necem,
5cōnsilium raptor vertit ad fallāciam
et genus inerme tālī dēcēpit dolō:
quārē sollicitum potius aevum dūcitis,
quam rēgem mē creātis ictō foedere,
quī vōs ab omnī tūtās praestem iniūriā?
When doves had often escaped a kite and avoided death by the speed of their wings, the robber turned his plan to trickery and deceived the defenceless race with this ruse: 'Why do you lead an anxious life rather than make a treaty and create me your king, so that I can keep you safe from every injury?'
Note. mīluum: a kite, a bird of prey. raptor: 'the robber'. quārē … dūcitis … quam … creātis: 'why do you lead … rather than make'. ictō foedere: 'a treaty having been struck'. quī … praestem: relative of purpose, 'to keep you'.
Phaedr. 1.31.10Illae crēdentēs trādunt sēsē mīluō;
They trusted him and handed themselves over to the kite;
Note. Illae crēdentēs: 'they, trusting him'.
Phaedr. 1.31.11quī regnum adeptus coepit vēscī singulās
et exercēre imperium saevīs unguibus.
and once he had gained the kingdom, he began to devour them one by one and to exercise his rule with his savage claws.
Note. adeptus: 'having obtained'. vēscī singulās: vēscor normally takes the ablative; here an accusative, 'to feed on them one by one'.
Phaedr. 1.31.13Tunc dē reliquīs ūna: Meritō plectimur.
Then one of those that were left said: 'We are rightly punished.'
Note. dē reliquīs ūna: 'one of those left'. plectimur: 'we are punished'.
Vocabulary
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| committō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send together; commit, intrust; expose; proelium committere, to join battle |
| homō, hominis, m. | man |
| tūtor, -ārī, -ātus sum | protect, guard |
| improbus, -a, -um | wicked. in, prep, with acc., into, in, to, upon; with abl., in, on |
| auxilium, -ī, n. | help, aid |
| dum, conj. | while, as; as long as; until |
| requīrō, -ere, -quīsīvī, -quīsītus | look for, ask after; need |
| exitium, -ī n. | destruction, ruin |
| inveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventus | come upon, find |
| columba, -ae, f. | pigeon, dove |
| saepe, adv. | often, frequently |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| fugiō, fugere, fūgī, fugitūrus | flee, run away |
| mīlvus (mīluus), -ī m. | kite (the bird of prey) |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| celeritās, -tātis, f. | swiftness, quickness, speed |
| penna, -ae f. | feather; (pl.) wings |
| vītō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | avoid, escape |
| nex, necis f. | death, killing |
| cōnsilium, -ī, n. | advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence |
| raptor, -ōris m. | robber, plunderer; (of wolves) ravening |
| vertō, vertere, vertī, versus | turn |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| fallācia, -ae f. | deceit, trickery |
| genus, generis, n. | kind, nature |
| inermis, -e | unarmed |
| tālis, -e | such |
| dēcipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | catch, deceive |
| dolus, -ī, m. | trick, craft |
| quārē (adv.) | why; for which reason |
| sollicitus, -a, -um | troubled, anxious |
| potius (adv.) | rather |
| aevum, -ī n. | age, lifetime; old age |
| dūcō, dūcere, dūxī, ductus | lead; make, dig; with or without in mātrimōnium, marry |
| quam, adv. | how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible |
| rēx, rēgis, m. | king |
| ego, meī, pers. pron. | I |
| creō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | elect, appoint |
| īcō, -ere, īcī, ictus | strike, hit; foedus īcere: make a treaty |
| foedus, -eris n. | treaty, alliance |
| vōs | plur. of tū |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| tūtus, -a, -um | safe |
| praestō, -stāre, -stitī, -stitus | stand in front; show |
| iniūria, -ae, f. | injury, wrong, hurt, harm |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| crēdō, -dere, -didī, -ditus | believe |
| trādō, -dere, -didī, -ditus | give across, over, or up, deliver; hand down, relate, report |
| regnum, -ī, n. | royal power, rule, throne; kingdom, realm |
| adipīscor, -ī, adeptus sum | obtain, win, gain |
| coepī, coepisse, coeptus (used in tenses of completed action) | have begun, began |
| vēscor, -ī | feed on, eat |
| singulī, -ae, -a | one at a time, single |
| exerceō, -ercēre, -ercuī, -ercitus | exercise |
| imperium, -ī, n. | command; sway, rule |
| saevus, -a, -um | fierce, savage |
| unguis, -is m. | fingernail, nail; claw |
| tunc (adv.) | then, at that time |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| ūnus, -a, -um | one; only, alone |
| meritō (adv.) | deservedly, rightly |
| plectō, -ere, plexī, plexus | plait, weave, twist |