Legenda: Camelus et Leo

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Camelus et Leo

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The story of The Camel and The Lion is adapted from the Liber Kalilae et Dimnae.

You can read some background information about the origins of the Kalila-wa-Dimna tradition in this background page about the Hitopadesha (another book in the Kalila-wa-Dimna tradition). You might also want to look at the Kalilag and Damnag article at wikipedia.

Use this Study Guide to organize your learning activities.

Dicitur quod leo quidam erat in quadam amoena foresta iuxta quam erat via parva.	quam: relative pronoun, antecedent is foresta
Et erant ibi tres ferae se adinvicem multum diligentes, scilicet lupus, corvus et ursus.
Contigit autem ut negotiatores quodam tempore illic transirent quorum camelus unus ibi remansit.	autem: postpositive transirent: subjunctive with ut quorum: relative pronoun, antecedent negotiatores
Qui ingrediens ad leonem adoravit eum et annuntiavit ei omnia de se.	qui: relative pronoun, antecedent is camelus ingrediens...adoravit: participle plus verb (he approaches... and did obeisance...)
Dixit ei leo: Si vis in curia mea conversari, concedimus tibi pacem et diu vives sine cogitatione et omnibus diebus vitae tuae eris in tranquillitate. Et mansit ibi camelus.	conversari: complementary infinitive with vis
Una autem die exiens leo ad venandum obviavit elephanti et cum eo pugnans fortiter leo vulneratus est et reversus iacebat occupatus in infirmitate, non valens se movere de uno loco ad alium.	autem: postpositive una...die: split phrase pugnans...vulneratus est : participle plus verb (he fought... and was wounded) reversus...iacebat: participle plus verb (he came back... and lay there...) movere: complementary infinitive with valens
Defecerunt sibi cibaria et leo famescens dixit feris: Ut puto, derelicti sumus.	famescens...dixit: participle plus verb (he became hungry... and said...)
Responderunt ei: Nos quidem de nobis ipsis possumus cogitare;	quidem: postpositive cogitare: complementary infinitive with possumus
sed tamen de te maximum habemus dolorem et non possumus invenire viam qualiter tibi auxiliaremur, etiamsi nos ipsos laedere deberemus.	tamen: postpositive maximum...dolorem: split phrase invenire: complementary infinitive with possumus auxiliaremur: subjunctive in indirect question, introduced by qualiter laedere: complementary infinitive with deberemus deberemus: subjunctive in conditional statement
Dixit leo: De fidelitate vestra certus sum; sed per diversa loca segregatim pergite: forsitan vobis et nobis necessaria invenietis.
Illi autem hoc audientes abierunt et consiliati sunt inter se,	autem: postpositive audientes...abierunt: participle plus verb (they listened... and went away...)
et corvus sociis suis dixit: Quid est inter nos et camelum herbis pascentem et alterius naturae?	alterius naturae: genitive of description
Sed si bonum vobis videtur, dividamus camelum a nobis et demus eum leoni ad comedendum.	dividamus...demus: hortatory subjunctives
Ait lupus: Durum est hoc dicere leoni prae multis promissionibus ab eo camelo factis.	dicere: infinitive as noun
Ait corvus: Manete vos hic; ego vadam ad leonem.	hic: with a long i = adverb ego: emphatic use of nominative pronoun
Et ut vidit eum leo dixit: Forte invenisti aliquid aut paenituit te ire?	ut: temporal meaning of "as" ("as soon as") ire: complementary infinitive with paenituit (although you can also think of this infinitive as the subject of the verb)
Respondit corvus: Quomodo me paenituit, cum sim paratus pro te mori?	sim paratus: subjunctive with cum mori: complementary infinitive with sim paratus
Sed si placet te nos audire, libenter refocillamus te.	audire: complementary infinitive with placet (although you can also think of this infinitive as the subject of the verb)
Leo dixit: Quomodo? Corvus ait: Comede camelum qui inter nos conversatur.	qui: relative pronoun, antecedent is camelum
Et leo furibundus ait: De pravitate et crudelitate tui corporis haec procedunt.
An nescis pacta et conventiones quas cum camelo feci?	an: introduces a question quas: relative pronoun, antecedent is conventiones
Non debes mihi talia dicere, cum mihi imperiale non sit.	dicere: complementary infinitive with debes sit: subjunctive with cum
Ait corvus: O imperator, recte iudicasti;	iudicasti = iudicavisti
sed expedit unam animam dare pro tota domo et domum pro civitate et civitatem pro provincia et provinciam pro regno.	dare: complementary infinitive with expedit (although you can also think of this infinitive as the subject of the verb)
Et tu et nos hodie debilitamur in instanti necessitate, et nos inveniemus tibi viam qualiter a nemine reprehendaris.	reprehendaris: subjunctive in indirect question, introduced by qualiter
Et haec dicens rediit ad socios et annuntiavit eis quae dixerat leoni et quae ab ipso audierat.	dicens...rediit: participle plus verb (he spoke... and he returned...) quae: relative pronoun without stated antecedent (neuter plural: (the words) which...)
Et illi talem intellectum invenerunt ut communiter omnes veniant cum camelo ad leonem,	veniant: subjunctive with ut
ut unusquisque offerat se leoni in cibum, et unus pro altero respondebit excepto camelo.	offerat: subjunctive with ut excepto camelo: ablative absolute
Et sic venerunt ad leonem et ait corvus: Prorsus, o imperator, videmus te infirmitate gravatum et fame occupatum,
et nos bonis tuis factis fortunati sumus et ego non habeo quid offeram tibi nisi memetipsum: rogo te, comede me.	offeram: potential subjunctive
Responderunt alii: Quiesce, quia es parvus corpore et non talis abundans.	corpore: ablative of description ("small in body")
Et ursus dixit: O imperator, ego ero hodie tibi cibus sufficiens.
Respondit lupus: Sile et tu, nam fetens est corpus tuum et cibus indecens;	et tu: adverbial use of et
ego autem ad haec paratus sum et voluntarius.	autem: postpositive
Et ait corvus: Quid est hoc? Faciat imperator de vobis quid voluerit.	faciat: jussive subjunctive voluerit: subjunctive with indirect question introduced by quid
Existimans camelus oportere respondere sicut alii ait: O imperator, ego sum in carnibus abundans et cibus dulcis cupienti.	oportere: infinitive in indirect statement introduced by existimans respondere: complementary infinitive with oportere (although you can also think of this infinitive as the subject of the verb)
Et omnes una voce dixerunt: O camele, vere bene dixisti. Et occidentes diviserunt eum.	occidentes...diviserunt: participle plus verb (they killed... and divided...)