BESTIARIA LATINA BLOG - Latin Via Fables - Zoo - Legenda

Lupus et Agnus (verse)

Comments? Questions? Suggestions?

Scroll down to find: Overview, Study Guide, Verse, Audio, and Segmented Prose Text

The story of The Wolf and The Lamb is a poem from the metrical Romulus. It is written in dactylic hexameter. You can find this poem, metrical Romulus 2, along with other fables from the Romulus collections, at the aesopica.net website. The Perry number for this fable is Perry 155. You can see a 1501 woodcut illustration for this fable at the University of Mannheim website. You can find a translation of a Greek version of this fable in Aesop's Fables, by Laura Gibbs (Oxford University Press, 2003).

   Use this Study Guide to organize your learning activities.

Here is the poem (click "play" icon for brief audio sample):

Ast iustum sontemque simul haec fabula tangit.
Improbus ecce lupus sitiens ac laniger agnus
Currunt ad liquidas potantes fluminis undas,
Atque ferox, lymphas lambens trux gurgitis altis,
Potanti dixit imis mitique bidenti:
Improbe, pollueras cunctos mihi turbine fluctus.
Talia tunc tremulo depromsit pectore mitis
Agnus, lanigero commotus viscere, narrans:
Spumigeras possim quali nunc ordine lymphas
Perturbare tuis currentes faucibus istuc?
Non tardansque ferus veris opponere falsa,
Nunc agno dixit: Mihi tu male dicta reponis.
Corniger ast agnus respondit famine vera
Falsidico : Tibi nil spurcum iniustumve loquutus?
Horrisonisque lupus frendens ut dentibus ursus :
Sic genitorque tuus, sic potans fontibus istis
Audax perfecit mihi, trux conamine mentis,
Bis ternis vicibus lunae nunc luce peracta.
Velliger enque bidens timido tunc ore ferebat :
Numquid natus eram molli tunc viscere matris?
Rauciferisque lupus iratus vocibus inquit :
Audacter faris, dicens haec, improbe latro.
Praehenditque lupus rapidis tunc dentibus agnum;
Insontes avido consumpsit gutture carnes.

The following version puts the words in a more prose-like order so that it will be easier for you to read:

Ast haec fabula simul tangit iustum sontemque.	Additional grammar commentary to be added... meanwhile, if you have questions, use the Comments? Questions? Suggestions? link at the top or bottom of this page if you have a query. You might also want to look at these Tips on Using Segmented Texts.
Ecce: improbus lupus sitiens ac laniger agnus currunt ad liquidas undas fluminis, potantes.
Atque ferox, lymphas lambens gurgitis altis trux dixit miti bidenti imis potanti:
Improbe, pollueras mihi cunctos fluctus turbine.
Agnus mitis talia tunc depromsit tremulo pectore, commotus lanigero viscere, narrans:
Quali ordine nunc possim perturbare spumigeras lymphas currentes istuc tuis faucibus?
Et ferus, non tardans falsa opponere veris, nunc agno dixit:
Tu mihi reponis. male dicta!
Ast corniger agnus falsidico respondit famine vera:
Tibi nil spurcum iniustumve locutus sum?
Et lupus frendens ut ursus horrisonis dentibus:
Et sic genitor tuus, potans fontibus istis, audax, trux, conamine mentis, sic perfecit mihi bis ternis vicibus nunc lunae luce peracta.
Enque velliger bidens tunc ferebat timido ore:
Numquid tunc natus eram molli viscere matris?
Et lupus iratus rauciferis vocibus inquit :
Audacter faris, dicens haec, improbe latro.
Et lupus tunc praehendit agnum rapidis dentibus, avido gutture consumpsit insontes carnes.