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Cornix et Urna

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The story of The Crow and The Pitcher is a poem by Avianus. It is written in elegiac couplets. You can find this poem, Avianus 27, along with other poems by Avianus, at the aesopica.net website. The Perry number for this fable is Perry 390. You can see a 1501 woodcut illustration for this fable at the University of Mannheim website. You can find a translation of this poem by Avianus 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):

Ingentem sitiens cornix adspexerat urnam,
Quae minimam fundo continuisset aquam.

Hanc enisa diu planis effundere campis,
Scilicet ut nimiam pelleret inde sitim,

Postquam nulla viam virtus dedit, ammovet omnes
Indignata nova calliditate dolos.

Nam brevis immersis accrescens sponte lapillis
Potandi facilem praebuit unda viam.

Viribus haec docuit quam sit prudentia maior,
Qua coeptum cornix explicuisset opus.

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

Cornix, sitiens, adspexerat ingentem urnam, quae fundo continuisset aquam minimam.	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.
Diu enisa est hanc effundere planis campis, scilicet ut inde pelleret nimiam sitim.
Postquam nulla virtus viam dedit, indignata omnes dolos ammovet nova calliditate.	indignata = indignata cornix
Nam brevis unda sponte accrescens immersis lapillis praebuit facilem viam potandi.
Haec docuit quam prudentia maior viribus sit :
prudentia cornix explicuisset opus coeptum.	prudentia: ablative