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Vulpes et Ciconia

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

The story of The Fox and The Crane is a poem by Walter of England. It is written in elegiac couplets.

You can find this poem, Walter 33, along with other poems by Walter, at the aesopica.net website. The Perry number for this fable is Perry 426.

You can see a 1501 woodcut illustration for this fable at the University of Mannheim website.

You can find a translation of a different 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):

Vulpe vocante, venit speratque ciconia cenam;
Fallit avem liquidus, vulpe iocante, cibus.

Cum bibat ista cibos, solum bibit illa dolorem:
Hic dolor in vulpem fabricat arma doli.

Sunt pauci mora pauca dies; avis inquit: "Habemus
Fercula quae sapiunt: dulcis amica, veni."

Haec venit; haec vaso vitreo bona fercula condit,
At solam recipit formula vasis avem.

Laudat opes oculo vasis nitor; has negat ori
Formula: sic geminat visus odorque famem.

Sic vulpes ieiuna redit, sic fallitur audens
Fallere, sic telo laeditur ipsa suo.

Quod tibi non faceres alii fecisse caveto,
Vulnera ne facias quae potes ipse pati.

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

Vulpe vocante,
ciconia venit
speratque cenam.

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.

Vulpe iocante,
cibus liquidus
fallit avem. 		 
Cum ista
bibat cibos,
illa
bibit solum dolorem.
Hic dolor
fabricat arma doli
in vulpem. 		 
Pauci sunt
dies,
mora
pauca est,
et avis inquit:
"Habemus fercula
quae sapiunt.
Dulcis amica,
veni." 		 
Haec venit;
haec = vulpes
haec
bona fercula
condit
vaso vitreo
at formula vasis
recipit solam avem. 		haec = ciconia
Vasis nitor
opes laudat
oculo;
formula
has negat
ori.
Sic visus odorque
geminat famem. 		 
Sic vulpes
ieiuna redit,
sic audens fallere
fallitur,
 
sic ipsa
laeditur
telo suo. 		 
Caveto
alii fecisse
quod tibi non faceres,
ne facias vulnera
quae ipse potes pati.
© The segmented texts, annotations and audio files at BestLatin.net
are copyrighted by Laura Gibbs, 2007. No copyright is claimed for any images.