Legenda: Ciconia et Cattus

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Ciconia et Cattus

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The story of The Stork and The Cat is adapted from a fable by Odo of Cheriton.

You can find this poem, Odo 71, along with other stories by Odo, at the aesopica.net website.

You can find a translation of this story in Aesop's Fables, by Laura Gibbs (Oxford University Press, 2003).

Use this Study Guide to organize your learning activities.

Bonum est assimulari Ciconiae, quae anguillam sibi et pullis suis ad vescendum portavit.	assimulari: infinitive as noun (agreeing with bonum) quae: relative pronoun, antecedent is Ciconia
Quod videns Cattus qui libenter comedit pisces, licet non velit humectare pedes, ait:	quod: relative pronoun, unexpressed antecedent (seeing "this," "this situation," etc.) videns...ait: participle plus verb (he saw... and said...) qui: relative pronoun, antecedent is Cattus velit: potential subjunctive, with licet humectare: complementary infinitive with velit
O avis pulcherrima, rostrum habes rubeum et plumas albissimas - numquid rostrum tuum ita rubeum est interius ut exterius?	rostrum...rubeum: split phrase
Ciconia noluit aliquid respondere, nec rostrum aperire, quia noluit anguillam dimittere.	respondere...aperire...dimittere: complementary infinitives with noluit
Iratus murilegus vituperabat Ciconiam: Vel es surda vel muta. Non poteris respondere, miserrima?	iratus...vituperabat: participle plus verb (he grew angry... and criticized...) respondere: complementary infinitive with poteris
Nonne quandoque comedis serpentes quae sunt animalia venenosa et inmundissima?	quae: relative pronoun, antecedent is serpentes (although the gender has been attracted into the gender of animalia, which is neuter)
Quodlibet animal mundum munda diligit, et tu, turpia et inmunda.	turpia et inmunda = turpia et inmunda (diligis)
Igitur es inter ceteras aves inmundissima.
Ciconia, nihil respondens, cum anguilla tenuit viam suam.	respondens...tenuit: participle plus verb (did not respond... and kept...)
Sic vir iustus nec in laudibus extollitur, nec in vituperiis deicitur.
Dicant homines quod voluerint: anguillam non dimittas; caritatem et patientiam teneas; cum silentio procedas - et salvus eris.	dicant: jussive subjunctive quae: relative pronoun, antecedent is unexpressed object of dicant dimittas...teneas...procedas: subjunctives as imperatives