Desbillons: Two Aquila Fables

As part of this work on the Latin fables of Desbillons (see this post for more info), I'm reading some poems with Hector Tapia, and in this post I'll report on two poems we worked on yesterday, both about eagles! Both of them are typical of the Aesopic fable genre, but neither of these is classical; the eagle and the crow is an invention of Desbillons himself (at least I think it is original to Desbillons), while the eagle and the peacock comes from the Renaissance fables of Abstemius.

Here's the eagle and the crow:

6.28 Aquila et Corvus

Aquila exprobrabat Corvo infamiae notam

Quod projectorum putridis cadaverum

Vesci soleret carnibus. Sed utrius,

Amabo, ait ille, facinus odiosum est magis?

Corvi, qui nullas devorat nisi mortuas

Pecudes, an Aquilae, vivas quae depascitur?

Illustria quaedam scelera sunt, at maxima

Saepe ibi pudendi causa est, ubi minime pudet.

Here is the poem written out in English prose order to help in reading:

Aquila exprobrabat Corvo 

notam infamiae

quod 

soleret vesci

putridis carnibus projectorum cadaverum. 

Sed ille (Corvus) ait,

"Amabo,

facinus utrius

est magis odiosum?

(Facinus) Corvi, 

qui devorat nullas pecudes nisi mortuas, 

an (facinus) Aquilae, 

quae depascitur vivas (pecudes)?

Quaedam scelera sunt illustria, 

at saepe

ibi maxima causa pudendi est, 

ubi minime pudet.

In terms of grammar, the Latin "utrius" is very elegant here, setting up the genitives (corvi, aquilae) that follow. 

The meter is iambic, and here is some help with the meter (for more about iambic meter, see the post about Desbillons 1.1).

Dum gau·det Aqui·la, tur·ba quod a·vium · frequens

Ips~ es·se di·cat om·nium · pulcher·rimam,

Pav~ in·digna·tur; nec · tamen aud·et in·timos

Aperi·re sen·sus, prop·ter Re·ginae · metum.

Sic er·go mur·murat: Is·tam pul·chritu·dinem

Non penn~ · at un·gues et · rostrum · sib~ ar·rogant.

Suspec·ta laus, · quam sum·ma potes·tas ob·tinet.

The second poem is the eagle and the peacock, and once again the eagle is being criticized, if only in an undertone. :-)

Title: 6.4 Aquila et Pavo

Dum gaudet Aquila, turba quod avium frequens

Ipsam esse dicat omnium pulcherrimam,

Pavo indignatur; nec tamen audet intimos

Aperire sensus, propter Reginae metum.

Sic ergo murmurat: Istam pulchritudinem

Non pennae, at ungues et rostrum sibi arrogant.

Suspecta laus, quam summa potestas obtinet.

Here is the poem written out in English prose order to help in reading:

Dum Aquila gaudet

quod

turba avium 

frequens dicat

ipsam esse 

pulcherrimam omnium,

Pavo indignatur; 

nec tamen audet 

aperire intimos sensus

propter metum reginae.

Sic ergo murmurat: 

ungues et rostrum,

at non pennae,

sibi arrogant

istam pulchritudinem.

laus,

quam summa potestas obtinet,

suspecta (est).

Here is the version in Abstemius: Aquila se in pulchritudine ceteris auibus præferebat, cunctis hoc uerum esse affirmantibus. Pauo autem secum dicebat «Non pennæ te formosam, sed rostrum et ungues efficiunt, quorum timore nulla ex nobis audet tecum de formositate certare.» Fabula indicat a multis res potentiorum non tam ueritate quam timore laudari.

The only English translation (to my knowledge) of Abstemius comes from Roger L'Estrange: It was once put to the Question among the Birds, which of the whole Tribe or sort of 'em was the Greatest Beauty. The Eagle gave her Voice for her self, and Carry'd it. yes, says a Peacock in a soft Voice by the by, You are a great Beauty indeed; but it lyes in your Beak, and in your Talons, that make it Death to Dispute it. The Veneration that is paid to Great and Powerful Men, is but from the Teeth outward, not from the Heart; and more out of Fear then Love.

The meter is iambic, and here is some help with the meter:

Dum gau·det Aqui·la, tur·ba quod a·vium · frequens

Ips~ es·se di·cat om·nium · pulcher·rimam,

Pav~ in·digna·tur; nec · tamen aud·et in·timos

Aperi·re sen·sus, prop·ter Re·ginae · metum.

Sic er·go mur·murat: Is·tam pul·chritu·dinem

Non penn~ · at un·gues et · rostrum · sib~ ar·rogant.

Suspec·ta laus, · quam sum·ma potes·tas ob·tinet.

And just as a reminder of how beautiful the peacock's feathers are, here's a photo: