Barth: Vulpis et Uva

This is a poem intended for my anthology of Latin Aesopic poetry. I'm accumulating the materials for the anthology in a Google Docs folder, including a document for this poem where you will find vocabulary and notes. Comments, questions, and suggestions are welcome! You can use the "comment" feature in the Google Doc, which I will be updating with revisions. Today's poem is by Caspar von Barth (1587-1658).

Vulpis et Uva

Uvam impendentem nequiens comprendere saltu,

Omnia tentasset cum jam, vulpecula dixit,

"Immatura etiam gallaque es plena virenti!

Nos, nisi decoctis Phoebo, non vescimur uvis."

Ridicule haec homines, nequeunt quae prendere, temnunt.

This classic fable about the fox and the supposedly sour grapes gives rise to the English saying, "Sour grapes!" In this poem, the sour grapes are associated with sour wine, galla, made from green grapes that are not yet ripe.

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

vulpecula,

nequiens comprendere impendentem uvam

saltu,

cum iam tentasset omnia,

dixit:

"(tu) es immatura etiam 

et plena virenti galla!

nos non vescimur uvis, 

nisi decoctis Phoebo."

homines ridicule temnunt haec

quae nequeunt prendere.

And here's the hexameter meter marked:

Uv~ im·penden·tem nequi·ens com·prendere · saltu

Omnia · tentas·set cum · iam, vul·pecula · dixit

Imma·tur~ eti·am gal·laqu~ es · plena vi·renti,

Nos, nisi · decoc·tis Phoe·bo, non · vescimur · uvis.

Ridicu·l~ haec homi·nes neque·unt quae · prendere · temnunt.

You can find illustrations for the fable here. This illustration is from a 17th-century Aesop:

Meanwhile, for more, here are the other hexameter poems I've posted so far here at the blog. :-)