Phaedrus (Burmann): Asellus Aeger et Lupus

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 one of Burmann's reconstructions of a Phaedrus poem.

Asellus Aeger et Lupus

Asinum aegrum visit lupus, et coepit tangere.

Interroganti corporis quae maxime

Partes dolerent, "Quas tu tangis," ille ait.

Sic se prodesse cum fingant, mali nocent.

There are many Aesop's fables about pretend-physicians. The donkey is not well enough to fight back physically, but he does fight back verbally, giving a witty reply to the wolf's fake solicitude. In English versions of the fable, the donkey's child opens the door when the wolf comes knocking, and when the wolves ask how the mother-donkey is feeling, the donkey-child answers, "Better than you hope!"

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

lupus

visit aegrum asinum 

et coepit tangere.

Ille (asinus) ait

(lupo) interroganti 

quae partes corporis 

maxime dolerent,

"(partes) 

quas tu tangis."

sic mali,

cum fingant 

se prodesse,

nocent.

And here's the meter marked:

Asin~ ae·grum vi·sit lupus · et coe·pit tan·gere.

Inter·rogan·ti, cor·poris · quae max·ime

Partes · dole·rent: quas · tu tan·gis, ill~ · ait.

Sic se · prodes·se quum · fingant · mali · nocent.

You can find illustrations for the fable here. Here is a great one by Billinghurst:

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