Fable 42: Iuvenis et Hirundo

Here's the next fable with a kind of running commentary that is not entirely possible within the confines of the forthcoming book from Bolchazy-Carducci. This will be Fable 42 in the book: De Iuvene et Hirundine. For more information Fable about this fable, see the Discussion Forum for this fable at the Aesopus Ning.

Temulentus et dissolutus quidem Iuvenis, qui patrimonium integrum decoxerat, ipsa etiam vestimenta solebat pro pecuniis venum dare. Ad hoc, ex augurio circumvolantis Hirundinis coniciens iam aestatem appropinquasse, illico vestitus exuit et seminudus in popinas delituit. Sed, cum brumae reliquiae redeuntes maiori frigore saeviebant et Hirundinem enecassent, Iuvenis tandem circumvagabatur et Aviculam mortuam offendens inquit, “O infelicem augurem et tui et mei infortunii!”

Temulentus et dissolutus quidem Iuvenis,
= The postpositive particle quidem adds emphasis to the word before it.

qui patrimonium integrum decoxerat,
= The verb decoquere means literally to "cook down, boil away," and metaphorically means to "squander" something utterly.

ipsa etiam vestimenta
= The phrase ipsa vestimenta wraps around the adverb.

solebat pro pecuniis venum dare.
= The phrase venum dare means “to put up for sale.”

Ad hoc,
= The phrase means “in addition; on top of that.”

ex augurio circumvolantis Hirundinis coniciens
= The Latin verb conicere is literally "throwing things together," something like the English idiom of "putting 2 and 2 together." From this same Latin root, we get the English word "conjecture."

iam aestatem appropinquasse,
= Accusative plus infinitive construction in indirect statement; appropinquasse is an alternate form of appropinquavisse.

illico vestitus exuit
= The word vestitutus is accusative plural, and serves as the object of the verb.

et seminudus in popinas delituit.
= The adjective seminudus provides the clue what is going to happen in the conclusion of the story: can you guess?

Sed, cum brumae reliquiae redeuntes maiori frigore saeviebant
= Exactly: winter is not quite over! Instead of spring time, the time is again one of winter weather - with an even greater cold than before.

et Hirundinem enecassent,
= The subjunctive enecassent is an alternate form of enecavissent. Note that cum here takes both an indicative verb - cum brumae reliquiae saeviebant - which explains when the event took place, along with a subjunctive verb - cum hirundinem enecassent - which provides specific causal background information as to why the young man cried out.

Iuvenis tandem circumvagabatur
= The young man is presumably wandering around having lost the money that would have let him remain in the taverns where he had been spending his time.

et Aviculam mortuam offendens inquit,
= The little avicula (diminutive of avis) is none other than the swallow, the supposed harbinger of summer.

“O infelicem augurem
= An exclamation using the accusative, with the interjection o.

et tui et mei infortunii!”
= Note the double use of et, meaning “both . . . and . . ."

Here is the illustration of the fable by Francis Barlow:

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