Monday, March 16, 2009

Simplified Fable 57: De Lepore et Testudine

Now that I have finished the Segmented Grammar Commentaries on the fables, I'll be working through the fables again, this time providing "Simplified" versions of the fables. So, here is today's Simplified fable - De Lepore et Testudine, the famous story of the tortoise and the hare - with the fox as umpire.

Here is a Google Presentation version:



The original version is as follows:
Testudo, cum pedes eius Lepus deridebat, subridens dixit, “Si periculum in cursu feceris, quis sit velocior liquido cognosces.” Elegerunt igitur Vulpem, quae ambobus et locum et terminum cursus constitueret. Testudo, omni segnitie remota, iter arripiens, haud quievit donec ad terminum pervenerat. Lepus vero, pedibus fidens, postquam paululum quievit, somno excitatus, quantum pedes valuerunt ad terminum cucurrit ubi, cum Testudinem quiescentem reperit, se fatetur a Testudine superatum.
Here are the simplified sentences as they appear in the slideshow:

Lepus pedes Testudinis deridebat.

Testudo subridebat.

Testudo dixit:

Testudo, cum pedes eius Lepus deridebat, subridens dixit:

"Quis est velocior?"

"Periculum in cursu faciamus!"

"Cognosces quis sit velocior."

"Liquido cognosces quis sit velocior."

“Si periculum in cursu feceris, quis sit velocior liquido cognosces.”

"Quis nobis locum cursus constituet?"

"Quis nobis terminum cursus constituet?"

"Quis nobis et locum et terminum cursus constituet?"

"Vulpes nobis et locum et terminum cursus constituet."

Elegerunt Vulpem, ut ambobus et locum et terminum cursus constitueret.

Elegerunt Vulpem, quae ambobus et locum et terminum cursus constitueret.

Testudo segnitiem removit.

Testudo omnem segnitiem removit.

Omnis segnities remota est.

Testudo iter arripit.

Testudo, omni segnitie remota, iter arripit.

Testudo haud quievit.

Testudo ad terminum pervenit.

Testudo haud quievit donec ad terminum pervenerat.

Testudo, omni segnitie remota, iter arripiens, haud quievit donec ad terminum pervenerat.

Lepus pedibus fidebat.

Lepus quievit.

Lepus paululum quievit.

Lepus somno excitatus est.

Lepus, postquam paululum quievit, somno excitatus est.

Lepus ad terminum cucurrit.

Tantum pedes eius valuerunt!

Lepus quantum pedes valuerunt ad terminum cucurrit.

Ibi Lepus Testudinem reperit.

Testudo quiescebat.

Lepus Testudinem quiescentem reperit.

Lepus ad terminum cucurrit ubi Testudinem quiescentem reperit.

Lepus fatetur:

"Testudo me superavit."

"A Testudine superatus sum."

Lepus fatetur se a Testudine superatum.

Lepus, cum Testudinem quiescentem reperit, se fatetur a Testudine superatum.

4 comments:

randy said...

I have always enjoyed this fable about the turtle and the rabbit, but I was unaware that any version had the fox serving as the umpire. How great!

(Though I do still prefer the version where the turtle cleverly outwits the rabbit, behaving rather like a fox. :~)

Laura Gibbs said...

Hi Randy! The version with the fox is a hoot because of course you would NEVER want a fox to be the judge... so it makes me suspect there is a trace here of a version where the turtle does play a trick, and connives with the fox to do so! The versions of the story with the turtle (or hedgehog, as the case may be) playing a trick abound all over the world... even if they didn't make it into Aesop. :-)

Anonymous said...

what happens at the end of the story? (I don't read latin)

Laura Gibbs said...

You can find an English translation of the Latin story here:
http://aesopus.pbworks.com/barlow070 - it's one most people are familiar with: the turtle wins.