Mures Duo (Trinity)

Source: This poem was composed by the anonymous "Trinity Master" who published a lovely little book in 1852 setting Latin fables in prose side-by-side with his verse compositions; read the book at Google Books.

Other Versions: For more versions, see Perry 352.

15. MURES

Rusticus urbanum Murem Mus excipit; olim
Iunctus amicitia || forte viator erat:
Excipit hospitio; mensamque dapesque paravit;
At cibus est simplex || conveniensque loco.
Accidit, ut talem vitam fastidiat hospes;
Non tenuis victus || simplicitasque iuvant.
Urbis delicias ut tentet, suadet amico:
Res placet; inde urbem || nocte silente petunt.
Protinus ingressi tendunt ad divitis aedes;
Hac dapibus socios || ceperat ille die.
Relliquias nacti, genio coepere quieto
Indulgere; dapum || copia lauta manet.
Rusticus at sibi dum gratulatur, perstrepit, eheu!
Servorum subitus || tecta per ampla sonus.
Parte canes ululant omni; tremuere pavore
Convivae; dapibus || diffugiuntque procul.
Tum, "Longum valeas," Mus rusticus inquit, "amice!
Tuque fruare tuis: || tutus egoque meis."

Prose paraphrase:

Mus rusticus
Murem urbanum excipit;
forte
viator urbanus
olim amicitia iunctus erat
Muri rustico;
Mus rusticus
urbanum hospitio excipit.
Mus rusticus
et mensam et dapes paravit;
at cibus
simplex est
et loco conveniens.
Accidit,
ut hospes
talem vitam fastidiat;
tenuis victus et simplicitas
Murem urbanum non iuvant.
Mus urbanus
amico suadet
ut urbis delicias tentet.
Res placet;
inde
octe silente
urbem npetunt.
Protinus ingressi
ad divitis aedes tendunt;
hac die
ille dives
socios ceperat
dapibus.
Relliquias nacti,
Mures
Indulgere coepere,
genio quieto;
dapum copia lauta manet.
At
dum rusticus sibi gratulatur,
eheu!
Servorum sonus
subitus perstrepit
per ampla tecta.
Parte omni
canes ululant;
convivae
pavore tremuere
et dapibus procul diffugiunt.
Tum Mus rusticus inquit:
"Amice,
tu longum valeas,
et tuis fruare,
et ego tutus
meis fruar."

NoDictionaries.com: You can find the word list for this fable online, and use it interactively (here are some tips on how to make best use of the tool). The word list did not recognize the variant form relliquias for reliquias, from reliquia, "remains, leftovers." It also did not recognize the genitive plural dapum, from daps, "feast." It also did not recognize the intensive form, perstrepit, from strepo, strepere, "make a loud noise, shriek, creak."

Image. Here's an illustration for the fable (image source) by Milo Winter:

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