The Heron and the Crow



A translation with commentary of a Korean Poem by Yi Chik 1362 - 1431 into Latin and Greek



This translation into Greek and Latin is based on an English paraphrase. I am not fluent in Korean nor do I have a copy of the original text (I'ld like to have one though!) so my apologies to readers who do know the original for any inaccuracies!

Here's the English text I followed.

Heron dont laugh at the crow
because it's black
though black in appearance
can it be black inside?
Perhaps you are black at heart,
though white in appearance.

Here's the Greek - an approximate phonetic transcription - I may add the greek script later if I can get access to a scanner.

oo erooidois mee geloo teen korooneen
hoti esti melainan
kaiper melainan phainomemeen
poos dunatai einai melaina esw
isoos ekhes melainan kardiaan
kaiper leukov phainomenon?

(Please note that the "h"s are aspirates NOT fricatives here - they represent breathings - a strong k and p and a h!

Some questions and comments for students to consider - or to use as Teacher's Notes?

One: Bird Names - explain about bird names and wildlife in ancient greece - tie this in to Aristophanes "Birds perhaps?
Two - Folklore - the Korean writer may have seen the Heron as a white robed aristocratic or confucian elder looking down at a black robed crow/ peasant.
What different stories does Western Classical culture have about crows and herons?
Three: mee geloo - use this opportunity to revise the use of subjunctive with exhortations and negative commands especially if your class makes the error of using ou!
Four: If your class doesnt want to use a first declension feminine for crow - koroonee consider masculine thrid declension to korax
Five:Use the adjective melas to introduce studnets to a new form of the adjective>
Six : kaiper = although discuss conditional statements and the use of dunamai to express probabilites. Seven: "Black at heart" is there a better more hellenic way to translate this? Eight: discuss the adjectives white and black - are there other words for white and black. discuss color terms in general>

Here's the Latin version -

Ardea cornicem noli ridere quod nigrest
Quamquam specie nigrat, intusne niger esse potest?
Fortasse cordis nigras, quamvis specie albeas?

Notes: I have used cornix instead of corvus because corvus also means raven
Nigro - are - 'A' stem Verb
Why use niger instead of ater - both mean black but different kinds of blackness - discuss.
Note the use of albeo - ere a verb instead of the adjectives candidus or albus or niveus

Corrections and improvements are invited - this material is public domain if cited, reused or copied for purposes of instruction

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