What does the fox (and 50 other animals) say in Latin?

Animal sounds in the Elegia de Philomela

Many people are familiar with the the passage from the Suetonius passage where he lists out the sounds of about 35 different animals. However, until this week, I did not know about a poem called Elegia de Philomela from the Anthologia Latina, a collection of Latin poetry that was first compiled in the 18th century and spans from Ennius to about the year 1000 A.D. But thanks to Quintus on the LLSPI Discord server, I learned about a later Latin poem from the AL in which there are over 50 animal sounds!

The authorship and date of the poem are uncertain. Wikipedia attributes it to “Juventinus Albus Ovidius,” who supposedly lived during the 2nd or 3rd century AD, citing editions of the AL from the 18th and 19th centuries. However, I could not find a good reason for this attribution in the editions of the AL which are available online. In fact, the Buecheler-Riese edition unequivocally states that he was not the author: “Albi Ovidii Juventini esse Goldastus mentitur.” (Goldastus appears to have been the Swiss manuscript collector—and possible forager.)

So, if Juventinus isn’t the author of the poem, the date of the poem becomes uncertain. It is found in three separate manuscripts from the 11th century, which makes that the obvious latest possible date of authorship.

While I was trying to track down information about the Elegia de Philomela, I found a 7th century text by Aldhelm, De pedum regulis, a didactic treaty on metrical feet. This text also contains a list of animal sounds!

There is a lot of overlap between the Suetonius, Aldhelm, and Elegia de Philomela lists. However, we do find sounds in the other lists that are not found in Suetonius. From the Elegia, we learn that vesperitiliones stridere and butiones butire. When you read the text of the Elegia, I highly reccommmend using the apparatus criticus found in this edition. Some of the spellings in the text seem unusual, but the alternative readings in the app crit are sometimes much closer or the same as those found in Suetonius or Aldhelm.

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Elegia de Philomela, Carmen 762 Anthologia Latina

Dulcis amica veni, noctis solacia praestans;

Inter aves etenim nulla tui similis.

Tu, philomela, potes vocum discrimina mille,

Mille vales varios rite referre modos.

Nam quamvis aliae volucres modulamina temptent,

Nulla potest modulos aequiperare tuos.

Insuper est avium, spatiis garrire diurnis:

Tu cantare simul nocte dieque soles.

Parrus enim quamquam per noctem tinnipet omnem,

Sed sua vox nulli iure placere potest.

Dulce per ora sonat quam dicunt nomine droscam,

Sed fugiente die illa quieta silet.

Et merulus modulans tam pulchris zinzitat odis,

Nocte ruente tamen cantica nulla canit.

Vere calente novos componit acredula cantus

Matutinali tempore rurirulans,

Dum turdus trucilat, sturnus dum pusitat ore,

Sed quod mane canunt, vespere non recolunt.

Cacabat hinc perdix et graccitat improbus anser,

Et castus turtur atque columba gemit.

Plausitat arborea clamans de fronde palumbes

In fluviisque natans forte tetrinnit anas.

Grus gruit in gronnis, cygni prope flumina drensant,

Accipitres pipant milvus hiansque lupit.

Cucurrire solet gallus, gallina cacillat,

Paupulat et pavo, trissat hirundo vaga.

Dum clangunt aquilae, vultur pulpare probatur,

Crocitat et corvus, fringulit et graculus.

Glottorat immenso maerens ciconia rostro,

Pessimus et passer hinc titiare solet.

Psittacus humanas depromit voce loquelas

Atque suo domino χαῖρε sonat vel ave.

Pica loquax varias concinnat gutture voces,

Scurrili strepitu omne quod audit ait.

Et cuculi cuculant et rauca cicada fritinnit.

Bombilat ore legens munera mellis apis.

Bubulat horrendum ferali murmure bubo

Humano generi tristia fata ferens.

Strix nocturna sonans et vespertilio stridunt,

Noctua lucifuga cucubit in tenebris.

Ast ululant ululae lugubri voce canentes

Inque paludiferis butio butit aquis.

Regulus atque merops et rubro pectore progne

Consimili modulo zinzilulare sciunt.

Scribere me voces avium philomela coegit,

Quae cantu cunctas exsuperat volucres.

Sed iam quadrupedum fari discrimina vocum.

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Aldhelm’s list from De pedum regulis

Nam apes ambizant vel bombizant, aquilae clangunt, anseres crinciunt vel trinsiunt, aves minuriunt vel vernant vel vernicant, accipitres pipant vel pipilant, anates teretissant, arietes trissitant vel blaterant, asini oncant vel rudiunt, apri frendunt, arma crepant, aes tinnit, amphora profusa bilibit, boves mugiunt vel reboant, cornices butant, cycni desistant, cicadae fretinniunt, ciconiae gratulant vel glottorant vel critalant, corvi crocitant vel croccant, caprae mucciunt, canes baubantur vel latrant vel ganniunt, catuli glattilant, cervi rugiunt, citharae sonant, canis venatica cusnitit, elephanti barriunt vel stridunt, equi hinniunt, ferae mussitant, grues gruddant vel gruunt vel grugulant, gallinae cacillant, galli cantant vel cucurriunt, galvae fringilliunt, graculi griciunt, hirundines trutissant vel trissant, hyenae hirriunt, haedi balant vel belant. Iupiter tonat (ut fabulae fingunt), infantes vagiunt, leones fremunt, lynces hircant, lepores vagitant, lupi ululant, littora murmurant, milvi lugiunt vel vigilant vel luriunt, meruli zinzitant, mustelae dindrant, mures mintriunt vel muniunt, noctuae cucubiunt, olores drensitant, oves balant, onagri vagillant, palumbes raucitant, passeres titiant, parri tinnipant, pavi paululant, perdices cacabant, pulli et pueri pipant, pantherae chauriunt, pardi feliunt, porcelli grunniunt, porci grundiunt, ranae coaxant, sturni parsitant, sorices denticant, serpentes sibilant, silvae strepunt, turdi soccitant vel faccilant, tigrides raccant, tubae clangiunt, tauri mugiunt, vultures pionpant, venti flant, vel tremunt vel sibilant, ursi urgant vel saeviunt, vulpes eiulant, verres quiritant.

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Suetonius’s list

Leonum est fremere uel rugire. tigridum rancare. pardorum felire. pantherarum caurire. ursorum uncare uel saeuire. aprorum frendere. lyncum urcare. luporum ululare. serpentium sibilare. onagrorum mugilare. ceruorum rugire. boum mugire. equorum hinnire. asinorum rudere uel oncare. porcorum grunnire. uerris quiritare. arietum blatterare. ouium balare. hircorum miccire. haedorum bebare. canum latrare seu baubari. uulpium gannire. catulorum glattire. leporum uagire. mustelarum drindrare. murium mintrire uel pipitare. soricum desticare. elephantum barrire. ranarum coaxare. coruorum crocitare. aquilarum clangere. accipitrum plipiare. uulturum pulpare. miluorumlupire uel lugere. olorum drensare. gruum gruere. ciconiarum crotolare. anserum gliccire uel sclingere. anatumtetrissitare. pauonum paupulare. gallorum cucurrire uel cantare. graculorum fringulire. noctuarum cuccubire. cuculorum cuculare. merulorum frendere uel zinziare. turdorum trucilare uel soccitare. sturnorum passitare. hirundinum fintinnire uel minurrire—dicunt tamen quod minurrire est omnium minutissimarum auicularum—gallinae crispire. passerum titiare. apum bombire uel bombilare. cicadarum fritinnire.

Curate ut valeatis!