This is a modern Coptic translation of The Fox and the Raven from the Fables of Aesop – ⲡⲓⲃⲁϣⲟⲣ ⲛⲉⲙϯⲁ̀ⲃⲟⲕⲓ ⲉ̀ⲃⲟⲗ ϧⲉⲛⲛⲓϣϥⲱ ⲛ̀ⲧⲉⲉ̀ⲥⲱⲡⲟⲥ.

I have included translation notes below where I have coined new expressions or need to explain my choices. *

ⲠⲒⲂⲀϢⲞⲢ ⲚⲈⲘϮⲀ̀ⲂⲞⲔⲒ
ⲉ̀ⲃⲟⲗ ϧⲉⲛⲛⲓϣϥⲱ ⲛ̀ⲧⲉⲉ̀ⲥⲱⲡⲟⲥ

Ⲛⲉⲟⲩⲟⲛⲟⲩⲁ̀ⲃⲟⲕⲓ ⲡⲉ ⲉ̀ⲁⲥⲛⲁⲩ ⲉ̀ⲟⲩⲗⲱⲙ ⲛ̀ⲁ̀ⲗⲱⲙ ϩⲓϫⲉⲛⲟⲩϣⲟⲩϣⲧ. Ⲁⲥϩⲟⲗⲙⲉϥ ⲛ̀ⲭⲱⲗⲉⲙ ϧⲉⲛⲣⲱⲥ ⲟⲩⲟϩ ⲁⲥϩⲱⲗ ⲉ̀ⲡϣⲱⲓ ⲉ̀ϫⲉⲛⲟⲩϣϣⲏⲛ ϩⲓⲛⲁ ⲛ̀ⲧⲉⲥⲟⲩⲟⲙϥ ϧⲉⲛⲟⲩⲥⲣⲱϥⲧ.

“There was a certain raven who saw a morsel of cheese on a window. She snatched it quickly in her mouth and flew up to a tree to eat it at leisure.”

Ⲛⲉⲟⲩⲟⲛⲕⲉⲃⲁϣⲟⲣⲇⲉ ⲡⲉ ⲉϥⲥⲓⲛⲓ ⲉ̀ⲁϥⲛⲁⲩ ⲉ̀ϯⲁ̀ⲃⲟⲕⲓ ⲉⲥⲟⲩⲟϩ ϩⲓϫⲉⲛⲟⲩϫⲁⲗ ⲛ̀ⲧⲉⲡⲓϣϣⲏⲛ. Ⲉ̀ⲧⲁϥϯⲛⲓⲁⲧϥ ⲙ̀ⲙⲟⲥ, ⲁϥⲛⲁⲩ ⲉ̀ⲡⲓⲗⲱⲙ ⲉⲑⲛⲉⲥⲱϥ ⲭⲏ ϧⲉⲛⲣⲱⲥ. Ⲟⲩⲟϩ ⲁ̀ⲣⲱϥ ⲉⲣϩⲏⲧⲥ ⲛ̀ϯⲥⲫⲏⲓϯ.

“And there was also a fox passing by who saw the raven perched on a branch of the tree. Having fixed his gaze on her, he saw the fine morsel in her mouth. And so his mouth began to drool.”

Ⲥⲁⲧⲟⲧϥⲇⲉ ⲁϥⲉⲣϩⲏⲧⲥ ϩⲱϥ ⲛ̀ϫⲉⲡⲓⲃⲁϣⲟⲣ ⲙ̀ⲙⲟⲕⲙⲉⲕ ϫⲉⲡⲱⲥ ϯⲛⲁϭⲓ ⲛⲏⲓ ⲙ̀ⲡⲓⲗⲱⲙ ⲉⲑⲛⲟⲧⲉⲙ ⲉ̀ⲧⲉⲙⲙⲁⲩ. Ⲟⲩⲟϩ ⲁϥⲉⲣⲟⲩⲥⲟϭⲛⲓ ⲙ̀ⲙⲉⲧⲥⲉⲃ. ⲡⲉϫⲁϥ ⲛ̀ϯⲁ̀ⲃⲟⲕⲓ «Ϫⲉⲧⲁⲕⲩⲣⲓⲁ̀, ⲕⲁⲗⲱⲥ ⲁⲥⲣⲁⲛⲏⲓ ⲙ̀ⲫⲟⲟⲩ. Ⲓⲥϫⲉⲕ ⲛⲉⲥⲉⲧⲉⲙⲟⲣⲫⲏ! Ⲓⲥϫⲉⲕ ϯⲙⲟⲩⲉ̀ ⲛ̀ϫⲉⲛⲉⲙⲉϩⲓ! Ⲭⲁⲙⲁ ⲛⲏⲓ ⲛ̀ⲧⲁⲥⲱⲧⲉⲙ ⲉ̀ⲟⲩϫⲱ ⲡⲁⲛⲧⲱⲥⲅⲁⲣ ⲧⲉⲥⲙⲏ ⲉⲣϩⲓⲥⲟⲥ ⲛⲉⲙⲡⲉⲥⲁⲓ.»

“Immediately, he began to ponder how he could take this delicious morsel for himself. And so he devised a cunning plan. He said to the raven: “My Lady, you have pleased me well today. How beautiful is your form! How your feathers shine! Permit me to hear a song for surely your voice is the equal of your beauty.””

Ϯⲁ̀ⲃⲟⲕⲓⲇⲉ ⲁⲥϭⲓⲥⲓ ⲛ̀ϩⲏⲧ ⲟⲩⲟϩ ⲧⲉⲥⲛⲁϩⲃⲓ ⲁⲥϩⲟⲣϣ ⲟⲩⲟϩ ⲁⲥⲛⲉϥⲧⲣⲱⲥ ⲛ̀ⲥⲱⲃⲓ. Ⲟⲩⲟϩ ⲉⲥⲥⲟⲣⲉⲙ ϧⲉⲛⲛⲁⲓⲥⲁϫⲓ ⲛ̀ⲥⲟⲡⲥⲉⲡ ⲛⲁⲓ, ⲁⲥⲟⲩⲱⲛ ⲛ̀ⲣⲱⲥ ⲉⲥⲱϣ ⲉ̀ⲃⲟⲗ ϧⲉⲛⲟⲩⲛⲓϣϯ ⲛ̀ⲥⲙⲏ «Ϫⲉⲭⲁⲕⲕⲁ ⲭⲁⲕⲕⲁ.» Ⲉⲑⲃⲉⲫⲁⲓ ⲁϥϩⲉⲓ ⲉ̀ⲡⲉⲥⲏⲧ ⲛ̀ϫⲉⲡⲓⲁ̀ⲗⲱⲙ.

“The raven became puffed up, stretched out her neck and smiled. Seduced by these very words of flattery, she opened her mouth to cry out in a loud voice: “Kakka kakka.” And so the cheese fell to the floor.”

Ⲉ̀ϣⲱⲡⲇⲉ ⲁ̀ⲣⲉϣⲁⲛⲡⲓⲁ̀ⲗⲱⲙ ⲧⲁϩⲉⲡⲉⲥⲏⲧ, ⲁϥⲙⲉϩⲣⲱϥ ⲙ̀ⲙⲟϥ ⲛ̀ϫⲉⲡⲓⲃⲁϣⲟⲣ ⲟⲩⲟϩ ⲁϥⲥⲛⲏⲓⲛⲓ ⲉ̀ⲃⲟⲗ ϧⲉⲛⲟⲩϭⲣⲟ ϩⲓⲛⲁ ⲛ̀ⲧⲉⲥⲟⲩⲟⲙϥ. Ⲟⲩⲟϩ ⲁϥⲭⲁϯⲁ̀ⲃⲟⲕⲓ ⲙ̀ⲙⲁⲩⲁⲧⲥ ⲉⲥⲟⲩⲱⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲑⲏⲥ ⲉ̀ϫⲉⲛⲧⲉⲥⲙⲉⲧⲉ̀ⲫⲗⲏⲟⲩ ⲛⲉⲙⲧⲉⲥⲙⲉⲧⲥⲟϫ ϧⲉⲛⲟⲩⲥⲣⲱϥⲧ.

“Now, as soon as the cheese reached the ground, the fox grabbed it in his mouth and sauntered off victoriously to eat it. And so he left the raven alone to regret her vanity and folly at leisure.”

Ⲧⲥⲃⲱ ⲛ̀ϯϣϥⲱ: Ⲙ̀ⲡⲉⲣⲉⲣⲥⲟϫ ϧⲉⲛⲛⲓⲥⲁϫⲓ ⲛ̀ⲥⲟⲡⲥⲉⲡ.

“The moral of the story: Don’t be fooled by words of flattery.”

—ⲁⲙⲃⲣⲟⲥⲓⲟⲥ ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ

Image

I’ve slightly adapted this beautiful Egyptianesque imagining of the fable by Victor Wilbour (c. 1916), held at the Smithsonian Design Museum.

Here it is shown in full length.

Translation notes

I would like to express my thanks to Bashandy for his corrections and suggestions on the first draft of this composition.

Ⲉ̀ⲥⲱⲡⲟⲥ: This is my Coptic rendering of the original Greek Αἴσωπος since, as far as I know, the name does not occur anywhere in surviving Coptic literature. The spelling with an initial ⲉ̀- instead of ⲁⲓ- reflects the fact that in Koine Greek the diphthong had monophthongised (Horrocks, 2010, 161). Accordingly, Greek loanwords with αἰ- in Coptic are often spelt ⲉ̀-, e.g. ⲉ̀ⲧⲓⲁ̀ “cause, reason”< αἰτία, ⲉ̀ⲕⲩⲡⲧⲓⲟⲥ “Egyptian” < αἰγύπτιος, ⲉ̀ⲭⲙⲁⲗⲱⲥⲓⲁ̀ “captivity” < αἰχμαλωσία, though the historical spellings with ⲁⲓ- also sometimes occur.

Ϧⲉⲛⲟⲩⲥⲣⲱϥⲧ: An adverb “at leisure, leisurely” coined from Sahidic ϩ︤ⲛ︥ⲟⲩⲥ︤ⲣ︥ϥⲉ with the same meaning (Crum, 1939, 357b).

Ϯⲥⲫⲏⲓϯ: A composite verb “to drool, salivate” that I’ve coined from a Sahidic example in which a teething baby is said to ϯⲥϩⲃⲏⲏⲧⲉ (ϯ- “to give, produce” and ⲥϩⲃⲏⲏⲧⲉ “foam, spittle”) so “to drool” (Crum, 1939, 384b); I’ve extended the meaning to encompass drooling animals. Other composite verbs with ⲥⲫⲏⲓϯ indicate the foaming of the mouth in seizures and also the foaming of the waves of the sea.

Ⲭⲁⲕⲕⲁ: This is an imitation of the sound of a raven or crow. I chose this on the basis of onomatopoeic elements in names for certain birds that make a similar sound, namely, ⲭⲁⲕⲕⲁ- (var. ⲕⲁⲕⲕⲁ-) in ⲭⲁⲕⲕⲁⲙⲁⲩ “(Barn) owl” (probably similarly also Sahidic ⲕⲟⲩⲕ) and ⲕⲟⲩⲕⲟⲩ- (var. ⲕⲁⲕⲟⲩ-) in ⲕⲟⲩⲕⲟⲩⲫⲁⲧ “hoopoe” (Crum, 1939, 516b; 102a; 100b). Since ravens and crows seem to have an a-vocalism, similar to the Barn Owl, ⲭⲁⲕⲕⲁ is more appropriate.

Orthography and punctuation: I do not want to dwell on these difficult topics at length here. In principle, I have tried to keep to norms established or detectable in the earliest Bohairic Coptic manuscripts. Briefly:

• I’ve used spacing to separate groups into prosodic units and the djinkim to mark sonorant syllables in keeping with the practice in the oldest Bohairic manuscripts.
• I’ve used capitalisation at the beginning of sentences and adopted the modern full stop and comma to separate sentences and clauses. The same sense units are separated in Bohairic manuscripts inconsistently by various methods.
• I’ve used guillemets « » rather than English double quotes ” ” to indicate direct speech as these are most similar to the diple, the origin of these marks, which are sometimes found in Coptic manuscripts in various forms.
• Finally, I have adopted exclamation marks from modern scripts to indicate exclamatory statements, though this is an innovation and unlikely to be found in Coptic manuscripts.

* This is an adapted version of the original article, without the interactive component, to avoid display issues.

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References

• Crum, Walter Ewing. 1939. A Coptic Dictionary. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
• Horrocks, Geoffrey C. 2010. Greek: A History of the Language and Its Speakers. 2nd ed. Oxford ; Malden, Mass: Wiley-Blackwell.