the party colour’d (5) parret, | discolor (5) psittacus
the (6) black-bird, | (6) merula
the (7) stare, | (7) sturnus
with the mag-pie | cum pīcā,
and the jay, learn | et monedula, discunt
to frame men’s words. | hūmānās vōcēs fōrmāre.
A great many are wont to be shut in (8) cages. | Plēræque
solent inclūdī (8) caveīs.
____________________
vocabulary
psittacus, -ī [2/m]: parrot
merula, -ae [1/f]: blackbird
sturnus, -ī [2/m]: the ‘stare’ (archaic); starling
pīca, -ae [1/f]: magpie
monēdula, -ae [1/f]: jackdaw
(Hoole translates the noun as ‘jay’)
cavea, -ae [1/f]: cage
notes
(1) discolor, -ōris: [i]
having a different colour; [ii] (here) variegated / of different colours
(2) plērusque, plēraque,
plērumque: most (of); very many; a great number of
mostly occurs in plural
forms:
plēraeque [feminine plural] | a great many (birds) …
(3) plēraeque solent inclūdī caveīs | a great many are
accustomed to being shut in cages [ = the birds are usually shut
in cages]
inclūdō, -ere [3]: shut in;
confine; enclose
inclūdere: (present active infinitive) to confine
inclūdī: (present passive infinitive) to be confined
The birds may be accustomed to being shut in cages, but it is doubtful whether they wanted to be:
"A robin redbreast in a cage / Puts all Heaven in a rage." (Blake)
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