BestLatin Blogs

Formica et Scarabaeus

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:02:00 -0800

I haven't had time to work on this blog lately, but I got a very interesting request from a teacher who needed a public domain translation of the fable of the ant and the dung-beetle. This is not a very well-known fable. To my knowledge, it is only found in the Greek prose collections (in Chambry, it is Fable 241 = Perry 112), and I don't actually own the rights to my Oxford translation. So, I was not sure what to do... but then I remembered that in the wonderful edition of the Greek prose fables by Franciscus de Furia (Fabulae Aesopicae, published in 1810) there are Latin translations of the Greek. So here is what I have done: I took the Latin version by de Furia and translated that into English - which I can release here without any concerns for copyright. Meanwhile, I've also included the Latin for anyone who is interested!

Formica aestivo tempore arva circumiens, frumentum ac hordeum colligebat, sibique, ut vesci posset hieme, recondebat. Hanc videns, Scarabaeus, ingentum quidem eius laborem atque sollicitudinem est admiratus, quod nimirum eo tempore, quo animalia cetera, labore remisso, otia trahunt, ipsa contra ita labori insudaret. Ad haec Formica tunc nihil respondit. Postea vero, cum hiems advenisset, atque fimus, nimio imbre perfusus, omnino madefactus esset, Scarabaeus fame correptus ad eam se contulit, ac, ut aliquid cibi daret, enixe rogavit. Cui illa, Si tum, Scarabaee, escam tibi comparasses, cum me laborantem increpabas, nunc profecto non indigeres. Pari modo, qui ubertatis causa nullam futuri curam habent, conversis deinde temporibus, calamitatibus maximis opprimuntur.

Here is the English translation of the Latin:

While it was summer, the Ant went around the fields, gathering grains and barley, and she stored this away for herself in order to have something to eat during the winter. Watching the Ant, the Dung-Beetle was amazed at how worried the Ant was and how much work she was doing. Apparently while all the other animals had put aside their work for the summer and were taking it easy, the Ant was sweating and working hard. The Ant had nothing to say to the Dung-Beetle at that time but later, when winter came, and the dung was completely soaked by the winter rains, the Dung-Beetle, stricken with hunger, came to the Ant and begged her urgently to give him something to eat. The Ant then said to him: "Dung-Beetle, if you had prepared some food for yourself when you were making fun of me for working, then you would have plenty to eat." The same is true about people who in a time of prosperity do not think about the future; then, when times change, they find themselves in terrible trouble.

Here's an illustration for the fable (image source) - as you can see, if the dung gets wet during the winter rains, the poor dung-beetle would definitely not be able to roll it up into a nice ball!

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-up: November 21 - November 30

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:01:00 -0800

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

This will be my last blog post until after the Thanksgiving holiday - I'll be back online on Monday, November 30... and among the various tasks I've set myself during the break, one of them is sprucing up the Latin Christmas Carol blog for 2009, so that it will be all ready to go starting on December 1 this year! :-)

Cunctis lectoribus quam laetissimum "Diem Cornucopiae" exopto!

HODIE: ante diem undecimum Kalendas Decembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. This one is another of the elegant little epigrams from Owen, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com as usual:

Sanctorum vitas legere et non vivere frustra est.
Sanctorum vitas || degite, non legite.

English: "To read the lives of the saints and not to live them is useless; lead the lives of the saints; don't just read them." I'm not going to claim to be living the life of a saint by any means... but I do like to think that some of these fables and proverbs have saved me from making even more mistakes in my life than I would have otherwise!

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion continues Plutarch's praise of Caesar accomplishments to come in Gaul: alio ob multitudinem deuictorum hostium et robur, alio ob insolentiam et perfidiam morum cum quibus ipsi communicandum erat, alio ob clementiam qua aduersus domitos usus est, alio ob liberalitatem et beneficia in commilitones, omnibus uero ob multitudinem depugnatorum proeliorum occisorumque hostium (all those comparisons are to the other men, alio...alio...alio, who were also military commanders of ancient Rome).

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today that expresses how I feel at the end of the semester, ha ha: Post tot naufragia portum (English: After so many shipwrecks, the harbor).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Fortuna amicos parat, inopia amicos probat (English: Prosperity obtains friends, poverty puts them to the test). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Verum est, quod pro salute fit, mendacium (English: A lie told to save yourself is true… I guess you could call it a Darwinian truth: the lie of the survivor!).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Temporibus brumae iuxta ignem pocula sume (English: In winter time, sit by the fire and raise your glass - a nice saying for the season, and note the medieval rhyme of brumae and sume).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Totidem nobis hostes esse, quot servos (English: We have as many enemies as we have servants).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Scientia potentia (English: Knowledge is power… a motto I wish I could persuade my students to adopt!).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Tempus edax rerum (English: Time is the eater of things).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Qui reddit mala pro bonis, non recedet malum de domo eius (Proverbs 17:13). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Cicada cicadae cara, formicae formica (English: One cricked is dear to another, and ant is dear to ant… kind of like "birds of a feather," but in the insect world).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Minervae felem (English: You're comparing a cat to Minerva; from Adagia 1.10.22 - which is a poor comparison, as Erasmus explains that while a cat and Minerva might have eyes that are supposedly the same color, that's about all they can be said to share!).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Fortes Fortuna adiuvat (English: Fortune helps those with fortitude; from Adagia 1.2.45 - as you can see, the Latin offers possibilities for alliteration here that the English cannot match, alas).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Βραχεῖα τέρψις ἡδονῆς τίκτει λύπην. (English: A brief pleasurable delight gives birth to grief).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE LEPORE ET TESTUDINE, the famous story of the tortoise and the hare.

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Agricola et Filii, a story of family quarrels overcome by a simple lesson - perhaps a good fable to keep in mind for the holidays when family quarrels might be looming! The fable offers good advice for parents who despair of their quarreling children, and for those of you who might squabble with your parents, remember the advice in one of Cato's monostichs: Parentes patientia vince. Meanwhile, here is an illustration for the fable of the father and his sons (image source) by Walter Crane:

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: November 20

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:01:00 -0800

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem duodecimum Kalendas Decembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. It's another one of the iambic fables by Desbillons, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com as usual:

Dolum Palumbo incautus Auceps dum struit,
Premit anguem, cuius dente violatus perit.
Malum iure feres, quod parabis alteri.

English: "A reckless bird-catcher, as he sets out a trap for a dove, steps on a snake; wounded by the snake's fang, he dies: it is right that, preparing evil for another, you will suffer that evil yourself." For an illustration to accompany this story, see the page from a Tar Heel Reader below!

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion continues the favorable comparison of Caesar's achievements as superior to those of Romans both past and contemporary: Imo siue Fabios, Scipiones, Metellos, siue qui aequales eius aut aetate paulo superiores fuerunt, Syllam, Marium, utrumque Lucullum, ipsumque adeo, cuius ad caelum usque omnigenarum bellicarum uirtutum gloria se efferebat, Pompeium conferas, rebus eorum gestis facta Caesaris palmam praeripiunt. Alio enim maiorem laudem consecutus est ob iniquitatem locorum in quibus bellum gessit, alio ob magnitudinem regionis quam in potestatem redegit.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today: Avarus aurum deum habet (English: The greedy person regards gold as a god - although the etymology of avarus is not certain, it does have a nice echo with aurum).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Di lanatos pedes habent (English: The gods have woollen feet). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Ubi libertas cecidit, audet libere nemo loqui (English: When freedom has fallen, no one dares to speak freely).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Spes laqueo volucres, spes captat arundine pisces (English: Hope captures birds with a net, and fish with a rod).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Non omnibus dormio (English: I'm not asleep to everything).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Iusiurandum serva (English: Keep your sworn word).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Ut migraturus habita (English: Live as if you were about to move).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Qui non est mecum, contra me est (Matt. 12:30). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Enumerat miles vulnera, pastor oves (English: The soldier counts his wounds, the shepherd counts his sheep).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Asinum sub freno currere doces (English: You're teaching a donkey to run with a bridle; from Adagia 1.4.40 - this is another one of those fool's tasks; you're supposed to use a horse, not a donkey, if you're running a race).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Colophonia ferocitas (English: Fierce as the the people of Colophon; from Adagia 2.1.13 - the people of Colophon in Ionia were proverbial for their aggressive behavior).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Πολλοί τοι ναρθηκοφόροι, παῦροι δὲ Βάκχοι (English: Many are those who carry the thyrsus, but few are the worshippers of Bacchus).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Agricola et Ciconia, the story of the stork who begged the farmer to spare her life on the basis of her good reputation.

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE ANU ET ANSERE, the famous story of the goose that laid the golden eggs.

The image today illustrates the little fable about the bird-catcher who stepped on a snake (see above), taken from a Tar Heel Reader:

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: November 19

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:01:00 -0800

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem tertium decimum Kalendas Decembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. The lines today come again from the collection of distichs attributed to "Cato," with a word list at NoDictionaries.com as usual:

Quod vile est, carum, quod carum, vile putato:
Sic tu nec cupidus nec avarus nosceris ulli.

English: Regard what is worthless as if it were precious, and what is precious as if it were worthless: in this way no one will think you either greedy or selfish." What a great little paradoxical saying! If you can count what is worthless as if it were precious, you will be satisfied with your possessions, no matter how worthless, and thus escape the danger of cupiditas, and if you can count something precious as if it were worthless, you will be able to gladly give your possessions away, even your precious ones, avoiding the danger of avaritia.

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion is full of praise for Caesar's efforts in Gaul: Bellorum autem quae deinceps gessit et expeditionum quibus Galliam domuit tempus eum, quasi alio exorsum initio aliaque uiuendi atque agendi ingressum uia, non ullo eorum qui summi et maxime apud omnes in admiratione habentur ducum inferiorem commonstrauit et pugnandi laude et imperandi. (watch out for the negative non which is so far away from the verb: it really is praising Caesar for NOT being inferior!)

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today: Graculus a graculo, fur a fure cognoscitur, lupus a lupo (English: One daw knows another, as thief knows thief and wolf knows wolf - a saying posted in reply to passer_invenit's marvelous Twitter picture of a graculus).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Mons parturibat, deinde murem prodidit (English: The mountain was giving birth; it finally brought forth a mouse). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is one of my personal favorites! Discipulus est prioris posterior dies (English: The day after is the student of the day before… in other words: lifelong learning!).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Et semel emissum volat irrevocabile verbum (English: As soon as it is let loose, a word flies forth and cannot be recalled… so: think before you speak!).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Acti labores iucundi sunt (English: Work, once done, is pleasant… which is a great thought to have in mind at almost-the-end of the semester).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Moderata durant. (English: Things in moderation endure - as oppose to the precarious status of things at either extreme).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Dura domina cupiditas (English: Desire is a harsh mistress… mainly because she is never satisfied!).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Durum est tibi contra stimulum calcitrare (Acts 26:14). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Falco meis sed talpa tuis erroribus exstas (English: You turn out to be a falcon in detecting my mistakes, but (blind as) a mole in detecting your own!).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Aesopicus graculus (English: Aesop's jackdaw; from Adagia 3.6.91 - referring to the fable of the jackdaw in borrowed feathers… what a funny coincidence that is the "day of the graculus" here at the blog).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Battologia (English: Speaking like Battus; from Adagia 2.1.92 - this idea of "Battology" refers to a proverbially inept poet named Battus who wrote long hymns that repeated the same thing over and over. ).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Καὶ φιλεῖν δεῖ, ὡς καὶ μισήσοντας· καὶ μισεῖν, ὡς καὶ φιλήσοντας. (English: You should both love as if it would turn to hate, and hate, as if it would turn to love).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE CANE ET UMBRA, the famous story of the dog who was fooled by his own reflection in the water.

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Ranae et Rex Earum, the story of the frogs who foolishly thought they needed a king. Here is an illustration for the story by Walter Crane (image source).

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: November 18

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:01:00 -0800

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem quartum decimum Kalendas Decembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. Today's verses are from the wondering little rhymes and word-games collected by Wegeler, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com as usual:

Vita evanescet, corpus mortale putrescet:
Fumus sumus, fimus fimus.

English: "Life vanishes, and the mortal body decays: Smoke we are, dung we become." Of course, the charm of the thing is quite lost without the Latin play on words: fimus fimus, "dung we become." :-)

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion is a bit of a pause before launching into the next phase of Caesar's life: Talia eius ante Gallicum bellum facta fuerunt.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today: Ad opus manum admovendo Fortunam invoca (English: Invoke Fortune by setting your hand to the work).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Non gladio, sed gratia (English: Not with the sword, but with kindness). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Etiam sine lege poena est conscientia (English: Even without law, conscience is a punishment).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Communis sors est, quod cunctis debita mors est. (English: It is our common lot that death is an obligation to all).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Egregia musica quae sit abscondita, nulli rei est (English: Outstanding music, if it is hidden, is of no account… which always makes me think of those "mute inglorious Miltons" in Gray's country churchyard).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Pax vobiscum (English: Peace be with you… and the Latin, of course, can safely omit the "be").

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Facilia sapientibus cuncta (English: All things are easy for those who are wise).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Sol non occidat super iracundiam vestram (Eph. 4:26). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Etiam me meae latrant canes (English: My own dogs are even barking at me - a saying you can find in Plautus's Poenulus).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Sus acina dependet (English: The pig will pay the price for eating the grapes; from Adagia 3.4.23 - Erasmus actually cites a version where a farmer is speaking to the pig, telling the pig that it's going to pay the price for having eaten the grapes from the vine: Sus, acina dependes!, the idea being that for some small offense such as eating some grapes, you run the risk of a terrible penalty).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Atticus aspectus (English: The Attic look; from Adagia 1.9.42 - given the proverbial character of the people of Athens, this referred to someone whose facial expression showed self-confidence and boldness, before they even spoke a single word).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Πρὸς σῆμα μητρυιᾶς κλαίει (English: He's weeping at the grave of his stepmother… so, to borrow another proverb, you could say he is crying crocodile tears!).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE EQUO ET LEONE, the story of the horse and the lion, an example of the trickster tricked.

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Auceps et Palumbes, the story of the man hunting a bird who fell victim to his own ambitions! This is one of the fables I adapted for Tar Heel Reader, in a "play" format where the lines are all spoken by the characters in the story. Here's an illustration from that reader:

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: November 17

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:01:00 -0800

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem quintum decimum Kalendas Decembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. Today's lines are a bit of dactylic verse from Horace, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com as usual:

[...] Vitanda est inproba Siren
desidia, aut quidquid vita meliore parasti
ponendum aequo animo.

English: "You must avoid the wicked Siren that is sloth, or else set aside without regret whatever you have obtained in a better time of life." I love the idea of the Siren-song of sloth... I can always hear her calling loud and clear on Monday morning, luring me back to bed, ha ha. You can read the entire satire online in English here.

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion features Caesar's enmity with Cicero: Ad eum autem magistratum promotus est, ut Ciceronem euerteret; neque prius Caesar ad exercitum abiit, quam opera Clodii Ciceronem oppressisset eumque Italia expulisset.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today: Tres res sunt quae omnes homines sollicitent: metus, cupiditas, aegritudo (English: There are three things which trouble all people: fear, desire, pain - although that Latin word aegritudo is hard to translate, since it can refer to the physical pains of sickness but also anguish of the soul).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Regnant qualibet urbe lupi (English: Wolves reign in every city). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Cotidie multatur, qui semper timet (English: If you are always afraid, you pay the price of fear every day).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Decipiuntur aves per cantus saepe suaves (English: The birds are often deceived by sweet songs).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Davus sum, non Oedipus (English: I am Davus, not Oedipus - a famous line from Terence's Andria where a character insists that he is not able to solve riddles, as Oedipus so notoriously did).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Minori parce (English: Be sparing to your subordinate - one of the items in Cato's monostichs).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Condit fercla fames (English: Hunger seasons the food - much like the English saying, "hunger is the best sauce").

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is In igne probatur aurum et argentum, homines vero in camino humiliationis (Sirach 2:5). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is A fronte praecipitium, a tergo lupi (English: A cliff in front and wolves behind - an animal version of "between a rock and a hard place").

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Lupus ante clamorem festinat (English: The wolf hurries away before a shout is raised; from Adagia 2.7.79).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Felix Corinthus, at ego sim Teneates (English: Corinth is a happy place, but I would rather be in Tenea; from Adagia 2.5.57 - Tenea was a village near Corinth, well-wooded and prosperous).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Πόρρω Διός τε καὶ κεραυνοῦ (English: Far both from Zeus and from his thunderbolt).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE VULPE SINE CAUDA, the story of a fox who had lost its tail and tried to persuade its fellow foxes to do the same.

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Lupus et Grus, the story of the crane who foolishly did a favor for a wolf… this is definitely the day for wolf proverbs and fables! Here is an illustration for the story by Walter Crane (image source) - the story of the wolf and the crane is the one on the left:

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: November 16

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:01:00 -0800

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem sextum decimum Kalendas Decembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. It's another one of the distichs popularly attributed to Cato, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com as usual:

Tempora longa tibi noli promittere vitae:
Quocumque incedis, sequitur mors corporis umbra.

English: "Do not count on having a long lifetime: wherever you go, your death follows you (like) the body's shadow." Of course, the metaphor of death as a shadow that never leaves you is a powerful one that has been used in proverbs and poetry throughout the ages - very brilliantly in Philip Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy, to take a modern example, where everyone has a death that comes into the world of the living with them, and follows behind them unseen, until finally it takes them away: "Your death taps you on the shoulder, or takes your hand, and says, Come along; it's time.'"

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion returns the scandalous Clodius to the forefront: Omnium autem factorum id turpissimum uidebatur, quod Caesare consule Clodius ille tribunus plebis est factus, qui coniugium Caesaris et arcana peruigilia polluerat.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today: Magnus liber magnum malum (English: A big book is a big evil - a saying made famous by the Greek poet and scholar Callimachus, μέγα βιβλίον μέγα κακόν).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Ditior Croeso (English: Richer than Croesus). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Late ignis lucere, ut nihil urat, non potest (English: A flame's light cannot be seen from afar without it burning something - a saying that always reminds me of Herostratus, who set fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus in a quest to achieve fame, even if for a notorious crime).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Casus dementis correctio fit sapientis (English: The downfall of the witless person becomes a lesson for the wise man).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Fallacia alia aliam trudit (English: One trick supplants another - in other words, turn-about is fair play!).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Veritas elucescit (English: The truth shines forth).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Divitiae pariunt curas (English: Riches give birth to worries - this is the negative sense of Latin cura, as concern, worry).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Numquid potest caecus caecum ducere? Nonne ambo in foveam cadent? (Luke 6:39). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Lupi alas quaeris (English: You're looking for wings on a wolf… which is definitely a fool's errand, as you will not find any!).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Homo homini lupus (English: Man is a wolf to man; from Adagia 1.1.70 - and it is a saying famous enough to have its own Wikipedia article).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Midae divitiae (English: The wealth of Midas; from Adagia 1.6.24 - and it's a paradoxical proverb, of course, since wealth did not bring happiness to Midas; rather, as in the proverb cited above, it just brought him worries, as everything he touched turned to gold).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ἀιθίοψ οὐ λευκαίνεται (English: The Aethiopian does not turn white… as the leopard does not change his spots; you can find both sayings in the Bible).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE PISCATORE ET PISCICULO, the story of the fisherman and the little fish.

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Cervus in Aquas Inspiciens, the story of a stag with a serious body-image problem. Here's an image from one of the Tar Heel Readers I composed for this fable:

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: November 13 - November 15

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:01:00 -0800

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: Idus Novembres, the Ides of November. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. This is another one of the delightful little epigrams of Owen, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com as usual:

Fit melior laudando bonus, peiorque malignus,
Cautior astutus, || simplicior stolidus.

English: "A good person becomes better by praise, but it makes a bad person worse; the clever person becomes more cautious, and the dullard becomes more stupid." I really like this one: it's the notion of "the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer" applied to personal qualities other than wealth. For an example of caution in the animal world, see the proverb about the cautus lupus below!

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion contains a stinging rebuke of Caesar by the senator Considius! Cuius rei cum causam Considius quidam admodum senex redderet, armorum et militum metu fieri ut non conueniretur dicens. Quid ergo, inquit Caesar, non tu quoque domi te contines, eadem timens? Et Considius: Metu me senectus liberat; quod enim reliquum est uitae, exiguum cum sit, non magna cura indiget.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today about the best laid plans of mice and men: Quam miserum est, ubi consilium casu vincitur! (English: How wretched it is when a good plan is defeated by chance).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Nemo ante mortem beatus (English: No one [can be called] happy before his death.). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Quam miserum officium est, quod successum non habet (English: How wretched is the job which has no success!).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Munera per gentes corrumpunt undique mentes (English: Among people everywhere, bribes corrupt judgments).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Percutiam pastorem, et dispergentur oves gregis (English: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be dispersed).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Gratia referenda (English: A favor should be returned - a very nice example of the "gerundive of necessity" as it's sometimes called in Latin).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Misceo iocis seria (English: I blend serious things with humorous things... which is true indeed: the proverbs each day usually contain a mix of both!).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Melior est qui dominatur animo suo expugnatore urbium (Proverbs 16:32). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Cautus metuit foveam lupus (English: The cautious wolf fears the pitfall).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Sine canibus et retibus (English: Without dogs or nets; from Adagia 4.8.78 - this refers to someone who is pursuing the deer at high speed, not being slowed by dogs or nets, ready to make the attack single-handed.).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Ne Hercules quidem adversus duos (English: Not even Hercules fights against two at once; from Adagia 1.5.39).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Χαλεπὸν τὸ ἑαυτὸν γνῶναι, ἀλλὰ μακάριον (English: It is difficult to know oneself, but to do so is a thing of great happiness).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Puer Mendax, the famous story of the boy who cried "Wolf!"

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE FORMICA ET COLUMBA, the story of two little creatures, the ant and the dove, who came to one another's aid.

For an image today, in honor of Heracles taking on his opponents one at a time - Ne Hercules quidem adversus duos - I thought I would include this beautiful vase painting that shows Heracles battling Nereus, the "old man of the sea."

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: November 12

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:01:00 -0800

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: pridie Idus Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. Today's poem is one of the rhyming verses collected by Wegeler, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com as usual:

Fertur in conviviis Vinus, Vina, Vinum,
Masculinum displicet atque femininum,
Sed in neutro genere vinum, bonum vinum
Loqui facit clericum optime Latinum.

English: "Vinus, Vina and Vinum are brought to the banquet; the masculine Vinus is not right, nor is the feminine Vina, but in the neuter form Vinum, good wine, makes a cleric speak the very finest Latinum." I was delighted to see that in addition to the version I found in Wegeler, there are all kinds of variations on this bit of medieval verse; you can see some of them here at the ChoralWiki, because they form part of a 16th-century composition by Orlando di Lasso.

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion continues a description of Caesar's alienation from the Senate: De reliquis senatoribus perpauci in Curiam exinde uentitabant; ceteri indignitate eorum quae fiebant moti publico abstinebant.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today about wealth and wickedness: Pluit vitium ubi pluit aurum (English: When it rains gold, it rains wickedness).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Dat verba in ventos (English: He's pouring words out on the winds). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Ad paenitendum properat, cito qui iudicat (English: Someone who is quick to judge will soon regret it).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is one of my very favorites! Dum canis os rodit, socium, quem diligit, odit (English: While the dog is gnawing a bone, he hates the companion whom he had loved).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Adulterinae plantae non dabunt radices altas (English: Hybrid plants will not produce deep roots).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Vero verius (English: Truer than truth... which sounds just as paradoxical in Latin as it does in English).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Post spinas palma (English: After thorns, the palm... which is to say, you have to be prepared to suffer in order to win the victory).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Lingua inquietum malum, plena veneno mortifero (James 3:8). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Felibus domo absentibus, mures saltant. (English: When the cats are away from the house, the mice leap... much like the English, "when the cat's away, the mice play").

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Capra nondum peperit, haedus autem ludit in tectis (English: The goat hasn't given birth yet, but the kid is already playing on the rooftops - a variation on the same notion as 'counting your chickens before they're hatched' - from Adagia 2.6.10).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Odium Vatinianum (English: Hatred as if for Vatinius; from Adagia 2.2.94 - Vatinius, a politician of Republican Rome, and a proverbial object of hatred; he was a particular enemy of Cicero, among others).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Καθ' ἑαυτοῦ Βελλεροφόντης (English: Bellerophon against himself... an allusion to the famous "letter of Bellerophon" in which he brought the instructions for his own execution - a motif, by the way, which I saw used in a great film by Sam Mendes, Road to Perdition, which I watched this past weekend!).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE IUVENE ET HIRUNDINE, a fable which proves the proverb that "one swallow does not make a summer."

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Cicada et Formica, the famous story of the lazy cricket and the industrious ant.

For an image today, I thought I would grab one of the pages from the Tar Heel reader I created for the story of the ant and the cricket:

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: November 11

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:01:00 -0800

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem tertium Idus Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. Today's verses are from the distichs attributed to Cato, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com as usual:

Successus nolito indigni ferre moleste:
Indulget Fortuna malis, ut vincere possit.

English: "Do not get upset by the successes enjoyed by an unworthy man; Fortune indulges the wicked in order to be able to conquer them." Note the use of that nice future imperative form, nolito. I wish they would give the future imperative a better name: I would happily call it the proverbial imperative, since it is a form you will find often in the proverbs. :-)

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion describes the high regard in which Cato was held, forestalling Caesar's actions: sed cum tacitum ire, et non modo optimatibus id dolere factum, sed plebem etiam uerecundia uirtutis Catonis maestam uideret silentemque sequi, ipse clam unum de tribunis exorauit, ut Catonem eriperet.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today: Nemo cum diabolo iocatur impune (English: No one jokes around with the devil and escapes unharmed).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Tanti homo est sine amico, quanti corpus absque spiritu est (English: A person without a friend is worth as much as a body without breath). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Benignus etiam causam dandi cogitat (English: The generous man even invents reasons for giving).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Non vult scire satur, quid ieiunus patiatur (English: The well-fed man does not want to know what the hungry man feels).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Pullus de nido avolat (English: The chick flies away from the nest... although in human terms, a lot of people sure are living with their parents these days!).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Cave paratus (English: Be ready and beware! - note the nice use of the participle together with the imperative; literally, "having readied yourself, beware").

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Credula res amor (English: Love is a gullible thing - and thus quite different from the English truism that love is a "many-splendored thing").

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Laetare, iuvenis, in adulescentia tua (Ecc. 11:9). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Qui dat gallinam, aliquando recipit bovem (English: Someone who gives a hen every once in a while receives an ox ... and, of course, you probably don't literally want an ox, but metaphorically it's a fine very generous return!).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is In saltu uno duos apros capere (English: To catch two boars in one leap; from Adagia 3.6.63 - something like killing two birds with one stone, but far more impressive).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Cadmea victoria (English: A Cadmean victory; from Adagia 2.8.34 - this is a victory obtained at a great loss, referring to the men who sprang from the dragon teeth sown by Cadmus; they all attacked one another with savage ferocity so that in the end only a few were left to enjoy the victory).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Μισῶ μνάμονα συμπόταν (English: I hate a drinking companion who has a good memory).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE URSO ET ALVEARI, the story of a very angry bear and some equally angry bees.

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Leo et Mus, a version of the story of the lion who did a favor for a mouse, and how the mouse returned the favor. Here is an illustration for the story (image source) by Aractingy:

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: November 10

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:01:00 -0800

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem quartum Idus Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. Today's poem is one of the iambic fables by Desbillons, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com as usual:

Ova Crocodili Gallina olim reperit,
Et incubavit, dum fetus excluderet:
At illi vita vix incoeperunt frui,
Altricem diris enecarunt morsibus.

English: "A chicken once found the eggs of a crocodile and she sat on them until she hatched the chicks, but scarcely had the chicks begun to enjoy the gift of life when they killed their foster mother with gruesome bites." Ouch! For the story of the rooster who found something far less dangerous that crocodile eggs, see the fable of the day below. If you're interested in iambic meter, this little poem is a great one to practice with; the only line with anything unusual is that first line; just syncopate crocodili to make it three syllables and you'll be fine!

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion explores the enmity between Caesar and Cato: Catonem his ausum contra contradicere, Caesar in carcerem abripuit, existimans eum tribunos plebis appellaturum.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today about the dangers of the high life: Quo quisque est altior, eo est periculo proximior (English: The higher anyone is, the closer he is to danger).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Non mare transisset, pavidus si nauta fuisset (English: The sailor would not have crossed the sea, if he had been afraid). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Solet hora, quod multi anni abstulerunt, reddere (English: Often a single hour restores when many years had taken away).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Nulla valet vita, nisi sit virtute polita (English: No life is worthwhile unless it is polished by virtue).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Homo ad laborem nascitur (English: Man is born to labor).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Aeternitatem cogita (English: Ponder what is eternal).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Florebo quocumque ferar (English: I will flourish wherever I am carried).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Ne mittatis margaritas vestras ante porcos (Matt. 7:6). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Canes plurimum latrantes raro mordent (English: The dogs who bark most rarely bite).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Si vultur es, cadaver expecta (English: If you're a vulture, wait for the corpse; from Adagia 1.7.14 - a saying suited for those human "vultures" who are hoping to inherit from an old relative).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Thesssala mulier (English: A woman of Thessaly - in other words, a witch; from Adagia 1.3.12).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Χαλεπὸν χορίου κύνα γεύειν (English: It is bad news when a dog has tasted the afterbirth... you want the dogs to herd the sheep, not eat them, after all; this is a saying you can find one of the idylls of Theocritus).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Rana et Bos, the story of the frog with a puffed-up sense of herself, so to speak.

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE GALLO GALLINACEO, the story of the rooster who found a precious gem in the dungheap.

In honor of Thessalian witches, I thought I would include this medieval image depicting the most famous of all Thessalian witches, Erichtho, from Lucan's Pharsalia:

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: November 9

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:01:00 -0800

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem quintum Idus Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. It's one of the epigrams of Owen, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com, as usual:

Nemo repente bonus: lente properare memento,
Virtutis quamvis || ingrediare viam.
Utile consilium fit inutile festinanti.
Collige primo animum, || corrige deinde tuum.

English: "No one is good by acting quickly; remember to hurry at a slow pace, even if it is the path of virtue you are walking. A useful plan becomes useless when you're in a rush. First focus your mind, then point it in the right direction." What great advice! As you can see, the epigram amplifies the advice to Festina lente, "Make haste slowly." My favorite part is the last bit about Collige animum tuum, and then Corrige - it reminds me of one of my husband's remarks when someone does something foolish: "Ready, fire, aim." This proverb is more optimistic, and assumes we can be reminded to take things slowly, step by step.

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion tells us more about Caesar's alliance with Pompey: Pompeius nuptiis peractis statim armatis forum oppleuit, et in perferendis legibus populum adiuuit; Caesari Gallia omnis cis et trans Alpes lllyricumque decretum cum quatuor legionibus in quinquennium.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one of my favorite proverbs about diversity and unity: Manus digiti coaequales non sunt, omnes tamen usui (English: The fingers of the hand are not equal to one another, but they are all useful).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Suam quisque pellem portat (English: Each carries his own skin). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Nil agere semper infelici est optimum (English: If you're unlucky, the best thing is always to do nothing... in other words: some days it really is better just not even get out of bed, ha ha).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's rhyming proverb is: Quam brevis est hora, quae labat absque mora! (English: How brief is the hour which slips by without tarrying).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Labores manuum tuarum manducabis (English: You will eat the works of your hands).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Vitrea fortuna (English: Fortune is glass - which is to say it both sparkles and shatters).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: In libertate labor (English: In freedom, there is work... most of all, of course, there is the work required to keep your freedom!).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Comedamus et bibamus; cras enim moriemur. (Isaiah 22:13). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Quem taurum metuis, vitulum mulcere solebas (English: The bull whom you know fear you used to pet when it was a calf).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Phoenice rarior (English: More rare than a phoenix; from Adagia More rare than a phoenix - according to at least some ancient accounts, there was only one phoenix at a time in the world, so to be more rare than the phoenix, well, that would be most rare indeed!).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Phani ostium (English: The door of Phanus; from Adagia 2.7.70 - the saying alludes to a certain blind man named Phanus, who made sure his door creaked so no one could sneak in, but his wife's lover simply entered the house by climbing up on the roof - the door of Phanus refers to some sort of precaution that fails in its purpose utterly).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Γέρων βοῦς ἀπένθητος δόμοισι (English: The old ox has no mourners in the household - you can find many sayings about the ungrateful attitude of people towards old oxen, old horses, old dogs, and so on... with the obvious metaphorical implications for the old of the human species as well!).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE LEONE ET MURE, the hilarious story of the mouse who wanted to marry a lion.

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Leo et Socii Eius, the famous fable of the lion's share. Here is an illustration for the story (image source) by Aractingy:

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: November 6 - 8

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:01:00 -0800

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email. Have a great weekend everybody!

HODIE: ante diem octavum Idus Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. It's another one of Owen's elegant little epigrams, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com as usual:

Non est in verbis virtus, at rebus inhaeret:
Res sunt non voces || spes amor atque fides.

English: "Worthiness does not inhere in the words but in the things themselves; hope, love and faith are things, not just words." The epigram reminds me of Hamlet's famous remark to Polonius when asked what he was reading: Words, words, words.

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion turns our attention to Caesar's ridiculous co-consul, Bibulus: Collega Caesaris Bibulus, quam resistendo eius legibus nihil proficeret, sed saepe cum Catone in foro de uita periclitatus esset, domi inclusus reliquum consulatus tempus exegit.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today: Aliena capella distentius uber habet (English: The goat's udder is always more full when it's your neighbor's goat - kind of a barnyard version of "the grass is always greener").

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Qui gladio ferit, gladio perit. (English: He who wounds by the sword, dies by the sword). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Amans iratus multa mentitur sibi (English: The lover, when angry, tells many lies to himself - a saying I would generalize to anybody at all, not just lovers!).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Parvum servabis, donec maiora parabis (English: You need to take care of the little things while you are preparing for bigger things).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Homo frugi omnia recte facit (English: A worthy man does all things well - although the Latin frugi is notoriously impossible to render in English!).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Disce legendo (English: Learn by reading… this is a motto I took so close to heart that I spent a lot of time skipping class in both high school and college - in order to have more time in the library).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Cura curam trahit (English: One worry brings on another - Latin cura can have a positive sense of "care, carefulness," but it can also have a negative sense of "care, worry" - as it clearly does here!).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Futura tempora oblivione cuncta pariter obruent (Ecc. 2:16). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Feles amat pisces sed aquas intrare recusat (English: The cat loves fish but refuses to go into the water - for an illustration, see the image below!).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Cicadam ala corripuisti (English: You've grabbed a cricket by the wing; from Adagia 1.9.28 - which, Erasmus notes, means you've grabbed hold of somebody who even if he is a little guy is going to make a lot of noise in protest!).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Aegaeum navigat (English: He's sailing the Aegean sea; from Adagia 3.1.47 - because of rocks and other perils, the Aegean Sea was proverbially treacherous water in which to sail).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ἀχάριστον εὐεργετεῖν, καὶ νεκρὸν μουρίζειν, ἑνὶ σύγκειται (English: To anoint the dead and to do a good deed for an ungrateful man amounts to one and the same thing: what a vivid saying! I love the idea that an ungrateful man is no better than a corpse… very profound!).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Lupi et Oves, the story of the fatal treaty between the wolves and the sheep.

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE CERVO IN BOVIUM STABULO, the story of a stag in the oxen's stable who could not escape the master's eye.

For an illustration today, here are two pages from my Proverbia de Piscibus at Tar Heel Reader to accompany the proverb above: Feles amat pisces sed aquas intrare recusat.

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: November 5

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:01:00 -0800

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: Nonae Novembres, the Nones of November. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. Today's lines are the moral from one of the iambic fables by Phaedrus, the story of the donkey who insulted the boar. You can find the vocabulary for the entire poem at NoDictionaries.com:

Plerumque stulti, risum dum captant levem,
gravi destringunt alios contumelia,
et sibi nocivum concitant periculum.

English: "Often people who are foolish, when they want to make a light-hearted joke, insult other people with a serious affront and thus stir up dangerous trouble for themselves." The risqué humor of this fable results in it often being omitted from Aesopic collections, especially from collections intended for young people. The moral, however, works fine on its own - it's a dangerous business to insult someone, after all, even as a joke!

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion reports Cato's disgust with Caesar's use of marriage as a political tool: Neque multo post ipse Calpurniam Pisonis filiam duxit, eique consulatum in sequentem annum confecit, maxime tum Catone uociferante et testante ferendos non esse qui nuptiis principatum prostituant et mulierum causa prouincias copiasque mutuo sibi tradant.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today: Amor et melle et felle est fecundissimus (English: Love is extremely abounding in both honey and bile… although the Latin word-play of melle-felle is lost, alas).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Quasi nix tabescit dies (English: Like snow, the day melts away). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Reus innocens fortunam, non testem timet. (English: When an innocent man is accused, he fears no witness, only chance… and, unfortunately - so to speak! - chance does play a role in the judicial process).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Audi doctrinam, si vis vitare ruinam (English: Listen to your lessons if you want to avoid destruction - a fine bit of rhyme for both students and teachers!).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Dei facientes adiuvant. (English: The gods help those who are doers - something like the notion of "God helps them that help themselves").

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Victrix patientia (English: Patience is the victor - although the Latin is especially charming with the feminine victrix to go with the feminine noun patientia).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Musica pellit curas (English: Music drives away worries - and remember, of course, that in Latin, musica is a gift of the Muses!).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Benedicite maledicentibus vobis (Luke 6:28). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Non oportet in urbe nutrire leonem (English: You shouldn't raise a lion in the city - which is good advice both literally AND metaphorically).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Pro perca scorpium (English: In place of a fish, a scorpion; from Adagia 2.6.6 - which, needless to say, is not a very pleasant surprise!).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Deo Fortunaeque committo (English: I put my trust in God and Fortune; from Adagia 3.8.96).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ῥόδον παρελθὼν μηκέτι ζήτει πάλιν (English: The rose, after it has faded, you should not seek again… and I cannot help but see an inadvertent pun here, as if Sarah Palin (πάλιν) should just put her political ambitions aside and not try to revive them, ha ha).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Puer Mendax, the famous story of the boy who cried "Wolf!"

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE SENE ET MORTE, the marvelous story of death, an old man - and the old man's surprising will to live! Here is an illustration for the story drawn by Francis Barlow:

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: November 4

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:01:00 -0800

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: pridie Nonas Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. Today's saying is one of the distichs attributed to Cato, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com:

Quae potus peccas, ignoscere tu tibi noli;
Nam crimen vini nullum est, sed culpa bibentis.

English: Don't cut yourself any slack for the mistakes you make when drunk, for there is no fault in the wine - it's the fault of the of the drinker! Now there is some very wise advice indeed, just as true now as two thousand years ago! :-)

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion describes Caesar's plans to ally himself with Pompey by marriage: At Casar, quo magis potentiam Pompeii suam faceret, Iuliam filiam suam, Seruilio Caepioni desponsatam, Pompeio nuptum dedit, promissa huic Pompeii filia, quae et ipsa Fausto Sylla filio pacta erat.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today: Fruere praesentibus; futura diis committe (English: Make use of things present; entrust things future to the gods).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Inflat se tamquam rana (English: He's puffing himself up like a frog). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Ubi coepit ditem pauper imitari, perit (English: When the poor man begins to imitate the rich, he is ruined - quite a commentary on our hyper-consumerist society).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in rhyming verse form is: Modicus cibi medicus sibi (English: If you can limit your food, you can be your own doctor).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: In Samo lac gallinae (English: There's hen's milk in Samos - this makes the island of Samos an almost mythical place, since "hen's milk" is one of those impossible substances to find in the everyday world).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Ranae aquam (English: Water for a frog - with the verb implied, giving water to a frog, offering water to a frog - which is one thing a frog does not need you to supply).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Amat victoria curam (English: Victory loves care - which is to say: be careful and attentive if you want to win).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Noli esse sicut leo in domo tua, opprimens subiectos tibi (Sirach 4:30). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Avis matura vermem capit (English: The timely bird - a.k.a. the early bird - catches the worm).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Dat veniam corvis, vexat censura columbas (English: The judgment absolves the crows and troubles the doves; from Adagia 3.5.73).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Multa Syrorum olera (English: Many are the vegetables of Syria; from Adagia 1.8.56 - this may refer to garden-variety vegetables, but it might also refer to plants with medicinal or magical uses, for which ancient Syria was famous).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ὦ ὁῖα κεφαλὴ, καὶ ἐγκέφαλον οὐκ ἔχει (English: O what a head, and it has no brains - a saying put to good use in the little Aesop's fable about the fox and the mask).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Aquila et Testudo, the story of the tortoise and the eagle - which is very much like the more famous fable of the tortoise and the hare!

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE VULPE ET AQUILA, another story in which the eagle is bested by a supposedly lesser creature!

In honor of the Greek proverb today - Ὦ ὁῖα κεφαλὴ, καὶ ἐγκέφαλον οὐκ ἔχει - I thought I would include this fun image of the fine face with no brains, from Joseph Jacobs's edition of the fables, illustrated by Richard Heighway:

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: November 3

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:01:00 -0800

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem tertium Nonas Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. Today is one of the emblems of Alciato, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com as usual:

Milvus edax, nimiae quem nausea torserat escae,
Hei mihi, mater, ait, viscera ab ore fluunt.
Illa autem, Quid fles? Cur haec tua viscera credas,
Qui rapto vivens sola aliena vomis?

English: "The greedy kite, tortured by sickness from eating too much, said: Oh mother, my guts are flowing out of my mouth! But his mother replied: What are you crying about? How can you imagine those are your guts, when you make your living as a thief - you are vomiting up some other creature's guts, not your own!" For the emblem that illustrates this weird little fable (Perry 47), see below!

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion is about Pompey's extravagant support of Caesar… and you can tell Plutarch does not approve! Quod dictum pergratum populo, optimates offendit, insano scilicet adolescenti potius conueniens, quam tantae uiro existimationis et a uerecundia senatui debita alienissimum..

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today that you could call a proverb about lobbyists in Washington! Auro quaeque ianua panditur (English: Every door opens wide to gold).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Qui primus venerit, primus molet. (English: He who arrives first, will grind first). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Sapiens locum dat requiescendi iniuriae (English: The wise man allows space for an outrage to settle down… in other words: don't send that angry email! wait at least a day… and THEN see if you still want to send it!).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Non facile manibus vacuis occiditur ursus (English: The bear is not easily killed with empty hands - admittedly, it's not the most dazzling rhyme - manibus-ursus - but I like the saying anyway: don't go out empty-handed to take care of a bear).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Ubi amici ibi opes (English: Where there are friends, there are resources… even if they didn't call it "networking" in the ancient world, Rome knew all about friendship and how to make use of it!).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Asinum tondes (English: You're trying to shear the donkey… which, of course, is a BIG mistake - and the donkey probably doesn't like it, either!).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Mors amoris disiunctio (English: Death breaks the bonds of love - and just look at that lovely wordplay in Latin: mors amoris - almost as if the "a" were an alpha-privative, which it is not, of course… but that doesn't take away from the elegance of the saying!).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Qui tetigerit picem, inquinabitur ab illa (Sirach 13:1). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Ruinis imminentibus, musculi praemigrant (English: When destruction is looming, the little mice emigrate - which is the Latin equivalent of our "rats deserting a sinking ship," although in this case it is mice deserting a house bout to fall down! and yes, musculus, "little mouse," is the origin of our word "muscle" in English, from the way a muscle can ripple under the skin like a mouse running along).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Bove venari leporem (English: To hunt a rabbit with an ox; from Adagia 4.4.44 - and needless to say, of course, this is about as foolish as going empty-handed to hunt the bear in the proverb cited above! if you are going to go hunting, you've got to have the right equipment to succeed!).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Bacchae more (English: In the manner of a Bacchant; from Adagia 1.6.45 - which is to say, in a wild and crazy way; just look at Euripides's play if you want examples of what the Bacchae do!).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Πλίνθον πλύνεις (English: You're washing a brick, which is about as crazy as shearing the donkey, as in the saying above - and yes, this Greek word is the origin of the English word "plinth" comes from, cognate with "flint").

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Canis et Boves, the famous story of the dog in the manger.

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE LUPO ET GRUE, the story of the crane who was foolish enough to do a favor for a wolf.

For an image today, I wanted to include the emblem to go with the Alciato poem above! This is from the marvelous online edition of Alciato at Memorial University:

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: November 2

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:01:00 -0800

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem quartum Nonas Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. It's another one of the rhyming proverbs collected by Wegeler, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com:

Undique per montes currunt in flumina fontes;
Ad mare declivus omnis currit cito rivus.

English: Everywhere over the mountains run the springs into the rivers; every stream runs quickly down towards the sea. Note that declivus (instead of declivis) has been used to rhyme with rivus, with montes-fontes supplying the rhyme in the first line.

TODAY'S TWITTER: I didn't have a chance to use Twitter this weekend, so there is nothing to report, but I'll be back online later on Monday. :-)

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Stultus quoque, si tacuerit, sapiens reputabitur (English: The fool, too, if he can just keep quiet, will be considered a wise man). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Quam miserum est, cum se renovat consumptum malum (English: How wretched it is when a problem which had run its course comes back!).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Laudat adulator, sed non est verus amator (English: A flatterer praises you, but he is not a true admirer).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Immisi fontibus apros (English: I've let boars into the springs - and since the boars are such to muddy the waters, this is not a wise thing to have done!).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Crux floreat (English: Let the cross flourish - a saying which plays on the metaphor of the wood of the cross being like a tree, and, in this case, a flowering tree).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Nihil potentius auro (English: There is no thing that is more powerful than gold).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Homo ad laborem nascitur et avis ad volatum (Job 5:7). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Post tres dies piscis vilescit et hospes (English: After three days a fish begins to stink - and so does a houseguest; you can see my Tar Heel Proverbia de Piscibus for an illustration).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Mus non uni fidit antro (English: A mouse cannot entrust itself to just one hole; from Adagia 5.1.4).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Ad Phasim usque navigavit (English: He's sailed as far away as the Phasis; from Adagia 2.4.49 - which is to say, very far away; the Phasis river, which flows from the Caucasus into the Black Sea, and now called the Rioni River, was at the easternmost limit of Greek geography).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Χρὴ μὴ τὸ κακὸν διὰ κακὸν ἀμύνασθαι (English: It is not right to avenge a wrong by means of a wrong... in other words: two wrongs don't make a right!).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Vulpes et Pardus, a debate between the fox and the leopard about the difference between inner and outer beauty.

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE VULPE ET UVA, the famous story of the fox and the allegedly sour grapes.

For an illustration today, here is the page from my Proverbia de Piscibus at Tar Heel Reader to accompany the proverb above: Post tres dies piscis vilescit et hospes.

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Lupus pilum mutat, non mentem

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:42:00 -0700

In English: A wolf can change his coat but not his character.

In that last post, the wolf was the hero of the story, but that is not always the case, as you can see in today's saying, which warns us instead to beware of the wolf! It may not always look like a wolf, but it will certainly act like a wolf, which could put us in serious danger.

In a literal sense, the wolf might try to change his coat by replacing it with that of a sheep, as in the proverbial "wolf in sheep's clothing," as we saw earlier with the saying that warned us: Pelle sub agnina latitat mens saepe lupina, "Beneath the lamb's skin often lurks a wolf's mind."

The wolf is also famous for trying to change in other ways, such as deciding to become a monk, or deciding to become a vegetarian, or offering to be a midwife to the sow, or making an alliance with the sheep, or even pretending to be a shepherd himself. In all of these situations, the wolf may not look like the typical wolf, but we should always watch out, as these outward changes do not mean that there is any change in the inward wolf, as you can see in Odo of Cheriton's story about the wolf here called Isengrimus here, his name in the medieval beast epic tradition:

Contigit quod quidam Paterfamilias habuit XII Oues. Voluit peregrinari et commendavit Oves suas Ysemgrino, id est Lupo, compatri suo. Et compater iuravit quod bene conservaret eas. Profectus est statim. Ysemgrinus interim cogitavit de Ovibus et uno die comedit de una, altera die de alia, ita quod vix tres invenit Paterfamilias, quando reversus est. Quaerebat a compatre quid factum fuerit de aliis Ovibus. Respondit Ysemgrimus quod mors ex temperalitate venit super eas. Et dixit Paterfamilias: Da mihi pelles; et inventa sunt vestigia dentium Lupi. Et ait Paterfamilias: Reus es mortis; et fecit Lupum suspendi.

It happened that a certain man had twelve sheep. He wanted to go on a journey, and he entrusted the sheep to Isengrimus, that is, to the wolf, his associate. And his associate swore that he would take good care of them. The man departed immediately. Isengrimus meanwhile got to thinking about the sheep and one day he ate one sheep, and the next day he ate another sheep, and so on until the man found scarcely three sheep when he returned home. He asked his associate what had happened to the other sheep. Isengrimus answered that death had come upon them unseasonably. And the man said: Give me their skins, and the traces of the Wolf's teeth could be seen there. And the man said: You are guilty of a capital crime, and he had the wolf hanged.

So, the wolf pays the price in the end for his misdeeds, but it is the man who is the biggest loser: he foolishly trusted his sheep to the care of the wolf and lost his flock as result, when he really should have known better. If only he had paid attention to today's saying!

So, hoping you have managed to avoid all wolves, real and metaphorical, in your vicinity, here is today's proverb read out loud:

Lupus pilum mutat, non mentem.

If you are reading this via RSS: The audio content is not syndicated via RSS; please visit the Latin Audio Proverbs blog to listen to the audio.

For more Latin proverbs, fables and commentary, visit the Bestiaria Latina blog, or you can sign up to receive the latest posts by email.

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Infra tuam pelliculam te contine

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 08:18:00 -0700

In English: Keep yourself within your own skin.

I thought that since yesterday's saying was about a diminutive (edentulus), I would choose another saying with a diminutive today: pellicula, which means "skin" or "hide," which is a diminutive form of the noun pellis.

Using the metaphor of skin, the proverb advises you to stick to your limits, to be yourself, to not overreach yourself. Of course, when it comes to your skin, this is easy: there is nothing you can do that will take you out of your own skin; literally speaking, going beyond your own skin is a physical impossibility. Metaphorically, of course, we are tempted to go beyond our own skin all the time - living beyond our means, pretending to be something we are not, striving for some goal which is far beyond our reach. This proverb instead urges us to be content with our limits, and stick to who we are.

You can find this saying stated in two different ways: intra tuam pelliculuam, and infra tuam pelliculam. The word intra means "within, inside" while the word infra means "underneath, on the under side." Of course, they both convey the same idea, albeit from different metaphorical vantage points, and you can also find the preposition in used also, as in this similar proverb: p. In propria pelle quiesce, "Be at peace in your own skin." Ovid has an interesting variant where he replaces the word "skin" with "Fortune" - intra Fortunam debet quisque manere suam, "each person should remain within his own Fortune."

The word pellicula, meanwhile, might be familiar to those of you who are Spanish speakers, as película, the word for "film," in the sense of moving film, or a movie. In Italian, pellicola refers to photographic film. In English, however, the word "film" comes via the Germanic filminjan, meaning "skin, membrane," from Germanic fell, meaning "hide" - a word that is cognate with Latin pellis, but not derived from it.

So, hoping that you are feeling happy within, beneath or in your own skin at the moment, here are today's proverbs read out loud:

2379. Infra tuam pelliculam te contine.

2463. In propria pelle quiesce.

The number here is the number for this proverb in Latin Via Proverbs: 4000 Proverbs, Mottoes and Sayings for Students of Latin.

If you are reading this via RSS: The audio content is not syndicated via RSS; please visit the Latin Audio Proverbs blog to listen to the audio.

For more Latin proverbs, fables and commentary, visit the Bestiaria Latina blog, or you can sign up to receive the latest posts by email.

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: October 30 - November 1

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:01:00 -0700

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem tertium Kalendas Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. Here's an entire little fable in iambic verse by Desbillons, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com, as usual.

Taurus ferire cornibus ausus est herum:
Secantur illa. Tunc novum meditans scelus:
Haud vereor, inquit, ne mihi secentur pedes
Simulque calce Villicum impacto ferit.

English: "The bull dared to strike his master with his horns; the horns were cut off. Then the bull plotted a new crime. I have no fear that my feet will get cut off, he said, as he thrust his hoof out and struck the peasant." For an illustration, see the picture below! Desbillons has adapted the traditional fable - usually the bull kicks up sand in his master's face, but I like Desbillons's version here, quoting the bull's thoughts as part of the fable!

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion cites Pompey's vigorous defense of Caesar... with all the irony of their future enmity, of course! Promisit hoc uterque, addiditque Pompeius, se contra gladios istos cum ense et scuto etiam uenturum.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today: Incus robusta malleum non timet (English: A strong anvil does not fear the hammer - a saying I picked in response to VerbaLatina's challenge of malleus today).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Non nova sed nove (English: Not new things, but in a new way). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Heu, quam difficilis gloriae custodia est (English: Oh, how difficult is the safe-keeping of public renown).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Nidus testatur, ibi qualis avis dominatur (English: The nest attests what sort of bird rules there).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Una hirundo non facit ver (English: One swallow does not make a spring).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Cave canem (English: Beware the dog!).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Utere sorte tua (English: Make use of your lot in life!).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Quae seminaverit homo, haec et metet (Gal. 6:7). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is In sinu viperam habet (English: He's got a viper in his breast pocket - in other words, he's nursing at enemy at dangerously close quarters).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Scarabeus citius faciet mel (English: Sooner than a beetle makes honey, from Adagia 4.8.17 - in other words, NEVER; compare the Englsih saying "when hell freezes over").

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Ne Iupiter quidem omnibus placet (English: Not even Jupiter can please everybody; from Adagia 2.7.55 - this saying is sometimes applied to the notion of Jupiter as a way to refer to the weather: some people like it hot, but some cold; some people want it to rain, but others would prefer clear skies - which is the basis for this Aesop's fable about the two sisters, one married to a gardener, and one to a potter).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ἀυτοῦ Ῥόδος, αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ πήδημα (English: Here is Rhodes; here too make your jump - which is the punchline from a famous fable about Aesop and a boastful athlete).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Leo et Socii, Vulpes et Asinus, a version of the "lion's share" featuring the fox and the donkey as the lion's unfortunate partners.

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE LUPO ET SUE, the story of the wolf and his false offers of friendship.

For an illustration, here is Steinhowel's Aesop from 1479, with an illustration of the ill-tempered bull and his master; the illustration shows the moment in the story when the master decides to try cutting the bull's horns short:

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: October 29

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:01:00 -0700

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem quartum Kalendas Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. Today features one of my favorite verses collected by Wegeler! The word list is at NoDictionaries.com as usual:

Multa rogare, rogata tenere, retenta docere:
Haec tria discipulum faciunt superare magistrum.

English: "Ask many things, keep in mind what you have asked, teach what you have kept in mind; these three things make the student exceed his teacher." Isn't that an absolutely fabulous bit of advice??? I hope all my students will do exactly that, and leave me far far far behind as they set out on their own ambitious learning paths!

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion shows Caesar making a very public declaration of his alliance with Crassus and Pompey: et a lateribus suis hinc Pompeium, inde Crassum collocans, quaesiuit ex iis, ecquid leges has probarent: affirmanteque utroque, hortatus est ut in eos opitularentur, qui gladiis se contra acturos minarentur.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today which is a variation on the English saying about "once bitten, twice shy" - Tranquillas etiam naufragus horret aquas (English: A shipwrecked person shudders at the water, even when it is calm.).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Lepore timidior (English: More timid than a rabbit). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Mora omnis odio est, sed facit sapientiam (English: All delay is hateful, but it makes wisdom … I just wish I could convince my students that learning really does take time - something almost none of them have to spare, alas).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Esto pius vere super his qui te genuere (English: Be truly respectful toward those who gave you birth).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Evenit illi quod Polluci. (English: He suffered the fate of Pollux - this is a saying derived from Suetonius's life of Julius Caesar, in fact, where Marcus Bibulus complains that just as the temple in the Forum for the brothers Castor and Pollux bore only the name of Castor, so his joint projects with Caesar were credited always to Caesar alone - so the saying refers to that all-too-common situation where a member of a famous pair gets neglected in favor of his partner).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Spectemur agendo (English: In the act of doing, let us be observed: in other words, let us be judged by our deeds, as Ajax demanded in Ovid's Metamorphoses).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Crambe recocta molestior (English: It is more tiresome than leftover cabbage… now, I personally don't object to leftover cabbage - but you get the idea!).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Noli vinci a malo, sed vince in bono malum (Romans 12:21). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Ubi mel, ibi apes. (English: Where there is honey, there are also bees - so, watch out!).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Asinus ad lyram (English: Like a donkey to the lyre; from Adagia 1.4.35 - a saying that reflects the poor donkey's efforts to be a cultured sort of fellow, despite being a dimwit - is he listening to the lyre and failing to appreciate its music? …or has he picked up a lyre and tried to play it? Either way, the message comes through just the same: the donkey may pretend to be culturally refined, but the actual results are purely risible).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Herculei labores (English: The labors of Heracles; from Adagia 3.1.1 - and for the inclusion of this particular adage in a portrait of Erasmus, see the image below!)

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ἀρχὴν ἰᾶσθαι πολὺ λώϊον ἢ τελευτήν (English: It's more desirable by far to remedy the beginning of something than the end).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Aves et Quadrupedes, the story of the role played by the bat in the battle of the beasts and the birds.

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE AUCUPE ET PERDICE, just like the bat, the bird in this story is willing to play a treacherous role to save her own life!

Below is a famous portrait of Erasmus by Hans Holbein the Younger; along the edge of the book facing the viewer the letters read "The Labors of Heracles" in Greek (ΗΡΑΚΛΕΙΟΙ ΠΟΝΟΙ = HERAKLEIOI PONOI), alluding to the amazing feats which Erasmus accomplished in his life as a scholar. Click here to see a larger view of the image, where the writing on the book is very clear

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: October 28

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:01:00 -0700

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem quintum Kalendas Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. This is another one of Owen's elegant little epigrams, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com, as usual:

Vivere vix quid sit novi: mirum nil ergo,
Si quid sit nasci || nescio, quidve mori.

English: "I've scarcely learned what it is to live: no wonder then, if I don't know what it is to be born, or what it is to die." They are, of course, the two great mysteries, the bookends of life, being born and dying - with appropriately mysterious deponent verbs for both of them in Latin, nasci and mori.

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion continues the story of Caesar's rise to power in opposition to the Senate: In senatu autem optimatibus repugnantibus, arrepta quam dudum quaerebat occasione, magna uoce obtestatus inuitum se & ui coactum ad populum confugere eique se committere iniuriis & uiolentia senatus compulsum, ex Curia se in forum proripuit.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today: Omnia quae nitent aurea non sunt (which is a Latin version of a proverb well-known in English: "all that glitters is not gold").

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Tempus est vitae magister (English: Time is the teacher of life). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Patiens et fortis se ipsum felicem facit (English: The man who is patient and courageous makes himself a happy man - an unusual combination, patiens et fortis, definitely worth pondering!).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Pelle sub agnina latitat mens saepe lupina (English: The mind of a wolf may often hide beneath the skin of a lamb).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Lusciniae non deest cantio (English: The nightingale has no lack of song).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Spe expecto (English: I wait in hope; there is a word-play in the Latin between spe and ex-spe-cto, even though there is no linguistic relationship between the words).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Qui tacet, consentit (English: A Latin equivalent of the familiar English saying, "silence is consent").

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Melior est sapientia quam vires. (Wisdom 6:1). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Est avis in dextra melior quam quattuor extra. (English: This is the Latin equivalent of "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" - although there are four birds in the Latin, and it rhymes, too!).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Nisi si qua vidit avis (English: Not unless a little bird saw it; from Adagia 2.2.28 - this refers to some event that had no witnesses at all, unless, perhaps some tiny bird happened to be there, unnoticed; compare the English saying "a little bird told me," when you want to claim knowledge of an event to which you yourself could not have been a witness).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Phryx plagis emendatur (English: A Phrygian has to be corrected with blows; from Adagia 1.8.36, in which a person from Phrygian is considered something like a donkey in human form, a slow-witted dolt who cannot respond to reason - a sentiment you can find in Cicero, for example, in references to witnesses from Phrygia, in ancient Anatolia = modern-day Turkey).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ἀνδρὸς ὑπ' ἐσθλοῦ καὶ τυραννεῖσθαι καλόν (English: If a man is good, then it is a fine thing even to be ruled over by him... which I guess is a saying I can endorse, although such good men are few and far between!).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Formicae et Cicada, the story of the grasshopper who went to the ants, begging for food - round about this time of the year, in fact!

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE VITULA ET BOVE, about the heifer and the ox.

For an image today, I wanted to include one of the wolf in sheep's clothing: Pelle sub agnina latitat mens saepe lupina, as in the rhyming proverb for today. There are so many images online to choose from, but I though this one was one of the best! What a great use of Photoshop - wow!

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: October 27

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:01:00 -0700

~ ~ ~

NOTA BENE: A student at Rhodes College sent me a note yesterday asking to spread the word about a blog he has created for his Latin composition class - you can see the first post here! Vinum: Vinum alcoholicus potus est

~ ~ ~

HODIE: ante diem sextum Kalendas Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. Today's dactylic verses are from Horace (Sermones), with a word list at NoDictionaries.com - it's Horace's definition of the simple life he longed for:

Hoc erat in votis: modus agri non ita magnus,
hortus ubi et tecto vicinus iugis aquae fons
et paulum silvae super his foret. [...]

English: "This was in my prayers: a bit of land, not too large, where there would be a garden and a source of ever-flowing water near the house, and a bit of woods besides." Glory hallelujah: I've found Horace's idyll here in Timberlake North Carolina (although our aqua iugis is a well underground, not a babbling brook aboveground as Horace probably hoped for!).

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion begins Caesar's term as consul: eumque splendide impetrauit, Calpurnio Bibulo collega. Ut primum uero magistratum iniit, illico leges de agris diuidendis in gratiam multitudinis tulit, quae non consulem, sed petulantissimum aliquem tribunum plebis decerent.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today that features a nice word-play in the Latin: Avaritia omnia vitia habet (English: Greed encompasses all the vices).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Nocumentum documentum (English: A loss, a lesson). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Metuendum est semper, esse cum tutus velis (English: If you want to be safe, there's always something to fear).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Parva iuventutis plerumque est cura salutis (English: In general, youth has little concern for safety).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Melior est mors, quam vita amara (English: Better is death than a life which is bitter).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Fata obstant (English: The fates block my way - a saying adapted from Vergil's Aeneid).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Frango dura patientia (English: By being patient, I shatter things that are hard).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Tempus flendi et tempus ridendi (Ecc. 3:4). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Corvus corvo nigredinem obicit (English: One crow is calling the other one black - something like our saying about the pot calling the kettle black!).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Canis reversus ad vomitum (English: The dog has gone back to its vomit; from Adagia 3.5.13 - something you've probably all seen in real life, of course - and it's made famous in the Biblical Book of Proverbs).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Chironium vulnus (English: A wound of Chiron; from Adagia 2.8.21; this refers to the story of the centaur Chiron being shot with an arrow dipped in the hydra's poisonous blood - although Chiron was a great healer, he could not heal his own wound!).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Μὴ ὢν Σύρος μὴ Σύριζε (English: Since you're not a Syrian, don't act like a Syrian - kind of the opposite of "when in Rome, do as the Romans").

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Cornix et Urna, the story of the wise crow who was able to get a drink from a deep pot of water.

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE LUPO OVIS PELLE INDUTO, a story of a proverbial wolf in sheep's clothing... although, as you can see from the illustration by Barlow, the disguise did not do the wolf any good!

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: October 26

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:11:00 -0700

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem septimum Kalendas Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. Today's couplet is from Cato's Distichs, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com as usual

Sermones blandos blaesosque cavere memento:
Simplicitas veri forma est, laus ficta loquentis.

English: "Remember to watch out for sweet and simpering words: the guise of truth is straightforwardness, while praise is the guise of someone speaking falsehoods." You can see this advice put into practice by the goat in the fable of the goat and the wolf below! :-)

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion continues Caesar's alliance with Pompey and Crassus: Verum Caesar Crassi Pompeiique amicitia stipatus consulatum petiit. (And yes, that Latin participle stipatus is the same as the root you see in the English word "constipated"...!)

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's a rhyming proverb from today: Si lupus ēst agnum, non est mirabile magnum (English: If a wolf eats a lamb, it's no great surprise - note also the word play of ēst and est).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Numquam est fidelis cum potente societas (English: An alliance with someone powerful is never reliable). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Semper plus metuit animus ignotum malum (English: The mind always fear more the evil that is unknown - something like our saying about "better the devil you know than the devil you don't").

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Mollificat diram responsum mollius iram (English: A very gentle response can soften cruel wrath).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Video ursam parientem (English: I see a she-bear giving birth - a saying meant to convey the idea of seeing something absolutely rare and hard to detect - as Pliny the Elder acknowledged).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Lotum gustavit (English: He's tasted of the lotus... a Homeric allusion which has an eerie parallel in the modern saying "to drink the Kool-Aid").

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Laudatore nihil insidiosius (English: There is nothing more treacherous than a person who flatters you, as "Cato" also warns us in the couplet cited above!).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Sapientia absconsa et thesaurus invisus: quae utilitas in utrisque? (Sirach 20:30). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Mali corvi malum ovum (English: The bad egg of a bad crow, a saying you can find in many languages).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Ranis vinum praeministras (English: You're serving wine to frogs; from Adagia 2.3.20 - this is a fool's errand, since you are giving something to someone who does not need it or want it!).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Pomarius Hercules (English: Hercules the apple-man; from Adagia 2.7.1 - Erasmus cites Suda for this saying, about how some poor men were going to sacrifice a bull to Hercules, but the bull broke free and escaped, and they had nothing else to offer, so they grabbed an apple from a tree, stuck four twigs in it as legs, and two more twigs as horns and offered this to Hercules; the proverb thus refers to something that pretends to be grand and illustrious, but which is really cheap and paltry; a for a different reading of the Suda, see the Suda Online Project).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ἄλλοισι μὴν γλῶσσα, ἄλλοισι δὴ γόμφιοι (English: Some have a tongue, and others have molars - a saying that refers to dinner parties where some people come to talk, and others come to eat).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE VULPE ET LUPO, the story of how the fox had to ask a wolf for help.

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Capra et Lupus, the story of a goat who was able to see through the wolf's tricks.

In honor of all the wolves that appeared in today's items, I thought I would include this image that I saw in the delightful Latin Twitter feed for lrisatus, Ecce lupus ibericus in clausum pastoris introeuns:

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: October 24 - October 25

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 21:01:00 -0700

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem nonum Kalendas Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. Today's poem is an entire little fable in iambic verse by the Renaissance poet Faernus, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com as usual (note that milvius is a metrical alternative for milvus, the rapacious hawk):

Murem rogat laqueo impeditus milvius
Se liberet. Mus id facit rodens plagam,
Compensat hoc murem vorando milvius.
Mali malas bonis rependunt gratias.

English: "A hawk, caught in a snare, asks the mouse to set him free. The mouse does this by gnawing the net; the kite repays the mouse by gobbling him up! Such are the wicked thanks with which wicked people repay good deeds." The contrast between this fable and the more famous fable of the mouse and the lion is very strong - with this fable providing a healthy reminder of how things often do often turn out in this wicked world of ours! For those of you interested in meter, this is a perfect little iambic poem to read aloud; except for the elision in the first line (laqu'impeditus), there is nothing to beware of at all, with none of those metrical substitutions that can sometimes make iambic meter so hard to read.

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion is about Cato's growing alarm at Caesar's alliances: Cato autem saepenumero quae futura essent uaticinans, eum solum fructum tulit, ut tum morosus et curiosus homo, post prudentior quam felicior consultor haberetur (that's a great example of curious in Latin, rendering πολυπράγμων from Plutarch's Greek).

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's an amazing little saying about lifelong learning - and it rhymes, too: Discite victuri, sed vivite cras morituri (English: Learn as if you were going to live, but live as if you were going to die tomorrow).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Victrix malorum patientia est (English: Patience is the conqueror of evils). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Iracundiam qui vincit, hostem superat maximum (English: If you tame your anger, you defeat your greatest enemy… sadly, this proverb is very true in my own case - but proverbs help us realize that each of us is not alone in being our own worst enemy!).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Mortales laetos vinum facit atque facetos (English: Wine makes us mortals happy and witty… although I do feel obliged to add: wine in moderation!).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Asinus ad lyram (English: The donkey listens to the lyre… but, of course, being a donkey, he is hardly a connoisseur of the music!).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Species decipit (English: Appearances are deceiving!).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Ferrum robigo consumit (English: Rust eats away the iron… don't let the word order fool you: ferrum has to be the object, not the subject, here).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Veniunt ad vos in vestimentis ovium; intrinsecus autem sunt lupi rapaces (Matt. 7:15). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Plaustrum bovem trahit (English: The cart is dragging the ox - in other words, someone has put their cart before the horse, as we would say in English).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Noctua inter cornices (English: An owl amongst the crows - which is a proverbially incongruous situation, from Adagia 1.5.41 - in this case, the saying refers to a slow-witted person getting mixed up with some characters who are far smarter than he is - and also much louder!).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Lydus in meridie (English: A Lydian at noon; from Adagia 2.6.94; the proverbial saying alludes to the supposedly oversexed inhabitants of ancient Lydians, so eager in their pursuit of sexual pleasures that they would even indulge in such pursuits in the heat of midday.).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ἅμαξα τὸν βουν ἕλκει (English: The cart is pulling the ox… what a coincidence: this is also one of the Latin sayings for today, cited above!).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Pavo et Grus, a debate between the peacock and the crane about the meaning of beauty.

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE LEONE AMATORIO, the sad story of the unsuspecting lion in love.

For an image today, I chose this page from a Tar Heel Reader (the fable of Venus and the cat), which illustrates one of the Latin sayings from today: Species decipit.

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: October 23

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:01:00 -0700

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem decimum Kalendas Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. This one is from the emblems of Alciato (Alciato 167), along with a word list at NoDictionaries.com - plus you can see the emblem online!

Delphinem invitum me in littora compulit aestus,
Exemplum, infido || quanta pericla mari.
Nam si nec propriis Neptunus parcit alumnis,
Quis tutos homines || navibus esse putet?

The Memorial Web Edition of Alciato provides an English translation, along with an image of the emblem showing the dolphin cast up onto the shore!

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion explains more about Caesar and Pompey: Non enim Caesaris et Pompeii dissidium, quod plerique putant, ciuilium bellorum causa fuit, sed amicitia uerius eorum, quam initio ad euertendum optimatium in ciuitate principatum initam deinde disciderunt.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today with a very nice rhyme: Partem da cuique: sic non partiris inique (English: Give each his portion: in that way you will not apportion unfairly).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Vinum memoriae mors (English: Wine is the death of memory). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Fortuna unde aliquid fregit, cassum est reficere (English: After Fortune has broken something, it's useless to try to repair it - for Fortune, here, of course, the idea is misfortune or bad luck, rather than good luck!).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: ransit, ut unda fluens, tempus et hora ruens (English: Like a wave that flows, time passes by, and so too the rushing hour).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Vive moribus praeteritis, loquere verbis praesentibus (English: Live by the habits of the past, speak with the words of the present).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Mutabilis casus (English: Chance is fickle… as we saw already in the proverb about Fortune above!).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Doceat qui didicit (English: Let the person who has learned teach… which is exactly my philosophy of teaching: if I can share what I have learned about the Internet with my students, and they can share what they have learned with others… well, we will eventually just take over the world, right?).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Viventes sciunt se esse morituros; mortui vero nihil noverunt amplius (Ecc. 9:5). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Nemo cum serpente securius ludit (English: No one plays very safely with a serpent).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Leonem ex unguibus (English: You can tell a lion by its claws; from Adagia 1.9.34 - which is why you have to feel so sorry indeed for the declawed lion in the Aesop's fable about the lion in love).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Atlas caelum (English: Atlas [holds up] the sky; from Adagia 1.1.67 - which, indirectly, is how we end up with the word "atlas" in English).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ὁ κοινὸς ἰατρός σε θεραπεύσει χρόνος (English: The universal physician, Time, will heal you).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Lupus et Pastores, the marvelous story of how the wolf accused the shepherds of hypocrisy - and what the shepherds said in their defense… although you have to wonder what the SHEEP would say about all of this, eh?

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE VULPECULA ET CICONIA, the story of "turn-about is fair play" when the stork invites the fox to dinner.

For an image today, I wanted to include my Tar Heel Reader with proverbs about snakes, including the one from today: Nemo cum serpente securius ludit.

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: October 22

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:01:00 -0700

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem undecimum Kalendas Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. Today's lines come from one of Horace's dactylic hexameter epistles (Epist. 1.2), with a word list at NoDictionaries.com:

[...] Vivendi qui recte prorogat horam,
rusticus expectat dum defluat amnis; at ille
labitur et labetur in omne volubilis aevum.

English: "He who puts off the time for getting his life in order is like the country bumpkin who waits for the stream to run out of water, but that stream flows and will keep on flowing, winding its course into all eternity." The metaphor of the river of time is exploited here ingeniously by Horace, so that people who procrastinate (like me) look as silly as someone who thinks that if he waits long enough, the river will run out of water.

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion continues the account of how Caesar reconciled Crassus and Pompey to his own advantage: eorumque potentiam in unum conflatam ad se transferens, perhumano titulo tenus facto rempublicam nemine animaduertente peruertit.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today about the undeniable advantage conferred by good luck: Gutta fortunae prae dolio sapientiae (English: A drop of good luck is better than a barrel full of wisdom).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Etiam me meae latrant canes (English: Even my own dogs are barking at me). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Amare et sapere vix deo conceditur (English: To both love and be wise is hardly possible even for a god).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Non bene tutus erit, quisquis nimis ardua quaerit (English: Whoever seeks things too high, will not be well protected - the rhyme is better on this one with the later Latin pronuncitation, querit).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Si Deus pro nobis, quis contra nos? (English: If God is for us, who is against us?).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Lumen numen (English: The divinity is light; numen being a truly fascinating Latin word, the divine "nod").

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Conscientia verberat animum (English: A guilty conscience is a scourge to the soul).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Aedificate alterutrum (I Thess. 5:11). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Dum fugans canis mingit, fugiens lepus evasit (English: When a pursuing dog stops to pee, the pursued rabbit gets away).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Canis mendico auxilians (English: A dog that helps the beggar; from Adagia 4.2.88 - note that this is an ironic proverb, a kind of impossibility, since the dogs and the beggars are naturally enemies, not allies, unless the beggar placates the dog by giving it bread.).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day: Today's proper name proverb is Herculi clavam subtrahit. (English: He's snatching the club out of Hercules's own hand - a dangerous deed, especially since Hercules would keep a firm grip on that club, it being his weapon of choice).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ἂν μὴ παρῇ κρέας, ταριχῇ στερκτέον (English: If there's no meat on the table, then you have to settle for dried fish).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Accipiter et Luscinia, the sad story of the nightingale caught by the hawk.

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE ACCIPITRE COLUMBAM INSEQUENTE, this time the story of a hawk who failed to catch its prey!

For an image today, here's one to go with the proverb cited above: Herculi clavam subtrahit. This is an ancient mosaic that shows Hercules using his club to defeat the Hydra; as you can see, Hercules knows how to wield a club!

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: October 21

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:01:00 -0700

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem duodecimum Kalendas Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. Today's poem is another one of the rhyming couplets collected by Wegeler, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com as usual:

Tutius est solam taciturnam ducere vitam,
Quam secum socios || prorsus habere malos.

English: "It is safer to lead a quiet, solitary life than to have entirely evil associates by your side." Note that both of the rhymes are grammatical: solam-vitam in the first line, and socios-malos in the second. I know that such rhyming is not classical - but it sure does make the couplet easier to memorize! :-)

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion shows Caesar hatching a new strategy when he gets back to Rome: Ut primum in urbem uenit, callide eam rem confecit, qua uniuersos homines, solo excepto Catone, decepit. Pompeium enim et Crassum ex graui discordia in gratiam mutuo restituit, qui duo facile totius ciuitatis erant potentissimi.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today about why it's better just to learn to get along with each other: Ira parit litem, lis proelia, proelia mortem (English: Anger breeds quarrels, quarrels breed battles, and battles breed death).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Via trita via tuta (English: The well-worn way is the safe way). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Cavendi nulla est dimittenda occasio (English: You should never ignore any chance to act cautiously).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Quamvis tarda venit, sors sua quemque ferit (English: Although it might come late, each man's fate strikes him - admittedly, it's not a really strong rhyme this time, venit-ferit, but it's still an elegant line of Latin!).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Altera manu panem ostentat, altera fert lapidem (English: With one hand he holds out bread, in the other he carries a stone).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Percussus resurgo (English: Beaten, I rise up again).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Deo nihil impossibile (English: For God, nothing is impossible).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Oculos habentes non videtis et aures habentes non auditis (Mark 8:18). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Bonus pastor animam suam dat pro ovibus suis (English: The good shepherd gives his life for his sheep).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Qui inspuerit in agmen formicarum, huic intumescant labra (English: He who spits in the anthill gets swollen lips; from Adagia 4.6.80).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day: Today's proper name proverb is Caesar non supra grammaticos (English: Caesar is not above the grammarians - a saying associated with the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund and his grammatically incorrect use of the word schisma).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ὁ Ζεὺς κολαστὴς τῶν ἄγαν ὑπερφρόνων (English: Zeus is the punisher of those who think too highly of themselves).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE AGRICOLA ET CICONIA, the story of the stork who was caught with the geese and the cranes.

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Vulpes et Leo in Spelunca, the famous story of the footprints that go into the cave and don't come out. Here is an illustration for the story (image source) from a Renaissance edition of the fables:

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

102. Bos et Iuvencus

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:03:00 -0700

I've embarked on a new Latin fable project here at the Latin Via Fables blog: digitizing the 300 fables in the Mithologica sacro-profana, seu florilegium fabularum by P. Irenaeus, published in 1666, which has recently become available at GoogleBooks. For a complete index of the fables in the book, with links to the fables I've digitized so far, check out the Aesopus wiki page at Aesopus.PBwiki.com.

Today's fable is Bos et Iuvencus, the story of a hard-working ox and a frivolous calf. In Perry's indexing system, this is Perry 3oo.

To make reading the fable easier, I've provided a segmented version of the story below.

Bovem aetate iuxta et labore confectum Iuvencus, comptus ac petulans, iugi adhuc expers, intuens, irridebat, exprobrans scabram pellem, cutem rugosam, et cervicem iugo attritam, plaustri denique duram necessitatem; et contra vegetae aetatis suae statum, otia, lascivias efferebat; nequicquam respondente aut mussitante Bove. Non diu post, cum solemnes sacrorum dies recursarent et pro sacrificio quaereretur victima, Bos dimittitur, Iuvencus rapitur immolandus, quem, dimisso iam capite et lento gressu, cum ad aram duceretur, Bos videns, "Nolim (inquit), O mi frater, afflicto tibi afflictionem dare, sed cum ita sors tulerit, tuo iam experimento comperi verum esse quod olim audivi: vecordem esse iuventutem, sed ubi petulantia adolescentiae iungitur, vix e malis emergere, sapuisses forte, si senuisses.

Bovem
aetate iuxta et labore confectum
Iuvencus,
comptus ac petulans,
iugi adhuc expers,
intuens,
irridebat,
exprobrans
scabram pellem,
cutem rugosam,
et cervicem iugo attritam,
plaustri denique
duram necessitatem;
et contra
vegetae aetatis suae
statum,
otia, lascivias efferebat;
nequicquam respondente
aut mussitante Bove.
Non diu post,
cum
solemnes sacrorum dies
recursarent
et pro sacrificio
quaereretur victima,
Bos dimittitur,
Iuvencus rapitur
immolandus,
quem,
dimisso iam capite
et lento gressu,
cum ad aram duceretur,
Bos videns,
"Nolim (inquit),
O mi frater,
afflicto tibi
afflictionem dare,
sed
cum ita sors tulerit,
tuo iam experimento comperi
verum esse
quod olim audivi:
vecordem esse iuventutem,
sed ubi petulantia
adolescentiae iungitur,
vix e malis emergere,
sapuisses forte,
si senuisses.

Here's an illustration for the fable (image source):

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

101. De Adolescente et Hirundine.

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 13:12:00 -0700

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

100. De Delectore Militum

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:30:00 -0700

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

99. De Equo Despecto

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:05:00 -0700

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Irenaeus Fable 98: Vulpes et Pardus

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 15:13:00 -0700

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Irenaeus Fable 97: Lepus et Vulpes, De Nobilitate

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:11:00 -0700

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Irenaeus Fable 96: Canis et Asinus, Socii

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:09:00 -0700

I've embarked on a new Latin fable project here at the Latin Via Fables blog: digitizing the 300 fables in the Mithologica sacro-profana, seu florilegium fabularum by P. Irenaeus, published in 1666, which has recently become available at GoogleBooks. For a complete index of the fables in the book, with links to the fables I've digitized so far, check out the Aesopus wiki page at Aesopus.PBwiki.com.

Today's fable is De Cane et Asino, the story of a dog who recruited a donkey as his ally in the war with the wolf. This is a funny little story that I have not seen anywhere else that I can remember; is anybody familiar with other sources for this story?

To make reading the fable easier, I've provided a segmented version of the story below.

Canis domesticus, de eorum genere quos vocant molossos, bellum gerens cum lupo, cum se viribus imparem crederet, socium pugnae sibi asciscendum putavit; et contemplatus de vicino Asinum, praegrandi corpore instructum, voce, tonitrui instar, rudentem, clitellis, velut thorace, armatum, inde reputans strenuum et bellicosum, rogavit in consortium pugnae, et, ut sperabat, certae victoriae. Acceptam habet invitationem Asinus, promittit se non defuturum. Ergo tali commilitone Canis factus audacior, provocat Lupum. Is descendit in arenam, sed ubi eum eminus conspexit Asinus, sine mora, proripit se e lycaeo et, concito cursu, horribiliter rudens et prae timore crepitans ac stercorans omnia, fugae praesidium sumit. Quod advertens Canis, et ipse fugit, dicens, Heu me infortunatum! Putavi Achillem habere, et inveni Thersitem. Certe a specie externa de quoquam minime est iudicandum.

Canis domesticus,
de eorum genere
quos vocant molossos,
bellum gerens cum lupo,
cum
se viribus imparem
crederet,
socium pugnae
sibi asciscendum
putavit;
et
contemplatus de vicino
Asinum,
praegrandi corpore instructum,
voce, tonitrui instar, rudentem,
clitellis, velut thorace, armatum,
inde reputans
strenuum et bellicosum,
rogavit
in consortium pugnae,
et, ut sperabat, certae victoriae.
Acceptam habet invitationem
Asinus,
promittit
se non defuturum.
Ergo
tali commilitone
Canis factus audacior,
provocat Lupum.
Is descendit in arenam,
sed ubi
eum eminus conspexit
Asinus,
sine mora,
proripit se e lycaeo
et,
concito cursu,
horribiliter rudens
et prae timore crepitans
ac stercorans omnia,
fugae praesidium sumit.
Quod advertens Canis,
et ipse fugit,
dicens,
Heu me infortunatum!
Putavi Achillem habere,
et inveni Thersitem.
Certe
a specie externa
de quoquam
minime est iudicandum.

Here's an illustration for the fable (image source), here's a funny picture of a real donkey-and-dog pair:

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Irenaeus Fable 95: Vulpes et Caput Humanum

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:07:00 -0700

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Irenaeus Fable 94: Asinus et Heri Eius

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 15:05:00 -0700

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Irenaeus Fable 93: Columbae, Milvus et Accipiter

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 14:52:00 -0700

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Irenaeus Fable 92: Ranae et Rex Earum

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 05:01:00 -0700

I've embarked on a new Latin fable project here at the Latin Via Fables blog: digitizing the 300 fables in the Mithologica sacro-profana, seu florilegium fabularum by P. Irenaeus, published in 1666, which has recently become available at GoogleBooks. For a complete index of the fables in the book, with links to the fables I've digitized so far, check out the Aesopus wiki page at Aesopus.PBwiki.com.

Today's fable is De Ranis Regem postulantibus, the story of the frogs who foolishly wanted a king. In Perry's indexing system, this is Perry 44.

To make reading the fable easier, I've provided a segmented version of the story below.

Ranae, regem habere cupientes, Iovi supplicant sibi dari regem; risit Iupiter ad vota ranarum, illae interim clamant et coaxare non desinunt, donec earum importunis clamoribus victus, e caelo demisit in earum stagnum immanem trabem, cuius cadentis fragore attonitae, initio siluere, sed postea audaciores, sensim accedere, desuper desultare, garrire, et ludibrio habere coeperunt; redeunt ad Iovem, querulae, non trabem se, sed regem velle, qui cor, os et sensum habeat. Iupiter, fremens, mittit loquacibus bestiis Ciconiam, quae, paludem perambulans, quotquot obvias habet, vivas devorat. Redeunt iterum ad Iovem, nec sic se velle regem, alium petunt, sed frustra, non audit importunas loquaces, ut propterea queri et coaxare non desinant, talis est conditio mortalium, ut nemo subiici velit.

Ranae,
regem habere cupientes,
Iovi supplicant
sibi dari regem;
risit Iupiter
ad vota ranarum,
illae interim clamant
et coaxare non desinunt,
donec
earum importunis clamoribus
victus,
e caelo demisit
in earum stagnum
immanem trabem,
cuius cadentis fragore
attonitae,
initio siluere,
sed postea audaciores,
sensim accedere,
desuper desultare, garrire,
et ludibrio habere coeperunt;
redeunt ad Iovem,
querulae,
non trabem se,
sed regem velle,
qui
cor, os et sensum habeat.
Iupiter, fremens,
mittit loquacibus bestiis
Ciconiam,
quae,
paludem perambulans,
quotquot obvias habet,
vivas devorat.
Redeunt iterum ad Iovem,
nec sic se velle regem,
alium petunt,
sed frustra,
non audit importunas loquaces,
ut propterea
queri et coaxare non desinant,
talis est conditio mortalium,
ut nemo subiici velit.

Here's an illustration for the fable (image source) from a Renaissance edition of Aesop:

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Irenaeus Fable 91: Leo et Homo, De Fortiore

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 02:48:00 -0700

I've embarked on a new Latin fable project here at the Latin Via Fables blog: digitizing the 300 fables in the Mithologica sacro-profana, seu florilegium fabularum by P. Irenaeus, published in 1666, which has recently become available at GoogleBooks. For a complete index of the fables in the book, with links to the fables I've digitized so far, check out the Aesopus wiki page at Aesopus.PBwiki.com.

Today's fable is De Leone et Homine, the story of the lion and the man who debated about which of them was the stronger. In Perry's indexing system, this is Perry 284.

To make reading the fable easier, I've provided a segmented version of the story below.

Leo et Homo, simul iter facientes, inter confabulandum in hanc incurrunt quaestionem, uter eorum altero esset fortior nobiliorque; quisque commendare se, certatimque allegare quae poterat in sua causa. Sed cum uterque vincere, neuter alteri cedere, vellet, venerunt in quemdam locum, in quo columnae marmoreae visebantur, et in eis prominenti opere pugna Hominis et Leonis insculpata, illius Leonem pedibus atterentis ac suffocantis. Ad quod erectus homo, ad Leonem: Haec sculptura (inquit) nostram litem apposite dirimit terminatque, ostenditque quanto Leonibus antistent Homines. Cui Leo: Ita est (inquit), si vobis creditur. Sculptura haec hominis opera est, sed si Leones artem scribendi aut effigiandi callerent, pingerent utique Homines Leonibus substratos. Haec indicant innatam cuique dominandi appetentiam, aliosque sibi subdendi.

Leo et Homo,
simul iter facientes,
inter confabulandum
in hanc incurrunt quaestionem,
uter eorum
altero esset fortior nobiliorque;
quisque commendare se,
certatimque allegare
quae poterat
in sua causa.
Sed
cum uterque vincere,
neuter alteri cedere,
vellet,
venerunt in quemdam locum,
in quo
columnae marmoreae visebantur,
et in eis
prominenti opere
pugna Hominis et Leonis
insculpata,
illius Leonem pedibus
atterentis ac suffocantis.
Ad quod
erectus homo,
ad Leonem:
Haec sculptura (inquit)
nostram litem
apposite dirimit terminatque,
ostenditque
quanto
Leonibus antistent Homines.
Cui Leo:
Ita est (inquit),
si vobis creditur.
Sculptura haec
hominis opera est,
sed
si Leones
artem scribendi aut effigiandi
callerent,
pingerent utique
Homines Leonibus substratos.
Haec indicant
innatam cuique
dominandi appetentiam,
aliosque sibi subdendi.

Here's an illustration for the fable (image source) from a Renaissance edition of Aesop:

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Irenaeus Fable 90: Lupus fluviatilis et Delphinus

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:46:00 -0700

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Irenaeus Fable 89: Rana et Bos

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:43:00 -0700

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Irenaeus Fable 88: Aquila et Corvus

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 05:01:00 -0700

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Irenaeus Fable 87: Asinus et Scurra

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 05:01:00 -0700

I've embarked on a new Latin fable project here at the Latin Via Fables blog: digitizing the 300 fables in the Mithologica sacro-profana, seu florilegium fabularum by P. Irenaeus, published in 1666, which has recently become available at GoogleBooks. For a complete index of the fables in the book, with links to the fables I've digitized so far, check out the Aesopus wiki page at Aesopus.PBwiki.com.

Today's fable is De Asino et Scurra, the story of a donkey-qua-artiste! This is yet another fable that Irenaeus has taken from Abstemius.

To make reading the fable easier, I've provided a segmented version of the story below.

Asellus, videns in platea civitatis Circulatorem et Scurram diversorum voces et cantus, seu avium, seu animalium imitando et crepitus edendo multae plebis risum movere, et non parvam inde expiscari pecuniam, indigne ferens pluris fieri Scurram quam se, Magistratum adit, conqueritur de favore impertito Scurrae, alios despici digniores; petit ab eo Magistratus quidnam artis sciret, quo se Scurrae praeferri vellet. Si de voce agitur? (inquit) Longe valentiori praeditus sum. Si de cantu? Suavius modulor, testimonio sint qui me quotidie audiunt, qui ubi me vocem efferentem audiunt omnes prae dulcedine modulationis meae risum tenere non possunt. De cetero, crepitus maiores et longiores edo, absque fetore ullo, addo et stercora ad cumulum. Qua responsione homo in risum effusus probavit iustam Asini aemulationem, et ut solebat, monuit perseverare.

Asellus,
videns
in platea civitatis
Circulatorem et Scurram
diversorum voces et cantus,
seu avium, seu animalium
imitando
et crepitus edendo
multae plebis risum movere,
et non parvam inde
expiscari pecuniam,
indigne ferens
pluris fieri Scurram quam se,
Magistratum adit,
conqueritur
de favore impertito Scurrae,
alios despici digniores;
petit ab eo Magistratus
quidnam artis sciret,
quo
se Scurrae praeferri
vellet.
Si de voce agitur? (inquit)
Longe valentiori praeditus sum.
Si de cantu?
Suavius modulor,
testimonio sint
qui me quotidie audiunt,
qui ubi
me vocem efferentem audiunt
omnes
prae dulcedine
modulationis meae
risum tenere non possunt.
De cetero,
crepitus maiores et longiores
edo,
absque fetore ullo,
addo et stercora ad cumulum. Qua responsione
homo
in risum effusus
probavit
iustam Asini aemulationem,
et ut solebat,
monuit perseverare.

Here's an illustration for the fable (image source), showing a donkey braying:

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Irenaeus Fable 86: Cera Duritiem Appetens

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 14:36:00 -0700

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Proverbs in the Aesop's Fables book

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:27:00 -0700

I'm in the process of providing audio and, eventually, little essays for all the proverbs used in Aesop's Fables in Latin, which is now available at Amazon.com. Please use this reference list to see if an essay is available for a proverb you have questions about - and if that proverb doesn't have an essay yet, then let a comment here with your question, and I'll be sure to do that essay next! :-)

p. 4. Noli irritare leones. (essay + audio) - Don't annoy the lions.
p. 5. Multum, non multa. (essay + audio) - Much, not many.
p. 8. Invidus a propria roditur invidia. (essay + audio) - The envious man is gnawed by his own envy.
p. 9. Invidia dolor animi est ex alienis commodis. (essay + audio) - Envy is a sickness of the soul from other people's advantages.
p. 10. Parva leves capiunt animos. (audio) - Unimportant things capture frivolous minds.
p. 10. Parturiunt montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. (essay + audio) - The mountains give birth; a silly mouse will be born.
p. 12. Ad omnia trepidat, licet vel mus movet. (essay + audio) - He shudders at everything, even if so much as a mouse moves.
p. 13. Mons parturibat, deinde murem prodidit. (essay + audio) - The mountain was giving birth; it finally brought forth a mouse.
p. 14. Ex parvo satis. (audio) - From little, plenty.
p. 14. Crescentem sequitur cura pecuniam. (essay + audio) - Worry follows growing wealth.
p. 20. Ex granis acervus. (essay + audio) - From grains, a heap.
p. 21. Omnium rerum principia parva sunt. (audio) - The beginnings of all things are small.
p. 22. Avis a cantu dignoscitur. (audio) - A bird is known by its song.
p. 22. Est avis in dextra melior quam quattuor extra. (essay + audio) - A bird inside the hand is better than four outside.
p. 24. Nutrit et accipiter pullos suos. (essay + audio) - Even a hawk nourishes its chicks.
p. 25. Ne ad pugnam vocet aquilam luscinia. (essay + audio) - The nightingale should not challenge the eagle to a fight.
p. 26. Sine pennis volare haud facile est. (audio) - Without wings, flying is not easy.
p. 26. Homo ad laborem natus est et avis ad volatum. (essay + audio) - A man is born to work and a bird born to fly.
p. 34. Pardus maculas non deponit. (essay+ audio) - The leopard does not set aside his spots.
p. 34. Non formosus erat, sed erat facundus Ulixes. (essay + audio) - Ulysses was not handsome, but he was good with words.
p. 36. Forma bonum fragile est. (audio) - Beauty is a fragile thing.
p. 37. Quaelibet vulpes caudam suam laudat. (essay + audio) - Every fox praises its tail.
p. 38. Parva securi prosternitur quercus. (audio) - The oak is laid low by the little axe.
p. 38. Qui leviter credit, deceptus saepe redit. (essay + audio) - He who is quick to believe often ends up deceived.
p. 40. Nihil inimicius quam sibi ipse. (audio) - There is no more harmful thing to a person than himself.
p. 41. Serum est cavendi tempus in mediis malis. (audio) - In the midst of troubles, it's too late to be cautious.
p. 44. Sine labore non erit panis in ore. (essay + audio) - Without work there will be no bread in your mouth.
p. 45. Ora et labora, deus adest sine mora. (essay + audio) - Work and pray; god will aid you without delay.
p. 48. Lupus in fabula. (essay + audio) - The wolf in the conversation.
p. 49. Lupus non curat numerum ovium. (essay + audio) - The wolf does not care about the counting of the sheep.
p. 50. Ovium nullus usus, si pastor absit. (audio) - It's not good having sheep if the shepherd is absent.
p. 50. Vae miseris ovibus, iudex lupus est. (audio) - Alas for the poor sheep: the judge is a wolf.
p. 54. Fuge magna. (audio) - Flee from great things.
p. 54. Suam quisque pellem portat. (essay + audio) - Each person carries his own skin.
p. 56. Infra tuam pelliculam te contine. (essay + audio) - Keep yourself within your own skin.
p. 60. Latet anguis in herba. (audio) - A snake is lurking in the grass.
p. 61. Sibi parat malum, qui alteri parat. (audio) - The person who prepares evil for someone else is preparing it for himself.
p. 64. Ignavis semper feriae sunt. (audio) - Lazy people are always on holiday.
p. 65. Cicada cicadae cara, formicae formica. (essay + audio) - One grasshopper is dear to another, and ant to ant.
p. 72. Suo ipsius laqueo captus est. (audio) - He's been caught by his own snare.
p. 73. Adiuvat accipitrem impetus, columbam fuga. (audio) - Attack works for the hawk, retreat for the dove.
p. 82. Asinus stramen mavult quam aurum. (essay + audio) - A donkey prefers straw to gold.
p. 82. Non faciunt meliorem equum aurei freni. (essay + audio) - Golden reins don't make a better horse.
p. 84. In quo nascetur asinus corio morietur. (essay + audio) - The donkey will die in the skin in which he's born.
p. 86. Alter alterius auxilio eget. (audio) - One person needs the help of another.
p. 86. Facta plus valent quam dicta. (audio) - Deeds are worth more than words.
p. 88. Auxilium peto, non consilium. (audio) - I'm looking for help, not advice.
p. 92. Mors lupi, agnis vita. (audio) - The death of the wolf is life for the lambs.
p. 97. Bos iugo ducendo natus. (audio) - The ox is born for guiding the yoke.
p. 98. Grave est fidem fallere. (audio) - It is a serious business to break faith.
p. 98. Simulans amicum inimicus inimicissimus. (audio) - The enemy who pretends to be a friend is the most inimical.
p. 100. Semel malus, semper malus. (essay + audio) - Once wicked, always wicked.
p. 101. Falsum in uno, falsum in toto. (essay + audio) - False in one thing, false in the whole thing.
p. 102. Nulli nimium credite. (audio) - Don't trust anyone too much.
p. 102. Lupus pilum mutat, non mentem. (essay + audio) - A wolf can change his coat but not his character.
p. 104. Homo homini lupus. (essay + audio) - Man is a wolf to man.
p. 105. Furem fur cognoscit, et lupum lupus. (audio) - A thief knows a thief, and a wolf knows a wolf.
p. 108. A deo est omnis medela. (essay + audio) - All healing is from god.
p. 109. Homo proponit, sed deus disponit. (audio) - Man proposes, but god disposes.
p. 112. Canis mordens non latrat. (audio) - A dog who bites does not bark.
p. 113. Cave tibi a cane muto et aqua silenti. (audio) - You need to watch out for a silent dog and quiet water.
p. 117. Edentulus vescentium dentibus invidet. (essay + audio) - The poor toothless person envies the teeth of the diners.
p. 120. Bonis nocet qui malis parcet. (audio) - He who spares the bad people is hurting the good people.
p. 122. Hodie mihi, cras tibi. (audio) - Today it's me; tomorrow, it's you.
p. 122. Ex amico fit inimicus, hostis ex socio. (audio) - A friend becomes an enemy, an ally becomes a foe.
p. 125. Ut tibi, sic alteri. (audio) - As for yourself, so for another.
p. 126. Estote simplices sicut columbae. (audio) - Be simple as doves.
p. 126. Sub nomine pacis bellum latet. (audio) - War is hiding under the name of peace.
p. 128. Novus rex, nova lex. (audio) - New king, new law.
p. 132. Timor mortis morte peior. (audio) - Fear of death is worse than death.
p. 133. Nemo est tam senex qui se annum non putet posse vivere. (audio) - No one is so old that he doesn't think he could live a year longer.
p. 134. Absente domino, res male geritur. (audio) - When the boss is gone, business goes badly.
p. 134. Stercus optimum vestigium domini. (essay + audio) - The master's footstep is the best fertilizer.
p. 138. Serpens eiiciendus e domo. (audio) - A snake should be cast out of the house.
p. 138. Nihil homine ingrato peius. (audio) - Nothing is worse than an ungrateful man.
p. 141. In sinu colubrum habet. (audio) - He's got a snake in his bosom.
p. 150. Neminem pecunia divitem fecit. (essay + audio) - Money has never made anyone wealthy.
p. 150. Gallus in sterquilinio suo plurimum potest. (essay + audio) - The rooster can do plenty in his own dungheap.
p. 154. Iam testudo volat. (audio) - Now the turtle's flying.
p. 154. Aquilam testudo vincit. (audio) - The turtle's beating the eagle.
p. 161. In propria pelle quiesce. (essay + audio) - Be at peace in your own skin.
p. 173. Gratia gratiam parit. (essay + audio) - One kindness gives birth to another.
p. 182. Leo fortissimus bestiarum. (audio) - The lion is the strongest of the beasts.
p. 182. Leonina societas periculorum plena. (audio) - Being in the company of the lion is full of danger.
p. 184. Alienis malis discimus. (essay + audio) - We learn from other people's problems.
p. 185. Felix quem faciunt aliena pericula cautum. (audio) - Happy is the man who learns caution from other people's risks.
p. 186. Dolo illuditur dolus. (audio) - Fraud is tricked by fraud.
p. 186. Oportet vulpinari cum vulpibus. (audio) - You've got to play the fox with the foxes.
p. 194. Cavendo tutus eris. (audio) - By being cautious you will be safe.
p. 194. Est sapientis providere. (audio) - A wise man looks ahead.
p. 196. Sapiens a se ipso pendet. (audio) - A wise man depends on his own self.
p. 198. Si satis est, multum est. (essay + audio) - If it's enough, it's a lot.
p. 198. Vivis piscibus aqua, mortuis vinum. (essay + audio) - Water for the living fish, wine for the dead ones.
p. 206. Fortuna belli fluxa. (audio) - War's fortunes fluctuate.
p. 206. Malo ad campanam quam ad tubae surgere clangorem. (audio) - I prefer to rise to the clanging of the church-bell rather than the war-trumpet.
p. 210. Agnos lupi vorant. (essay + audio) - Wolves gobble the lambs.
p. 210. Regnant qualibet urbe lupi. (essay + audio) - Wolves reign in every city.
p. 218. Dives est qui nihil cupit. (audio) - Rich is the man who desires nothing.
p. 218. Avarus ipse miseriae causa est suae. (audio) - The greedy man is the cause of his own misery.
p. 222. Cupiditati nihil satis est. (audio) - Nothing is enough for desire.
p. 222. Avarus aurum deum habet. (audio) - The greedy man has gold as a god.
p. 230. Flecti, non frangi. (audio) - To bend, not to break.
p. 230. Nec invideamus altius stantibus. (audio) - Let us not envy our higher-ups.
p. 234. Sciens cavebo. (audio) - Being aware, I will take care.
p. 234. Sero in periculis est consilium quaerere. (audio) - It's too late to get advice in the midst of dangers.
p. 250. Cum vulpe habens commercium, dolos cave. (audio) - If you are doing business with a fox, watch out for tricks.
p. 250. Quod est venturum, sapiens quasi praesens cavet. (audio) - The wise man is wary of what is to come as if it were already here.
p. 254. Personam, non faciem, gerit. (audio) - He's wearing a mask, not a face.
p. 254. Calidum et frigidum ex eodem ore efflat. (essay + audio) - He's blowing hot and cold from the same mouth.
p. 262. Vis unita fortior. (audio) - Strength, united, is stronger.
p. 262. Si vis regnare, divide. (audio) - If you want to rule, divide.
p. 266. Quid leoni cum mure? (audio) - What's lion got to do with a mouse?
p. 266. Amicus certus in re incerta cernitur. (audio) - A sure friend is seen in an unsure situation.
p. 274. Semper metuendo sapiens evitat malum. (audio) - By always being afraid, the wise man avoids evil.
p. 274. Dum stertit cattus, nunquam sibi currit in os mus. (essay + audio) - When the cat's snring, no mouse ever runs into its mouth.
p. 278. Lupus hiat. (audio) - The wolf is gaping.
p. 278. Quae volumus, et credimus libenter. (audio) - What we gladly want, we gladly believe as well.
p. 286. Ars varia vulpi. (essay + audio) - The fox has many a trick.
p. 286. Scit multa vulpes, magnum echinus unicum. (audio) - The fox knows many things; the hedgehog knows one big thing.
p. 290. Quid leone fortius? (audio) - What thing is stronger than a lion?
p. 290. Nunquam est fidelis cum potente societas. (essay + audio) - The company of the powerful man is never to be trusted.
p. 302. Hospitium verendum. (audio) - Hospitality is a sacred duty.
p. 302. Post tres dies piscis vilescit et hospes. (essay + audio) - After three days the fish stinks, as does the houseguest.
p. 306. Quid libertate pretiosius? (audio) - What thing is more valuable than freedom?
p. 306. Nemo nisi sapiens liber est. (essay + audio) - No man is free, except the wise man.
p. 314. Medice, cura te ipsum! (audio) - Physician, cure yourself!
p. 315. Medico male est, si nemini male est. (audio) - It's bad news for the doctor if no one's feeling bad.
p. 315. Morborum medicus omnium mors ultimus. (audio) - Death is the lst doctor of all diseases.
p. 320. Libertas optima rerum. (audio) - Freedom is the best of things.
p. 320. Liber inops servo divite felicior. (audio) - A free man without wealth is happier than a rich servant.
p. 324. Omnes homines aut liberi sunt aut servi. (audio) - All men are either free, or slaves.

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Irenaeus Fable 85: Asinus et Catellus

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 05:01:00 -0700

I've embarked on a new Latin fable project here at the Latin Via Fables blog: digitizing the 300 fables in the Mithologica sacro-profana, seu florilegium fabularum by P. Irenaeus, published in 1666, which has recently become available at GoogleBooks. For a complete index of the fables in the book, with links to the fables I've digitized so far, check out the Aesopus wiki page at Aesopus.PBwiki.com.

Today's fable is De Asino et Catello, the sad story of how the donkey tried to win his way into his master's heart by acting like the master's beloved puppy dog. In Perry's indexing system, this is Perry 91.

To make reading the fable easier, I've provided a segmented version of the story below.

Lusitantem cum Patrefamilias Catellum, modo pedes iocose morsicantem, modo vestes, modo ad collum et ora subsilientem, mensa etiam assidentem, cibos de manu heri recipientem, mille modis blandientem, et blanditiis vicissim affectum, contemplabatur Asinus domesticus de area et invidia rumpebatur; sortem suam memorans, ut qui quotidie clitellas et onera deportaret, nusquam otiaretur, male tonsus et pransus, insuper semper mala verba, saepius verbera exciperet. Coepit autem aliquando pensiculantius ruminare, quaenam huius rei causa esset, et apud se dicere: Forsitan, ob rusticitatem meam, quod hero non abblandior, non alludo, non assuavior; addiscamus (inquit) amare, ut contingat amari. Excutiendus pudor est. Igitur expectavit cum rediret domum Herus suus, cui intranti occurrit arrectis auribus et voce altissima rudens et ridens, in humeros subsilit, pulsat pedibus, ungulis, capite, arridet. Exclamare Herus, voce, manibus, baculo excipere, accurrunt servi, et infelix Asellus egregie vapulat et foris truditur. Tunc ad se rediens: Digne (inquit) vapulo, et meae temeritatis poenas luo, quod Asinum non decet, factitare volens.

Lusitantem cum Patrefamilias
Catellum,
modo pedes
iocose morsicantem,
modo vestes,
modo ad collum et ora
subsilientem,
mensa etiam assidentem,
cibos
de manu heri recipientem,
mille modis blandientem,
et blanditiis vicissim affectum,
contemplabatur
Asinus domesticus
de area
et invidia rumpebatur;
sortem suam memorans,
ut qui
quotidie
clitellas et onera deportaret,
nusquam otiaretur,
male tonsus et pransus,
insuper
semper mala verba,
saepius verbera exciperet.
Coepit autem aliquando
pensiculantius ruminare,
quaenam huius rei causa esset,
et apud se dicere:
Forsitan,
ob rusticitatem meam,
quod hero non abblandior,
non alludo, non assuavior;
addiscamus (inquit) amare,
ut contingat amari.
Excutiendus pudor est.
Igitur expectavit
cum rediret domum
Herus suus,
cui intranti
occurrit arrectis auribus
et voce altissima rudens
et ridens,
in humeros subsilit,
pulsat
pedibus, ungulis, capite,
arridet.
Exclamare Herus,
voce, manibus, baculo excipere,
accurrunt servi,
et infelix Asellus
egregie vapulat
et foris truditur.
Tunc ad se rediens:
Digne (inquit) vapulo,
et meae temeritatis poenas luo,
quod Asinum non decet,
factitare volens.

Here's an illustration for the fable (image source) from a Renaissance edition of Aesop:

Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.