Sunday, July 8, 2012

Round-Up: July 8

Here is a round-up of today's proverbs and fables - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. I'm still making great progress on the distichs book; it will be here in less than a month I hope: whoo-hoo!

HODIE: ante diem octavum Idus Iulias.

MYTHS and LEGENDS: The art image for today's legend shows Achilles and Patroclus; you can also see the legends for the current week listed together here.


TODAY'S MOTTOES and PROVERBS:

TINY PROVERBS: Today's tiny proverb is: Fuge magna (English: Flee from great things).

3-WORD MOTTOES: Today's 3-word verb-less motto is Post nubila sol (English: After clouds, the sun).

ANIMAL PROVERBS: Today's animal proverb is Invenit interdum caeca columba pisum (English: Sometimes a blind pigeon finds a pea).

POLYDORUS: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Sapientia vino obumbratur (English: Wisdom is overshadowed by wine).

PROPER NAME PROVERBS: Today's proper name proverb from Erasmus is Lampon iurat per anserem (English: Lampon swears by the goose; from Adagia 4.1.34 - Lampon was a proverbial priest who would swear "by the goose," rather than invoking a god, since if Lampon later broke the oath, he could do so with impunity).

GREEK PROVERBS: Today's proverb is Ἐλέφαντα ἐκ μυιᾶς ποιεῖς (English: You're making an elephant out of a fly).

TODAY'S FABLES and STORIES:

ANECDOTE OF THE DAY: Today's anecdote is Daphne et Hyacinthus, Apollo's lovers.

FABULAE FACILES WIDGET: The fable from the Fabulae Faciles widget is Corvus Aquilam Imitans, in which the crow, of course, fails in his desire to be an eagle (this fable has a vocabulary list).

AESOP IN ENGLISH VERSE: Today's fable from the English verse widget is The Frogs and the Tortoise, the story of a tortoise who was - briefly - jealous of the frogs.

MILLE FABULAE WIDGET: The fable from the Mille Fabulae et Una widget is Bos Laborans et Vitula, the story of the heifer who spent her short life on vacation.

MILLE FABULAE: Here's a favorite fable from Mille Fabulae et Una: Leo, Vacca, Capra, et Ovis, the famous story of the lion's share: Societatem aliquando iunxerant leo, vacca, capra, et ovis. Cervum permagnum cum cepissent, leo praedam divisit in quattuor partes aequales. Tum ita locutus est, “Prima pars mea est, quia sum leo; secundam mihi tribuetis, quia sum fortissimus; tertiam mihi sumo propter egregium laborem meum; quartam qui tetigerit, iram meam excitabit.” Sic totam praedam solus retinuit.


leo, vacca, capra et ovis