HODIE: Idus Maiae, the ides of May - which was also the festival called Mercuralia, the holiday of Mercury. 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 PODCAST:
Heri Hodie Cras Podcast: Today's audio podcast is Latin Via Proverbs: Group 81, which features this saying about the dangers of militarism: Arma non servant modum (Weapons do not keep within limits).
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.
Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Twitter feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's a recent one that expresses the whole philosophy of Aesop's fables very nicely: Ridendo castigamus mores (English: By laughing, we point out the error in people's ways).
Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Cani indicium sunt temporis, non sapientiae (English: White hair is a sign of time, not of wisdom... a saying whose truth I can attest to personally, ha ha). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.
Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is Blandus esto (English: Be nice! The Latin word blandus does not have the negative connotations of the English "bland" - it is more sweet and beguiling, as in the English word "blandishments").
Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is Ne cito credas (English: Don't be quick to believe something - although "don't be quick to credit" would come closer to the soundplay of the Latin).
Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Amicus fidelis protectio fortis (Sirach 6:14). 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 Summa est in silvis fames dum lupus lupum vorat (English: Hunger is at its peak in the woods when wolf devours wolf - which is to say, there is honor among wolves... up to a point!).
Proper Name Proverb of the Day: Today's proper name proverb is Uvas Athenas portas (English: You're carrying grapes to Athens... a Greek equivalent of carrying coals to Newcastle).
Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Κοινὰ τὰ τῶν φίλων (English: Friends have things in common - and yes, that is the same "koine" as in "Koine Greek," meaning "common Greek," the Greek spoked and shared by the general public). If you look at the Greek Proverb of the Day widget, you'll see it comes with a Latin translation, too.
TODAY'S FABLES:
Aesopus Ning: Fables with Macrons: By popular request, I'm marking up the fables from Barlow's Aesop with macrons. So, today's fable with macrons is Dē Asinō Leōnis Pelle Indūtō, the famous story of the donkey who wore a lion's skin.
Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow's Aesop is DE RANA ET BOVE (the story of the frog who wanted to be as big as an ox). You can use the Javascript to include the fable of the day automatically each day on your webpage or blog - meanwhile, to find out more about today's fable, visit the Ning Resource Page for this fable, where you will find links to the text, commentary, and a discussion board for questions and comments.
Florilegium Fabularum: I'm working my way, slowly but surely, through the amazing collection of fables by Irenaeus published in 1666. Today's fable is De Serpente et Agricola, the marvelous story of the farmer who tried to make peace with a snake. Here's an illustration (image source) from a 1479 edition of the fables:
Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.
