Round-Up: April 28

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

MORE FABLES: Here are today's fables from the Ictibus Felicibus project. These fables ALL have long marks, plus stress marks for easy reading, and the poems have meter marks, too, along with an easy-to-read prose presentation of the story:

• Gallus Vulpinam Pellem Fugiens, the story of a rooster who, having escaped from a fox, now fears even the sight of a fox pelt.
• Cervus, Leo et Leaena Mortua, an ingenious little story about how the stag managed to save himself from the lion.
• Simia et Vulpes, the story of the monkey begging the fox for the loan of some of the fox's tail.
• Aquila et Corvus, the story of a foolish crow who wanted to imitate an eagle.
• Abbas et Pulex, a funny little story about a flea escaped from the abbot.

I've picked out my favorite one, the story of the stag who did not mourn the death of the lion's wife, Cervus, Leo et Leaena Mortua, to share with you here in the blog - notice the ingenious story that the stag tells in order to save its life!

Leo omnēs quādrupedēs ad dēfunctae uxōris exequiās honestandās invītārat. Cunctīs igitur aliīs mortem rēgīnae ineffābilī dolōre prōsequentibus, sōlus cervus, cui illa fīliōs ēripuerat, expers dolōris, nullās lācrimās ēmittēbat. Quod leo percipiēns, accersītum ad sē cervum, ut illum perimeret, interrogat, cūr nōn cum aliīs rēgīnae mortem fleat? Cui ille, fēcissem, inquit, nisi mē hoc facere prohibuisset. Advenientī enim mihi, fēlix eius anima, ad elysiās sēdēs proficiscēns appāruit, dīcēns, eius discessum nōn lūgendum, cum ad amoena virēta fortūnātōrum nemorum, sēdēsque beātās proficiscerētur. Haec leo audiēns laetātus est, cervōque veniam dedit.

TODAY'S MOTTOES & PROVERBS: You can get access to ALL the "proverb of the day scripts" (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Tiny Proverbs: Today's tiny proverb is: Medium certum (English: The middle way is certain - in other words, don't go to extremes!).

3-Word Mottoes Verb-less: Today's 3-word verb-less motto is Ars gratia artis (English: Art for art's sake - that's gratiā in the ablative, art "for the sake" of art).

Latin Animal Proverb: Today's animal proverb is In magno magni capiuntur flumine pisces (English: In the big river you can catch big fish).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Contemnuntur qui nec sibi nec alteri prosunt (English: Those who are no help to themselves nor to others are not worth anything).

Proper Name Proverb from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb from Erasmus is Ad Graecas calendas (English: On the Greek calends - which is to say NEVER, since the Greeks did not observe the calends; from Adagia 1.5.84).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ἐξ ἴσου δίδου πᾶσιν (English: Give equally to all).

For an image today, here is Francis Barlow's illustration for the story of the eagle and the crow, Aquila et Corvus: