Thursday, February 24, 2011

Round-Up: February 24

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. I'm Twittering again now at Aesopus and AesopusEnglish.

HODIE: ante diem sextum Kalendas Martias (and yes, you can have your own Roman Google Calendar).

VERBUM HODIERNUM: Today's word is the tiny preposition A - read a brief essay about the word at the Verbosum blog. Here's one of the famous sayings you can find in the essay: Natura abhorret a vacuo, "Nature abhors a vacuum."

BESTIARIA PROVERBS: There are some new animal proverbs today for COCCYX, the cuckoo, and GRYPS, the fabled griffin.

PROVERB PODCAST: The latest podcasts are for Non de ponte cadit qui cum sapientia vadit , ""He who walks with knowledge doesn't fall off the bridge," and Ut ver dat florem, studium sic reddit honorem , "As spring brings the blossom, so education yields public esteem." Yes, they both rhyme! :-)

ANECDOTE OF THE DAY: Today's anecdote is Sophocles, a great story about Sophocles accused of dementia in his old age (see below).

FABULAE FACILES: The new easy-to-read fable is Formica et Gallina, a great story about barnyard hypocrisy!

MILLE FABULAE: FABLE OF THE DAY: The fable for today is Columba et Hydria Picta, a story about a dove fooled by a painting. (You can also a free PDF copy of the Mille Fabulae et Una book.)

MILLE FABULAE: ILLUSTRATIONS: The latest fables with images are Pica et Cuculus, a fable about mistaken identity, and Canis Lutulentus et Herus, a fable about a muddy dog who LOVES his master.

ENGLISH AESOP: The latest new fables are The Angler and the Little Fish and The Crow and the Pitcher. (Plus, there's an English "fable of the day" each day, too.)

GOOGLE BOOKS: Today's Google Books are Janes' Second Year Latin for Sight Reading and Harkness' New Latin Reader .

TODAY'S MOTTOES & PROVERBS: Widgets available at SchoolhouseWidgets.com.

Tiny Proverbs: Today's tiny proverb is: Nil time (English: Fear nothing).

3-Word Mottoes Verb-less: Today's 3-word verb-less motto is Post nubes lux (English: After clouds, the light).

Latin Animal Proverb: Today's animal proverb is Qui fuit rana, nunc est rex (English: He who was a frog is now a king).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Diligite iustitiam, qui iudicatis terram (English: Cherish justice, you who rule the land).

Proper Name Proverb from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb from Erasmus is Alia Lacon, alia asinus illius portat (English: Lacon is carrying one thing, but his donkey is carrying something else; from Adagia 2.2.86 - Trying to avoid taxes, Lacon hid his honey underneath some barley, but the donkey slipped and fell, revealing the hidden honey).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ἐκ τῶν αὐτῶν τραγῳδία γίνεται καὶ κωμῳδία γραμμάτων (English: Tragedy is made from the same letters as comedy is).

For an image today, here is a sculpture of a poet, perhaps Sophocles, to accompany the great anecdote about Sophocles from Fowle: Sophocles. Sophocles ad summam senectutem tragoedias fecit. Cum propterea rem familiarem negligere videretur, a filiis in iudicium vocatus est, ut iudices illum, quasi disipientem, a re familiari removerent. Tum senex dicitur eam fabulam quam proxime scripserat, Oedipum Coloneum, recitasse iudicibus et quaesivisse num illud carmen desipientis esse videretur. Carmine recitato, a iudicio absolutus est. (source)