Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Latin Proverbs and Fables Round-Up: January 15

Here is a round-up of today's proverbs and fables - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. If you have not downloaded a free PDF copy of Brevissima: 1001 Tiny Latin Poems, it's ready and waiting! Meanwhile, I'm slowly but surely adding poster images and English translations over at the Brevissima blog.

HODIE (Roman Calendar): ante diem duodevicesimum Kalendas Februarias.

MYTHS and LEGENDS: The art image for today's legend shows Tityus; 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: Atlas caelum (English: Atlas holds up the sky - of course, the elliptical Latin proverb doesn't specify the verb, but English needs the verb).

3-WORD MOTTOES: Today's 3-word verb-less motto is In veritate victoria (English: In truth, victory).

ANIMAL PROVERBS: Today's animal proverb is Qui corvis natus est, non submergitur aquis (English: He who is born for the crows does not drown in the water).

POLYDORUS: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Reddet deus unicuique iuxta illius opera (English: God will give to each according to his works).

PROPER NAME PROVERBS: Today's proper name proverb from Erasmus is In Orci culum incidas (English: May you fall into Orcus's butthole; from Adagia 2.10.68 - as if being in the underworld of Orcus was not bad enough! Erasmus describes it as sermo perniciem et extremum exitium imprecantis, "words spoken by someone cursing another person with ruin and utter disaster" - ha!).

GREEK PROVERBS: Today's proverb is Σὺν Ἀθηνᾷ καὶ χεῖρας κίνει (English: Together with Athena, you also need to move your arms - an allusion to the wonderful fable of the shipwrecked Athenian).

BREVISSIMA: The distich poster for today is Bene Agitur. Click here for a full-sized view; the poem has a vocabulary list and an English translation, too.


And here is today's proverbial lolcat:


TODAY'S FABLES AND SONGS:

FABULAE FACILES: The fable from the Fabulae Faciles widget is Lupus et Canis Saginatus, a wonderful story in praise of freedom (this fable has a vocabulary list).

MILLE FABULAE: The fable from the Mille Fabulae et Una widget is Grus et Lupus, the famous story of a crane who foolishly did a favor for a wolf.

lupus et grus