Latin Proverbs and Fables Round-Up: February 2

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 quartum Nonas Februarias.

MYTHS and LEGENDS: The art image for today's legend shows Philemon and Baucis; 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: Midae divitiae (English: The wealth of Midas ... a wealth with unintended consequences, of course!).

3-WORD MOTTOES: Today's 3-word verb-less motto is Corde et manu (English: With heart and hand).

ANIMAL PROVERBS: Today's animal proverb is Ad praesens ova cras pullis sunt meliora (English: Eggs today are better than chicks tomorrow).

POLYDORUS: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Cui multum datum est, multum quaeretur ab eo (English: Much is expected from him to whom much is given).

PROPER NAME PROVERBS: Today's proper name proverb from Erasmus is Sui cuique mores fingunt Fortunam (English: Each man's habits make his own Fortune; from Adagia 2.4.30).

GREEK PROVERBS: Today's proverb is Σίδηρον πλεῖν διδάσκεις (English: You are trying to teach iron to swim... a fool's errand, of course!).

BREVISSIMA: The distich poster for today is Poenam Tandem Ferunt. 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 Talpa et Olitor, a story about a gardener with no love for the mole (this fable has a vocabulary list).

MILLE FABULAE: The fable from the Mille Fabulae et Una widget is Pater et Filii Litigantes, a story about solidarity.

Finally, I'm experimenting with something new - I discovered that I can use polytonic Greek at the Cheezburger.com meme builder - so here is a Greek saying; Latin and English versions of the same image at the blog: Ἀεὶ κολοιὸς παρὰ κολοιὸν ἱζάνει. Monedulae semper monedula assidet. One jackdaw always sits next to another.