Thursday, February 14, 2013

Latin Proverbs and Fables Round-Up: February 14

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 sextum decimum Kalendas Martias.

MYTHS and LEGENDS: The art image for today's legend shows The Head of Medusa; 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: Esto vigilans (English: Be watchful).

3-WORD MOTTOES: Today's 3-word verb-less motto is Secundis dubiisque rectus (English: In prosperity and uncertainty, upright).

ANIMAL PROVERBS: Today's animal proverb is Fele absente, mures choreas ducunt (English: When the cat is away, the mice dance).

POLYDORUS: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Leges bonae ex malis moribus procreantur (English: Good laws are born of bad habits).

PROPER NAME PROVERBS: Today's proper name proverb from Erasmus is Harmodii cantilena (English: The song of Harmodius; from Adagia 2.10.93 - this refers to something utterly sad, such as Aristogeiton sang upon the death of his lover Harmodius, before he, too, died in the famous assassination attempt on the tyrants Hippias and Hipparchus).

GREEK PROVERBS: Today's proverb is Τέφραν φεύγων, εἰς ἀνθρακιὰν ἔπεσον (English: Fleeing the ashes, I fell into the coals).

BREVISSIMA: The distich poster for today is Tolle Moras. 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:

MILLE FABULAE: The fable from the Mille Fabulae et Una widget is Leo et Equus, the story of how the horse outsmarted the old lion.

FABULAE FACILES
: The fable from the Fabulae Faciles widget is Simia et Gemelli Eius, the story of how the mother monkey treats her twins (this fable has a vocabulary list).


GreekLOLz - and Latin and English, too. Below is one of my GreekLOLz; for the individual Greek, Latin and English versions of the graphic, see the blog post: Ἄλλων ἰατρὸς αὐτὸς ἕλκεσι βρύων. Aliis mederis, ipse plenus ulcerum. You are doctoring others but you yourself are swollen with sores. This one is inspired by an Aesop's fable!