Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Latin Proverbs and Fables Round-Up: April 23

Here is a round-up of today's proverbs and fables - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. I'm getting ready for what's going to be a summer of proverb adventures (just two weeks until the end of the semester), and I'll be shifting my focus to English-language proverbs. You can see what's going on over there at my new blog, The Proverb Laboratory, if you are interested.

HODIE (Roman Calendar): ante diem nonum Kalendas Maias.

MYTHS and LEGENDS: The art image for today's legend shows Polyxena at the Well; you can also see the legends for the current week listed together here.


TODAY'S MOTTOES and PROVERBS:

3-WORD MOTTOES: Today's 3-word motto is Lege, sapere aude (English: Read; dare to be wise).

3-WORD PROVERBS: Today's 3-word proverb is Adeunt etiam optima (English: The best things are yet to be).

RHYMING PROVERBS: Today's proverb with rhyme is: In vestimentis non est sapientia mentis (English: A man's clothing does not reveal the wisdom of his mind).

VULGATE VERSES: Today's verse is Stultorum infinitus est numerus (Ecc. 1:15). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

ELIZABETHAN PROVERBS: Here is today's proverb commentary, this time by Taverner: Quam quisque norit artem, in hac se exerceat: Let every man exercise him selfe, in the facultie that he knoweth. Let the cobler medle with cloutinge his neighbours shoes, and not be a Capitaine in fielde, or meddell with matters concerning a comon welth. Let them iudge of controversies in the christen religion, that be learned in the same, and not every Jacke plowman.

BREVISSIMA: The distich poster for today is Crimina Nostra. 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 Apes, Fur, et Mellarius, a story about angry but not very discerning bees.

FABULAE FACILES: The fable from the Fabulae Faciles widget is Prometheus, Leo, et Elephantus, a great little story about Prometheus in his role as a creator god (this fable has a vocabulary list).

Leo et Elephantus

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: Ἀετὸς μυίας οὐ θηρεύει. Aquila non venatur muscas. An eagle doesn't hunt flies.