You can find more Latin stories at Centum.LauraGibbs.net,
and more Tiny Tales at 100Words.LauraGibbs.net.
and more Tiny Tales at 100Words.LauraGibbs.net.
Camelus se despicit.
Ecce cameli querela:
"Tauri cornua magna habent.
Cornibus magnis armati,
cetera animalia non timent.
Sed ego cornua non habeo.
Inermis sum!
Leones et pardos timeo
quod cornua non habeo.
Iovem orabo cornua donare!"
His verbis camelus Iovem orat:
"Iuppiter omnipotens, te imploro!
Da mihi cornua!
Cornua magna desidero.
Cornibus geminis armatus,
cetera animalia non timebo.
Si mihi cornua dabis,
leones non timebo!
Cornua gerens, pardos non timebo!
Te oro ut cornua mihi dones."
Sed Iuppiter cameli stultitiam ridet.
Cameli votum negat,
et eius auriculas decurtat.
Fabula docet:
Quisque sit contentus sua Fortuna.
Multi, meliorem petentes, peiorem incurrunt.
Dictionary help:
animalia — armati — armatus — auriculas — cameli — camelus — cetera — contentus — cornibus — cornua — da — dabis — decurtat — desidero — despicit — docet — donare — dones — ecce — ego — eius — et — fabula — fortuna — geminis — gerens — habent — habeo — his — imploro — incurrunt — inermis — iovem — iuppiter — leones — magna — magnis — meliorem — mihi — multi — negat — non — omnipotens — orabo — orat — oro — pardos — peiorem — petentes — querela — quisque — quod — ridet — se — sed — si — sit — stultitiam — sua — sum — tauri — te — timebo — timent — timeo — ut — verbis — votum —
Here is the version of the fable in Mille Fabulae et Una:
Mille Fabulae et Una: 143. Camelus et Iuppiter.
Camelus, se despiciens, querebatur tauros ire geminis cornibus insignes, se inermem obiectum esse ceteris animalibus; orat Iovem cornua sibi donare. Iuppiter cameli stultitiam ridet; nec modo negat votum, verum et decurtat bestiae auriculas. Quisque sit contentus sua Fortuna; etenim multi, meliorem secuti, peiorem incurrere.
And here is an English version of the fable. This is not a translation; it's another version of the same story in 100 English words.
100-Words: Zeus and the Camel
And here is an English version of the fable. This is not a translation; it's another version of the same story in 100 English words.
100-Words: Zeus and the Camel
The camel was jealous of the bull. "Just look at those horns of his, while I have only these long, floppy ears. I'm defenseless against all the other animals. I must have horns!"
So the camel prayed to Zeus. "I implore you, O King of the Gods! Please give me horns!"
But Zeus just laughed at the camel's request. "You would look ridiculous with horns," he said. "Not only do I refuse your request, I'm also going to shorten your long ears. Be content with what you have!"
The moral: Many who seek to have more end up with less.
