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.
Viator, longum iter ingressus,
Mercurio promittit,
"Si quid invenio, O Mercuri,
tibi dimidium dabo!
Sic solemniter voveo."
Paulo post peram magnam invenit.
Laetus, peram capit, clamans,
"Si in pera nummi sunt, Deo dimidium dabo,
secundum votum meum solemne."
Sed in pera nummos non invenit.
Pera autem referta est amygdalis et dactylis.
Viator amygdalas comedit, cortices colligens,
et dactylos quoque, nucleos colligens.
"Habes, O Mercuri, dimidium,"
viator dicit,
cortices et nucleos collocans in ara
quae ibi forte adest.
"Tibi offero et interiora et exteriora,
quod est dimidium,
secundum votum meum solemne."
Fabula avarum respicit,
qui avaritiae suae causa Deos quoque decipit.
Dictionary help:
adest — amygdalas — amygdalis — ara — autem — avaritiae — avarum — capit — causa — clamans — colligens — collocans — comedit — cortices — dabo — dactylis — dactylos — decipit — deo — deos — dicit — dimidium — est — et — exteriora — fabula — forte — habes — ibi — in — ingressus — interiora — invenio — invenit — iter — laetus — longum — magnam — mercuri — mercurio — meum — non — nucleos — nummi — nummos — o — offero — paulo — pera — peram — post — promittit — quae — qui — quid — quod — quoque — referta — respicit — secundum — sed — si — sic — solemne — solemniter — suae — sunt — tibi — viator — votum — voveo
Here is the version of the fable in Mille Fabulae et Una:
Mille Fabulae et Una: 788. Mercurius et Viator.
Viator, longum iter ingressus, Mercurio, si quid invenisset, se dimidium oblaturum votis promisit. Cum autem in peram amygdalis dactylisque refertam forte incidisset, eam laetus capit, nummos ibi inesse arbitratus. Sed, ea excussa, nihil aliud quam amygdalas dactylosque adinvenit. Quibus omnibus comesis, amygdalarum cortices et dactylorum nucleos collegit et in ara, quae ibi forte aderat, collocavit, aiens, “Habes, O Mercuri, quod votis promisi; interiora enim et exteriora inventae a me rei obtuli tibi.” Fabula avarum respicit, qui ad avaritiae suae cupiditatem explendam Deos quoque decipere conatur.
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: Hermes and the Traveler
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: Hermes and the Traveler
There was a traveler making a long journey, and he had grown hungry along the way.
"O Hermes," he prayed, "please help me! With your divine power, bring me good luck so that I can find something to eat. I promise to give you half of whatever I find!"
The traveler then found a bag of almonds lying on the road. He ate the nuts, and afterwards offered the shells to Hermes.
"Behold, Hermes," the traveler said solemnly, "here is half, just as I promised."
A greedy person will even cheat the gods in order to get what he wants.
