Round-Up: November 13 - November 15

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: Idus Novembres, the Ides of November. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. This is another one of the delightful little epigrams of Owen, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com as usual:

Fit melior laudando bonus, peiorque malignus,
Cautior astutus, || simplicior stolidus.

English: "A good person becomes better by praise, but it makes a bad person worse; the clever person becomes more cautious, and the dullard becomes more stupid." I really like this one: it's the notion of "the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer" applied to personal qualities other than wealth. For an example of caution in the animal world, see the proverb about the cautus lupus below!

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion contains a stinging rebuke of Caesar by the senator Considius! Cuius rei cum causam Considius quidam admodum senex redderet, armorum et militum metu fieri ut non conueniretur dicens. Quid ergo, inquit Caesar, non tu quoque domi te contines, eadem timens? Et Considius: Metu me senectus liberat; quod enim reliquum est uitae, exiguum cum sit, non magna cura indiget.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today about the best laid plans of mice and men: Quam miserum est, ubi consilium casu vincitur! (English: How wretched it is when a good plan is defeated by chance).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Nemo ante mortem beatus (English: No one [can be called] happy before his death.). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Quam miserum officium est, quod successum non habet (English: How wretched is the job which has no success!).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Munera per gentes corrumpunt undique mentes (English: Among people everywhere, bribes corrupt judgments).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Percutiam pastorem, et dispergentur oves gregis (English: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be dispersed).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Gratia referenda (English: A favor should be returned - a very nice example of the "gerundive of necessity" as it's sometimes called in Latin).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Misceo iocis seria (English: I blend serious things with humorous things... which is true indeed: the proverbs each day usually contain a mix of both!).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Melior est qui dominatur animo suo expugnatore urbium (Proverbs 16:32). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Cautus metuit foveam lupus (English: The cautious wolf fears the pitfall).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Sine canibus et retibus (English: Without dogs or nets; from Adagia 4.8.78 - this refers to someone who is pursuing the deer at high speed, not being slowed by dogs or nets, ready to make the attack single-handed.).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Ne Hercules quidem adversus duos (English: Not even Hercules fights against two at once; from Adagia 1.5.39).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Χαλεπὸν τὸ ἑαυτὸν γνῶναι, ἀλλὰ μακάριον (English: It is difficult to know oneself, but to do so is a thing of great happiness).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Puer Mendax, the famous story of the boy who cried "Wolf!"

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE FORMICA ET COLUMBA, the story of two little creatures, the ant and the dove, who came to one another's aid.

For an image today, in honor of Heracles taking on his opponents one at a time - Ne Hercules quidem adversus duos - I thought I would include this beautiful vase painting that shows Heracles battling Nereus, the "old man of the sea."

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Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: November 12

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: pridie Idus Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. Today's poem is one of the rhyming verses collected by Wegeler, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com as usual:

Fertur in conviviis Vinus, Vina, Vinum,
Masculinum displicet atque femininum,
Sed in neutro genere vinum, bonum vinum
Loqui facit clericum optime Latinum.

English: "Vinus, Vina and Vinum are brought to the banquet; the masculine Vinus is not right, nor is the feminine Vina, but in the neuter form Vinum, good wine, makes a cleric speak the very finest Latinum." I was delighted to see that in addition to the version I found in Wegeler, there are all kinds of variations on this bit of medieval verse; you can see some of them here at the ChoralWiki, because they form part of a 16th-century composition by Orlando di Lasso.

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion continues a description of Caesar's alienation from the Senate: De reliquis senatoribus perpauci in Curiam exinde uentitabant; ceteri indignitate eorum quae fiebant moti publico abstinebant.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today about wealth and wickedness: Pluit vitium ubi pluit aurum (English: When it rains gold, it rains wickedness).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Dat verba in ventos (English: He's pouring words out on the winds). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Ad paenitendum properat, cito qui iudicat (English: Someone who is quick to judge will soon regret it).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is one of my very favorites! Dum canis os rodit, socium, quem diligit, odit (English: While the dog is gnawing a bone, he hates the companion whom he had loved).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Adulterinae plantae non dabunt radices altas (English: Hybrid plants will not produce deep roots).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Vero verius (English: Truer than truth... which sounds just as paradoxical in Latin as it does in English).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Post spinas palma (English: After thorns, the palm... which is to say, you have to be prepared to suffer in order to win the victory).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Lingua inquietum malum, plena veneno mortifero (James 3:8). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Felibus domo absentibus, mures saltant. (English: When the cats are away from the house, the mice leap... much like the English, "when the cat's away, the mice play").

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Capra nondum peperit, haedus autem ludit in tectis (English: The goat hasn't given birth yet, but the kid is already playing on the rooftops - a variation on the same notion as 'counting your chickens before they're hatched' - from Adagia 2.6.10).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Odium Vatinianum (English: Hatred as if for Vatinius; from Adagia 2.2.94 - Vatinius, a politician of Republican Rome, and a proverbial object of hatred; he was a particular enemy of Cicero, among others).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Καθ' ἑαυτοῦ Βελλεροφόντης (English: Bellerophon against himself... an allusion to the famous "letter of Bellerophon" in which he brought the instructions for his own execution - a motif, by the way, which I saw used in a great film by Sam Mendes, Road to Perdition, which I watched this past weekend!).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE IUVENE ET HIRUNDINE, a fable which proves the proverb that "one swallow does not make a summer."

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Cicada et Formica, the famous story of the lazy cricket and the industrious ant.

For an image today, I thought I would grab one of the pages from the Tar Heel reader I created for the story of the ant and the cricket:

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Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: November 11

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem tertium Idus Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. Today's verses are from the distichs attributed to Cato, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com as usual:

Successus nolito indigni ferre moleste:
Indulget Fortuna malis, ut vincere possit.

English: "Do not get upset by the successes enjoyed by an unworthy man; Fortune indulges the wicked in order to be able to conquer them." Note the use of that nice future imperative form, nolito. I wish they would give the future imperative a better name: I would happily call it the proverbial imperative, since it is a form you will find often in the proverbs. :-)

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion describes the high regard in which Cato was held, forestalling Caesar's actions: sed cum tacitum ire, et non modo optimatibus id dolere factum, sed plebem etiam uerecundia uirtutis Catonis maestam uideret silentemque sequi, ipse clam unum de tribunis exorauit, ut Catonem eriperet.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today: Nemo cum diabolo iocatur impune (English: No one jokes around with the devil and escapes unharmed).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Tanti homo est sine amico, quanti corpus absque spiritu est (English: A person without a friend is worth as much as a body without breath). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Benignus etiam causam dandi cogitat (English: The generous man even invents reasons for giving).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Non vult scire satur, quid ieiunus patiatur (English: The well-fed man does not want to know what the hungry man feels).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Pullus de nido avolat (English: The chick flies away from the nest... although in human terms, a lot of people sure are living with their parents these days!).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Cave paratus (English: Be ready and beware! - note the nice use of the participle together with the imperative; literally, "having readied yourself, beware").

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Credula res amor (English: Love is a gullible thing - and thus quite different from the English truism that love is a "many-splendored thing").

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Laetare, iuvenis, in adulescentia tua (Ecc. 11:9). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Qui dat gallinam, aliquando recipit bovem (English: Someone who gives a hen every once in a while receives an ox ... and, of course, you probably don't literally want an ox, but metaphorically it's a fine very generous return!).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is In saltu uno duos apros capere (English: To catch two boars in a single copse; from Adagia 3.6.63).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Cadmea victoria (English: A Cadmean victory; from Adagia 2.8.34 - this is a victory obtained at a great loss, referring to the men who sprang from the dragon teeth sown by Cadmus; they all attacked one another with savage ferocity so that in the end only a few were left to enjoy the victory).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Μισῶ μνάμονα συμπόταν (English: I hate a drinking companion who has a good memory).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE URSO ET ALVEARI, the story of a very angry bear and some equally angry bees.

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Leo et Mus, a version of the story of the lion who did a favor for a mouse, and how the mouse returned the favor. Here is an illustration for the story (image source) by Aractingy:

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Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: November 10

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem quartum Idus Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. Today's poem is one of the iambic fables by Desbillons, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com as usual:

Ova Crocodili Gallina olim reperit,
Et incubavit, dum fetus excluderet:
At illi vita vix incoeperunt frui,
Altricem diris enecarunt morsibus.

English: "A chicken once found the eggs of a crocodile and she sat on them until she hatched the chicks, but scarcely had the chicks begun to enjoy the gift of life when they killed their foster mother with gruesome bites." Ouch! For the story of the rooster who found something far less dangerous that crocodile eggs, see the fable of the day below. If you're interested in iambic meter, this little poem is a great one to practice with; the only line with anything unusual is that first line; just syncopate crocodili to make it three syllables and you'll be fine!

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion explores the enmity between Caesar and Cato: Catonem his ausum contra contradicere, Caesar in carcerem abripuit, existimans eum tribunos plebis appellaturum.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today about the dangers of the high life: Quo quisque est altior, eo est periculo proximior (English: The higher anyone is, the closer he is to danger).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Non mare transisset, pavidus si nauta fuisset (English: The sailor would not have crossed the sea, if he had been afraid). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Solet hora, quod multi anni abstulerunt, reddere (English: Often a single hour restores when many years had taken away).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Nulla valet vita, nisi sit virtute polita (English: No life is worthwhile unless it is polished by virtue).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Homo ad laborem nascitur (English: Man is born to labor).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Aeternitatem cogita (English: Ponder what is eternal).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Florebo quocumque ferar (English: I will flourish wherever I am carried).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Ne mittatis margaritas vestras ante porcos (Matt. 7:6). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Canes plurimum latrantes raro mordent (English: The dogs who bark most rarely bite).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Si vultur es, cadaver expecta (English: If you're a vulture, wait for the corpse; from Adagia 1.7.14 - a saying suited for those human "vultures" who are hoping to inherit from an old relative).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Thesssala mulier (English: A woman of Thessaly - in other words, a witch; from Adagia 1.3.12).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Χαλεπὸν χορίου κύνα γεύειν (English: It is bad news when a dog has tasted the afterbirth... you want the dogs to herd the sheep, not eat them, after all; this is a saying you can find one of the idylls of Theocritus).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Rana et Bos, the story of the frog with a puffed-up sense of herself, so to speak.

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE GALLO GALLINACEO, the story of the rooster who found a precious gem in the dungheap.

In honor of Thessalian witches, I thought I would include this medieval image depicting the most famous of all Thessalian witches, Erichtho, from Lucan's Pharsalia:

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Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Round-Up: November 9

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem quintum Idus Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. It's one of the epigrams of Owen, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com, as usual:

Nemo repente bonus: lente properare memento,
Virtutis quamvis || ingrediare viam.
Utile consilium fit inutile festinanti.
Collige primo animum, || corrige deinde tuum.

English: "No one is good by acting quickly; remember to hurry at a slow pace, even if it is the path of virtue you are walking. A useful plan becomes useless when you're in a rush. First focus your mind, then point it in the right direction." What great advice! As you can see, the epigram amplifies the advice to Festina lente, "Make haste slowly." My favorite part is the last bit about Collige animum tuum, and then Corrige - it reminds me of one of my husband's remarks when someone does something foolish: "Ready, fire, aim." This proverb is more optimistic, and assumes we can be reminded to take things slowly, step by step.

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion tells us more about Caesar's alliance with Pompey: Pompeius nuptiis peractis statim armatis forum oppleuit, et in perferendis legibus populum adiuuit; Caesari Gallia omnis cis et trans Alpes lllyricumque decretum cum quatuor legionibus in quinquennium.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one of my favorite proverbs about diversity and unity: Manus digiti coaequales non sunt, omnes tamen usui (English: The fingers of the hand are not equal to one another, but they are all useful).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Suam quisque pellem portat (English: Each carries his own skin). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Nil agere semper infelici est optimum (English: If you're unlucky, the best thing is always to do nothing... in other words: some days it really is better just not even get out of bed, ha ha).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's rhyming proverb is: Quam brevis est hora, quae labat absque mora! (English: How brief is the hour which slips by without tarrying).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Labores manuum tuarum manducabis (English: You will eat the works of your hands).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Vitrea fortuna (English: Fortune is glass - which is to say it both sparkles and shatters).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: In libertate labor (English: In freedom, there is work... most of all, of course, there is the work required to keep your freedom!).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Comedamus et bibamus; cras enim moriemur. (Isaiah 22:13). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Quem taurum metuis, vitulum mulcere solebas (English: The bull whom you know fear you used to pet when it was a calf).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Phoenice rarior (English: More rare than a phoenix; from Adagia More rare than a phoenix - according to at least some ancient accounts, there was only one phoenix at a time in the world, so to be more rare than the phoenix, well, that would be most rare indeed!).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Phani ostium (English: The door of Phanus; from Adagia 2.7.70 - the saying alludes to a certain blind man named Phanus, who made sure his door creaked so no one could sneak in, but his wife's lover simply entered the house by climbing up on the roof - the door of Phanus refers to some sort of precaution that fails in its purpose utterly).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Γέρων βοῦς ἀπένθητος δόμοισι (English: The old ox has no mourners in the household - you can find many sayings about the ungrateful attitude of people towards old oxen, old horses, old dogs, and so on... with the obvious metaphorical implications for the old of the human species as well!).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE LEONE ET MURE, the hilarious story of the mouse who wanted to marry a lion.

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Leo et Socii Eius, the famous fable of the lion's share. Here is an illustration for the story (image source) by Aractingy:

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Aesop's Fables in Latin now available at Amazon.com.

Greek Beast of the Week