Round-Up: July 8

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. I'm posting at Twitter again now, too! :-)

HODIE: ante diem octavum Idus Iulias (and yes, you can have your own Roman Google Calendar).

VERBUM HODIERNUM: Today's word is TAMEN - read a brief essay about the word at the Verbosum blog. Here's one of the sayings you can find in the essay: Manus digiti conaequales non sunt, omnes tamen usui sunt, "Although the fingers of the hand are not the same as one another, they are all useful."

LATIN AND ENGLISH FABLES: Here are today's fables in Latin AND English from the English Aesop project.

• The Goose and the Golden Eggs = Anser et Ova Aurea.
• The Lion, the Rooster and the Donkey = Leo, Gallus et Asinus.
• The Satyr and the Traveler = Satyrus et Viator.
• The Cat and the Rooster = Catus et Gallus.
• The Fox and the Eagle = Vulpes et Aquila.

I've picked out my favorite one to share with you here in the blog, The Goose and the Golden Eggs = Anser et Ova Aurea:

There was an old woman who had a goose that laid a golden egg for her each and every day. The woman, however, was very greedy: she concluded that the goose must have a goldmine in his guts and, hoping for even more gain, she killed him on the spot. Then, when she inspected his guts and found only one golden egg in there, she realized she had been deceived by her own foolish hopes and cried, "Woe is me: what guilt I feel for the crime I have committed! Not being content with my moderate profit, I have gone and lost it all."

Anus quaedam anserem alebat, qui illi quotidie ovum aureum excludebat. Anus avarissima, existimans anserem habuisse in visceribus fodinam auream, cupiditate commota, anserem confestim interfecit et, cum viscera perscrutabatur et unicum tantum ovum deprehenderat, spe sublactata inani, exclamabat, "O me infelicem, tantae crudelitatis consciam, quae, non modico contenta lucro, iam omnia perdiderim."

TODAY'S MOTTOES & PROVERBS: Also available as widgets at SchoolhouseWidgets.com.

3-Word Mottoes: Today's 3-word motto is Dat cura commodum (English: Being careful bestows profit - this is cura in the positive sense of care, being careful, rather than the negative sense of worry or anxiety).

3-Word Proverbs: Today's 3-word proverb is Qui ignorat ignorabitur (English: He who is ignorant will be ignorant in the future… in other words, the opposite of life-long learning: it's life-long ignorance).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb with rhyme is: Parcus vescendo, parcissimus esto bibendo (English: Eat sparingly, and drink even more sparingly - good advice, no doubt… but I cannot claim to follow it, alas!).

Vulgate Verse: Today's verse is Funiculus triplex difficile rumpitur (Ecc. 4:12). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Elizabethan Proverb Commentary: Here is today's proverb commentary, this time by Conybeare: Aurum Tolosanum habere: A proverbe which had this begynnynge; when Quintus Cepio toke by assaute the citie of Tolosa in Italie. There was founde yn the temples great plentye of golde, which being taken awaye, all they that had any parte thereof died miserablye, whereof happened this proverbe when any man finished his life yn myserye, menne woulde saye, that he had golde of Tolosa.

Today's Poem: Today's poem is from the rhyming sayings collected by Wegeler, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com:

Si currat placidos tibi vis ut vita per annos,
Audi, multa vide, multa loquare cave.

English: "If you want for your life to run smoothly over the years, hear much and see much, but take care not to talk much." The idea, of course, is that you can get into a lot of trouble by opening your mouth, but keeping your ears open and eyes open can keep you out of trouble!

For an image today, here is an illustration to go with the story of the goose and the golden eggs. In this version, you can see it is a reckless man, not a woman, who kills the poor goose (source):

Round-Up: July 7

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. I'm posting at Twitter again now, too! :-)

HODIE: Nonae Iuliae, the Nones of July (and yes, you can have your own Roman Google Calendar).

VERBUM HODIERNUM: Today's word is VALEO - read a brief essay about the word at the Verbosum blog. Here's one of the sayings you can find in the essay: Non vivere, sed valere vita est, "Life is not to live but to be strong."

LATIN AND ENGLISH FABLES: Here are today's fables in Latin AND English from the English Aesop project.

• The Fly and the Bull = Musca et Taurus.
• Belling the Cat = Mures, Feles et Tintinnabulum.
• Two Dogs and a Bone = Canes Duo et Os.
• The Fox Speaking Words of Peace = Vulpes Pacem Annuntians.
• Why The Cuckoo Sings Cuckoo = Origo Cuculi Cantus.

I've picked out my favorite one to share with you here in the blog, Belling the Cat = Mures, Feles et Tintinnabulum:

Once upon a time the mice were trying to decide how to keep themselves safe from the cat. The various mice proposed all kinds of plans, but none of them met with general approval. Finally one of the mice said, "A bell should be tied to the cat; then we will hear right away when he is coming and we'll easily make our escape." They all praised this wise mouse, delighted by the plan he had proposed. "So go ahead and tie on the bell," they said. The mouse replied, "I am the one who came up with the plan; let someone else put it into operation." So the plan turned out to be a failure, because no one could be found who was willing to bell the cat.

Mures aliquando consultabant quomodo se a Fele tueri possent. Multa proponebantur a singulis muribus, sed nihil placebat. Postremo unus dixit, "Tintinnabulum Feli annectendum est; tum statim audiemus cum veniet, facileque effugiemus." Omnes mures laeti praedicant prudentem consilii auctorem. "Iam tu" inquiunt "annecte tintinnabulum." "Ego vero" respondet ille "consilium dedi; alius operam sumat." Irritum consilium fuit, quoniam qui Feli annecteret tintinnabulum non reperiebatur.

TODAY'S MOTTOES & PROVERBS: Also available as widgets at SchoolhouseWidgets.com.

Tiny Proverbs: Today's tiny proverb is: Fuge magna (English: Flee from great things).

3-Word Mottoes Verb-less: Today's 3-word verb-less motto is Quam dulcis libertas! (English: How sweet is liberty!).

Latin Animal Proverb: Today's animal proverb is Dimittis pullos sub custodia vulpis (English: You are leaving your chicks in the care of the fox - definitely not a good idea, as you can tell from the story of the fox and the rooster cited above).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Semper aliquid novi affert Africa (English: Africa always brings forth something new - a good saying during the days of the World Cup!).

Proper Name Proverb from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb from Erasmus is Lampon iurat per anserem (English: Lampon swears by the goose; from Adagia 4.1.34 - Lampon was a proverbial priest who would swear "by the goose," rather than invoking a god, since if Lampon later broke the oath, he could do so with impunity, having nothing to fear from a goose).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ἐλέφαντα ἐκ μυιᾶς ποιεῖς (English: You're making an elephant out of a mouse - something like our saying about making a mountain out of a molehill).

For an image today, here is Richard Heighway's illustration of the story of belling the cat, from Jacobs' edition of Aesop's fables (web source):

Myths and Legends: Hecuba and Polymestor

Hecuba and Polymestor. To find out more about Hecuba's revenge, see this Wikipedia article: link; for information about the image: image source.

Hecuba was the wife of King Priam of Troy, and together they had 19 children. During the war with the Greeks, Hecuba sent her youngest son Polydorus to King Polymestor of Thrace to keep him safe. When the Greeks conquered Troy, however, Polymestor murdered Polydorus. Hecuba later takes revenge and blinds Polymestor, as you can see in the image for today.

You can also find more myths and legends for the week of July 1-7 here. For more information and links to the actual javascript code, see the Myths & Legends Widget Reference Page.

Round-Up: July 6

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.

I made GREAT progress on the Magnus Aesopus book during my June hiatus, and it looks very likely that I will be able to finish that up this summer! Meanwhile, I am plotting an English version of the book, too, as you'll see from the new English-Latin fable items below.

HODIE: pridie Nonas Iulias (and yes, you can have your own Roman Google Calendar).

VERBUM HODIERNUM: Today's word is FATUM - read a brief essay about the word at the Verbosum blog. Here's one of the sayings you can find in the essay: Ducunt volentem fata, nolentem trahunt, "The Fates lead the man who is willing; the man who is unwilling, they drag."

LATIN AND ENGLISH FABLES: Here are today's fables in Latin AND English from the English Aesop project.

• The Pig and the Horse = Porcus et Equus.
  
• The Ailing Donkey, the Wolves and the Dogs = Asinus Aegrotans, Lupi et Canes.
  
• The Cat, the Mouse and the Cheese = Caseus, Mus et Feles.
• The Fox and the Lion in the Snare = Vulpes et Leo Irretitus.
• The Parrot and the Turtle-Dove = Psittacus et Turtur.

I've picked out my favorite one to share with you here in the blog, The Fox and the Lion in the Snare = Vulpes et Leo Irretitus.

There was a lion who had gotten caught in a snare. With all his strength he tried to snap the ropes but the more he pulled at the snare, the more tightly he was bound. A fox happened to be passing that same way and when she saw what had happened she said to the lion, "My king, you will not escape from there by force, but by ingenuity. Instead of tugging at the snare, you need to let go so it can loosen up." When the lion did what the fox advised, he was released from the snare which had bound him and thus escaped, free once again.

Leo, comprehensus laqueo, totis viribus vincula dirumpere conabatur; quo autem maiori conatu laqueum trahebat, eo arctius detinebatur. Vulpes, illac iter habens, cum hoc esset intuita, "Non viribus" inquit "mi rex, istinc evades, sed ingenio. Relaxandus enim laqueus et dissolvendus, non trahendus est." Quod cum Leo fecisset, statim soluto laqueo quo erat astrictus, liber evasit.

TODAY'S PROVERBS: Also available as widgets at SchoolhouseWidgets.com.

Tiny Mottoes: Today's tiny motto is: Semper pertinax (English: Always persevering - and since that third-declension adjective doesn't change for gender, it works for everyone).

3-Word Proverbs Verb-less: Today's 3-word verb-less proverb is Pretiosum quod utile (English: That which is useful is precious)

Audio Latin Proverb: Today's audio Latin proverb is Gutta fortunae prae dolio sapientiae (English: A drop of luck rather than a vat of wisdom). 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: Licentiam des linguae, cum verum petas (English: You must let the tongue speak freely if you want to hear the truth).

Animal Proverb from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb from Erasmus is Aquilam testudo vincit (English: The turtle beats the eagle; from Adagia 1.7.68 - and found also in Aesop's fables).

Today's image is an illustration for the fable of the lion in the snare - this shows the lion still raging at his limitations! This is actually an illustration for the story of the lion and the mouse and if you look closely you'll be able to find the little mouse. (Source: Walter Crane)

Back in Action!

I hope everybody had a great Fouth-of-July weekend. I've been making really good progress on the Aesopus Magnus book, and the first draft is now complete! There is still lots of work to do over the summer but I am confident now that I can finish up the book before school starts in August. Whoo-hoo!

Meanwhile, I've started up blogging again, too. You can find the Latin word-of-the-day essay again over at the Verbosum blog along with the vocabulary composition challenges. You will notice a new look at that blog and at my other active blogs as well. Google has released a new "template designer" for Blogger.com blogs with all kinds of lovely options. I chose something really simple which I hope is easy on the eyes - but there are all kinds of more elaborate options for people who want to make a visual impact with their blog. If you've been thinking about starting a blog, Blogger.com just keeps getting better and better, IMHO.

In addition to the Latin word blog, I've started up a new blog for the fables: The English Aesop. The idea here is to publish five English translations each day to accompany the fables that will be appearing in the Aesopus Magnus book. If I can stick to that schedule, I should have an English version of the book ready by the end of the year: fingers crossed!

Tomorrow, Tuesday, I'll be resuming the round-ups here at the Bestiaria. Thanks for your patience during my absence. That is the longest break I have ever taken from blogging in the past five years... but I think it was worth it, and I'm excited about the new fables I will be able to share in the coming months. GoogleBooks has continued to be an amazing resource, full of surprises - if you are curious, here are the GoogleBooks I've discovered lately, some of which have proved invaluable for the Aesop project. Gratias vobis ago, GoogleLibris!!!

Finally, just for fun, here is an Aesop cartoon that my husband shared with me this morning. Aesop lives one - at least in some of the more famous fables!

Myths and Legends: Death of Lucretia

The Death of Lucretia. To find out more about the Roman legend of Lucretia, see this Wikipedia article: link; for information about the image: image source.

The death of Lucretia is a famous legend from Roman history, dating to the sixth century B.C.E. The king of Rome, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus ("Tarquin the Proud"), had sent his son, Sextus Tarquinius, to the home of Lucius Collatinus, a Roman governor and distant relative of the king. Collatinus had a wife, Lucretia, who welcomed Sextus Tarquinius to their home as her husband was away on military business. During the night, Sextus made his way to Lucretia's bedroom. He insisted that she have sex with him or, if she refused, he would kill her along with one of her slaves and claim that he had caught them in the act of adultery. Sextus then proceeded to rape Lucretia. He left the next day, whereupon Lucretia went to her father's house. She told him what had happened and begged him to avenge her; she then took a dagger and stabbed herself, dying in her father's arms. A conspiracy of Roman noblemen then swore on that dagger that they would overthrow the king - and as a result of this rebellion, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus was the last king of Rome. He went into exile with two of his sons; Sextus, however, was executed for his crimes. The Republic that was then established lasted for many centuries and when the Republic itself came to an end, the rulers of Rome were "emperors," not kings.

You can also find more myths and legends for the week of July 1-7 here. For more information and links to the actual javascript code, see the Myths & Legends Widget Reference Page.