Phaedrus: Mons Parturiens

This is the collection of Latin fables that started it all: Phaedrus! You can read more about Phaedrus at Wikipedia.


4.22 Mons Parturiens

Mons parturibat, gemitus immanes ciens,

eratque in terris maxima expectatio.

At ille murem peperit. Hoc scriptum est tibi,

qui, magna cum minaris, extricas nihil.

Here is the poem written out in English prose order to help in reading:

Mons parturibat, 

ciens immanes gemitus,

et 

in terris

erat maxima expectatio.

At ille (mons)

peperit murem. 

Hoc scriptum est tibi,

qui,

cum minaris magna,

extricas nihil.

This famous fable is also found in Horace, and it has its own Wikipedia article.


The meter is iambic:

Mons par·turi·bat, gemi·tus im·manes · ciens,

erat·qu~ in ter·ris max·im~ ex·pecta·tio.

At il·le mu·rem pepe·rit. Hoc · script~ est · tibi,

qui, mag·na cum · mina·ris, ex·tricas · nihil.

Here is an illustration from a 1701 edition of Phaedrus: