Desbillons: Avarus et Thesaurus

Yesterday, as part of our ongoing work on the Latin fables of Desbillons (see this post for more info), Hector and I read this poem, which is one of my favorite Aesop's fables! Aesop was definitely NOT a fan of misers, and I know he would not be impressed by all our billionaires of today either.

4.15 Avarus et Thesaurus

Thesaurum Avarus fossa condiderat humo,

Quem fur odorans quaerit, invenit, rapit.

Ille igitur huc reversus, ut locum videt

Vacuum, exsecratur omnibus sortem modis.

Tum quidam sapiens: Quid, ait, incassum furis?

Ubi pondus auri sterile posueras, ibi

Repone lapidem; tibi tantumdem proderit."

Tam deest Avaro quod habet, quam quod non habet.

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

Avarus

condiderat thesaurum 

fossa humo;

fur, odorans, 

quaerit thesaurum, invenit, rapit.

Ille (Avarus) igitur, huc reversus, 

ut videt locum vacuum, 

exsecratur sortem omnibus modis.

Tum quidam Sapiens ait,

"Quid incassum furis?

Ubi posueras sterile pondus auri, 

ibi repone lapidem; 

tantumdem proderit tibi."

Tam deest Avaro quod habet, 

quam quod non habet.

I'm often not a fan of the epimythium, but I love the paradox here of how the miser doesn't have even what he has!

The meter is iambic, and here is some help with the meter (for more about iambic meter, see the post about Desbillons 1.1).

Thesaur~ · Ava·rus fos·sa con·diderat · humo,

Quem fur · odo·rans quae·rit, in·venit · rapit.

Ill~ igi·tur huc · rever·sus, ut · locum · videt

Vacu~ ex·secra·tur om·nibus · sortem · modis.

Tum qui·dam sapi·ens: Quid, a·it, in·cassum · furis?

Ubi pon·dus au·ri steri·le posu·eras · ibi

Repo·ne lapi·dem; tibi · tantum·dem pro·derit.

Tam d~est · Avar·o quod ha·bet, quam · quod non · habet.  

You can find illustrations for the fable here. I like how the Medici Aesop puts the different events of the story into a single panel:

Meanwhile, for more Desbillons, here are the other poems I've posted so far here at the blog. :-)

Desbillons: Camelus et Iupiter

As part of our ongoing work on the Latin fables of Desbillons (see this post for more info), Hector and I read this poem yesterday; it's one of my favorite Aesop's fables:

3.7 Camelus et Jupiter

Camelus olim sortis pertaesus suae

Conquestus est, armari taurum cornibus,

At sese inermem ceteris animalibus

Objectum; cornua ergo sibi concederet,

Jovem rogavit. Deus at iratus preces

Audire ineptas non recusavit modo,

Sed curtari etiam voluit aures bestiae.

Fortuna vivat quisque contentus sua.

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

Camelus, pertaesus suae sortis,

conquestus est

taurum armari cornibus,

at sese objectum (esse), 

inermem ceteris animalibus; 

ergo rogavit Jovem

concederet cornua sibi,

at deus, iratus, 

non modo recusavit audire ineptas preces,

sed etiam voluit

aures bestiae curtari.

Quisque vivat contentus fortuna sua.

The syntax is a bit tricky because it is all done through indirect speech. It would be a lot easier to understand if it were just a dialogue between the camel and Jupiter, but even so, I really like this fable. 

The meter is iambic, and here is some help with the meter (for more about iambic meter, see the post about Desbillons 1.1).

Came·lus o·lim sor·tis per·taesus · suae

Conques·tus est, · arma·ri tau·rum cor·nibus,

At se·s~ iner·mem ce ·teris · anima·libus

Objec·tum; cor·nu~ er·go sibi · conce·deret,

Jovem · roga·vit. Deus · at i·ratus · preces

Audi·re inep·tas non · recu·savit · modo,

Sed cur·tar~ eti·am volu·it au·res bes·tiae.

Fortu·na vi·vat quis·que con·tentus · sua.

You can find illustrations     for the fable here. I like how Francis Barlow included a pyramid in this one to let us know we are in north Africa (camels!), and among the horned creatures that the camel envies, he even included a unicorn:

Meanwhile, for more Desbillons, here are the other poems I've posted so far here at the blog. :-)

Desbillons: Simia et Vulpis

Another fable that Hector and I worked on this week from the Latin fables of Desbillons (see this post for more info) is a great one about a monkey and a fox. This is one of those fables where there is some tension about the moral. The monkey, especially when the emphasis is on the monkey's nude butt (so, an ape actually, rather than a monkey), is often an object of contempt in Aesop's fables, and the fox certainly expresses contempt for the monkey in this story. But the moral, it turns out, is on the side of the monkey, with the fox being characterized as a miser, while the monkey is deserving of charity... even though the fox gets the last word in the actual story, expressing total contempt for the monkey and especially the monkey's naked butt.

3.19 Simia et Vulpis

Vulpem rogavit Simia, ut concederet

Caudae partem aliquam, contegendas ad nates;

Etenim quod usui et honori foret sibi,

Huic esse id oneri. Vulpis at rettulit, nihil

Sibi nimium esse, et cauda humum verri sua

Se malle, quam illa Simiae nates tegi.

Significat haec fabella, raro quidpiam

Superfluum esse diviti, ut egenum juvet.

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

Simia rogavit Vulpem

ut concederet aliquam partem caudae

ad contegendas nates;

etenim id, 

quod foret usui et honori sibi (Simiae),

esse oneri huic (Vulpi).

At Vulpis rettulit

nihil nimium esse sibi, 

et se malle verri humum sua cauda

quam Simiae nates tegi illa.

Haec fabella significat

raro quidpiam esse superfluum diviti, 

ut juvet egenum.

This is a fable which shows up in Perotti's famous Appendix, and so it has featured regularly in editions of Phaedrus since it was discovered by Niccolò Perotti. As the fable also shows up in the Romulus tradition (including a Romulus in verse), that lends credibility to this fable being part of the greater Phaedrus collection. Gudius reconstructed a version from the prose Romulus, and there is also a poem by Osius for this fable. So, I'll have lots more versions of this fable to share as this project takes shape, and those are just the metrical versions, totally aside from prose versions (for example, I used a prose version from Irenaeus in the Mille Fabulae et Una book).

The meter is iambic, and here is some help with the meter (for more about iambic meter, see the post about Desbillons 1.1).

Vulpem · roga·vit Si·mi~ ut · conce·deret

Caudae · part~ ali·quam, con·tegen·das ad · nates;

Etenim · quod u·su~ et ho·nori · foret · sibi,

Huic es·s~ id one·ri. Vul·pis at ret·tulit, · nihil

Sibi ni·mi~ es·s~ et cau·d~ humum · verri · sua

Se mal·le, qu~ il·la Si·miae · nates · tegi.

Signifi·cat haec · fabel·la, ra·ro quid·piam

Super·flu~ es·se di·vit~ ut e·genum · juvet.

You can find illustrations for the fable here. Here's one from a Croxall Aesop, with this text:
The ape, meeting the fox one day, humbly requested him to give him a piece of his fine long brush tail to cover his poor naked backside, which was so exposed to all the violence and inclemency of the weather; “for,” says he, “Reynard, you have already more than you have occasion for, and a great part of it even drags along in the dirt.”

The fox answered, that as to his having too much, that was more than he knew; but, be it as it would, he had rather sweep the ground with his tail as long as he lived, than deprive himself of the least bit to cover the ape's nasty stinking posteriors.

Desbillons: Puer et Fortuna

Yesterday for our work on the Latin fables of Desbillons (see this post for more info), Hector and I look at this great poem about the Roman goddess Fortuna, who is "Fortune" or "Lady Luck" in English. Because this is a classical fable, it has lots of great art too; click here for art plus English versions.

3.6 Puer et Fortuna

Ad oram putei dormiebat Puerulus.

Eum Fortuna suscitans, "Abi hinc," ait,

"In puteum namque si caderes, non hanc tuam

Fuisse culpam, sed meam omnes dicerent."

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

Puerulus dormiebat

ad oram putei.

Fortuna, 

suscitans eum,

ait,

"Abi hinc,

namque 

si caderes in puteum,

omnes dicerent

hanc culpam fuisse

non tuam,

sed meam."

I'm honestly glad that Desbillons did not include an epimythium here. He could have gone on to say something like, "So it is that people often blame bad luck for their own foolish behavior," etc. etc., but I think it's better just to let Lady Luck herself have the last word!

The meter is iambic, and here is some help with the meter (for more about iambic meter, see the post about Desbillons 1.1).

Ad o · ram pute · i dor · mie · bat Pue · rulus.

Eum · Fortu · na sus · citans · Ab~ hinc · ait

In pute · um nam · que si · caderes · non hanc · tuam

Fuis · se cul · pam sed · me~ om · nes di · cerent.

You can find illustrations for the fable here, and my favorite is this one by Walter Crane because he has drawn the story as if it were inside the famous Rota Fortunae, "Wheel of Fortune" ... you can see the spokes of the wheel:

In this illustration for a Croxall Aesop, you can see Fortune has her wheel with her too:

And she also has her wheel with her in this Bewick illustration:

There's a wheel also in this Gouget illustration for La Fontaine: it almost looks like she's riding the wheel, plus she has a cornucopia (another one of her iconic attributes):

Sometimes the emphasis is that the boy is a "schoolboy," and in this Oudry illustration for La Fontaine, you can see that he has dropped his schoolbooks: he fell asleep, when he should have been studying! 

Desbillons: Sus Opima

Hector and I just did one of the Latin fables of Desbillons yesterday... but it is a powerful one! (See this post for more info about Desbillons.)

5.19 Sus Opima

Forte in culinam Sus se opima contulit;

Ibique pernas, larda, botulos, dum videt:

Haec sunt suilla, dixit, et abiit gemens.

Placere nulla conditio felix potest,

Cuius odiosus praevidetur exitus.

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

Forte

Sus opima

contulit se

in culinam,

et ibi,

dum videt

pernas, larda, botulos,

dixit,

"Haec sunt suilla,"

et abiit gemens.

nulla felix conditio

potest placere

cuius exitus 

praevidetur odiosus.

The epitmythium makes sense, but it's far less powerful than the actual story itself! If I were to put this little fable into an anthology (and I hope to do so, creating an anthology of Latin Aesopic poetry), I'd leave this epimythium out and let the poor pig have the last words.

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The meter is iambic, and here is some help with the meter (for more about iambic meter, see the post about Desbillons 1.1).

Fort~ in · culi · nam Sus · s~ opi · ma con · tulit;

Ibi · que per · nas lar · da botu · los, dum · videt:

Haec sunt · suil · la, dix · it et ab · iit · gemens.

Place · re nul · la con · ditio · felix · potest,

Cuius o · dio · sus prae · vide · tur ex · itus.

Desbillons cites Camerarius as his source, which turns out to be a story from the Speculum Sapientiae about a pig and a fox, where the fox is the one who brings the pig to the larger, instead of the pig going there on her own, as in Desbillons.

The version in the Speculum Sapientiae, de porco et vulpe, is very long (over 300 words!), and the version in Camerarius is on the long side too, but I did a shortened version for my Mille Fabulae et Una book, so here's that, Porcus Pinguis et Vulpes:

Pinguis et opimus assiduo pastu et diligente sagina porcus, interrogatus a vulpe unde nam ipsi tanta corporis moles et ille copiosus adeps contigisset, respondit curam hoc efficere domini, a quo omnia praeberentur abunde et etiam ingererentur. Vulpes non potuit se continere quin fatuam et insulsam bestiam redargueret atque porcum abducit intra villam ante quam forte convenerat iubetque sursum aspicere. Hoc ille vix potuit, cum difficulter cervicem reflecteret. Sed, sublatis oculis, succidiam videt, laridum, pernas, farta. Tum vulpes “Haec,” inquit, “omnia suilla sunt, et ad tales fructus tendit cultura tua.”

Here is the full version in Camerarius (click on the image for a larger view):

Meanwhile, for more Desbillons, here are the other poems I've posted so far here at the blog. :-)

Desbillons: Canis et Lepores Duo

As part of this work on the Latin fables of Desbillons (see this post for more info), I'm reading some poems with Hector Tapia, and I just realized I forgot to post this fable that we worked on a couple weeks ago; it's all about the perils of multitasking!

1.26 Canis et Lepores Duo  

Unum insecutus in campo leporem canis,

Videt alterum, et eum similiter studet insequi.

Utrumque sed dum capere vult, neutrum capit.

Sibi ipsa semper aviditas nimia officit.

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

Canis,

insecutus unum leporem in campo,

videt alterum, 

et studet insequi eum similiter.

sed

dum vult capere utrumque,

capit neutrum.

nimia aviditas ipsa officit sibi semper.

This is not a classical fable; Desbillons used as his source a fable of Le Brun: Le Chien & les deux Lievres. Compare the Latin proverb: "Duos insequens lepores, neutrum capit."

Hare by James Seymour

The meter is iambic, and here is some help with the meter (for more about iambic meter, see the post about Desbillons 1.1).

Un~ in · secu · tus in  · campo  · leporem · canis,

Videt al · ter~ et e · um simi · liter stu · det in · sequi.

Utrum · que sed · dum cape · re vult · neutrum · capit.

Sib~ ip · sa sem · per avi · ditas  · nimi~ of · ficit.

And for more Desbillons, here are the other poems I've posted so far here at the blog. :-)

Phaedrus (Extra): Gladius et Viator

You can read more about Phaedrus at Wikipedia, and here are all the Phaedrus poems I have posted at this blog, plus all the "extra" Phaedrus. Last week I posted a Phaedrus poem as reconstructed by Carl Zander from the medieval prose, and I thought today I would share a different reconstructed version by Petrus Burmannus, a.k.a. Pieter Burman the Elder, a Dutch classicist who published an edition of Phaedrus in 1698. There are three of these reconstruction projects (three that I know of anyway), and tomorrow I'll post something from the third project, which is by Marquand Gude (Gudius).

So, to begin, here's the poem I posted last week (see the post for more info), the reconstruction by Zander:

Malus multosque perdit et solus perit.

Gladium viator in via quem invenerat

Iacentem interrogavit, "Quis te perdidit?"

Cui contra telum, "Me unus, sed multos ego."

And here is how Burman renders the same story:

Gladium viator cum invenisset in via

Jacentem, interrogavit: Quis te perdidit?

Cui telum: Me quidem unus, multos vero ego.

Homo malus multos perdit, at solus perit.

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

Viator,

cum invenisset Gladium jacentem in via,

interrogavit: 

"Quis te perdidit?"

Cui Telum,

"Unus quidem (perdidit) me, 

ego vero (perdidi) multos."

Malus homo 

perdit multos, 

at perit solus.

The meter is iambic:

Gladium · via·tor c~ in·venis·set in · via

Jacent~ · inter·roga·vit: Quis · te per·didit?

Cui te·lum: Me · quid~ u·nus, mul·tos ver~ · ego.

Homo ma·lus mul·tos per·dit, at · solus · perit.

So, let's compare the two versions:

One big difference is that Zander has a promythium, while Burman has made it an epimythium, although they are essentially the same. I personally find Zander's use of -que awkward there, so I prefer Burman: Homo malus multos perdit at solus perit.

To set the scene, Zander has a pluperfect in a relative clause, while Burman has a cum clause, and again, I think I like Burman better there: Gladium viator cum invenisset in via jacentem interrogavit.

In the sword's reply, Zander has a contra to set up the reply with a sed to coordinate the sword's words, while Burman uses those syllables for a quidem...vero... in the sword's own words, and again, just personally, I prefer Burman since the quidem...vero gives the sword's reply, which is the main point of the story after all, more of a rhetorical punch: Me quidem unus, multos vero ego.

I wonder if Burman will be the winner (in my opinion, ha ha) when I am able to do another side-by-side comparison like this!

Here's the Steinhowel illustration again, this time in a digital edition at the Library of Congress; just click to browse the whole book online.

Desbillons: Gallus and Cochlea / Muscae

I really enjoyed the Latin fables of Desbillons (see this post for more info) that Hector and I worked on yesterday, one from the classical canon and one modern fable.

The first poem is about a rooster and a snail, and Desbillons cites the French fabulist Henri Richer as his source for this perfect little fable:

9.11 Gallus et Cochlea

Ad culmen excelsae arboris dum nititur

Gallus se tollere volitando, nec potest,

Huc pervenisse Cochleam attonitus videt.

Efficere id autem quonam licuerit modo

Pennis carenti, scire discupit, et rogat.

Quid tum, inquit illa, si volare nescio;

Adrependi artem calleo magis utilem.

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

Gallus,

dum nititur tollere se

ad culmen excelsae arboris 

volitando, 

et non potest,

videt, attonitus,

Cochleam pervenisse huc.

(Gallus) discupit scire

quonam modo

licuerit (Cochleae) efficere id, 

autem carenti pennis,

et rogat.

Illa (Cochlea) inquit,

"Quid tum 

si nescio volare;

calleo artem, magis utilem, 

adrependi."

I say: go, snail! The art of creeping along is indeed powerful. This resonates with the famous fable of the tortoise and the hare, but that fable was not really about the tortoise going slow and steady; it's really about the hare being foolish and boastful. In this case, the focus is all on the snail and ars adrependi!

The meter is iambic, and here is some help with the meter (for more about iambic meter, see the post about Desbillons 1.1).

Ad cul·men ex·cels~ ar·boris · dum ni·titur

Gallus · se tol·lere vo·litan·do, nec · potest,

Huc per·venis·se Coch·le~ at·tonitus · videt.

Effice·r~ id au·tem quo·nam licu·erit · modo

Pennis · caren·ti, sci·re dis·cupit, et · rogat.

Quid t~ in·quit il·la, si · vola·re ne·scio;

Adre·pend~ ar·tem cal·leo · magis u·tilem.

The second poem is about some flies in honey, and it is found in the classical Aesopic canon (Perry 80).

3.34 Muscae

Effusa mellis copia est; Muscae advolant,

Pascuntur. At mox impeditis cruribus

Revolare nequeunt. Heu! miseram, inquiunt, vicem!

Cibus iste blandus qui pellexit suaviter,

Nunc fraudulentus quam crudeliter necat!

Perfida voluptas fabula depingitur.

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

Copia mellis effusa est; 

Muscae advolant,

pascuntur. 

At mox,

impeditis cruribus,

nequeunt revolare. 

Inquiunt

"Heu! Miseram vicem!

iste blandus cibus

qui pellexit suaviter,

nunc crudeliter necat,

quam fraudulentus!"

Perfida voluptas depingitur

fabula.

As someone who is inclined to eat sweets, I can relate to the poor flies!

The meter is iambic, and here is some help with the meter:

Effu · sa mel · lis co · pi~ est · Musc~ ad · volant,

Pascun · tur. At · mox im · pedi · tis cru · ribus

Revola · re neque · unt. Heu · miser~ in · quiunt · vicem!

Cibus is · te blan · dus qui · pellex · it sua · viter,

Nunc frau · dulen · tus quam · crude · liter · necat!

Perfida · volup · tas fa · bula · depin · gitur.

Here's an illustration from the Medici Aesop:

Plus an English translation from Townsend's Aesop:

A NUMBER of Flies were attracted to a jar of honey which had been overturned in a housekeeper's room, and placing their feet in it, ate greedily. Their feet, however, became so smeared with the honey that they could not use their wings, nor release themselves, and were suffocated. Just as they were expiring, they exclaimed, 'O foolish creatures that we are, for the sake of a little pleasure we have destroyed ourselves.'

Pleasure bought with pains, hurts.

And for more Desbillons, here are the other poems I've posted so far here at the blog. :-)

Desbillons: Asinus, Simia, et Talpa

As part of this work on the Latin fables of Desbillons (see this post for more info), I'm reading some poems with Hector Tapia, and just by chance this week we worked on a Desbillons version of a poem by Faernus that I had blogged about here last week. So, to get started, here is the Faernus poem (see that blog post for help with the syntax and meter):

Asinum querentem quod careret cornibus,

Et Simium quod cauda honore, hoc arguit

Sermone Talpa: Qui potestis, hanc meam

Miseram intuentes caecitatem, haec conqueri?

   Aliena si aestimaris infortunia,

   Tunc aequiore mente perferes tua.

Faernus's poem is in iambic meter as is the poem by Desbillons (Faernus used a wide variety of meters for his fables, unlike Desbillons), and it's fun to compare them:

2.30 Asinus, Simia, et Talpa

Dum conqueruntur — Simia quod desit sibi

Cauda, Asinus autem quod non habeat cornua —

Tacete, dixit Talpa; me miserrimum

Caecum videtis, et potestis conqueri?

   Luctu et querelis cur aevum consumimus?

   Quin intuemur, sors si quem gravior premit?

   Misero levamen miserioris est malum.

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

Dum conqueruntur — 

Simia quod desit sibi cauda, 

Asinus autem quod non habeat cornua —

"Tacete," dixit Talpa; 

videtis me, miserrimum, caecum, 

et potestis conqueri?"

Cur consumimus aevum

luctu et querelis?

Quin intuemur

si sors gravior

premit (ali)quem? 

Malum miserioris

est levamen misero.

I think I like the way Desbillons tells the story better than how Faernus tells it, but I like Faernus's moral better, especially since he puts it in second-person.

The meter is iambic, and here is some help with the meter (for more about iambic meter, see the post about Desbillons 1.1).

Dum con·querun·tur, Si·mia quod · desit · sibi

Caud~ Asi·nus au·tem quod · non habe·at cor·nua:

Tace·te, dix·it Tal·pa; me · miser·rimum

Caecum · vide·tis, et · potes·tis con·queri?

Luct~ et · quere·lis cur · aevum · consu·mimus?

Quin in·tue·mur, sors · si quem · gravior · premit?

Misero · leva·men mise·rio·ris est · malum.

I'll even have another iambic version of this poem coming up later by Caspar Barth! Meanwhile, since I like the moral in Faernus and the story in Desbillons, here's how I would combine them:

Dum conqueruntur, Simia quod desit sibi

Cauda, Asinus autem quod non habeat cornua:

Tacete, dixit Talpa; me miserrimum

Caecum videtis, et potestis conqueri?

Aliena si aestimaris infortunia,

Tunc aequiore mente perferes tua.

And here's an illustration from a 1564 edition of Faernus:

 

Meanwhile, for more Desbillons, here are the other poems I've posted so far here at the blog. :-)

Desbillons: Asellus Viridis

As part of this work on the Latin fables of Desbillons (see this post for more info), I'm reading some poems with Hector Tapia, and in this post I'll report on a poem we did yesterday from Desbillons plus the story in Abstemius that inspired the poem.

Here's the poem:

2.36 Asellus Viridis

Asellum quidam per vias urbis suum

Voluit colore viridi pictum incedere.

Ridicula primum visa res est omnibus,

viridemque Asellum feminae, pueri, senes

Certatim lepidis concelebrarunt jocis,

At mox ubi illi denique riserunt satis,

In Asello viridi, praeter Asellum, nil vident.

Mirari quidquam non valent homines diu.

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

Quidam voluit

suum Asellum 

incedere per vias urbis 

pictum viridi colore.

Primum

res visa est ridicula

omnibus,

et feminae, pueri, senes

certatim concelebrarunt viridem Asellum 

lepidis jocis,

at mox ubi denique 

illi riserunt satis,

in Asello viridi

vident nil praeter Asellum.

Homines

non diu valent mirari quidquam.

So the idea that novelty wears off is not just a product of modern consumer culture!

The meter is iambic, and here is some help with the meter (for more about iambic meter, see the post about Desbillons 1.1).

Asel·lum qui·dam per · vias · urbis · suum

Voluit · colo·re viri·di pict~ · ince·dere.

Ridicu·la pri·mum vis·a res · est om·nibus,

viridem·qu~ Asel·lum fe·minae · pueri · senes

Certa·tim lepi·dis con·cele·brarunt · jocis,

At mox · ub~ il·li de·nique ri·serunt · satis,

In asel·lo viri·di, prae·ter Asel·lum, nil · vident.

Mira·ri quid·quam non · valent · homines · diu.

IconsDB

And here's the actual story about that green donkey in Abstemius:

Vidua quaedam caelibatum exosa nubere cupiebat, sed non audebat, verita vulgi irrisiones, qui maledictis eas solet incessere, quae ad secundas transeunt nuptias. Sed commater eius quam contemnendae essent populi voces hac arte monstravit. Iussit enim asinum album, quem vidua habebat, viridi colore depingi, et per omnes urbis vicos circumduci. Quod dum fieret, tanta admiratio ab initio omnes invaserat, ut non solum pueri, verum etiam senes hac re insolita moti Asinum animi gratia comitarentur. Deinde quum huiusmodi animal cotidie per urbem duceretur desierunt admirari. "Itidem," inquit ad viduam commater, "eveniet tibi. Si enim virum acceperis per aliquot dies eris fabula vulgi. Deinde hic sermo conticescet." Haec fabula indicat nullam rem esse tanta dignam admiratione, quae diuturnitate temporis non desinat esse miraculum.

Desbillons does cite Abstemius in his notes as the source, but as you can see he has not actually told the story of the widow and her "gossip" (commater, godmother). I wonder if he found the idea of the widow wanting to get married again too scandalous for his purposes! Anyway, the "quidam" of Desbillons' poem started out as a lusty widow.

Since Roger L'Estrange included Abstemius in his Aesop, I can offer this fun 17th-century English rendering:

A Widow and a Green Ass. 

There was a Widow that had a Twittering toward a second Husband, and she took a Gossipping Companion of hers to her Assistance, how to Manage the Job. The Truth of it is, says she, I have a Dear Mind to Another Bedfellow; but the Devillish People would keep such a Snearing, and Pointing at me, they'd make me e'en Weary of my Life. You are a Fine Widow i' faith, says T'other, to Trouble your Head for the Talk of the People. Pray will ye Mind what I say to ye now. You have an Ass here in your Grounds; go your ways and get That Ass Printed Green, and then let him be carry'd up and down the Country for a Show. Do This, I say, without any more Words, for Talk does but Burn Daylight. The Thing was done accordingly; and for the first Four or Five Days, the Green Ass had the Whole Country at his Heels; Man, Woman, and Child, Staring and Hooting after him. In four or five Days More, the Humour was quite Spent, and the Ass might Travel from Morning to Night, and not One Creature to take Notice of him. now (says the friendly Adviser) A New Marry'd Widow is a kind of a Green Ass: Every bodies Mouth will be Full on't for the first four or five Days, and in four or five More, the Story will e'en Talk it self Asleep.

Meanwhile, for more Desbillons, here are the other poems I've posted so far here at the blog. :-)

Phaedrus (Extra): Pulex et Camelus

You can read more about Phaedrus at Wikipedia, and here are all the Phaedrus poems I have posted at this blog, plus all the "extra" Phaedrus poems too. This reconstruction comes from the work of Carl Zander.

I really like this one because it features a camel, and as people know, any evidence of non-European animals in the fable tradition is of great interest to me, especially animals from northern Africa. This is very similar to the same fable told about a gnat and a bull, but now: it's a camel!

Here is the medieval prose version on which Zander's reconstruction is based:

Culex dum forte in cameli dorso morasset cum omnibus sarcinis, deinde saliens, dixit, "Ideo me ocius ad terram mitto ne te atritum gravem." At ille, "Gratum est," inquit, "sed nec imposito te sentire pondus potui nec deposito habere levament." Qui se superiori absque ordine coaequare nititur, in despectu notatus devenit.

20. Pulex et Camelus

Pulex erat cameli dorso in sarcinis.

Ille, inde saliens, dixit, "Ideo me ocius

Ad terram mitto, ne iam te attritum grave."

At ille, "Gratum est," inquit, "sed te nec prius

Impositum sensi, nec nunc deposito levor."

Qui sese aequare superiori nititur,

Merito notatus in despectum devenit.

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

Pulex erat 

cameli dorso

in sarcinis.

Ille, 

inde saliens, 

dixit [camelo], 

"Ideo mitto me ad terram, 

ocius 

ne iam gravem te,

attritum."

At ille inquit, 

"Gratum est,

sed non sensi prius

te impositum

non levor nunc

[te] deposito."

Qui nititur aequare sese superiori,

merito notatus 

devenit in despectum.

Note that there are two very similar Latin words for the tiny insect in question: it might be a culex (a kind of midge) or a pulex (flea). Zander has opted for pulex. I especially like the detail of how this camel is already laden down with bundles; that makes it even better than the version with the bull who is not carrying a load: since the camel is carrying a load already, a flea hardly makes a difference!

The meter is iambic:

Pulex · erat · came · li dors~ · in sar · cinis.

Ill~ in · de sali · ens, dix · it, "Ide · o m~ oc · ius

Ad ter · ram mit · to, ne · iam t~ at · tritum · grave."

At il · le, "Grat~ · est," in · quit, "sed · te nec · prius

Imposi · tum sen · si, nec · nunc de · posito · levor."

Qui se·s~ aequa · re su · perio · ri ni · titur,

Merito · nota · tus in · despec · tum de · venit.

Here is an illustration from Steinhowel's Aesop because, thanks to the medieval tradition, this fable was part of the Aesop that Steinhowel inherited, and so also Caxton:

De pulice et camelo
Caxton: Of the camel / and of the flee
He that hath no myght ought not to gloryfye ne preyse hym self of no thynge / As reherceth to vs this presente fable of a camele / whiche bare a grete charge or burden It happed that a flee by cause of the camels here lepte to the back of the camel / and made her to be borne of hym all the day And whanne they had made a grete way / And that the camel came at euen to the lodgys / and was put in the stable / the flee lepte fro hym to the ground besyde the foote of the camel / And after she sayd to the camel / I haue pyte of the / and am comen doune fro thy back by cause that I wylle nomore greue ne trauaylle the by the berynge of me / And the camel sayd to the flee / I thanke the / how be it that I am not sore laden of the /
And therfore of hym which may neyther helpe ne lette men nede not make grete estymacion of
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Desbillons: Two Aquila Fables

As part of this work on the Latin fables of Desbillons (see this post for more info), I'm reading some poems with Hector Tapia, and in this post I'll report on two poems we worked on yesterday, both about eagles! Both of them are typical of the Aesopic fable genre, but neither of these is classical; the eagle and the crow is an invention of Desbillons himself (at least I think it is original to Desbillons), while the eagle and the peacock comes from the Renaissance fables of Abstemius.

Here's the eagle and the crow:

6.28 Aquila et Corvus

Aquila exprobrabat Corvo infamiae notam

Quod projectorum putridis cadaverum

Vesci soleret carnibus. Sed utrius,

Amabo, ait ille, facinus odiosum est magis?

Corvi, qui nullas devorat nisi mortuas

Pecudes, an Aquilae, vivas quae depascitur?

Illustria quaedam scelera sunt, at maxima

Saepe ibi pudendi causa est, ubi minime pudet.

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

Aquila exprobrabat Corvo 

notam infamiae

quod 

soleret vesci

putridis carnibus projectorum cadaverum. 

Sed ille (Corvus) ait,

"Amabo,

facinus utrius

est magis odiosum?

(Facinus) Corvi, 

qui devorat nullas pecudes nisi mortuas, 

an (facinus) Aquilae, 

quae depascitur vivas (pecudes)?

Quaedam scelera sunt illustria, 

at saepe

ibi maxima causa pudendi est, 

ubi minime pudet.

In terms of grammar, the Latin "utrius" is very elegant here, setting up the genitives (corvi, aquilae) that follow. 

The meter is iambic, and here is some help with the meter (for more about iambic meter, see the post about Desbillons 1.1).

Dum gau·det Aqui·la, tur·ba quod a·vium · frequens

Ips~ es·se di·cat om·nium · pulcher·rimam,

Pav~ in·digna·tur; nec · tamen aud·et in·timos

Aperi·re sen·sus, prop·ter Re·ginae · metum.

Sic er·go mur·murat: Is·tam pul·chritu·dinem

Non penn~ · at un·gues et · rostrum · sib~ ar·rogant.

Suspec·ta laus, · quam sum·ma potes·tas ob·tinet.

The second poem is the eagle and the peacock, and once again the eagle is being criticized, if only in an undertone. :-)

Title: 6.4 Aquila et Pavo

Dum gaudet Aquila, turba quod avium frequens

Ipsam esse dicat omnium pulcherrimam,

Pavo indignatur; nec tamen audet intimos

Aperire sensus, propter Reginae metum.

Sic ergo murmurat: Istam pulchritudinem

Non pennae, at ungues et rostrum sibi arrogant.

Suspecta laus, quam summa potestas obtinet.

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

Dum Aquila gaudet

quod

turba avium 

frequens dicat

ipsam esse 

pulcherrimam omnium,

Pavo indignatur; 

nec tamen audet 

aperire intimos sensus

propter metum reginae.

Sic ergo murmurat: 

ungues et rostrum,

at non pennae,

sibi arrogant

istam pulchritudinem.

laus,

quam summa potestas obtinet,

suspecta (est).

Here is the version in Abstemius: Aquila se in pulchritudine ceteris auibus præferebat, cunctis hoc uerum esse affirmantibus. Pauo autem secum dicebat «Non pennæ te formosam, sed rostrum et ungues efficiunt, quorum timore nulla ex nobis audet tecum de formositate certare.» Fabula indicat a multis res potentiorum non tam ueritate quam timore laudari.

The only English translation (to my knowledge) of Abstemius comes from Roger L'Estrange: It was once put to the Question among the Birds, which of the whole Tribe or sort of 'em was the Greatest Beauty. The Eagle gave her Voice for her self, and Carry'd it. yes, says a Peacock in a soft Voice by the by, You are a great Beauty indeed; but it lyes in your Beak, and in your Talons, that make it Death to Dispute it. The Veneration that is paid to Great and Powerful Men, is but from the Teeth outward, not from the Heart; and more out of Fear then Love.

The meter is iambic, and here is some help with the meter:

Dum gau·det Aqui·la, tur·ba quod a·vium · frequens

Ips~ es·se di·cat om·nium · pulcher·rimam,

Pav~ in·digna·tur; nec · tamen aud·et in·timos

Aperi·re sen·sus, prop·ter Re·ginae · metum.

Sic er·go mur·murat: Is·tam pul·chritu·dinem

Non penn~ · at un·gues et · rostrum · sib~ ar·rogant.

Suspec·ta laus, · quam sum·ma potes·tas ob·tinet.

And just as a reminder of how beautiful the peacock's feathers are, here's a photo:

Phaedrus (Extra): Gladius

You can read more about Phaedrus at Wikipedia, and here are all the Phaedrus poems I have posted at this blog, plus all the "extra" Phaedrus. The edition of Phaedrus we have today is not complete, and we know that more complete editions were available to the prose writers of the Middle Ages who took Phaedrus's poems and put them into prose. Scholars have attempted to reconstruct some of the poems from those prose versions, and this reconstructed poem comes from the work of Carl Zander: Phaedru solutus, vel Phaedri fabulae novae XXX.

Here is the prose version he started from, with the "moral" of the story first, and then the actual story, which features a talking sword! 

Homo malus multos perdit et ipse solus perit. Gladium viator dum ambulabat iacentem invent in via quem interrogavit: quis te perdidit? Cui contra telum: me quidem unus; ego vero multos.

Here is the reconstructed iambic poem:

30. Gladius

Malus multosque perdit et solus perit.

Gladium viator in via quem invenerat

Iacentem interrogavit, "Quis te perdidit?"

Cui contra telum, "Me unus, sed multos ego."

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

Malus 

et perdit multos

et perit, solus.

Viator invenerat gladium

iacentem in via.

Viator interrogavit gladium, 

"Quis perdidit te?"

Telum viatori contra [dixit],

"Unus [perdidit] me, 

sed ego [perdidi] multos."

As you can see, the word play depends very heavily on the ability of Latin to imply words from context for a really succinct comeback by the sword, along with the double meaning of the verb perdo, meaning "to lose" but also "to lay waste, destroy," etc. 

The meter is iambic:

Malus · multos · que per · dit et · solus · perit.

Gladium · via · tor in · via · qu~ inven · erat

Iacent~ · inter · roga · vit Quis · te per · didit?

Cui con · tra te · lum M~ u · nus, sed · multos · ego.

Here is an illustration from Steinhowel's Aesop, and I included Caxton's 15th-century English version too. It appears in Caxton as part of the medieval fable tradition, even though it is not part of the classical tradition. Personally, I can totally imagine this having been a fable of Phaedrus. :-)

4.18. De gladio et viatore
Caxton: Of the pylgrym and of the swerd /
An euylle man maye be cause of the perdycion or losse of many folke / As reherceth to vs this present Fable / Of a pylgrym / whiche fond in his way a swerd / And he asked of the swerd / what is he that hath lost the / And the swerd answerd to the pylgrym / A man alone hath lost me / but many one I haue lost /
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Faernus: Asinus, Simius, et Talpa

This is one of the 100 Aesop's fables in verse by the Renaissance scholar and poet Faernus (Gabriello Faerno). You can read more about Faernus at Wikipedia, and here are all the Faernus poems I have posted at this blog.

43. Asinus, Simius, et Talpa 

Asinum querentem quod careret cornibus,

Et Simium quod cauda honore, hoc arguit

Sermone Talpa: Qui potestis, hanc meam

Miseram intuentes caecitatem, haec conqueri?

Aliena si aestimaris infortunia,

Tunc aequiore mente perferes tua.

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

Talpa arguit

Asinum 

querentem quod careret cornibus (honore),

et Simium 

(querentem) quod (careret) cauda honore, 

hoc sermone:

"Intuentes hanc meam miseram caecitatem,

qui potestis conqueri haec?"

Si aestimaris aliena infortunia,

tunc perferes tua (infortunia)

aequiore mente.

The only tricky thing here is the form "qui" (an archaic ablative), which means "why? for what reason?"

In addition to Faernus's poem, there is also a prose version of the fable in the 1590 edition:

Me miserum, inquit, et infelicem, asinus, cui nihil natura tribuit, quod ulli animanti metuendum esse videatur, atque utinam cornua illa mihi esset largita. Haec audiens simia, Non tamen tanta, inquit, turpitudo tua, quanta mea est, quae nudis vivo natibus, et sine cauda. Cognoverat querelam amborum talpa, ut illo forte in loco solum egerere coeperat. Fertur autem haec bestiola sollertissimi esse auditus. Prolato igitur capitulo suo: Quid, inquit, querimini, cum sciatis me captum oculis, et sempiternas in tenebras a natura procreatum esse?

This is not a classical fable, but it is part of the later European Aesopic tradition; for an English version, see Bewick's fable: Ass, Ape, and Mole. Of course the mole is not exactly blind, but her eyes are indeed very tiny. I can relate to the mole with my poor eyesight, but of course the lesson is that even with my poor eyesight, I should not be complaining. Instead, I should just be glad for what I have... and also glad for the miracle of eyeglasses that do let me see!

The meter is iambic (Faernus used a variety of meters).

Asinum · queren·tem quod · care·ret cor·nibus,

Et Si·mium · quod caud~ · honor~ · hoc ar·guit

Sermo·ne Tal·pa: Qui · potes·tis, hanc · meam

Miser~ in·tuen·tes cae·citat~ · haec con·queri?

Alie·na s~ aes·tima·ris in·fortu·nia,

Tunc ae·quio·re men·te per·feres · tua.

There are several illustrated editions of Faernus, and here is one of the illustrations for this poem (online at the Internet Archive); this is from the 1590 edition which also has the prose version quoted above.

Here's an illustration from a 1564 edition: