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. :-)