Irenaeus Fabula 51. Viatores

I've embarked on a new Latin fable project here at the Latin Via Fables blog: digitizing the 300 fables in the Mithologica sacro-profana, seu florilegium fabularum by P. Irenaeus, published in 1666, which has recently become available at GoogleBooks. For a complete index of the fables in the book, with links to the fables I've digitized so far, check out the Aesopus wiki page at Aesopus.PBwiki.com.

Today's fable is Viatores, the story of two travelers and what they saw at a distance. In Perry's indexing system, this is Perry 177.

To make reading the fable easier, I've provided a segmented version of the story below.

Viatores quidam ad crepidinem maris, in Aprico iter facientes, secesserant in speluncam ab itinere tantisper dissitam, solis aestus declinandi et animi recreandi causa; unde mare ex illa umbra contemplantes, viderunt immane quoddam undis ac fluctibus iactatum supernatare, ac vento flante sibi accedere; rati primo aspectu esse navem, post aliquantulum iterum oculos ad mare coniicientes, iam non navis, sed instar exiguae scaphae videbatur; demum ubi propius ad eos accessit, et diligentius ipsi prospectarunt, cognoverunt nil aliud esse, nisi fasces spinarum et stirpium a fluctibus huc forte impulsos, tunc alter alteri dicere, O caecos nos, quibus longe et in umbra positis, res tam parvi momenti pro magna apparuit. Frequens error mortalium his mundi in tenebris inambulantium.

Viatores quidam
ad crepidinem maris,
in Aprico iter facientes,
secesserant in speluncam
ab itinere tantisper dissitam,
solis aestus declinandi
et animi recreandi causa;
unde mare
ex illa umbra contemplantes,
viderunt
immane quoddam
undis ac fluctibus iactatum
supernatare,
ac vento flante
sibi accedere;
rati
primo aspectu
esse navem,
post aliquantulum iterum
oculos ad mare coniicientes,
iam non navis,
sed instar exiguae scaphae videbatur;
demum
ubi propius ad eos accessit,
et diligentius ipsi prospectarunt, cognoverunt
nil aliud esse,
nisi fasces spinarum et stirpium
a fluctibus
huc forte impulsos,
tunc alter alteri dicere,
O caecos nos,
quibus longe et in umbra positis,
res tam parvi momenti
pro magna apparuit.
Frequens error mortalium
his mundi in tenebris
inambulantium.

Here's an illustration for the fable (image source), showing a piece of driftwood:

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