Irenaeus Fabula 52. De Terra et Montibus parituris

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 De Terra et Montibus parituris, the story of the surprising result of the mountains giving birth. In Perry's indexing system, this is Perry 520.

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

Terra gravidae et praegnanti similis (alii dicunt, montes) videbatur in utero habere et brevi paritura. Expectabant pavidi mortales ab illo partu quid magnum ac portentosum: Gigantes scilicet Tiphaeis, Enceladis, Centimanis, aut Briareis longe immaniores, aut montes erupturos, si quando terra vulvam aperiret, aperta est tandem aliquando et ab vastissimo hiatu prodiit ridiculus mus. Saepe magna expectatio fit fabula et risus hominum.

Terra
gravidae et praegnanti similis
(alii dicunt, montes)
videbatur in utero habere
et brevi paritura.
Expectabant pavidi mortales
ab illo partu
quid magnum ac portentosum:
Gigantes
scilicet Tiphaeis, Enceladis,
Centimanis, aut Briareis
longe immaniores,
aut montes erupturos,
si quando terra vulvam aperiret,
aperta est tandem aliquando
et ab vastissimo hiatu prodiit
ridiculus mus.
Saepe magna expectatio
fit fabula et risus hominum.

Here's an illustration for the fable (image source) by Aractingy - look for the little mouse!

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