Perry 226: The Tortoise and the Hare

Today's fable is Perry 226, the story of the tortoise and the hare. At del.icio.us, you can see a complete list of the versions of this fable type that I have collected.

Here is the version from de Furia. What I especially like about this version is the way that the tortoise gets a nap, too - but only AFTER she finishes the race!

Pedes Testudinis Lepus olim deridebat. Cui illa subridens, Ego vero, inquit, te, quamvis velocem, in cursu tamen superabo. Quod impossibile omnino fore Lepus affirmans, Mecum, inquit, o Testudo, in certamen veni, et mei quid pedes valeant aperte cognosces. Cui Testudo adsibilans, Ecquis nobis, ait, cursus metam describet ac victoriae laudem decernet? Tunc Vulpes, brutorum omnium sagacissima, initium ac metam, nec non curriculi locum designavit. Testudo itaque, nulla mora interiecta, iter illico arripiens, ad praescriptum terminum tandem pevenit; sed Lepus interea, suis pedibus nimium confidens, placidum soporem captavit. Deinde vero somno excitatus, effuso cursu ad metam et ipse contendit, at ibi Testudinem dormientem invenit.

Here it is written out in segmented style to make it easier to follow, while respecting the Latin word order:

Pedes Testudinis
Lepus olim deridebat.
Cui
illa subridens,
Ego vero, inquit,
te, quamvis velocem,
in cursu tamen superabo.
Quod
impossibile omnino fore
Lepus affirmans,
Mecum, inquit, o Testudo,
in certamen veni,
et
mei quid pedes valeant
aperte cognosces.
Cui
Testudo adsibilans,
Ecquis nobis, ait,
cursus metam describet
ac victoriae laudem decernet?
Tunc Vulpes,
brutorum omnium sagacissima,
initium ac metam,
nec non curriculi locum
designavit.
Testudo itaque,
nulla mora interiecta,
iter illico arripiens,
ad praescriptum terminum
tandem pevenit;
sed Lepus interea,
suis pedibus nimium confidens,
placidum soporem captavit.
Deinde vero
somno excitatus,
effuso cursu
ad metam
et ipse contendit,
at ibi
Testudinem dormientem invenit.

Using Google's Picasa service, I've created a slideshow of images for this fable. You can access the The Tortoise and the Hare album directly if for some reason the slideshow does not play for you here; you can also watch a full-screen version of the slideshow. Enjoy!

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Perry 372: The Lion and the Bulls

Today's fable is Perry 372, the story of the lion and the bulls, showing how the lion used "divide and conquer" as a way to defeat the bulls. At del.icio.us, you can see a complete list of the versions of this fable type that I have collected, including several Latin versions.

What I am going to do in the blog today is my first attempt at creating an image slideshow, using Google's Picasa service. You can access the Perry 372: The Lion and the Bulls album directly if for some reason the slideshow does not play for you here; you can also watch a full-screen version of the slideshow. Enjoy!

(To show or hide the captions, just click on the little caption icon in the lower left corner of the slideshow window.)

Perry 147: Lion, Bear and Fox

Today's fable is Perry 147, the story of the lion and the bear who were outmaneuvered by the fox. At del.icio.us, you can see a complete list of the versions of this fable type that I have collected. This fable is not found in the classical or medieval Latin traditions, but with the Renaissance and modern periods, it became incorporated into various Latin editions of Aesop.

Here is the version from the Renaissance poet, Candidus Pantaleon (1540-1608). As poetry goes, this is not difficult to read, and it has some great details - like the lion and the bear being barely able to open their eyes since they are so dizzy from fighting! It is in iambic meter:

Cum fortuito in hinnulum ursus ac leo
Simul incidissent, ac uterque tenderet
Eo potiri, tunc acerrime invicem
Coepere conflictari, et unus alterum
Sic impetivit, ut gravi vertigine
Oborta, humi iaceret expers virium
Uterque. Vulpes hoc videns, approximat
(Spectarat illa haud hinc procul pugnae exitum)
Et hinnulum mox e medio illorum abripit.
Quod semiapertis illi oculis cum cernerent,
Nec id valerent impedire, ad invicem
"O nos miseros," aiunt, "parumque providos,
Vulpisne dimicando perimus gratia?"
Saepe alter alterius fruitur laboribus.

Here it is written out in segmented style to make it easier to follow, with some of the word order changed in order to clarify the syntax:

cum fortuito
in hinnulum
ursus ac leo
simul incidissent,
ac uterque tenderet eo potiri,
tunc acerrime invicem coepere conflictari,
et unus alterum sic impetivit,
ut, gravi vertigine oborta,
uterque humi iaceret,
expers virium.
vulpes,
hoc videns,
approximat
(spectaverat illa
haud hinc procul
pugnae exitum)
et hinnulum
mox e medio illorum
abripit.
quod cum illi cernerent
semiapertis oculis,
nec id valerent impedire,
ad invicem aiunt
"o nos miseros,
parumque providos,
vulpisne gratia
dimicando perimus?"
saepe alter alterius
fruitur laboribus.

The image is from Winter's Aesop for Children:

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Some dynamic content may not display if you are reading this blog via RSS or through an email subscription. You can always visit the Bestiaria Latina blog to see the full content, and to find out how to subscribe to the latest posts.

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