Formica et Scarabaeus (Furia)

I haven't had time to work on this blog lately, but I got a very interesting request from a teacher who needed a public domain translation of the fable of the ant and the dung-beetle. This is not a very well-known fable. To my knowledge, it is only found in the Greek prose collections (in Chambry, it is Fable 241 = Perry 112), and I don't actually own the rights to my Oxford translation. So, I was not sure what to do... but then I remembered that in the wonderful edition of the Greek prose fables by Franciscus de Furia (Fabulae Aesopicae, published in 1810) there are Latin translations of the Greek. So here is what I have done: I took the Latin version by de Furia and translated that into English - which I can release here without any concerns for copyright. Meanwhile, I've also included the Latin for anyone who is interested!

Formica aestivo tempore arva circumiens, frumentum ac hordeum colligebat, sibique, ut vesci posset hieme, recondebat. Hanc videns, Scarabaeus, ingentum quidem eius laborem atque sollicitudinem est admiratus, quod nimirum eo tempore, quo animalia cetera, labore remisso, otia trahunt, ipsa contra ita labori insudaret. Ad haec Formica tunc nihil respondit. Postea vero, cum hiems advenisset, atque fimus, nimio imbre perfusus, omnino madefactus esset, Scarabaeus fame correptus ad eam se contulit, ac, ut aliquid cibi daret, enixe rogavit. Cui illa, Si tum, Scarabaee, escam tibi comparasses, cum me laborantem increpabas, nunc profecto non indigeres. Pari modo, qui ubertatis causa nullam futuri curam habent, conversis deinde temporibus, calamitatibus maximis opprimuntur.

Here is the English translation of the Latin:

While it was summer, the Ant went around the fields, gathering grains and barley, and she stored this away for herself in order to have something to eat during the winter. Watching the Ant, the Dung-Beetle was amazed at how worried the Ant was and how much work she was doing. Apparently while all the other animals had put aside their work for the summer and were taking it easy, the Ant was sweating and working hard. The Ant had nothing to say to the Dung-Beetle at that time but later, when winter came, and the dung was completely soaked by the winter rains, the Dung-Beetle, stricken with hunger, came to the Ant and begged her urgently to give him something to eat. The Ant then said to him: "Dung-Beetle, if you had prepared some food for yourself when you were making fun of me for working, then you would have plenty to eat." The same is true about people who in a time of prosperity do not think about the future; then, when times change, they find themselves in terrible trouble.

Here's an illustration for the fable (image source) - as you can see, if the dung gets wet during the winter rains, the poor dung-beetle would definitely not be able to roll it up into a nice ball!

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

102. Bos et Iuvencus (Irenaeus)

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 Bos et Iuvencus, the story of a hard-working ox and a frivolous calf. In Perry's indexing system, this is Perry 3oo.

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

Bovem aetate iuxta et labore confectum Iuvencus, comptus ac petulans, iugi adhuc expers, intuens, irridebat, exprobrans scabram pellem, cutem rugosam, et cervicem iugo attritam, plaustri denique duram necessitatem; et contra vegetae aetatis suae statum, otia, lascivias efferebat; nequicquam respondente aut mussitante Bove. Non diu post, cum solemnes sacrorum dies recursarent et pro sacrificio quaereretur victima, Bos dimittitur, Iuvencus rapitur immolandus, quem, dimisso iam capite et lento gressu, cum ad aram duceretur, Bos videns, "Nolim (inquit), O mi frater, afflicto tibi afflictionem dare, sed cum ita sors tulerit, tuo iam experimento comperi verum esse quod olim audivi: vecordem esse iuventutem, sed ubi petulantia adolescentiae iungitur, vix e malis emergere, sapuisses forte, si senuisses.

Bovem
aetate iuxta et labore confectum
Iuvencus,
comptus ac petulans,
iugi adhuc expers,
intuens,
irridebat,
exprobrans
scabram pellem,
cutem rugosam,
et cervicem iugo attritam,
plaustri denique
duram necessitatem;
et contra
vegetae aetatis suae
statum,
otia, lascivias efferebat;
nequicquam respondente
aut mussitante Bove.
Non diu post,
cum
solemnes sacrorum dies
recursarent
et pro sacrificio
quaereretur victima,
Bos dimittitur,
Iuvencus rapitur
immolandus,
quem,
dimisso iam capite
et lento gressu,
cum ad aram duceretur,
Bos videns,
"Nolim (inquit),
O mi frater,
afflicto tibi
afflictionem dare,
sed
cum ita sors tulerit,
tuo iam experimento comperi
verum esse
quod olim audivi:
vecordem esse iuventutem,
sed ubi petulantia
adolescentiae iungitur,
vix e malis emergere,
sapuisses forte,
si senuisses.

Here's an illustration for the fable (image source):

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

101. De Adolescente et Hirundine (Irenaeus)

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 Adolescente et Hirundine, the story of a young man who did not realize that "one swallow does not a summer make." In Perry's indexing system, this is Perry 169.

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

Effrenus quidam ac dissolutus Iuvenis, cum inter ganeonum greges bona sua in popinis et luxuriis abligurisset, ut nil reliqui praeter vestem haberet, visa Hirundine, existimavit actum esse de hieme, ver adventasse; confestimque vestem vendidit, et pretium eius ludis et solitis compotationibus impendit; sed cum paulo post, recrudescente frigore, dirissime algeret, visa alia Hirundine, et ipsa paene frigore enecta, O pessima avicula, dixit, quam male auguraris! Decepisti me, et simul decepta es. Ostendit inconsideratae iuventutis indolem temere et sine consilio se in errores praeceipitem agentem.

Effrenus quidam
ac dissolutus Iuvenis,
cum
inter ganeonum greges
bona sua
in popinis et luxuriis
abligurisset,
ut nil reliqui
praeter vestem haberet,
visa Hirundine,
existimavit
actum esse de hieme,
ver adventasse;
confestimque
vestem vendidit,
et pretium eius
ludis et solitis compotationibus
impendit;
sed
cum
paulo post,
recrudescente frigore,
dirissime algeret,
visa alia Hirundine,
et ipsa paene frigore enecta,
O pessima avicula, dixit,
quam male auguraris!
Decepisti me,
et simul decepta es.
Ostendit
inconsideratae iuventutis indolem temere et sine consilio
se
in errores
praeceipitem agentem.

Here's an illustration for the fable (image source):

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