Bestiaria Latina Blog

Round-Up: November 9

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:01:00 +0000

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem quintum Idus Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. It's one of the epigrams of Owen, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com, as usual:

Nemo repente bonus: lente properare memento,
Virtutis quamvis || ingrediare viam.
Utile consilium fit inutile festinanti.
Collige primo animum, || corrige deinde tuum.

English: "No one is good by acting quickly; remember to hurry at a slow pace, even if it is the path of virtue you are walking. A useful plan becomes useless when you're in a rush. First focus your mind, then point it in the right direction." What great advice! As you can see, the epigram amplifies the advice to Festina lente, "Make haste slowly." My favorite part is the last bit about Collige animum tuum, and then Corrige - it reminds me of one of my husband's remarks when someone does something foolish: "Ready, fire, aim." This proverb is more optimistic, and assumes we can be reminded to take things slowly, step by step.

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion tells us more about Caesar's alliance with Pompey: Pompeius nuptiis peractis statim armatis forum oppleuit, et in perferendis legibus populum adiuuit; Caesari Gallia omnis cis et trans Alpes lllyricumque decretum cum quatuor legionibus in quinquennium.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one of my favorite proverbs about diversity and unity: Manus digiti coaequales non sunt, omnes tamen usui (English: The fingers of the hand are not equal to one another, but they are all useful).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Suam quisque pellem portat (English: Each carries his own skin). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Nil agere semper infelici est optimum (English: If you're unlucky, the best thing is always to do nothing... in other words: some days it really is better just not even get out of bed, ha ha).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's rhyming proverb is: Quam brevis est hora, quae labat absque mora! (English: How brief is the hour which slips by without tarrying).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Labores manuum tuarum manducabis (English: You will eat the works of your hands).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Vitrea fortuna (English: Fortune is glass - which is to say it both sparkles and shatters).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: In libertate labor (English: In freedom, there is work... most of all, of course, there is the work required to keep your freedom!).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Comedamus et bibamus; cras enim moriemur. (Isaiah 22:13). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Quem taurum metuis, vitulum mulcere solebas (English: The bull whom you know fear you used to pet when it was a calf).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Phoenice rarior (English: More rare than a phoenix; from Adagia More rare than a phoenix - according to at least some ancient accounts, there was only one phoenix at a time in the world, so to be more rare than the phoenix, well, that would be most rare indeed!).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Phani ostium (English: The door of Phanus; from Adagia 2.7.70 - the saying alludes to a certain blind man named Phanus, who made sure his door creaked so no one could sneak in, but his wife's lover simply entered the house by climbing up on the roof - the door of Phanus refers to some sort of precaution that fails in its purpose utterly).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Γέρων βοῦς ἀπένθητος δόμοισι (English: The old ox has no mourners in the household - you can find many sayings about the ungrateful attitude of people towards old oxen, old horses, old dogs, and so on... with the obvious metaphorical implications for the old of the human species as well!).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE LEONE ET MURE, the hilarious story of the mouse who wanted to marry a lion.

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Leo et Socii Eius, the famous fable of the lion's share. Here is an illustration for the story (image source) by Aractingy:

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

Round-Up: November 6 - 8

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:01:00 +0000

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email. Have a great weekend everybody!

HODIE: ante diem octavum Idus Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. It's another one of Owen's elegant little epigrams, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com as usual:

Non est in verbis virtus, at rebus inhaeret:
Res sunt non voces || spes amor atque fides.

English: "Worthiness does not inhere in the words but in the things themselves; hope, love and faith are things, not just words." The epigram reminds me of Hamlet's famous remark to Polonius when asked what he was reading: Words, words, words.

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion turns our attention to Caesar's ridiculous co-consul, Bibulus: Collega Caesaris Bibulus, quam resistendo eius legibus nihil proficeret, sed saepe cum Catone in foro de uita periclitatus esset, domi inclusus reliquum consulatus tempus exegit.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today: Aliena capella distentius uber habet (English: The goat's udder is always more full when it's your neighbor's goat - kind of a barnyard version of "the grass is always greener").

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Qui gladio ferit, gladio perit. (English: He who wounds by the sword, dies by the sword). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Amans iratus multa mentitur sibi (English: The lover, when angry, tells many lies to himself - a saying I would generalize to anybody at all, not just lovers!).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Parvum servabis, donec maiora parabis (English: You need to take care of the little things while you are preparing for bigger things).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Homo frugi omnia recte facit (English: A worthy man does all things well - although the Latin frugi is notoriously impossible to render in English!).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Disce legendo (English: Learn by reading… this is a motto I took so close to heart that I spent a lot of time skipping class in both high school and college - in order to have more time in the library).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Cura curam trahit (English: One worry brings on another - Latin cura can have a positive sense of "care, carefulness," but it can also have a negative sense of "care, worry" - as it clearly does here!).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Futura tempora oblivione cuncta pariter obruent (Ecc. 2:16). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Feles amat pisces sed aquas intrare recusat (English: The cat loves fish but refuses to go into the water - for an illustration, see the image below!).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Cicadam ala corripuisti (English: You've grabbed a cricket by the wing; from Adagia 1.9.28 - which, Erasmus notes, means you've grabbed hold of somebody who even if he is a little guy is going to make a lot of noise in protest!).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Aegaeum navigat (English: He's sailing the Aegean sea; from Adagia 3.1.47 - because of rocks and other perils, the Aegean Sea was proverbially treacherous water in which to sail).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ἀχάριστον εὐεργετεῖν, καὶ νεκρὸν μουρίζειν, ἑνὶ σύγκειται (English: To anoint the dead and to do a good deed for an ungrateful man amounts to one and the same thing: what a vivid saying! I love the idea that an ungrateful man is no better than a corpse… very profound!).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Lupi et Oves, the story of the fatal treaty between the wolves and the sheep.

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE CERVO IN BOVIUM STABULO, the story of a stag in the oxen's stable who could not escape the master's eye.

For an illustration today, here are two pages from my Proverbia de Piscibus at Tar Heel Reader to accompany the proverb above: Feles amat pisces sed aquas intrare recusat.

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

Round-Up: November 5

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:01:00 +0000

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: Nonae Novembres, the Nones of November. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. Today's lines are the moral from one of the iambic fables by Phaedrus, the story of the donkey who insulted the boar. You can find the vocabulary for the entire poem at NoDictionaries.com:

Plerumque stulti, risum dum captant levem,
gravi destringunt alios contumelia,
et sibi nocivum concitant periculum.

English: "Often people who are foolish, when they want to make a light-hearted joke, insult other people with a serious affront and thus stir up dangerous trouble for themselves." The risqué humor of this fable results in it often being omitted from Aesopic collections, especially from collections intended for young people. The moral, however, works fine on its own - it's a dangerous business to insult someone, after all, even as a joke!

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion reports Cato's disgust with Caesar's use of marriage as a political tool: Neque multo post ipse Calpurniam Pisonis filiam duxit, eique consulatum in sequentem annum confecit, maxime tum Catone uociferante et testante ferendos non esse qui nuptiis principatum prostituant et mulierum causa prouincias copiasque mutuo sibi tradant.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today: Amor et melle et felle est fecundissimus (English: Love is extremely abounding in both honey and bile… although the Latin word-play of melle-felle is lost, alas).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Quasi nix tabescit dies (English: Like snow, the day melts away). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Reus innocens fortunam, non testem timet. (English: When an innocent man is accused, he fears no witness, only chance… and, unfortunately - so to speak! - chance does play a role in the judicial process).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Audi doctrinam, si vis vitare ruinam (English: Listen to your lessons if you want to avoid destruction - a fine bit of rhyme for both students and teachers!).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Dei facientes adiuvant. (English: The gods help those who are doers - something like the notion of "God helps them that help themselves").

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Victrix patientia (English: Patience is the victor - although the Latin is especially charming with the feminine victrix to go with the feminine noun patientia).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Musica pellit curas (English: Music drives away worries - and remember, of course, that in Latin, musica is a gift of the Muses!).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Benedicite maledicentibus vobis (Luke 6:28). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Non oportet in urbe nutrire leonem (English: You shouldn't raise a lion in the city - which is good advice both literally AND metaphorically).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Pro perca scorpium (English: In place of a fish, a scorpion; from Adagia 2.6.6 - which, needless to say, is not a very pleasant surprise!).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Deo Fortunaeque committo (English: I put my trust in God and Fortune; from Adagia 3.8.96).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ῥόδον παρελθὼν μηκέτι ζήτει πάλιν (English: The rose, after it has faded, you should not seek again… and I cannot help but see an inadvertent pun here, as if Sarah Palin (πάλιν) should just put her political ambitions aside and not try to revive them, ha ha).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Puer Mendax, the famous story of the boy who cried "Wolf!"

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE SENE ET MORTE, the marvelous story of death, an old man - and the old man's surprising will to live! Here is an illustration for the story drawn by Francis Barlow:

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

Round-Up: November 4

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:01:00 +0000

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: pridie Nonas Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. Today's saying is one of the distichs attributed to Cato, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com:

Quae potus peccas, ignoscere tu tibi noli;
Nam crimen vini nullum est, sed culpa bibentis.

English: Don't cut yourself any slack for the mistakes you make when drunk, for there is no fault in the wine - it's the fault of the of the drinker! Now there is some very wise advice indeed, just as true now as two thousand years ago! :-)

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion describes Caesar's plans to ally himself with Pompey by marriage: At Casar, quo magis potentiam Pompeii suam faceret, Iuliam filiam suam, Seruilio Caepioni desponsatam, Pompeio nuptum dedit, promissa huic Pompeii filia, quae et ipsa Fausto Sylla filio pacta erat.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today: Fruere praesentibus; futura diis committe (English: Make use of things present; entrust things future to the gods).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Inflat se tamquam rana (English: He's puffing himself up like a frog). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Ubi coepit ditem pauper imitari, perit (English: When the poor man begins to imitate the rich, he is ruined - quite a commentary on our hyper-consumerist society).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in rhyming verse form is: Modicus cibi medicus sibi (English: If you can limit your food, you can be your own doctor).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: In Samo lac gallinae (English: There's hen's milk in Samos - this makes the island of Samos an almost mythical place, since "hen's milk" is one of those impossible substances to find in the everyday world).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Ranae aquam (English: Water for a frog - with the verb implied, giving water to a frog, offering water to a frog - which is one thing a frog does not need you to supply).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Amat victoria curam (English: Victory loves care - which is to say: be careful and attentive if you want to win).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Noli esse sicut leo in domo tua, opprimens subiectos tibi (Sirach 4:30). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Avis matura vermem capit (English: The timely bird - a.k.a. the early bird - catches the worm).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Dat veniam corvis, vexat censura columbas (English: The judgment absolves the crows and troubles the doves; from Adagia 3.5.73).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Multa Syrorum olera (English: Many are the vegetables of Syria; from Adagia 1.8.56 - this may refer to garden-variety vegetables, but it might also refer to plants with medicinal or magical uses, for which ancient Syria was famous).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ὦ ὁῖα κεφαλὴ, καὶ ἐγκέφαλον οὐκ ἔχει (English: O what a head, and it has no brains - a saying put to good use in the little Aesop's fable about the fox and the mask).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Aquila et Testudo, the story of the tortoise and the eagle - which is very much like the more famous fable of the tortoise and the hare!

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE VULPE ET AQUILA, another story in which the eagle is bested by a supposedly lesser creature!

In honor of the Greek proverb today - Ὦ ὁῖα κεφαλὴ, καὶ ἐγκέφαλον οὐκ ἔχει - I thought I would include this fun image of the fine face with no brains, from Joseph Jacobs's edition of the fables, illustrated by Richard Heighway:

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

Round-Up: November 3

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:01:00 +0000

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem tertium Nonas Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. Today is one of the emblems of Alciato, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com as usual:

Milvus edax, nimiae quem nausea torserat escae,
Hei mihi, mater, ait, viscera ab ore fluunt.
Illa autem, Quid fles? Cur haec tua viscera credas,
Qui rapto vivens sola aliena vomis?

English: "The greedy kite, tortured by sickness from eating too much, said: Oh mother, my guts are flowing out of my mouth! But his mother replied: What are you crying about? How can you imagine those are your guts, when you make your living as a thief - you are vomiting up some other creature's guts, not your own!" For the emblem that illustrates this weird little fable (Perry 47), see below!

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion is about Pompey's extravagant support of Caesar… and you can tell Plutarch does not approve! Quod dictum pergratum populo, optimates offendit, insano scilicet adolescenti potius conueniens, quam tantae uiro existimationis et a uerecundia senatui debita alienissimum..

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today that you could call a proverb about lobbyists in Washington! Auro quaeque ianua panditur (English: Every door opens wide to gold).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Qui primus venerit, primus molet. (English: He who arrives first, will grind first). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Sapiens locum dat requiescendi iniuriae (English: The wise man allows space for an outrage to settle down… in other words: don't send that angry email! wait at least a day… and THEN see if you still want to send it!).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Non facile manibus vacuis occiditur ursus (English: The bear is not easily killed with empty hands - admittedly, it's not the most dazzling rhyme - manibus-ursus - but I like the saying anyway: don't go out empty-handed to take care of a bear).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Ubi amici ibi opes (English: Where there are friends, there are resources… even if they didn't call it "networking" in the ancient world, Rome knew all about friendship and how to make use of it!).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Asinum tondes (English: You're trying to shear the donkey… which, of course, is a BIG mistake - and the donkey probably doesn't like it, either!).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Mors amoris disiunctio (English: Death breaks the bonds of love - and just look at that lovely wordplay in Latin: mors amoris - almost as if the "a" were an alpha-privative, which it is not, of course… but that doesn't take away from the elegance of the saying!).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Qui tetigerit picem, inquinabitur ab illa (Sirach 13:1). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Ruinis imminentibus, musculi praemigrant (English: When destruction is looming, the little mice emigrate - which is the Latin equivalent of our "rats deserting a sinking ship," although in this case it is mice deserting a house bout to fall down! and yes, musculus, "little mouse," is the origin of our word "muscle" in English, from the way a muscle can ripple under the skin like a mouse running along).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Bove venari leporem (English: To hunt a rabbit with an ox; from Adagia 4.4.44 - and needless to say, of course, this is about as foolish as going empty-handed to hunt the bear in the proverb cited above! if you are going to go hunting, you've got to have the right equipment to succeed!).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Bacchae more (English: In the manner of a Bacchant; from Adagia 1.6.45 - which is to say, in a wild and crazy way; just look at Euripides's play if you want examples of what the Bacchae do!).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Πλίνθον πλύνεις (English: You're washing a brick, which is about as crazy as shearing the donkey, as in the saying above - and yes, this Greek word is the origin of the English word "plinth" comes from, cognate with "flint").

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Canis et Boves, the famous story of the dog in the manger.

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE LUPO ET GRUE, the story of the crane who was foolish enough to do a favor for a wolf.

For an image today, I wanted to include the emblem to go with the Alciato poem above! This is from the marvelous online edition of Alciato at Memorial University:

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

Round-Up: November 2

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:01:00 +0000

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem quartum Nonas Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. It's another one of the rhyming proverbs collected by Wegeler, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com:

Undique per montes currunt in flumina fontes;
Ad mare declivus omnis currit cito rivus.

English: Everywhere over the mountains run the springs into the rivers; every stream runs quickly down towards the sea. Note that declivus (instead of declivis) has been used to rhyme with rivus, with montes-fontes supplying the rhyme in the first line.

TODAY'S TWITTER: I didn't have a chance to use Twitter this weekend, so there is nothing to report, but I'll be back online later on Monday. :-)

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Stultus quoque, si tacuerit, sapiens reputabitur (English: The fool, too, if he can just keep quiet, will be considered a wise man). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Quam miserum est, cum se renovat consumptum malum (English: How wretched it is when a problem which had run its course comes back!).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Laudat adulator, sed non est verus amator (English: A flatterer praises you, but he is not a true admirer).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Immisi fontibus apros (English: I've let boars into the springs - and since the boars are such to muddy the waters, this is not a wise thing to have done!).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Crux floreat (English: Let the cross flourish - a saying which plays on the metaphor of the wood of the cross being like a tree, and, in this case, a flowering tree).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Nihil potentius auro (English: There is no thing that is more powerful than gold).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Homo ad laborem nascitur et avis ad volatum (Job 5:7). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Post tres dies piscis vilescit et hospes (English: After three days a fish begins to stink - and so does a houseguest; you can see my Tar Heel Proverbia de Piscibus for an illustration).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Mus non uni fidit antro (English: A mouse cannot entrust itself to just one hole; from Adagia 5.1.4).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Ad Phasim usque navigavit (English: He's sailed as far away as the Phasis; from Adagia 2.4.49 - which is to say, very far away; the Phasis river, which flows from the Caucasus into the Black Sea, and now called the Rioni River, was at the easternmost limit of Greek geography).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Χρὴ μὴ τὸ κακὸν διὰ κακὸν ἀμύνασθαι (English: It is not right to avenge a wrong by means of a wrong... in other words: two wrongs don't make a right!).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Vulpes et Pardus, a debate between the fox and the leopard about the difference between inner and outer beauty.

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE VULPE ET UVA, the famous story of the fox and the allegedly sour grapes.

For an illustration today, here is the page from my Proverbia de Piscibus at Tar Heel Reader to accompany the proverb above: Post tres dies piscis vilescit et hospes.

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

Round-Up: October 30 - November 1

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:01:00 +0000

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem tertium Kalendas Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. Here's an entire little fable in iambic verse by Desbillons, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com, as usual.

Taurus ferire cornibus ausus est herum:
Secantur illa. Tunc novum meditans scelus:
Haud vereor, inquit, ne mihi secentur pedes
Simulque calce Villicum impacto ferit.

English: "The bull dared to strike his master with his horns; the horns were cut off. Then the bull plotted a new crime. I have no fear that my feet will get cut off, he said, as he thrust his hoof out and struck the peasant." For an illustration, see the picture below! Desbillons has adapted the traditional fable - usually the bull kicks up sand in his master's face, but I like Desbillons's version here, quoting the bull's thoughts as part of the fable!

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion cites Pompey's vigorous defense of Caesar... with all the irony of their future enmity, of course! Promisit hoc uterque, addiditque Pompeius, se contra gladios istos cum ense et scuto etiam uenturum.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today: Incus robusta malleum non timet (English: A strong anvil does not fear the hammer - a saying I picked in response to VerbaLatina's challenge of malleus today).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Non nova sed nove (English: Not new things, but in a new way). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Heu, quam difficilis gloriae custodia est (English: Oh, how difficult is the safe-keeping of public renown).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Nidus testatur, ibi qualis avis dominatur (English: The nest attests what sort of bird rules there).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Una hirundo non facit ver (English: One swallow does not make a spring).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Cave canem (English: Beware the dog!).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Utere sorte tua (English: Make use of your lot in life!).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Quae seminaverit homo, haec et metet (Gal. 6:7). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is In sinu viperam habet (English: He's got a viper in his breast pocket - in other words, he's nursing at enemy at dangerously close quarters).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Scarabeus citius faciet mel (English: Sooner than a beetle makes honey, from Adagia 4.8.17 - in other words, NEVER; compare the Englsih saying "when hell freezes over").

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Ne Iupiter quidem omnibus placet (English: Not even Jupiter can please everybody; from Adagia 2.7.55 - this saying is sometimes applied to the notion of Jupiter as a way to refer to the weather: some people like it hot, but some cold; some people want it to rain, but others would prefer clear skies - which is the basis for this Aesop's fable about the two sisters, one married to a gardener, and one to a potter).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ἀυτοῦ Ῥόδος, αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ πήδημα (English: Here is Rhodes; here too make your jump - which is the punchline from a famous fable about Aesop and a boastful athlete).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Leo et Socii, Vulpes et Asinus, a version of the "lion's share" featuring the fox and the donkey as the lion's unfortunate partners.

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE LUPO ET SUE, the story of the wolf and his false offers of friendship.

For an illustration, here is Steinhowel's Aesop from 1479, with an illustration of the ill-tempered bull and his master; the illustration shows the moment in the story when the master decides to try cutting the bull's horns short:

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

Round-Up: October 29

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:01:00 +0000

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem quartum Kalendas Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. Today features one of my favorite verses collected by Wegeler! The word list is at NoDictionaries.com as usual:

Multa rogare, rogata tenere, retenta docere:
Haec tria discipulum faciunt superare magistrum.

English: "Ask many things, keep in mind what you have asked, teach what you have kept in mind; these three things make the student exceed his teacher." Isn't that an absolutely fabulous bit of advice??? I hope all my students will do exactly that, and leave me far far far behind as they set out on their own ambitious learning paths!

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion shows Caesar making a very public declaration of his alliance with Crassus and Pompey: et a lateribus suis hinc Pompeium, inde Crassum collocans, quaesiuit ex iis, ecquid leges has probarent: affirmanteque utroque, hortatus est ut in eos opitularentur, qui gladiis se contra acturos minarentur.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today which is a variation on the English saying about "once bitten, twice shy" - Tranquillas etiam naufragus horret aquas (English: A shipwrecked person shudders at the water, even when it is calm.).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Lepore timidior (English: More timid than a rabbit). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Mora omnis odio est, sed facit sapientiam (English: All delay is hateful, but it makes wisdom … I just wish I could convince my students that learning really does take time - something almost none of them have to spare, alas).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Esto pius vere super his qui te genuere (English: Be truly respectful toward those who gave you birth).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Evenit illi quod Polluci. (English: He suffered the fate of Pollux - this is a saying derived from Suetonius's life of Julius Caesar, in fact, where Marcus Bibulus complains that just as the temple in the Forum for the brothers Castor and Pollux bore only the name of Castor, so his joint projects with Caesar were credited always to Caesar alone - so the saying refers to that all-too-common situation where a member of a famous pair gets neglected in favor of his partner).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Spectemur agendo (English: In the act of doing, let us be observed: in other words, let us be judged by our deeds, as Ajax demanded in Ovid's Metamorphoses).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Crambe recocta molestior (English: It is more tiresome than leftover cabbage… now, I personally don't object to leftover cabbage - but you get the idea!).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Noli vinci a malo, sed vince in bono malum (Romans 12:21). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Ubi mel, ibi apes. (English: Where there is honey, there are also bees - so, watch out!).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Asinus ad lyram (English: Like a donkey to the lyre; from Adagia 1.4.35 - a saying that reflects the poor donkey's efforts to be a cultured sort of fellow, despite being a dimwit - is he listening to the lyre and failing to appreciate its music? …or has he picked up a lyre and tried to play it? Either way, the message comes through just the same: the donkey may pretend to be culturally refined, but the actual results are purely risible).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Herculei labores (English: The labors of Heracles; from Adagia 3.1.1 - and for the inclusion of this particular adage in a portrait of Erasmus, see the image below!)

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ἀρχὴν ἰᾶσθαι πολὺ λώϊον ἢ τελευτήν (English: It's more desirable by far to remedy the beginning of something than the end).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Aves et Quadrupedes, the story of the role played by the bat in the battle of the beasts and the birds.

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE AUCUPE ET PERDICE, just like the bat, the bird in this story is willing to play a treacherous role to save her own life!

Below is a famous portrait of Erasmus by Hans Holbein the Younger; along the edge of the book facing the viewer the letters read "The Labors of Heracles" in Greek (ΗΡΑΚΛΕΙΟΙ ΠΟΝΟΙ = HERAKLEIOI PONOI), alluding to the amazing feats which Erasmus accomplished in his life as a scholar. Click here to see a larger view of the image, where the writing on the book is very clear

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

Round-Up: October 28

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 04:01:00 +0000

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem quintum Kalendas Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. This is another one of Owen's elegant little epigrams, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com, as usual:

Vivere vix quid sit novi: mirum nil ergo,
Si quid sit nasci || nescio, quidve mori.

English: "I've scarcely learned what it is to live: no wonder then, if I don't know what it is to be born, or what it is to die." They are, of course, the two great mysteries, the bookends of life, being born and dying - with appropriately mysterious deponent verbs for both of them in Latin, nasci and mori.

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion continues the story of Caesar's rise to power in opposition to the Senate: In senatu autem optimatibus repugnantibus, arrepta quam dudum quaerebat occasione, magna uoce obtestatus inuitum se & ui coactum ad populum confugere eique se committere iniuriis & uiolentia senatus compulsum, ex Curia se in forum proripuit.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today: Omnia quae nitent aurea non sunt (which is a Latin version of a proverb well-known in English: "all that glitters is not gold").

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Tempus est vitae magister (English: Time is the teacher of life). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Patiens et fortis se ipsum felicem facit (English: The man who is patient and courageous makes himself a happy man - an unusual combination, patiens et fortis, definitely worth pondering!).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Pelle sub agnina latitat mens saepe lupina (English: The mind of a wolf may often hide beneath the skin of a lamb).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Lusciniae non deest cantio (English: The nightingale has no lack of song).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Spe expecto (English: I wait in hope; there is a word-play in the Latin between spe and ex-spe-cto, even though there is no linguistic relationship between the words).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Qui tacet, consentit (English: A Latin equivalent of the familiar English saying, "silence is consent").

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Melior est sapientia quam vires. (Wisdom 6:1). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Est avis in dextra melior quam quattuor extra. (English: This is the Latin equivalent of "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" - although there are four birds in the Latin, and it rhymes, too!).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Nisi si qua vidit avis (English: Not unless a little bird saw it; from Adagia 2.2.28 - this refers to some event that had no witnesses at all, unless, perhaps some tiny bird happened to be there, unnoticed; compare the English saying "a little bird told me," when you want to claim knowledge of an event to which you yourself could not have been a witness).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Phryx plagis emendatur (English: A Phrygian has to be corrected with blows; from Adagia 1.8.36, in which a person from Phrygian is considered something like a donkey in human form, a slow-witted dolt who cannot respond to reason - a sentiment you can find in Cicero, for example, in references to witnesses from Phrygia, in ancient Anatolia = modern-day Turkey).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ἀνδρὸς ὑπ' ἐσθλοῦ καὶ τυραννεῖσθαι καλόν (English: If a man is good, then it is a fine thing even to be ruled over by him... which I guess is a saying I can endorse, although such good men are few and far between!).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Formicae et Cicada, the story of the grasshopper who went to the ants, begging for food - round about this time of the year, in fact!

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE VITULA ET BOVE, about the heifer and the ox.

For an image today, I wanted to include one of the wolf in sheep's clothing: Pelle sub agnina latitat mens saepe lupina, as in the rhyming proverb for today. There are so many images online to choose from, but I though this one was one of the best! What a great use of Photoshop - wow!

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

Round-Up: October 27

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:01:00 +0000

~ ~ ~

NOTA BENE: A student at Rhodes College sent me a note yesterday asking to spread the word about a blog he has created for his Latin composition class - you can see the first post here! Vinum: Vinum alcoholicus potus est

~ ~ ~

HODIE: ante diem sextum Kalendas Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. Today's dactylic verses are from Horace (Sermones), with a word list at NoDictionaries.com - it's Horace's definition of the simple life he longed for:

Hoc erat in votis: modus agri non ita magnus,
hortus ubi et tecto vicinus iugis aquae fons
et paulum silvae super his foret. [...]

English: "This was in my prayers: a bit of land, not too large, where there would be a garden and a source of ever-flowing water near the house, and a bit of woods besides." Glory hallelujah: I've found Horace's idyll here in Timberlake North Carolina (although our aqua iugis is a well underground, not a babbling brook aboveground as Horace probably hoped for!).

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion begins Caesar's term as consul: eumque splendide impetrauit, Calpurnio Bibulo collega. Ut primum uero magistratum iniit, illico leges de agris diuidendis in gratiam multitudinis tulit, quae non consulem, sed petulantissimum aliquem tribunum plebis decerent.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today that features a nice word-play in the Latin: Avaritia omnia vitia habet (English: Greed encompasses all the vices).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Nocumentum documentum (English: A loss, a lesson). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Metuendum est semper, esse cum tutus velis (English: If you want to be safe, there's always something to fear).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Parva iuventutis plerumque est cura salutis (English: In general, youth has little concern for safety).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Melior est mors, quam vita amara (English: Better is death than a life which is bitter).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Fata obstant (English: The fates block my way - a saying adapted from Vergil's Aeneid).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Frango dura patientia (English: By being patient, I shatter things that are hard).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Tempus flendi et tempus ridendi (Ecc. 3:4). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Corvus corvo nigredinem obicit (English: One crow is calling the other one black - something like our saying about the pot calling the kettle black!).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Canis reversus ad vomitum (English: The dog has gone back to its vomit; from Adagia 3.5.13 - something you've probably all seen in real life, of course - and it's made famous in the Biblical Book of Proverbs).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Chironium vulnus (English: A wound of Chiron; from Adagia 2.8.21; this refers to the story of the centaur Chiron being shot with an arrow dipped in the hydra's poisonous blood - although Chiron was a great healer, he could not heal his own wound!).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Μὴ ὢν Σύρος μὴ Σύριζε (English: Since you're not a Syrian, don't act like a Syrian - kind of the opposite of "when in Rome, do as the Romans").

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Cornix et Urna, the story of the wise crow who was able to get a drink from a deep pot of water.

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE LUPO OVIS PELLE INDUTO, a story of a proverbial wolf in sheep's clothing... although, as you can see from the illustration by Barlow, the disguise did not do the wolf any good!

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

Round-Up: October 26

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 04:11:00 +0000

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem septimum Kalendas Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. Today's couplet is from Cato's Distichs, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com as usual

Sermones blandos blaesosque cavere memento:
Simplicitas veri forma est, laus ficta loquentis.

English: "Remember to watch out for sweet and simpering words: the guise of truth is straightforwardness, while praise is the guise of someone speaking falsehoods." You can see this advice put into practice by the goat in the fable of the goat and the wolf below! :-)

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion continues Caesar's alliance with Pompey and Crassus: Verum Caesar Crassi Pompeiique amicitia stipatus consulatum petiit. (And yes, that Latin participle stipatus is the same as the root you see in the English word "constipated"...!)

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's a rhyming proverb from today: Si lupus ēst agnum, non est mirabile magnum (English: If a wolf eats a lamb, it's no great surprise - note also the word play of ēst and est).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Numquam est fidelis cum potente societas (English: An alliance with someone powerful is never reliable). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Semper plus metuit animus ignotum malum (English: The mind always fear more the evil that is unknown - something like our saying about "better the devil you know than the devil you don't").

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Mollificat diram responsum mollius iram (English: A very gentle response can soften cruel wrath).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Video ursam parientem (English: I see a she-bear giving birth - a saying meant to convey the idea of seeing something absolutely rare and hard to detect - as Pliny the Elder acknowledged).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Lotum gustavit (English: He's tasted of the lotus... a Homeric allusion which has an eerie parallel in the modern saying "to drink the Kool-Aid").

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Laudatore nihil insidiosius (English: There is nothing more treacherous than a person who flatters you, as "Cato" also warns us in the couplet cited above!).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Sapientia absconsa et thesaurus invisus: quae utilitas in utrisque? (Sirach 20:30). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Mali corvi malum ovum (English: The bad egg of a bad crow, a saying you can find in many languages).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Ranis vinum praeministras (English: You're serving wine to frogs; from Adagia 2.3.20 - this is a fool's errand, since you are giving something to someone who does not need it or want it!).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Pomarius Hercules (English: Hercules the apple-man; from Adagia 2.7.1 - Erasmus cites Suda for this saying, about how some poor men were going to sacrifice a bull to Hercules, but the bull broke free and escaped, and they had nothing else to offer, so they grabbed an apple from a tree, stuck four twigs in it as legs, and two more twigs as horns and offered this to Hercules; the proverb thus refers to something that pretends to be grand and illustrious, but which is really cheap and paltry; a for a different reading of the Suda, see the Suda Online Project).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ἄλλοισι μὴν γλῶσσα, ἄλλοισι δὴ γόμφιοι (English: Some have a tongue, and others have molars - a saying that refers to dinner parties where some people come to talk, and others come to eat).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE VULPE ET LUPO, the story of how the fox had to ask a wolf for help.

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Capra et Lupus, the story of a goat who was able to see through the wolf's tricks.

In honor of all the wolves that appeared in today's items, I thought I would include this image that I saw in the delightful Latin Twitter feed for lrisatus, Ecce lupus ibericus in clausum pastoris introeuns:

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

Round-Up: October 24 - October 25

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 04:01:00 +0000

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem nonum Kalendas Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. Today's poem is an entire little fable in iambic verse by the Renaissance poet Faernus, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com as usual (note that milvius is a metrical alternative for milvus, the rapacious hawk):

Murem rogat laqueo impeditus milvius
Se liberet. Mus id facit rodens plagam,
Compensat hoc murem vorando milvius.
Mali malas bonis rependunt gratias.

English: "A hawk, caught in a snare, asks the mouse to set him free. The mouse does this by gnawing the net; the kite repays the mouse by gobbling him up! Such are the wicked thanks with which wicked people repay good deeds." The contrast between this fable and the more famous fable of the mouse and the lion is very strong - with this fable providing a healthy reminder of how things often do often turn out in this wicked world of ours! For those of you interested in meter, this is a perfect little iambic poem to read aloud; except for the elision in the first line (laqu'impeditus), there is nothing to beware of at all, with none of those metrical substitutions that can sometimes make iambic meter so hard to read.

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion is about Cato's growing alarm at Caesar's alliances: Cato autem saepenumero quae futura essent uaticinans, eum solum fructum tulit, ut tum morosus et curiosus homo, post prudentior quam felicior consultor haberetur (that's a great example of curious in Latin, rendering πολυπράγμων from Plutarch's Greek).

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's an amazing little saying about lifelong learning - and it rhymes, too: Discite victuri, sed vivite cras morituri (English: Learn as if you were going to live, but live as if you were going to die tomorrow).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Victrix malorum patientia est (English: Patience is the conqueror of evils). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Iracundiam qui vincit, hostem superat maximum (English: If you tame your anger, you defeat your greatest enemy… sadly, this proverb is very true in my own case - but proverbs help us realize that each of us is not alone in being our own worst enemy!).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Mortales laetos vinum facit atque facetos (English: Wine makes us mortals happy and witty… although I do feel obliged to add: wine in moderation!).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Asinus ad lyram (English: The donkey listens to the lyre… but, of course, being a donkey, he is hardly a connoisseur of the music!).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Species decipit (English: Appearances are deceiving!).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Ferrum robigo consumit (English: Rust eats away the iron… don't let the word order fool you: ferrum has to be the object, not the subject, here).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Veniunt ad vos in vestimentis ovium; intrinsecus autem sunt lupi rapaces (Matt. 7:15). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Plaustrum bovem trahit (English: The cart is dragging the ox - in other words, someone has put their cart before the horse, as we would say in English).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Noctua inter cornices (English: An owl amongst the crows - which is a proverbially incongruous situation, from Adagia 1.5.41 - in this case, the saying refers to a slow-witted person getting mixed up with some characters who are far smarter than he is - and also much louder!).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Lydus in meridie (English: A Lydian at noon; from Adagia 2.6.94; the proverbial saying alludes to the supposedly oversexed inhabitants of ancient Lydians, so eager in their pursuit of sexual pleasures that they would even indulge in such pursuits in the heat of midday.).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ἅμαξα τὸν βουν ἕλκει (English: The cart is pulling the ox… what a coincidence: this is also one of the Latin sayings for today, cited above!).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Pavo et Grus, a debate between the peacock and the crane about the meaning of beauty.

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE LEONE AMATORIO, the sad story of the unsuspecting lion in love.

For an image today, I chose this page from a Tar Heel Reader (the fable of Venus and the cat), which illustrates one of the Latin sayings from today: Species decipit.

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

Round-Up: October 23

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:01:00 +0000

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem decimum Kalendas Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. This one is from the emblems of Alciato (Alciato 167), along with a word list at NoDictionaries.com - plus you can see the emblem online!

Delphinem invitum me in littora compulit aestus,
Exemplum, infido || quanta pericla mari.
Nam si nec propriis Neptunus parcit alumnis,
Quis tutos homines || navibus esse putet?

The Memorial Web Edition of Alciato provides an English translation, along with an image of the emblem showing the dolphin cast up onto the shore!

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion explains more about Caesar and Pompey: Non enim Caesaris et Pompeii dissidium, quod plerique putant, ciuilium bellorum causa fuit, sed amicitia uerius eorum, quam initio ad euertendum optimatium in ciuitate principatum initam deinde disciderunt.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today with a very nice rhyme: Partem da cuique: sic non partiris inique (English: Give each his portion: in that way you will not apportion unfairly).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Vinum memoriae mors (English: Wine is the death of memory). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Fortuna unde aliquid fregit, cassum est reficere (English: After Fortune has broken something, it's useless to try to repair it - for Fortune, here, of course, the idea is misfortune or bad luck, rather than good luck!).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: ransit, ut unda fluens, tempus et hora ruens (English: Like a wave that flows, time passes by, and so too the rushing hour).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Vive moribus praeteritis, loquere verbis praesentibus (English: Live by the habits of the past, speak with the words of the present).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Mutabilis casus (English: Chance is fickle… as we saw already in the proverb about Fortune above!).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Doceat qui didicit (English: Let the person who has learned teach… which is exactly my philosophy of teaching: if I can share what I have learned about the Internet with my students, and they can share what they have learned with others… well, we will eventually just take over the world, right?).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Viventes sciunt se esse morituros; mortui vero nihil noverunt amplius (Ecc. 9:5). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Nemo cum serpente securius ludit (English: No one plays very safely with a serpent).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Leonem ex unguibus (English: You can tell a lion by its claws; from Adagia 1.9.34 - which is why you have to feel so sorry indeed for the declawed lion in the Aesop's fable about the lion in love).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's proper name proverb is Atlas caelum (English: Atlas [holds up] the sky; from Adagia 1.1.67 - which, indirectly, is how we end up with the word "atlas" in English).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ὁ κοινὸς ἰατρός σε θεραπεύσει χρόνος (English: The universal physician, Time, will heal you).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Lupus et Pastores, the marvelous story of how the wolf accused the shepherds of hypocrisy - and what the shepherds said in their defense… although you have to wonder what the SHEEP would say about all of this, eh?

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE VULPECULA ET CICONIA, the story of "turn-about is fair play" when the stork invites the fox to dinner.

For an image today, I wanted to include my Tar Heel Reader with proverbs about snakes, including the one from today: Nemo cum serpente securius ludit.

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

Round-Up: October 22

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:01:00 +0000

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem undecimum Kalendas Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. Today's lines come from one of Horace's dactylic hexameter epistles (Epist. 1.2), with a word list at NoDictionaries.com:

[...] Vivendi qui recte prorogat horam,
rusticus expectat dum defluat amnis; at ille
labitur et labetur in omne volubilis aevum.

English: "He who puts off the time for getting his life in order is like the country bumpkin who waits for the stream to run out of water, but that stream flows and will keep on flowing, winding its course into all eternity." The metaphor of the river of time is exploited here ingeniously by Horace, so that people who procrastinate (like me) look as silly as someone who thinks that if he waits long enough, the river will run out of water.

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion continues the account of how Caesar reconciled Crassus and Pompey to his own advantage: eorumque potentiam in unum conflatam ad se transferens, perhumano titulo tenus facto rempublicam nemine animaduertente peruertit.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today about the undeniable advantage conferred by good luck: Gutta fortunae prae dolio sapientiae (English: A drop of good luck is better than a barrel full of wisdom).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Etiam me meae latrant canes (English: Even my own dogs are barking at me). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Amare et sapere vix deo conceditur (English: To both love and be wise is hardly possible even for a god).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Non bene tutus erit, quisquis nimis ardua quaerit (English: Whoever seeks things too high, will not be well protected - the rhyme is better on this one with the later Latin pronuncitation, querit).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Si Deus pro nobis, quis contra nos? (English: If God is for us, who is against us?).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Lumen numen (English: The divinity is light; numen being a truly fascinating Latin word, the divine "nod").

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Conscientia verberat animum (English: A guilty conscience is a scourge to the soul).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Aedificate alterutrum (I Thess. 5:11). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Dum fugans canis mingit, fugiens lepus evasit (English: When a pursuing dog stops to pee, the pursued rabbit gets away).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Canis mendico auxilians (English: A dog that helps the beggar; from Adagia 4.2.88 - note that this is an ironic proverb, a kind of impossibility, since the dogs and the beggars are naturally enemies, not allies, unless the beggar placates the dog by giving it bread.).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day: Today's proper name proverb is Herculi clavam subtrahit. (English: He's snatching the club out of Hercules's own hand - a dangerous deed, especially since Hercules would keep a firm grip on that club, it being his weapon of choice).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ἂν μὴ παρῇ κρέας, ταριχῇ στερκτέον (English: If there's no meat on the table, then you have to settle for dried fish).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Accipiter et Luscinia, the sad story of the nightingale caught by the hawk.

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE ACCIPITRE COLUMBAM INSEQUENTE, this time the story of a hawk who failed to catch its prey!

For an image today, here's one to go with the proverb cited above: Herculi clavam subtrahit. This is an ancient mosaic that shows Hercules using his club to defeat the Hydra; as you can see, Hercules knows how to wield a club!

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

Round-Up: October 21

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 04:01:00 +0000

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem duodecimum Kalendas Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. Today's poem is another one of the rhyming couplets collected by Wegeler, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com as usual:

Tutius est solam taciturnam ducere vitam,
Quam secum socios || prorsus habere malos.

English: "It is safer to lead a quiet, solitary life than to have entirely evil associates by your side." Note that both of the rhymes are grammatical: solam-vitam in the first line, and socios-malos in the second. I know that such rhyming is not classical - but it sure does make the couplet easier to memorize! :-)

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion shows Caesar hatching a new strategy when he gets back to Rome: Ut primum in urbem uenit, callide eam rem confecit, qua uniuersos homines, solo excepto Catone, decepit. Pompeium enim et Crassum ex graui discordia in gratiam mutuo restituit, qui duo facile totius ciuitatis erant potentissimi.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today about why it's better just to learn to get along with each other: Ira parit litem, lis proelia, proelia mortem (English: Anger breeds quarrels, quarrels breed battles, and battles breed death).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Via trita via tuta (English: The well-worn way is the safe way). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Cavendi nulla est dimittenda occasio (English: You should never ignore any chance to act cautiously).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Quamvis tarda venit, sors sua quemque ferit (English: Although it might come late, each man's fate strikes him - admittedly, it's not a really strong rhyme this time, venit-ferit, but it's still an elegant line of Latin!).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Altera manu panem ostentat, altera fert lapidem (English: With one hand he holds out bread, in the other he carries a stone).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Percussus resurgo (English: Beaten, I rise up again).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Deo nihil impossibile (English: For God, nothing is impossible).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Oculos habentes non videtis et aures habentes non auditis (Mark 8:18). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Bonus pastor animam suam dat pro ovibus suis (English: The good shepherd gives his life for his sheep).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Qui inspuerit in agmen formicarum, huic intumescant labra (English: He who spits in the anthill gets swollen lips; from Adagia 4.6.80).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day: Today's proper name proverb is Caesar non supra grammaticos (English: Caesar is not above the grammarians - a saying associated with the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund and his grammatically incorrect use of the word schisma).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ὁ Ζεὺς κολαστὴς τῶν ἄγαν ὑπερφρόνων (English: Zeus is the punisher of those who think too highly of themselves).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE AGRICOLA ET CICONIA, the story of the stork who was caught with the geese and the cranes.

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Vulpes et Leo in Spelunca, the famous story of the footprints that go into the cave and don't come out. Here is an illustration for the story (image source) from a Renaissance edition of the fables:

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

Round-Up: October 20

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 04:01:00 +0000

I'm back from travels (although still not caught up on email, not by a longshot - eek!). Anyway, here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem tertium decimum Kalendas Novembres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. Today's poem is a fable in iambic verse by Desbillons, with his account of the fable of the boy at the edge of the well, which prompted Luck herself to intervene. There's a word list as usual at NoDictionaries.com:

Ad oram putei dormiebat Puerulus.
Eum Fortuna suscitans: Abi hinc, ait;
In puteum namque si caderes, non hanc tuam
Fuisse culpam, sed meam omnes dicerent.

English: A little boy was sleeping at the mouth of a well. Fortune woke him up and said: "Get away from there! For if you were to fall into the well, everybody would say the fault was mine, not yours!" This is a wonderful little fable about how we are prone to blame our (bad) luck, rather than accepting responsibility for things. In the first line, the meter is easier if you read the "i" as a semivowel in dormiebat (three syllables) and the first "u" as a semivowel in puerulus (two syllables); in the third line read "eu" as a diphthong in puteum (two syllables) and syncopate the middle vowel in caderes (two syllables).

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion continues the dilemma Caesar faced upon returning from Spain - to triumph, or not to triumph? Cato primum lege ad postulatum id oppugnandum annixus quum uideret multos Caesari deditos, rem mora iniecta impediit, totumque diem dicendo absumpsit. Itaque Caesar statuit, omisso triumpho, consulatum persequi.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today about things coming in due time: Pira, dum sunt matura, sponte cadunt (English: Pears, when they are ripe, fall down by themselves).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Cibus non qui plurimus, sed qui suavissimus (English: Food: not the largest quantity but the most pleasant). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Sero in periclis est consilium quaerere (English: It is too late to seek advice in the midst of dangers).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Transit fine brevi puerilis flosculus aevi (English: The youthful flower of life passes by in its short course - not the late Latin pronunciation of aevi to rhyme with brevi).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Figulus ollis ansas ponit (English: It is the potter who puts ears on the jugs- that is, it is the potter who decides what kind of ears to put on the jugs, and not anyone else).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Coronat fides (English: Faith confers a crown - you can also find it in the form fides probata coronat, where the faith has been put to the test).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Aegrotanti omnia amara (English: For someone who is ailing, all things are bitter).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Secura mens quasi iuge convivium (Proverbs 15.15). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Canes timidi vehementius latrant quam mordent (English: Dogs, when scared, bark more fiercely than they bite - something like our proverbial, "all bark, no bite").

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Midas auriculas asini (English: Midas has the ears of a donkey; from Adagia 1.3.67 - this being a secret the foolish Midas thought he could safely entrust to his barber - ha!).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day: Today's proper name proverb is Archimedes non posset melius describere (English: Archimedes himself could not provide a better explanation - with Archimedes standing in as the personification of wisdom itself).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ἐχῖνος τὸν τόκον ἀναβάλλει (English: The hegehog delays giving birth - and at her own cost, since the baby hedgehogs just get more and more prickly the longer she waits; this is one of my favorite proverbs about the dangers of procrastination!).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Agricola et Filii, the story of how a farmer used the example of a bundle of sticks to teach his sons how to get along.

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE CICADA ET FORMICA, the famous story of the ant and the grasshopper - a very apt story as winter is almost upon us!

For an image today, here is a picture of Midas with his donkey ears (it's a statue in the Ankara Museum in Turkey) to accompany the proverb cited above: Midas auriculas asini. :-)

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

Hiatus brevis: October 15-19

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:01:00 +0000

I'm not going to have reliable computer access for a few days, so the blogs will be briefly on hiatus until next week - although you can still see the daily widgets by using these links:

What's nice about the automated widgets is that they keep on ticking even when I'm not able to be at the computer! :-)

Also, I wanted to announce a really exciting new publication from the folks at CANE, the Classical Association of New England - it's a new edition of the verse fables of Phaedrus, along with all kinds of wonderful supplementary materials, including medieval Latin fables, plus Latin-English vocabulary for every fable on the facing page. The fables are selected and arranged by Jeremiah Mead, with revisions for this new edition by Ruth Breindel. The book is available from CANE Press at their website - where you can browse around to find some other wonderful Latin materials, too! What a great new addition to the Latin fable bookshelf!

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

Round-Up: October 14

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 04:01:00 +0000

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: pridie Idus Octobres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. It's one of the rhyming couplets collected by Wegeler, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com.

Tu, qui festucam vicini in lumine cernis,
Tignum cur trahere proprio de lumine spernis?

English: "You who discern the bit of straw in the eye of your neighbor, why do you refuse to draw forth the beam from your own eye?" The couplet is a rhyming version of a famous Biblical passage, found in the Gospels of both Luke and Matthew. :-)

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion describes the new dilemma Caesar faces, whether to take his triumph, or run for consul: Quia autem triumphum petentes extra urbem manere, consulatum ambire praesentes in urbe oportebat, ea legum diuersitate implicatus, cum ad urbem comitiis consularibus instantibus accessisset, misit ad senatum petitum ut sibi absenti petere consulatum per amicos concederetur.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today about lifelong learning: Discat, qui nescit, nam sic sapientia crescit (English: Let him learn what he does not know, for thus does wisdom grow).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Vae miseris ovibus, iudex lupus est (English: Woe for the poor sheep; the judge is a wolf). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Deliberandum est saepe, statuendum est semel (English: Think about something often; make your decision once - or, as my husband always says, "measure twice; cut once").

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Currens per prata, non est lepus esca parata (English: As it runs through the fields, the rabbit is not a meal ready-to-eat … you've got to catch your rabbit before you can eat it!).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Telas aranearum texit (English: He is weaving spider's webs… and on that subject, don't forget the great old English word "toil" meaning a "hunting net, a snare," which derives from the Latin tela).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Fides sufficit (English: Faith suffices - and it's always so nice when the tiny two-word Latin proverbs can be rendered with just two words in English also!).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: In horam vivo (English: I live for the moment!).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Nulli malum pro malo (Romans 12:17). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Avis a cantu dignoscitur (English: You know a bird by its song).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Taurum tollet, qui vitulum sustulerit (English: He'll be able to carry the bull if he lifted the calf; from Adagia 1.2.51; Erasmus associates this saying with the legendary feats of the Greek strong man, Milo of Croton).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day: Today's proper name proverb is In Orci culum incidas (English: May you fall into Orcus's butthole… yes, you will indeed find this in Erasmus's Adagia - as if being in the underworld of Orcus was not bad enough! Erasmus describes it as sermo perniciem et extremum exitium imprecantis, "words spoken by someone cursing another person with ruin and utter disaster" - ha!).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ἂν μὴ λεοντῆ ἐξικνεῖται, τὴν ἀλωπεκῆν πρόσαψον (English: If the lion skin does not do the trick, add the fox - in other words, if the lion's strength fails you, try the fox's cunning).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE RUSTICO ET SILVA, the very wise story of the trees who were their own worst enemies!

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Vulpes et Uva, the famous story of the fox and the supposedly sour grapes. Here is an illustration for the story (image source) by the French artist Lorioux:

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

Round-Up: October 13

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 04:01:00 +0000

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem tertium Idus Octobres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. Today's verse is another one of Owen's elegant little epigrams, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com:

Vir sapiens plerumque bono est sapientior, esto
Dummodo sit melior || vir sapiente bonus.

English: "The wise man is generally wiser than the good man, so be it - provided that the good man is better than the wise man." A very sly rebuke on people who think might think that knowledge can be valuable if it is value-free... :-)

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion hails Julius Caesar as "emperor" for the first time: Parta his factis gloria ex prouincia discessit, dilatus ipse et a militibus, qui eo duce rem et ipsi fecerant, imperator dictus (Plutarch's Greek term there is αὐτοκράτωρ).

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today about the "zero-sum game": Lucrum sine damno alterius fieri non potest (English: There cannot be profit except at someone else's loss).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Multae regum aures atque oculi (English: Many are the ears of kings, and their eyes). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Malus animus in secreto peius cogitat (English: The thoughts of an evil man are even worse when secret).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Hic offendit herum, qui vult nimis edere verum (English: The man who wants to utter truth in excess offends his master - a kind of "emperor's new clothes" type of saying, and one which explains how I ended up in my own lowly career, ha ha).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Grex saginatur ad victimam (English: The flock is fattened for the slaughter... perhaps a commentary on America today, eh?).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Sibi quisque (English: Each man for himself! Although it's more gender neutral in Latin: each person for him- or herself!).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Invidus vicini oculus (English: Your neighbor's eye is envious... although the English misses the etymology of Latin invidia, envy and its evil eye, literally speaking).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is In quo iudicio iudicaveritis, iudicabimini (Matt. 7:2). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Lepore timidior (English: More scared than a rabbit... a cliche that is brought to life in Aesop's fable about the rabbits who were so depressed by their lives of terror that they decided to commit mass suicide... until, that is, they found a creature even more scared than they were!).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Mustelae crocoton (English: Like a wedding dress for a weasel; from Adagia 1.2.72 - which is to say something, something that is out of place or totally inappropriate; this proverb is also an allusion to an Aesop's fable, about the weasel who failed to get married - although most English versions tell the story about a cat, rather than a weasel).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day: Today's proper name proverb is Iovi fulmen eripit (English: He's snatching the lighting away from Zeus himself - a very bold act indeed, and it reminds me of the fabulous saying in Latin about Benjamin Franklin: Eripuit Fulmen Caelo Sceptrumque Tyrannis - see the image below!).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Θάρσει λέγων ταληθὲς, οὐ σφαλῆ ποτέ (English: Be bold in speaking the truth, and you will never ever falter... a less cynical variation on the theme of the rhyming Latin proverb above!).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Alauda et Pulli Eius, the story of a lark who had a lot of insight into human behavior.

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE VULPE ET PARDO, the story of the debate between the leopard and the fox about the meaning of beauty.

For an image today, I wanted to share this monument to Ben Franklin which features the verse cited above: Eripuit Fulmen Caelo Sceptrumque Tyrannis - the verse is inscribed on the pedestal (larger view of the image):

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

Round-Up: October 12

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 04:01:00 +0000

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem quartum Idus Octobres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. It's a tiny little fable in iambic verse by Desbillons, featuring a tiny little animal: a gnat. There's a word list at NoDictionaries.com.

In cornu Tauri parvulus quondam Culex
Consedit; seque dixit, mole si sua
Eum gravaret, avolaturum illico.
At ille: Nec te considentem senseram.

English: "A teeny-tiny gnat once settled down onto the horn of a bull and he said that if he were weighing down the bull with his weight, he would fly off immediately, but the bull said to the gnat: I had not even realized you were there." If you are not familiar with iambic verse, this is a great little poem to start with, since there is nothing at all unusual about the meter here - there's one elision (avolaturum-illico), but no other substitutions - so give it a try; it's fun to read iambic verse in Latin, since it's a very familiar sounding meter for English speakers (just think Shakespeare!).

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion explains more about Julius Caesar solved the financial crisis he had found in Spain - but wow - talk about garnishing someone's paycheck! lege posita, ut de reditibus debitoris bessem creditor quotannis acciperet, dum ipsi satisfactum esset, reliquo debitor frueretur (very intriguing Latin word: bes, meaning "two-thirds").

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today: Mala omnia pati melius quam malo consentire (English: It is better to suffer all evils than to cooperate in evil).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Phoenice rarior (English: More rare than the phoenix). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Qui debet, limen creditoris non amat. (English: Someone who owes money has no love for the creditor's doorstep - very much like the situation described in Caesar's Spain above!).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Audi, cerne, tace, si vis tu vivere pace (English: Listen, look, and be silent, if you want to live in peace).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Iustitia in sese virtutes continet omnes (English: Justice contains in itself all the virtues).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Familiam cura (English: Take care of your household).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Insperata saepe contingunt (English: Unhoped-for things do often happen).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Qui operatur terram suam, saturabitur panibus (Proverbs 12:11). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Aqua et panis est vita canis (English: Water and bread is the life of a dog - and it rhymes in Latin!).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Lupo agnum eripere postulant (English: They're hoping to snatch the lamb from the wolf; from Adagia 2.7.80).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day: Today's proper name proverb is Tantali talenta (English: The wealth of Tantalus… which did him no good, of course - but what a nice sound-play in the Latin!).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ἄνεμον δικτύῳ θηρᾷς (English: You're hunting for the wind with a net… another one of those proverbial fool's errands).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Lupus et Grus, a version of the famous story of the crane who foolishly did a favor for the wolf.

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE AVIBUS ET QUADRUPEDIBUS, the story of the war between the birds and the beasts, with this wonderful depiction by Barlow of all the members of those animal kingdoms! Here is the illustration by Barlow (larger view):

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

Round-Up: October 9 - October 11

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 04:01:00 +0000

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

Have a nice weekend, everybody!

HODIE: ante diem septimum Idus Octobres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. It is another of Owen's epigrams, very much in the memento mori tradition! There's a word list at NoDictionaries.com.

Cor nisi cura nihil. Caro nil nisi triste cadaver.
Nasci aegrotare est, || vivere saepe mori.

English: "The heart is nothing if not worry. The flesh is nothing if not a sad corpse. To be born is to be ill, and to live is often to die." So, yes, I admit that the sentiment is very gloomy indeed - but that does not stop the epigram itself from being charmingly composed, especially that first line! Euge!

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion refers to Caesar consolidating his gains in Spain: Rebus bellicis bene compositis, ciuiles eadem felicitate constituit, ciuitates ad concordiam reducens et maxime rixas inter debitores et creditores tollens.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's a nice rhyming one from today: Luxuriat vitis, nisi falce putare velitis (English: The vine grows out of control unless you are willing to prune it with the sickle).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Amicus omnibus, amicus nemini (English: A friend to all, a friend to none). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Heredis fletus sub persona risus est (English: eneath the mask of the heir's grief is a smile).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Post mortem fumus, pulvis et umbra sumus (English: After death we are smoke, dust, and shadow).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Capilli capitis vestri omnes numerati sunt (English: All the hairs of your head are numbered).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Rara avis (English: A rare bird - which is a saying that has quite a life of its own in English, too!).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Dat ira vires (English: Anger gives strength... which is part of what makes it so dangerous!).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Spem sicut anchoram habemus animae, tutam ac firmam (Heb. 6:19). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Pisces vorant maiores minores (English: The big fish eat the little ones).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Gallus insilit (English: The rooster leaps up; from Adagia 3.3.22; this refers to someone, seemingly defeated in a fight, who springs back up to fight again).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day: Today's proper name proverb is Nudato Petro, Paulus tegitur (English: Peter having been stripped naked, Paul is clothed - the Latin version of "robbing Peter to pay Paul").

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Νῷ πείθου (English: Heed your mind!).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Delphinus et Pisciculus, a story about a doomed little fish, and how misery loves company.

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE CORNICE ET URNA, the wonderful story of the crow and the pot of water - one of my favorite Aesop's fables!

In honor of Publilius's saying for today - Heredis fletus sub persona risus est - I thought I would use this tragic mask as the image for today:

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

Round-Up: October 8

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 04:01:00 +0000

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: ante diem octavum Idus Octobres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. It's one of the rhyming verses collected by Wegeler, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com:

Ludens taxillis, bene respice, quid sit in illis:
Mors tua, sors tua, res tua, spes tua pendet in illis.

English: "When you are playing with dice, pay attention to what is at stake: Your death, your fate, your business, your hope depend on those dice." You can even see here some ancient Roman dice for sale. They are very pretty! :-)

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion is about Caesar's successes in Spain: Simul atque autem Hispaniam attigit, eam industriam adhibuit, ut paucis diebus cohortibus uiginti suis decem alias adiecerit factaque in Callaicos et Lusitanos expeditione, populos qui Romanis hactenus non paruerant subigendo usque ad Oceanum perrexerit..

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today about the spark in the mind: Ratio est radius divini luminis (English: Thought is a ray of divine light).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Manus operarii corporis, digiti chordarum plectra (English: The hands are the body's workers, the fingers are pluckers of strings). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Necessitas quod poscit, nisi des, eripit (English: Unless you give Necessity what she demands, she will take it by force).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Cum contentus eris, dives tunc efficieris (English: When you will be content, then you will be rich).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Oportet mendacem esse memorem (English: A liar must have a good memory).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Cotidiana vilescunt (English: Everything things grow tedious... although I still like my "quotidian" proverbs!).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Cura omnia potest (English: Care can do all things).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Non ligabis os bovis, terentis in area fruges tuas (Deut. 25:4). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Bos lassus fortius figit pedem (English: The ox, when he is tired, plants his foot more firmly... and I get stubborn when I am tired, too, it's true!).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Testudinem equus insequitur (English: The horse is chasing the turtle; from Adagia 4.4.68 - this sounds like one of those paradoxical proverbs... but it could also have made a good fable, too - kind of like the tortoise and the hare!).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day: Today's proper name proverb is Mendaces Cretenses (English: The Cretans are liars - as made most famous in the so-called paradox of Epimenides the Cretan).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ἀφροδίτη καὶ Διόνυσος μετ' ἀλλήλων εἰσί (English: Aphrodite and Dionysus are paired - which is to say, love and drinking go together!).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE MURE URBANO ET MURE RUSTICO, the story of the city mouse and the country mouse.

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Agricola et Filii (Vinea), the wonderful story of how an old man tricked his sons into working for themselves. Here is an illustration for the story (image source), from a Renaissance edition of Aesop:

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

Round-Up: October 7

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 04:01:00 +0000

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: Nonae Octobres, the Nones of October! You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. It's a dactylic hexameter passage from Horace about the educational value of humor, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com as usual:

[...] Quamquam ridentem dicere verum
quid vetat? ut pueris olim dant crustula blandi
doctores, elementa velint ut discere prima.

English: "What forbids you from speaking the truth albeit with a smile? Just as gentle teachers sometimes give cookies to their pupils to make them want to learn their letters..." Of course, it's getting harder and harder to give children anything fattening in the schools (no more bake sales!) - but luckily a laugh and a smile are not fattening! :-)

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion describes Caesar's envy of Alexander: et amicis causam quaerentibus dixisse: An non dolendum uobis uidetur, me cum id aetatis sim, qua Alexander tot nationibus imperauit, nihil dum memoratu dignum gessisse?.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today which I posted in response to VerbaLatin's call for viscus: Glossa viperina est quae corrodit viscera textus (English: The interpretation which gnaws away at the guts of the text is like a viper).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Non scholae sed vitae discimus (English: We learn, not for school, but for life). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Male imperando summum imperium amittitur (English: By abuse of authority, the highest authority is lost).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Cum stertit cattus, nunquam sibi currit in os mus (English: When the cat snores, no mouse ever runs into its mouth - okay, the rhyme is not extra strong, cattus-os mus... but it's such a charming image that I had to include this one!).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Homo homini deus (English: Man is a god to man).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Virtute doloque (English: By means of courage and craftiness... a motto I like very much!).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Optima citissime pereunt (English: The best things perish the most quickly... a kind of variation on "only the good die young"...).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Non litiges cum homine linguato, et non strues in igne illius ligna (Sirach 8:3). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Qui corvis natus est, non submergitur aquis (English: He who is born to the crows [i.e. born to be hanged!] does not drown in the water - which is absolutely one of my favorite Latin sayings about fate!).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Toto devorato bove, in cauda defecit (English: Having eaten the whole ox, he gave up at the tail.; from Adagia 3.3.68).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day: Today's proper name proverb is Dives, amico Hercule (English: A man becomes rich, when Hercules is his friend).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ὀυκ ἀεὶ ποταμὸς ἀξίνας φέρει (English: The river does not always bring forth axes - an allusion to the marvelous fable of Mercury and the man who lost his axe in the water).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Canis et Umbra, the famous story of the dog who was fooled by his own reflection in the water - kind of an animal variation on the theme of the axe in the water!

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE PARTU MONTIUM, the proverb of the mountains giving birth turned into a tiny little fable.

For the image, I wanted to include one in honor of today's Greek proverb: Ὀυκ ἀεὶ ποταμὸς ἀξίνας φέρει. Here is an illustration for the fable of Mercury and the axes (image source) from an early 16th-century edition of Aesop - you can see one axe in the ripples of the water at their feet!

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

Round-Up: October 6

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 04:01:00 +0000

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

HODIE: pridie Nonas Octobres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. It's another one of Owen's little elegiac couplets, with a word list at NoDictionaries.com:

Sermones crebri morum sunt signa malorum.
Nam quid opus verbis || est, ubi facta vides?

English: "Incessant talking is a sign of a bad character, for what need is there of words, when you can see deeds instead?" Talk, as they say, is cheap.

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion is building up to another famous quote attributed to Caesar: Rursus quum in Hispania per otium librum aliquem de rebus Alexandri gestis legeret, diu cogitabundum, ad extremum illacrimasse, diu cogitabundum, ad extremum illacrimasse. (Do you recognize the quote that's coming...? It arrives on Wednesday!)

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today: Plus a medico quam a morbo periculi (English: There is more danger from the doctor than from the disease).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Alis luporum catulos (English: You are raising wolf cubs). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Vincere est honestum, opprimere acerbum, pulchrum ignoscere (English: It is admirable to defeat your enemy, harsh to crush him, and a fine thing to forgive).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: Nil cito delebis, nisi iam meliora videbis (English: You should delete nothing in haste, unless you see better things already - in other words, don't press that "delete" key too quickly!).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Quod natum est ex carne, caro est (English: What is born from flesh is flesh).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Cornix scorpium (English: The crow grabbed a scorpium - much to his regret, needless to say! Notice that the Latin does not need a verb, since the scorpion is already in the accusative case; you can supply the verb as you please - grabbed, snatched, caught, etc.).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Fugit hora, ora (English: Time flies: pray! Which is to say, start praying now: don't wait).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Non est homo qui non peccet (II Chron. 6:36). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Estote ergo prudentes sicut serpentes et simplices sicut columbae (English: Be therefore wise as serpents and as simple as doves - with a fine example of the future imperative, estote).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Parturiunt montes, nascetur ridiculus mus (English: The mountains are giving birth, and a ridiculous mouse will be born; from Adagia 1.9.14).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day: Today's proper name proverb is Sint Maecenates, non deerunt Marones (English: Let there be Maecenases, and there will not lack Vergils - referring, of course, to Maecenas as Vergil's great patron).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ἀεὶ γεωργὸς εἰς νέωτα πλούσιος (English: The farmer is always expected to be rich next year).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE CANE ET BOVE, the famous story of the dog in the manger.

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Ranarum convicia, the wonderful story of the foolish people of Lycia and how they were turned into frogs, as you can see in this illustration for the story (image source), showing the fountain of Latona at Versailles - it's a great sculpture; click here for a larger view.

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

Round-Up: October 5

laura-gibbs@ou.edu (Laura Gibbs) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 04:01:00 +0000

Here is a round-up of today's blog posts - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. You can keep up with the latest posts by using the RSS feed, or you might prefer to subscribe by email.

NOVITAS: You will see that I have a new widget premiering today: Latin Animal Proverbs from Erasmus. This is my fourth proverb widget with the English translations included. There is some overlap here between Erasmus and my other animal proverb widget, but Erasmus's Adagia are often more like emblems or cliches rather than true proverbs, so there are plenty of new items here, too!

HODIE: ante diem tertium Nonas Octobres. You can add a Roman calendar as a widget in your blog or webpage, or display it as a Google Calendar: here's how.

TODAY'S POEM: Here is today's little poem, from the Poetry Widget. This is the moral to one of the iambic fables of Phaedrus, with a word list for the complete fable at NoDictionaries.com.

Quamvis sublimes debent humiles metuere,
vindicta docili quia patet sollertiae.

English: "Those in high places nevertheless should fear those who are humble, because revenge is accessible to their quick cleverness." The eagle learned this to her own cost, thinking that her loftiness would keep her safe from the lowly fox - but she did not count on the fox's cleverness!

TODAY'S TWITTER:

Vita Caesaris: You can see my IVLIVS CAESAR feed with a sentence from Plutarch's Life of Caesar each day in Greek, Latin and English. Today's Latin portion contains one of Caesar's most famous sayings! serio respondisse, malle se hic primum quam Romae secundum esse.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Proverbia feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's one from today about luck - bad luck, in particular: Stulti timent fortunam, sapientes ferunt (English: Fools fear bad luck, while wise men bear it).

TODAY'S PROVERBS:

You can get access to all the proverb of the day scripts (also available as random proverb scripts) at the SchoolhouseWidgets.com website.

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Anulus aureus in naribus suis (English: A gold ring in a pig's nose). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Maxims of Publilius Syrus: Today's proverb from Publilius Syrus is: Supplicem hominem opprimere, virtus non est, sed crudelitas (English: To crush the man already on his knees is not courage but cruelty).

Rhyming Proverbs: Today's proverb in Leonine verse form is: De re terrena procedunt mille venena (English: From the earth come forth a thousand poisons).

Proverbs of Polydorus: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Canis revertitur ad vomitum (English: The dog comes back to its vomit - an unpleasant notion, both in fact and metaphorically!).

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is: Nebulas diverberas (English: You're beating the clouds… a proverbial fool's task).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is: Audite et intellegite (English: Listen and understand!).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Bonus pastor animam suam dat pro ovibus (John 10:11). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day: Today's animal proverb is Adulatio est hamus quo magni capiuntur pisces (English: Flattery is a hook on which big fish are caught).

Latin Animal Proverb of the Day from Erasmus: Today's animal proverb is Tragica simia (English: A monkey dressed for the stage; from Adagia 2.8.95 - this refers to someone who is putting on airs, claiming a seriousness or grandeur, like an actor on the stage, which hardly suits him).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day: Today's proper name proverb is Improbe Neptunum accusat qui iterum naufragium facit (English: It's wrong to blame Neptune/Poseidon for the second shipwreck… a divine version of "fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me"). For Neptune, see the image below!

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Ἐχθρῶν ἄδωρα δῶρα (English: An enemy's gifts are non-gifts - with that wonderful alpha privative here used on a noun!).

TODAY'S FABLES:

Ictibus Felicibus: Today's fable with macrons and accent marks is Mus Urbanus et Mus Rusticus, the famous story of the city mouse and the country mouse.

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow is DE LEAENA ET VULPE, the debate between the fox and the lioness about quality versus quantity.

For an image today, I wanted to use this lovely photo of a Neptune statue - in honor of the proverb above, Improbe Neptunum accusat qui iterum naufragium facit. The statue is located in Virginia Beach, where they hold an annual Neptune Festival! You can find many more views of this wonderful statue with this Google Image Search; this image was taken by Neal Rattican:

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