Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Latin Proverbs and Fables Round-Up: March 12

Here is a round-up of today's proverbs and fables - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. I'm getting ready for what's going to be a summer of proverb adventures and while I'm shifting some of my focus over to English-language proverbs, I also have a new Latin LOLCats series going (bilingual) and other materials at my new blog, The Proverb Laboratory, if you are interested.

HODIE (Roman Calendar): ante diem quartum Idus Martias.

MYTHS and LEGENDS: The art image for today's legend shows Heracles and Alcestis; you can also see the legends for the current week listed together here.


TODAY'S MOTTOES and PROVERBS:

3-WORD MOTTOES: Today's 3-word motto is Utere sorte tua (English: Make use of your lot in life).

3-WORD PROVERBS: Today's 3-word proverb is Fructu arbor cognoscitur (English: The tree is known by its fruit).

RHYMING PROVERBS: Today's proverb with rhyme is: Si lupus est agnum, non est mirabile magnum (English: If a wolf eats a lamb, it's no great surprise - and of course that's est as in eating, which is part of the joke!).

VULGATE VERSES: Today's verse is Vidi sub sole nec velocium esse cursum nec fortium bellum (Ecc. 9:11). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

ELIZABETHAN PROVERBS: Here is today's proverb commentary, this time by Conybeare: Canis festinans caecos edit catulos: The hastie bitche bringeth forthe blind whealpes. The more haste the worsse spede. A proverbe applied to them which being hasty to set forthe there workes do make them unperfect.

BREVISSIMA: The distich poster for today is Spes et Fides. Click here for a full-sized view; the poem has a vocabulary list and an English translation, too.


And here is today's proverbial lolcat:


TODAY'S FABLES AND SONGS:

FABULAE FACILES: The fable from the Fabulae Faciles widget is Bos Fimum Evehens, a funny story about the ox and his own manure (this fable has a vocabulary list).

MILLE FABULAE: The fable from the Mille Fabulae et Una widget is Mus et Rana, Decertantes, the wonderful story of the battle between the mouse and the frog.


mus et rana

GreekLOLz - and Latin and English, too. Below is one of my GreekLOLz; for the individual Greek, Latin and English versions of the graphic, see the blog post: Ἐλέφαντα ἐκ μυίας ποιεῖς. Elephantem ex musca facis. You're making an elephant out of a fly. (Something like our English saying about making a mountain out of a molehill!)