Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Round-Up: March 24

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 Apriles. 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 PODCAST:

Heri Hodie Cras Podcast: Today's audio podcast is Latin Via Proverbs: Group 37, which features this saying: Virtutis omnis impedimentum est timor (Fear gets in the way of every virtue - a sentiment I agree with strongly; if I could banish one human weakness from the world, I think I would like to banish fear!).

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.

Proverbiis Pipilo: You can see my Twitter feed of Latin proverbs which I "tweet" while I am online each day (in English, too). Here's a recent one that I really like: Si corvus posset tacitus pasci, haberet plus dapis (English: If a crow could feed in silence, he would have more to feast on - this is literally true about noisy crows, and the metaphorical possibilities here are limitless).

Audio Latin Proverb of the Day: Today's audio Latin proverb is Dubium sapientiae initium (English: Doubt is the beginning of wisdom - a great saying for teachers to keep in mind: rather than instilling certainty in our students, we also need to be encouraging them to doubt!). To read a brief essay about this proverb and to listen to the audio, visit the Latin Via Proverbs blog.

Proverbium Perbreve of the Day: Today's two-word proverb is Quaerendo invenietis (English: By seeking, you will find - which is a great use of the Latin gerund).

Proverbium Breve of the Day: Today's three-word proverb is Fortes fortuna adiuvat (English: Fortune helps the strong - although it sounds so much better in Latin with the sound repetition of fort- fort-).

Vulgate Verse of the Day: Today's verse is Divitiae addunt amicos plurimos (Proverbs 19:4). 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 Qui caret asino, clitellam ne quaerat (English: Someone who doesn't have a donkey shouldn't go looking for a pack-saddle... a saying that still makes sense, metaphorically, even if we are no longer using donkeys to tote our belongings).

Proper Name Proverb of the Day: Today's proper name proverb is Tantalus inter undas sitit (English: Tantalus, in the midst of the waves, is thirsty - an allusion to the punishment of Tantalus, forever "tantalized" by the waters he could not drink and the food he could not eat).

Greek Proverb of the Day: Today's proverb is Κλαίει ὁ νικήσας· ὁ δὲ νικηθεὶς ἀπόλωλεν (English: The one who conquers weeps; the one who was conquered has perished - a good saying about the griefs of war). If you look at the Greek Proverb of the Day widget, you'll see it comes with a Latin translation, too.

TODAY'S FABLES:

Fable of the Day: Today's fable of the day from Barlow's Aesop is DE IUVENE ET HIRUNDINE (the story of the foolish boy who did think that one swallow made a summer!). You can use the Javascript to include the fable of the day automatically each day on your webpage or blog - meanwhile, to find out more about today's fable, visit the Ning Resource Page for this fable, where you will find links to the text, commentary, and a discussion board for questions and comments.

Latin Via Fables: Simplified Fables: I'm now presenting the "Barlow Aesop" collection, fable by fable, in a SIMPLIFIED version (same story, but in simpler sentences) - with a SLIDESHOW presentation to go along with it, too. Today's Simplified fable is De Vulpe in Puteo, the story of the fox who tricked the goat into helping her get out of the well... only to make fun of the goat afterwards!




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