Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Latin Proverbs and Fables Round-Up: April 3

Here is a round-up of today's proverbs and fables - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. If you have not downloaded a free PDF copy of Brevissima: 1001 Tiny Latin Poems, it's ready and waiting, as is Mille Fabulae et Una: 1001 Aesop's Fables in Latin. If you prefer the heft of a book in your hand, you can get the books in printed form from Lulu.com.

HODIE (Roman Calendar): ante diem tertium Nonas Apriles.

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


TODAY'S MOTTOES and PROVERBS:

TINY PROVERBS: Today's tiny proverb is: Ditior Croeso (English: Richer than Croesus).

3-WORD MOTTOES: Today's 3-word verb-less motto is Industria et labore (English: By effort and hard work).

ANIMAL PROVERBS: Today's animal proverb is Testudo collecta in suum tegimen tuta est (English: The turtle gathered inside its shell is safe).

POLYDORUS: Today's proverb from Polydorus is: Ad Calendas Graecas (English: On the Greek Calends - which is to say: never, as the Greek calendar did not have calends; that's a Roman thing).

PROPER NAME PROVERBS: Today's proper name proverb from Erasmus is Evitata Charybdi in Scyllam incidi (English: Having avoided Charybdis, I've fallen into Scylla; from Adagia 1.5.4).

GREEK PROVERBS: Today's proverb is Ἐκ τῶν ὀνύχων τὸν λέοντα (English: By the claws you recognize the lion).

BREVISSIMA: The distich poster for today is Famam Serva. 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 Minerva et Olea, the story of why Athena favors the olive tree (this fable has a vocabulary list).

MILLE FABULAE: The fable from the Mille Fabulae et Una widget is Vulpes et Uva , the famous story of the source grapes (that are not sour after all, of course).

Vulpes et Uva

Greek Bible Art - and Latin and English, too. Below is one of my Greek Bible Art graphics; for the individual Greek, Latin and English versions of the graphic, see the blog post: ἐξ αἰγύπτου ἐκάλεσα τὸν υἱόν μου. Ex Aegypto vocavi filium meum. Out of Egypt have I called my son.