Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Latin Proverbs and Fables Round-Up: April 22

Here is a round-up of today's proverbs and fables - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. If you are looking for more fables to read (LOTS more fables), you can download a free PDF copy of Mille Fabulae et Una: 1001 Aesop's Fables in Latin.

HODIE (Roman Calendar): ante diem decimum Kalendas Maias.

MYTHS and LEGENDS: The art image for today's legend shows Polyxena at the Well; 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 Mediam viam elige (English: Choose the middle way).

3-WORD PROVERBS: Today's 3-word proverb is Fac, si facis (English: Do it, if you're going to do it).

RHYMING PROVERBS: Today's proverb with rhyme is: In vestimentis non est sapientia mentis (English: A man's clothing does not reveal the wisdom of his mind).

VULGATE VERSES: Today's verse is Aquae furtivae dulciores sunt, et panis absconditus suavior (Proverbs 9:17). 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 Taverner: Quam quisque norit artem, in hac se exerceat: Let every man exercise him selfe, in the facultie that he knoweth. Let the cobler medle with cloutinge his neighbours shoes, and not be a Capitaine in fielde, or meddell with matters concerning a comon welth. Let them iudge of controversies in the christen religion, that be learned in the same, and not every Jacke plowman.

BREVISSIMA: The distich poster for today is Tempora Concessa. Click here for a full-sized view.


And here are today's proverbial LOLcats:



TODAY'S FABLES:

MILLE FABULAE: The fable from the Mille Fabulae et Una widget is Ovis, Cervus, et Lupus, the story of a sheep who wisely rejected a request from a stag and a wolf.

FABULAE FACILES: The fable from the Fabulae Faciles widget is Apicula et Iuppiter, the story of how the bee got its sting (this fable has a vocabulary list).

apes et Iuppiter

And while it's not exactly Latin, I thought you all might enjoy these Shakespearean LOLCats that I created for a friend; they all contain lines from Macbeth! You can see the gallery online at Google+, and I'll be posting them daily in my Proverb Laboratory blog.