Avianus: AVIANI FABULAE

Dubitanti mihi, Theodosi optime, quonam litterarum titulo nostri nominis memoriam mandaremus, fabularum textus occurrit, quod in his urbane concepta falsitas condeceat, et non incumbat necessitas veritatis. Nam quis tecum de oratione, quis de poemate loqueretur, cum in utroque litterarum genere et atticos greca eruditione superes, et latinitate romanos? Huius ergo materie ducem nobis Aesopum noveris, qui responso delphici Apollinis monitus ridicula orsus est, ut legenda firmaret.

To me, doubting, O most excellent Theodosius, by what title of letters we should commit to memory our name, the text of fables presents itself, since in these an urbane contrivance of falsity is fitting, and the necessity of truth does not press. For who would speak with you of oratory, who of poetry, when in both kinds of letters you surpass the Attic Greeks in erudition and the Romans in Latinity? Therefore for this subject you will know Aesop as our leader, who, by the Delphic response of Apollo warned, began ludicrous tales so as to make the things to be read secure.

Verum has pro exemplo fabulas et Socrates divinis operibus indidit, et poemati suo Flaccus aptavit, quod in se sub iocorum communium specie vitae argumenta contineant. Quas grecis iambis Babrius repetens in duo volumina coartavit Phedrus etiam partem aliquam quinque in libellos resolvit. de his ergo ad quadraginta et duas in unum redactas fabulas dedi, quas rudi latinitate compositas, elegis sum explicare conatus.

But Socrates set these fables, as an example, into his divine works, and Flaccus adapted them to his poem, because they contain within themselves, under the guise of common jests, the plots of life. Babrius, repeating them in Greek iambs, compressed them into two volumes; Phaedrus even broke off some part into five little books. Therefore I have given about forty-two of these collected into one, which, composed in rough Latinity, I have attempted to expound in elegies.

habes ergo opus quo animum oblectes, ingenium exerceas, sollicitudinem leves totumque vivendi ordinem cautus agnoscas. loqui vero arbores, feras cum hominibus gemere, verbis certare volucres, animalia ridere facimus, ut pro singulorum necessitatibus vel ab ipsis animis sententia proferatur.

you therefore have a work by which you may delight the mind, exercise your genius, lighten anxiety, and cautiously recognise the whole order of living. moreover we make trees speak, wild beasts groan together with men, birds contend with words, animals laugh, so that, concerning each one's necessities, an opinion may be put forth even by the very souls themselves.

I. [DE NUTRICE ET INFANTI.]

I. [ON THE NURSE AND THE INFANT.]

Rustica deflentem paruum iuraverat olim
     Ni taceat, rabido quod foret esca lupo.
Credulus hanc vocem lupus audiit, et manet ipsas
     Pervigil ante fores, irrita vota gerens.
Nam lassata puer nimiae dat membra quieti;          5
     Spem quoque raptori sustulit inde fames.

A rustic woman had once sworn concerning the little one weeping
     “If he does not keep silent, he will be food for the raging wolf.”
The credulous wolf heard this voice, and remains himself
     Wide-awake before the doors, bearing vows in vain.
For the boy, exhausted, yields his limbs to too much slumber;          5
     And hunger thereby also raised hope in the plunderer.

Hunc ubi silvarum repetentem lustra suarum
     Ieiunum coniux sensit adesse lupa:
Cur, inquit, nullam referens de more rapinam,
     Languida consumptis sed trahis ora genis?          10
Ne mireris, ait, deceptum fraude maligna
     Vix miserum vacua delituisse fuga.
Nam quae preda, rogas, quae spes contingere posset,
     Iurgia nutricis cum mihi verba darent?
Haec sibi dicta putet seque hac sciat arte notari,          15
     Femineam quisquis credidit esse fidem.

When the she-wolf perceived him returning to the haunts of her woods
     she felt the hungry one to be present, his mate the she-wolf:
"Why," she says, "bringing back no plunder in the usual way,
     do you drag your face faint, your cheeks consumed and pale?          10
Do not marvel," he says, "deceived by a malignant deceit,
     that the wretch scarcely slipped away into empty flight. For what booty, you ask, what hope could have happened,
     when the nurse’s quarrels put words into me? Let him think these things said to himself and know himself marked by this art,          15
     whoever believed there was a woman's faith.

Il. [DE TESTVDINE ET AQVILA.]

Il. [ON THE TORTOISE AND THE EAGLE.]

Pennatis avibus quondam testudo locuta est,
     Si quis eam uolucrum constituisset humi,
Protinus e rubris conchis proferret harenis,
     Quis precium nitido cortice bacca daret;
Indignum, sibimet tardo quod sedula gressu          5
     Nil ageret, toto perficeretque die.
Ast ubi promissis aquilam fallacbus implet,
     Experta est similem perfida lingua fidem;
Et male mercatis dum quaerit sidera pennis,
     Occidit infelix alitis ungue fero.          10
Tunc quoque, sublimis, cum iam moreretur in auras
     Ingemuit votis haec licuisse suis;
Nam dedit exosae post haec documenta quieti
     Non sine supremo magna labore peti.
Sic quicumque nova sublatus laude tumescit,          15
     Dat merito poenas, dum meliora cupit.

Once a tortoise spoke to the winged birds,
     “If anyone had set her among the flying things on the ground,
She would straightaway from red shells bring forth on the sands,
     Who would give a price for a berry with shining rind;
Unseemly, for herself, that by slow, assiduous step          5
     She would do nothing, and would accomplish nothing all day long.
But when, with deceitful promises, she filled the eagle’s ear,
     She proved faith to be like a treacherous tongue;
And ill-bargained, while she sought the stars with wings,
     The unlucky one fell by the fierce claw of a winged beast.          10
Then too, uplifted, when she was already dying into the airs
     She sighed that this had been granted to her wishes;
For she gave, hateful to rest, after these lessons
     Not without great toil, sought at the last.
Thus whoever, exalted by new praise, swells up,          15
     Deserves the penalties he pays, while he yearns for better things.”

III. [DE CANCRIS]

CHAPTER 3. [ON CRABS]

Curva retro cedens dum fert vestigia cancer,
     Hispida saxosis terra relisit aquis.
Hunc genetrix facili cupiens procedere gressu
     Talibus alloquiis emonuisse datur:
Ne tibi transverso placeant haec devia, nate,          5
     Rursus in obliquos neu velis ire pedes,
Sed nisu contenta ferens vestigia recto
     Innocuos prono tramite siste gradus.
Cui natus: faciam, si me praecesseris, inquit,
     Rectaque monstrantem certior ipse sequar.                    10
Nam stultum nimis est, cum tu pravissima temptes
     Alterius censor si vitiosa notas.

While the crab, withdrawing curved, bears his footsteps back,
     the bristling land left the rocky waters.
The mother, desiring to go forward with an easy step,
     is said to have admonished with such words:
Do not let these transverse deviations please you, son,          5
     Nor again wish your feet to go obliquely,
But, content with a push, bearing straight footprints,
     Set harmless steps on the sloping path.
To whom the son: "I will do it, if you go before me," he says,
     “and I myself will follow more sure, you showing the straight way.”                    10
For it is too foolish, when you attempt the most crooked things,
     To be the censor of another if you mark his vices.

IV. [DE VENTO ET SOLE]

4. [ON THE WIND AND THE SUN]

Immitis Boreas placidusque ad sidera Phoebus
     Iurgia cum magno conseruere Iove,
Quis prior inceptum peragat: mediumque per orbem
     Carpebat solitum forte viator iter.
Convenit hanc potius liti praefigere causam,           5
     Pallia nudato decutienda viro.
Protinus impulsus ventis circumtonat aether
     Et gelidus nimias depluit ymber aquas:
Ille magis lateri duplicem circumdat amictum,
     Turbida submotos quod trahit ora sinus.                    10
Sed tenues radios paulatim increscere Phoebus
     Iusserat, ut nimio surgeret igne iubar,
Donec lassa volens requiescere membra, viator
     Deposita fessus veste sederet humi.

Cruel Boreas and placid Phoebus up to the stars
     kept quarrel with great Jove,
Who first should carry out the undertaking: and by chance the traveler
     was pursuing his wonted journey through the middle of the world.
They agreed rather to set up this cause of dispute,           5
     that a cloak be shaken off from the stripped man.
Straightaway the aether, driven by the winds, thunders around
     and the icy shower rains down excessive waters:
He the more wraps a double mantle about his side,
     the stormy fold of which drags its displaced hems about the face.                    10
But Phoebus had ordered his thin rays to increase little by little
     so that a glare should not rise with too great a fire,
Until the traveler, willing to rest his weary limbs,
     having laid aside his tired garment, sat down upon the ground.

Tunc victor docuit praesentia numina Tytan, 15
Nullum praemissis vincere posse minis.

Tunc victor docuit praesentia numina Tytan, 15
He then the victor taught the gods present of the Titans that no one could be overcome by threats sent beforehand.

V. [DE ASINO PELLE LEONIS INDUTO]

V. [ON THE ASS CLOTHED IN A LION'S SKIN]

Metiri se quemque decet propriisque iuvari
     Laudibus, alterius nec bona ferre sibi,
Ne detracta gravem faciant miracula risum,
     Coeperit in solitis cum remanere malis.
Exuvias asinus Gaetuli iam forte leonis           5
     Repperit et spoliis induit ora novis.
Aptavitque suis incongrua tegmina membris,
     Et miserum tanto pressit honore caput.

Each one ought to measure himself and be aided by his own praises
     and not take another's goods for his own,
lest, the miracles having been stripped away, they make (him) a weighty laughter,
     and he begin once more to remain in his accustomed evils.
By chance the ass found the hide of a Gaetulian lion           5
     and clothed his face with the new spoils.
And he fitted the incongruous skins to his own limbs,
     and with so great an honour pressed down his miserable head.

Ast ubi terribilis aramo [sic] circumstetit horror,
     Pigraque praesumptus venit in ossa vigor,           10
Mitibus ille feris communia pabula calcans
     Turbabat pavidas per sua rura boves.
Rusticus hunc magna postquam deprendit ab aure,
     correptum vinclis verberibusque domat,
Et simul abstracto denudans corpora tergo,                    15
     Increpat his miserum vocibus ille pecus:
Forsitan ignotos imitato murmure fallas,
     At mihi, qui quondam, semper asellus eris.

Ast ubi terribilis aramo [sic] circumstetit horror,
     And when a terrible dread stood around the plough,
     Pigraque praesumptus venit in ossa vigor,           10
     and sluggish vigor came upon his bones,
Mitibus ille feris communia pabula calcans
     treading the common fodder of the tame beasts
     Turbabat pavidas per sua rura boves.
Rusticus hunc magna postquam deprendit ab aure,
     and was disturbing the fearful oxen through their fields. After the peasant caught him by his great ear,
     correptum vinclis verberibusque domat,
     he seizes and tames him with bonds and blows,
Et simul abstracto denudans corpora tergo,                    15
     and at once, dragging him off, strips the hide from his back,
     Increpat his miserum vocibus ille pecus:
     he reproaches that wretched beast with these words:
Forsitan ignotos imitato murmure fallas,
     Perhaps, by imitating an unfamiliar murmur, you may deceive others,
     At mihi, qui quondam, semper asellus eris.

VI. [DE RANA ET VULPE]

6. [ON THE FROG AND THE FOX]

Edita gurgitibus olimque [sic] immersa profundo
      Et luteis tantum semper amica vadis,
Ad superos colles herbosaque prata recurrens
      Mulcebat miseras turgida rana feras,
Callida quod posset gravibus succurrere morbis           5
      Et vitam ingenio continuare suo;
Nec se Paeonio iactat cessisse magistro.
      Quamvis perpetuos curet in orbe deos.
Tunc vulpes pecudum ridens astuta quietem
      Verborum vacuam prodidit esse fidem:                    10
Haec dabit aegrotis, inquit, medicamina membris,
      Pallida caeruleus cui notat ora color?

Once sprung from the whirlpools and formerly plunged in the deep
     And ever a friend only to muddy shallows,
To the upper regions returning, hills and grassy meadows recurring
     The swollen frog soothed the miserable wild beasts,
Clever in that she could succor grievous ailments           5
     And prolong life by her own wit;
Nor does she boast that she yielded to the Paeonian master.
     Although she tends the everlasting gods in the world.
Then the fox, crafty, laughing at the peace of the flocks
     Declared that the faith of her words was empty:                    10
"She will give medicines to ailing limbs," says she; "to whom does the bluish pale color mark the face?"

VII. [DE CANE QUI NOLUIT LATRARE]

7. [ON THE DOG WHO WOULD NOT BARK]

Haut facile est pravis innatum mentibus, ut se
      Muneribus dignas suppliciove putent.
Forte canis quondam, nullis latratibus horrens,
      Nec patulis primum rictibus ora trahens,
Mollia sed pavidae submittens verbera caudae,                    5
      Concitus audaci vulnera dente dabat.
Hunc dominus, ne quem probitas simulata lateret,
      Iusserat in rabido gutture ferre nolam.

It is by no means easy for perverse minds to reckon themselves
     worthy of gifts or of the suppliant’s place.
By chance once a dog, fearsome in his lack of barking,
     Nor at first drawing his mouth into wide gapes,
But meekly lowering the soft lashes of his fearful tail,                    5
     When stirred, with a bold tooth gave wounds.
His master, lest anyone be concealed by feigned probity,
     Had ordered him to bear a little bell on his raging throat.

Faucibus innexis crepitantia subligat aera,
      Quae facili motu signa cavenda darent.                    10
Haec tamen ille sibi credebat praemia ferri,
      Et similem turbam despiciebat ovans.
Tunc insultantem senior de plebe superbum
      Adgreditur tali singula voce monens:
Infelix, quae tanta rapit dementia sensum,                    15
      Munera pro meritis si cupis ista dari?
Non hoc virtutis decus ostentatur in aere,
      Nequiciae testem sed geris inde sonum.

He fastens jingling bronze to his bound jaws,
      Which by easy motion would give warning-signs.                    10
Yet he believed these things were borne to him as rewards,
      And, exulting, scorned the like-making crowd.
Then the old man, proud one mocking from the plebs,
      Approaches and warns each thing with this voice:
Unhappy man, what so great madness seizes your sense,                    15
      If you desire these gifts to be given for merits?
Not by this is virtue's honor displayed on bronze,
      But you wear from it the sound as witness of worthlessness.

VIII. [DE CAMELO]

CHAPTER 8. [ON THE CAMEL]

Contentum propriis sapientem vivere rebus,
      Nec cupere alterius fabella nostra monet,
Indignata cito ne stet Fortuna recursu
      Atque eadem minuat quae dedit ante rota.
Corporis immensi fertur pecus isse per auras                    5
      Et magnum precibus sollicitasse Iovem:
Turpe nimis cunctis irridendumque videri,
      Insignes geminis cornibus ire boves,
Et solum nulla munitum parte camelum,
      Obiectum cunctis expositumque feris.                    10
Iupiter irridens postquam sperata negavit,
      Insuper et magnae sustulit auris onus.
Vive minor merito, cui sors non sufficit, inquit,
      Et tua perpetuum, livide, damna geme.

Our tale counsels a wise man to live content with his own affairs,
     Nor to covet another’s lot, the story warns,
Lest Fortune, indignant, not long stand in recoil,
     And the same wheel lessen what it had given before.
A beast of vast body is said to go through the breezes                    5
     And to have entreated mighty Jove with prayers:
Too shameful for all, and fit for mockery to seem,
     Marked oxen to go with twin horns,
And a lone camel with no fortified side,
     Exposed and proffered to all wild beasts.                    10
Jupiter, laughing, when he denied what was hoped for,
     Also took away the burden from the great ear. Live less, he says, deservedly, whose lot is not enough,
     And, pale one, bewail your losses forever.

IX. DE DUOBUS SOCIIS ET URSA

CHAPTER 9. ON THE TWO COMPANIONS AND THE BEAR

Montibus ignotis curvisque in vallibus artum
      Cum socio quidam suscipiebat iter,
Securus, cum quodque malum Fortuna tulisset,
      Robore collato posset uterque pati.
Dumque per inceptum vario sermone feruntur,                    5
      In mediam praeceps convenit ursa viam.
Horum alter facili comprendens robora cursu,
      In viridi trepidum fronde pependit onus.

In unknown mountains and in curved valleys narrow
      With a certain companion he undertook a journey,
Carefree, when whatever ill Fortune had borne,
      With strength combined each could endure.
While they were borne along through the begun discourse of varied speech,                    5
      Headlong a she‑bear met the middle of the road.
One of them, seizing the sturdy trunks with an easy run,
      Hung the trembling burden in the green foliage.

Ille trahens nullo iacuit vestigia gressu,
      Exanimem fingens, sponte relisus humi.                    10
Continuo praedam cupiens fera saeva cucurrit,
      Et miserum curvis unguibus ante levat;
Verum ubi concreto riguerunt membra timore
      Nam solitus mentis liquerat ossa calor,
Tunc olidum credens, quamvis ieiuna, cadaver                    15
      Deserit et lustris conditur ursa suis.
Sed cum securi paulatim in verba redissent,
      Liberior iusto qui fuit ante fugax:
Dic, sodes, quidnam trepido tibi rettulit ursa?
      Nam secreta diu multaque verba dedit                    20
Magna quidem monuit, tamen haec quoque maxima iussit,
      Quae merito semper sunt facienda mihi:
Ne facile alterius repetas consortia, dixit,
      Rursus ab insana ne capiare fera.

He, dragging, lay with no traces of step,
      Feigning lifeless, voluntarily left on the ground.                    10
Straightaway the savage beast, desiring prey, ran,
      And with curved claws lifted the wretched man before her;
But when his limbs were stiffened with congealed fear
      For the customary warmth of life had left his bones,
Then, deeming it a foul corpse, though gaunt, the beast                    15
      Forsakes it and conceals it in her lairs.
But when the two had slowly returned to words,
      He who before had been skittish, now more free than was right:
Say, pray, what did the trembling bear report to you?
      For she gave you secrets long and many words                    20
Indeed she warned of great things, yet she likewise commanded this greatest charge,
      Which rightly must always be done by me:
That you should not lightly seek another’s companionship, she said,
      Lest again you be seized by a mad beast.

X. [DE CALVO]

CHAPTER 10. [ON THE BALD MAN]

Calvus eques capiti solitus religare capillos
      Atque alias nudo vertice ferre comas,
Ad Campum nitidis venit conspectus in armis
      Et facilem frenis flectere coepit equum.
Huius ab adverso Boreae spiramina prestant                    5
      Ridiculum populo conspiciente caput.
Nam mox deiecto nituit frons nuda galero,
      Discolor apposita quae fuit ante coma.

The bald horseman was wont to bind his hair to his head
      and at other times to bear his locks upon a bare crown,
He came to the Field seen in shining arms
      and began to bend the docile horse with the reins.
From before him the breaths of the North Wind make plainly seen                    5
      the head ridiculous to the observing crowd.
For soon, the band having been cast down, the bare brow gleamed against the helmet,
      the hair that had formerly been placed there now discolored.

Ille sagax, tantis quod risus milibus esset,
Distulit admota calliditate iocum, 10
Quid mirum, referens, positos fugisse capillos,
Quem prius aequaevae deseruere comae?

That shrewd one, since the laughter was of so many thousands,
Delayed the jest by applied cunning, 10
What wonder, he answering, that the planted hairs have fled,
Which erst the sea‑waves had deserted?

XI. [DE OLLIS]

11. [ON POTS]

Eripiens geminas ripis cedentibus ollas
      Insanis pariter flumen agebat aquis.
Sed diversa duas ars et natura creavit:
      Aere prior fusa est, altera ficta luto.
Dispar erat fragili et solido [sic] concordia motus,                    5
      Incertumque vagus amnis habebat iter.

Snatching twin pots from the yielding banks
      the river drove on with its maddened waters alike.
But art and nature made the two distinct:
      the first was cast in bronze, the other fashioned in clay.
The concord of motion was unequal between fragile and solid [sic],                    5
      and the wandering stream held an uncertain course.

Ne tamen allisam confringeret, aerea testa
      Iurabat solitam longius ire viam.
Illa timens ne quid levibus graviora nocerent,
      Et quia nulla brevi est cum meliore fides,                    10
Quamvis securam verbis me feceris, inquit,
      Non timor ex animo decutiendus erit.
Nam me sive tibi seu te mihi conferat unda,
      Semper ero ambobus subdita sola malis.

Yet lest she should break the other, the brazen pot
     swore she would go the accustomed longer way.
That one, fearing that the lighter things might be harmed by the heavier,
     and because there is no faith of the brief with the better,                    10
"Although you will make me secure by words," she said,
     "fear will not be shaken from my soul." For whether the wave bring me to you or you to me,
     I shall always be the one alone subjected under both evils.

XII. [DE THESAURO]

CHAPTER 12. [ON THE TREASURE]

Rusticus impresso molitus vomere terram
      Thesaurum sulcis prosiluisse videt.
Mox indigna animo properante reliquit aratra,
      Semina compellens ad meliora boves.
Continuo supplex Telluri construit aras,                    5
      Quae sibi depositas sponte dedisset opes.

The rustic, having labored with the pressed ploughshare on the earth,
      sees a treasure springing up from the furrows.
Soon, his mind stirred by unworthy haste, he leaves the ploughs,
      driving the oxen toward better pastures.
Immediately, a suppliant, he erects altars to Earth,                    5
      to whom she had voluntarily granted the riches deposited with her.

Hunc Fortuna novis gaudentem provida rebus
      Admonet, indignam se quoque ture dolens:
Nunc inventa rneis non prodis munera templis
      Atque alios mavis participare deos                    10
Sed cum surrepto fueris tristissimus auro,
      Me primam lacrimis sollicitabis inops."

Provident Fortune admonishes this man, rejoicing in new things,
      Lamenting also that she herself is offered unworthy incense:
Now with my-found things you do not bring gifts forth to my temples
      And you prefer that others share the gods                    10
But when, the gold having been stolen, you are most sad,
      You will besiege me first with tears, poor and pleading."

XIII. [DE HIRCO ET TAURO]

CHAPTER 13. [ON THE HE-GOAT AND THE OX]

Immensum taurus fugeret cum forte leonem
      Tutaque desertis quaereret antra viis,
Speluncam reperit quam tunc hirsutus habebat
      Cinyphii ductor qui gregis esse solet.
Post ubi submissa meditantem irrumpere fronte                    5
      Obvius obliquo terruit ore caper,
Tristis abit longaque fugax de valle locutus,
      Nam timor expulsum iurgia ferre vetat:
Non te demissis saetosum, putide, barbis,
      Illum, qui super est consequiturque, tremo.                    10
Nam si discedat, nosces, stultissime, quantum
      Discrepet a tauri viribus hircus olens.

A vast bull fled when by chance he met a lion
      And sought safe caves by ways deserted,
He found a cave which then a shaggy one held—
      The Cinyphian leader, who is wont to be of the flock.
After, when with head bowed he meditated to burst forth                    5
      A goat met him and with a slanting mouth put him to flight,
He goes away sad and speaks swiftly from the long valley,
      For fear forbids the expelled to bear reproaches:
Not you, with downward-bristling beard, foul one, I fear,
      Him who is above and follows, I tremble at him.                    10
For if he should depart, you will know, most foolish one, how much
      A stinking he-goat falls short of the bull’s powers.

XIV. [DE SIMIA]

14. [OF THE APE]

Iuppiter in toto quondam quaesiverat orbe,
      Munera natorum quis meliora daret.
Certatmm ad regem currit genus omne ferarum,
      Permixtumque homini cogitur ire pecus.
Sed nec squamigeri desunt ad iurgia pisces,                    5
      Vel quicquid volucrum purior aura vehit.

Jupiter once throughout the whole orb had inquired,
      Which best gifts he might give to his sons.
Certatmm to the king runs every kind of the wild beasts,
      And the mixed flock is compelled to go to man.
But nor are scaly fishes lacking at the disputes,                    5
      Nor whatever the purer breeze of birds conveys.

Inter quos trepidae ducebant pignora matres,
      Iudicio tanti discutienda dei.
Tunc brevis informem traheret cum simia natum,
      Ipsum etiam in risum compulit ire Iovem.                    10
Hanc tamen ante alios rupit turpissima vocem,
      Dum generis crimen sic abolere cupit:
Iuppiter hoc norit, maneat victoria si quem;
      Iudicio superest omnibus iste meo.

Among whom anxious mothers led their pledges,
      to be decided by the judgment of so great a god.
Then the short-lived ape drew forth the misshapen offspring,
      even compelling Jupiter himself to burst into laughter.                    10
Yet she before the others broke forth with the most shameful voice,
      while thus she wishes to wipe away the crime of the race:
"Let Jupiter know this; if any victoria remains to anyone;
      that one is left to my judgment over all."

XV. [DE GRUE ET PAVONE]

15. [ON THE CRANE AND THE PEACOCK]

Thraciam volucrem fertur Iunonius ales
      Communi sociam conteruisse cibo;
Namque inter varias fuerat discordia formas,
      Magnaque de facili iurgia lite trahunt,
Quod sibi multimodo fulgerent membra decore,                    5
      Caeruleam facerent livida terga gruem;
Et simul erectae circumdans tegmina caudae,
      Sparserat archamum sursus in astra iubar.
Illa licet nullo pennarum certet honore,
      His tamen insultans vocibus usa datur:                    10
Quamvis innumerus plumas variaverit ordo,
      Mersus humi semper florida terga geris:
Ast ego deformi sublimis in aera penna,
      Proxima sideribus numinibusque feror.

The Thracian bird, called the Iunonian, is said to have
      shared common food with a companion;
For between their varied forms there had been discord,
      And great quarrels easily draw them into strife,
Because in many ways their limbs shone with beauty,                    5
      And made the crane’s back darken into a bluish hue;
And at once, with plumes raised and surrounding the tail’s coverings,
      He had scattered a radiance, like a mirror, up into the stars.
Although she contends with no honor of feathers,
      Yet, boasting with these voices, she is given to insult:                    10
Although an innumerable array has varied the peacock’s plumes,
      You, sunk to the ground, always bear a flourishing back:
But I, lofty on a misshapen feather into the air,
      Am borne nearest the stars and the divine numina.

XVI. [DE QUERCU ET HARUNDINE]

CHAPTER 16. [ON THE OAK AND THE REED]

Montibus e summis radicitus eruta quercus
      Decidit insani turbine victa noti.
Quam tumidis subter decurrens alveus undis
      Suscipit et fluvio praecipitante rapit.
Verum ubi diversis inpellitur ardua ripis,                    5
      In fragiles calamos grande residit onus.

An oak torn up from the very summits of the mountains
      Falls, overcome by a furious whirlwind.
Which the swollen channel beneath, running with waves,
      Receives and with the headlong river carries away. Verily, when the lofty trunk is driven upon diverse banks,                    5
      The great weight settles upon fragile reeds.

Tunc sic exiguo conectens caespite ramos
      Miratur liquidis quod stet harundo vadis.
Se quoque tam vasto rectam non sistere trunco,
      Ast illam tenui cortice ferre minas.                    10
Stridula mox blando respondens canna susurro
      Seque magis tutam debilitate docet.
«Tu rapidos,» inquit, «ventos saevasque procellas
      Despicis et totis viribus acta ruis.

Then thus, joining its branches with a little sod
      the reed marvels that it stands in the liquid waters.
It likewise cannot set itself upright with so vast a trunk,
      but that one bears threats with its thin bark.                    10
The sibilant reed soon answering with a gentle whisper
      teaches that it is safer by its frailty.
"You, swift," it says, "despise the winds and savage storms,
      and, driven, you rush with all your forces.

Ast ego surgentes paulatim demoror austros,                    15
      Et quamvis levibus provida cedo notis.
In tua praeruptus se fundit robora nimbus,
      Motibus aura meis ludificata perit.»
Haec nos dicta monent magnis obsistere fluxa,
      Paulatimque truces exsuperare minas.                    20

But I delay the rising south winds little by little,                    15
      And though foreseeing, I yield to the light signs.
A storm, rent from your precipice, pours down its strength,
      In its motions mocked by my breezes it perishes.»
These words warn us to stand against the great floods,
      And gradually to surmount the savage threats.                    20

XVII. [DE VENATORE ET TIGRIDE]

17. [ON THE HUNTER AND THE TIGRESS]

Venator iaculis haud irrita vulnera torquens,
      Turbabat trepidas per sua lustra feras.
Tum pavidis audax cupiens succurrere tigris
      Verbere commoto iussit adesse minax.
Ille tamen solito contorquens tela lacerto                    5
      «Nunc tibi, qualis eam, nuntius iste refert,»
Et simul emissum transegit vulnere ferrum,
      Praestrinxitque citos hasta cruenta pedes.

The hunter, hurling javelins that wound not in vain,
      Disturbed the trembling beasts throughout his lairs.
Then, eager to succor the fearful, the bold man ordered the tiger,
      Stirred by a blow of the rod, to come up menacingly.
He, however, twisting his spear with his accustomed arm                    5
      «Now, what sort of messenger is this that brings her to you,»
And at the same moment the sent iron pierced with a wound,
      And the bloody spear enmeshed the swift feet.

Molliter at fixum traheret cum saucia telum,
      A trepida fertur vulpe retenta diu.                    10
Nempe quis ille foret, qui talia vulnera ferret,
      Aut ubinam iaculum delituisset agens?
Illa gemens fractoque loqui vix murmure coepit.
      Nam solitas voces ira dolorque rapit.

But gently she was dragging the fixed spear when wounded,
      She is said to be borne off by a trembling fox, long restrained.                    10
For who indeed would be he who would endure such wounds,
      Or where had he hidden the javelin while pursuing?
She, groaning and broken, began to speak with a scarcely audible murmur.
      For anger and pain carry away her customary words.

«Nulla quidem medio convenit in aggere forma,                    15
      Quaeque oculis olim sit repetenda meis.
Sed cruor et validis in nos directa lacertis,
      Ostendunt aliquem tela fuisse virum.»

«No shape indeed fits in the middle on the mound,                    15
      Which once must be recalled to my eyes.
But blood and weapons aimed at us upon strong arms,
      Show that some man had been the thrower of the shafts.»

XVIII. [DE QUATTUOR IUVENCIS ET LEONE]

CHAPTER 18. [OF THE FOUR HEIFERS AND THE LION]

Quattuor immensis quondam per prata iuvencis
      Fertur amicitiae tanta fuisse fides
Ut simul emissos nullus divelleret error
      Rursus et e pastu turba rediret amans,
Hos quoque collatis inter se cornibus ingens                    5
      Dicitur in silvis pertimuisse leo,
Dum metus oblatam prohibet temptare rapinam,
      Et coniuratos horret adire boves.
+Sed+ quamvis audax factisque immanior esset,
      Tantorum solus uiribus impar erat.                    10
Protinus aggreditur pravis insistcre verbis,
      Collisum cupiens dissociare pecus.
Sic postquam dictis animos disiunxit acerbis,
      Invasit miserum diripuitque gregem.

Four immense bulls once through the meadows
      Such, it is said, was the faith of their friendship
That when set free no error could tear them apart
      And again from pasture the loving crowd would return,
When likewise with joined horns among themselves a mighty                    5
      It is said a lion in the woods feared them,
While dread forbids him to try the proffered prey,
      And he shudders to approach the conspired oxen.
+But+ however bold and fiercer in deeds he was,
      Alone he was unequal to such great strength.                    10
Straightway he assails them with perverse, pressing words,
      Desiring to sunder the collided flock.
Thus after with bitter sayings he divided their spirits,
      He fell upon the wretched herd and tore it apart.

Tunc quidam ex illis «vitam servare quietam                    15
      Qui cupit, ex nostra discere morte potest.
Neve cito admotas verbis fallacibus aures
      Impleat, aut veterem deserat ante fidem.»

Then one of them, "He who desires to preserve a quiet life                    15
     Who wishes, from our death can learn.
Nor let him quickly fill his ears with words deceitful offered,
     Or abandon his former faith before its time."

XIX. [DE ABIETE AC DUMIS]

CHAPTER 19. [ON FIR AND BRAMBLES]

Horrentes dumos abies pulcherrima risit,
      Cum facerent formae iurgria magna suae.
Indignum referens nulllis certamen haberi,
      quos meritis nullus consociaret honor.
«Nam mihi deductum surgens in nubila corpus                    5
      Verticis erectas tollit in astra comas.

The most beautiful fir laughed at the bristling thickets,
      When they made great quarrels about their beauty. Indignant, declaring that a contest should not be held for none,
      whom no honor would associate according to their merits.
«For my body, drawn up and rising into the clouds,                    5
      lifts the erect hairs of my crown up into the stars.

Puppibus et patulis media cum sede locamur,
      In me suspensos explicat aura sinus.
At tibi deformem quod dant spineta figuram,
      Despectum cuncti praeteriere viri.»                    10
Ille refert «nunc laeta quidem bona sola fateris,
      Et frueris nostris imperiosa malis.
Sed cum pulchra minax succidet membra securis,
      Quam velles spinas tunc habuisse meas.»

We are placed amid prows and broad seats with a middle place,
      The breeze spreads its hanging folds upon me.
But that the thorn-bushes give you a misshapen figure,
      All men passed you by, despised by every man.»                    10
He replies, «now indeed you confess only joyful goods,
      And you enjoy, imperious, our evils.
But when the beautiful, threatening, will fell your limbs with the axe,
      How you would then have wished to possess my thorns.»

XX. [DE PISCATORE ET PISCE]

CHAPTER 20. [ON THE FISHER AND THE FISH]

Piscator solitus praedam suspendere saeta
      Exigui piscis vile trahebat onus.
Sed postquam superas captum perduxit ad auras
      Atquc avido fixum vulnus ab ore tulit,
"Parce, precor," supplex lacrimis ita dixit obortis;                    5
      "Nam quanta ex nostro corpore dona feres?"
Nunc me saxosis genitrix fecunda sub antris
      Fudit et in propriis ludere iussit aquis.
Tolle minas, tenerumque tuis sine crescere mensis.

The fisherman, accustomed to suspend his prey on the hair of his line,
      A little fish was bearing a worthless burden.
But after he had led the captive up to the upper airs,
      And with a greedy mouth had torn away the fixed wound from its lips,
"Spare me, I beg," the suppliant thus spoke, tears rising;                    5
      "For what great gifts will you carry from my body?"
Now my mother, fruitful, cast me forth under the rocky caves
      And bade me play in my own waters.
Put away your threats, and let the tender one grow without your hands.

      Haec tibi me rursum litoris ora dabit.                    10
Protinus immensi depastus caerula ponti
      Pinguior ad calamum sponte recurro tuum.
Ille nefas captum referens absolvere piscem,
      Difficiles queritur cassibus esse vices.
"Nam miserum est" inquit "praesentem amittere praedam           15
      Stultius ct rursum vota futura sequi."

      This shore will give me back to you again.                    10
Straightaway, having fed upon the vast blue of the sea,
      I, richer, return of my own will to your rod.
He, calling it a crime to restore the captured fish, complains
      That the turns in the baskets are hard to bear.
"For miserable it is," he says, "to lose the prey at hand,          15
      And more foolish to follow again hopes of the future."

XXI. [DE LUSCINIA]

CHAPTER 21. [ON THE NIGHTINGALE]

Parvula progeniem terrae mandaverat ales,
      Qua stabat viridi caespite flava seges.
Rusticus, hanc fragili cupiens decerpere culmo,
      Vicinam supplex forte petebat opem,
Et vox implumes turbavit crudula nidos,                    5
      Suaserat et e laribus continuare fugam.
Cautior hos remeans prohibet discedere mater:
      Nam quid ab externis perficietur?

A little bird had entrusted its tiny progeny to the earth,
      Where a yellow crop stood on the green turf.
A rustic, desiring to pluck this with a fragile stalk,
      A neighboring supplicant by chance was seeking aid,
And his voice disturbed the unfledged, tender nests,                    5
      And had urged from the hearths to continue their flight.
More cautious, the mother, returning, forbids these to depart:
      For what will be accomplished by outsiders?

ait.
Ille iterum caris operam mandavit amicis
      At genetrix rursum tutior inde manet.                    10
Sed, postquam curvas dominum comprendere falces,
      Frugibus et veram sensit adesse manum,
Nunc, ait, o miseri, dilecta relinquite rura,
      Cum spem de propriis viribus ille petit.

he says.
He again entrusted the task to his dear friends
      But the mother again remains safer therefrom.                    10
But, after she perceived the curved sickles seizing the master,
      She felt a true hand present for the crops,
Now, he says, O wretched ones, abandon the beloved fields,
      Since he seeks hope from his own strength.

XXII. [DE CUPIDO ET INVIDO]

22. [ON CUPID AND ENVY]

Juppiter ambiguas hominum praediscere mentes
      Ad terras Phoebum misit ab arce poli.
Tunc duo diversis poscebant numina votis;
      Namque alter cupidus, invidus alter erat.
His sese medium Titan scrutatus utrumque,                    5
      Obtulit et precibus cum peteretur, ait:
Praestandi facilis, nam quaeque rogaverit unus,
      Protinus haec alter congeminata feret.

Jupiter, to foreknow the ambiguous minds of men,
      Sent Phoebus to the lands from the citadel of the sky.
Then two were demanding divine favors with differing vows;
      For one was desirous, the other envious.
His the Titan, having scrutinized each, placed himself between them,                    5
      And when he was sought in prayers he offered himself also, saying:
Easy to grant, for whatever one shall have asked,
      Straightway the other, doubled, will bring forth these things.

Sed cui longa iecur nequeat saciare cupido,
      Postulit admotas in nova dona preces,                    10
Spem sibi confidens alieno crescere voto,
      Seque ratus solum munera ferre duo.
Ille ubi captantem socium sua praemia vidit,
      Supplicium proprii corporis optat ovans.
Nam petit exstinctus quo lumine degeret uno.                    15
      Alter ut hoc duplicans vivat uterque carens.

But for whom a long craving cannot sate the liver,
      he demands prayers brought toward new gifts,                    10
trusting hope to grow for himself by another's vow,
      and thinking himself to carry only two gifts.
When he saw a companion striving for his rewards,
      exulting, he chooses the punishment of his own body.
For he asks to live with that one light extinguished.                    15
      The other, wishing this doubled, that each may live lacking.

Tunc sortem sapiens humanam risit Apollo,
Invidiaeque malum retulit ipse Iovi,
Quae dum proventis aliorum gaudet iniquis,
Laetior infelix et sua damna cupit. 20

Then wise Apollo laughed at the human lot,
and he himself reported the evil of Envy to Jove,
Who, while she rejoices at the adverse fortunes of others,
the more joyful, unhappy one even desires her own losses.

XXIII. [DE BACHO]

CHAPTER 23. [ON BACHO]

Venditor insignem referens de marmore Bachum
      Expositum precio fecerat esse deum.
Nobilis hunc quidam funesta in sede sepulcri
Mercari cupiens compositurus erat;
Alter adoratis ut ferret numina templis,                    5
Redderet et sacro debita vota loco.
Nunc, ait, ambiguum facies de mercibus omen,
Cum spes in precium munera dispar agit,
Et me defunctis seu malis tradere divis,
Sive decus busti, seu velis esse deum.                    10
Subdita namque tibi est magni reverentia fati,
Atque eadem retines funera nostra manu.

A vendor bringing back a notable Bacchus from marble
     had by price made the exposed one to be a god.
A certain noble, desiring to buy him to set him in the fatal seat of a tomb,
was about to arrange it;
Another, that he might carry the numina to adored temples,                    5
would also restore the vows owed in the sacred place.
“Now,” he says, “you will make an ambiguous omen about the wares,
when hope bargains gifts against price unequally,
and offers me to the departed or to hostile gods,
whether the honor of the tomb, or if you wish me to be a god.                    10
For to you has been subject the great reverence of fate,
and with the same hand you withhold our funerals.

Convenit hoc illis, quibus est premissa [sic] potestas,
An praestare magis seu nocuisse velint.

This is fitting for those to whom delegated power belongs,
whether they wish rather to have conferred good or to have done harm.

XXIV. [DE VENATORE ET LEONE]

CHAPTER 24. [ON THE HUNTER AND THE LION]

Certamen longa protractum lite gerebant
      Venator quondam nobilis atque leo.
Hi cum perpetuum cuperent in iurgia finem,
      Edita continuo forte sepulcra vident.
Illic docta manus flectentem colla leonem                    5
      Fecerat in gremio procubuisse viri.

A contest protracted by long strife they were waging
      a hunter once noble and a lion.
These, when they wished to make perpetual an end to their quarrels,
      by chance immediately behold tombs raised up.
There a skilful hand had made the lion, bending his neck,                    5
      have lain prone in the man's lap.

Scilicet affirmas pictura teste superbum
      Se fieri: exstinctam nam docet esse feram.
Ille graves oculos ad inania signa retorquens
      Infremit et rabido pectore verba dedit:                    10
Irrita te generis subiit fiducia vestri,
      Artificis testem si cupis esse manum.
Quod si nostra novum caperet sollertia sensum,
      Sculperet ut docili pollice saxa leo,
Tunc hominem adspiceres oppressum murmure magno,                    15
      Conderet ut rabidis ultima fata genis.

Scarcely do you assert, with the picture as witness, that he becomes proud:
      For it shows the beast to be extinguished.
He, turning his heavy eyes to the empty images,
      Growls and utters words from his raging breast:                    10
Your confidence in your kind has arisen in vain,
      If you would have the artist’s hand be a witness.
But if our craft could seize a fresh sense,
      It would sculpt, with a pliant thumb, the lion into stone,
Then you would see a man pressed down by a mighty murmur,                    15
      As if to hide his final fate in his raging cheeks.

XXV. [DE FURE ET PARVO]

CHAPTER 25. [ON THE THIEF AND THE LITTLE ONE]

Flens puer extremam putei consedit ad undam,
      Vana super vacuis rictibus ora trahens.
Callidus hunc lacrimis postquam fur vidit obortis,
      Quaenam tristiciae sit modo causa rogat.
Ille sibi abrupti fingens discrimina funis                    5
      Atque auri queritur desiluisse cadum.

Weeping, the boy sat down at the far edge of the well by the water,
      drawing his mouth in vain with empty gapes.
Callidus hunc lacrimis postquam fur vidit obortis,
      he asks what now is the cause of his sadness.
Ille sibi abrupti fingens discrimina funis                    5
      and complains that the vessel of gold has fallen down.

Nec mora, sollicitam traxit manus improba mentem
      Exutus putei protinus ima petit.
Parvulus exiguo circumdans pallia collo
      Sentibus immersus delituisse datur.                    10
Sed post fallaci suscepta pericula voto
      Tristior, amissa veste resedit humi,
Dicitur his sollers vocem rupisse querelis
      Et gemitu summos sollicitasse deos:
Perdita, quisquis erit, post haec bene pallia credat,                    15
      Qui putat in liquidis quod latet unda [lisez urna] vadis.

No delay: a wicked hand dragged away the anxious mind
     Stripped, he straightway seeks the lowest part of the well.
The little boy, about his neck wrapping a tiny cloak
     Is said to have hidden, plunged amid the briars.                    10
But afterwards, the perils taken up by a deceitful vow
     Sadder, his garment lost, he sat down on the ground,
It is said that, crafty in these things, he burst forth a voice in complaints
     And with a groan besought the highest gods:
Let him be ruined, whoever he may be; after this let him well trust his cloaks,                    15
     Who thinks that what lies hidden in the liquid wave [lisez urna] is safe.

XXVI. [DE LEONE ET CAPELLA]

26. [ON THE LION AND THE GOAT]

Viderat excelsa pascentem rupe capellam,
      Comminus esuriens cum leo ferret iter.
Et prior: heus, inquit, praeruptis ardua saxis
      Linque, nec hirsutis pascua quaere iugis;
Sed cythisi croceum per prata virentia florem                    5
      Et glaucas salices et thyma grata pete.
Illa gemens: desiste, precor, fallaciter, inquit,
      Securam placidis instimulare dolis.

He had seen a she-goat feeding on a lofty rock,
      when a hungry lion was making his way close at hand.
And the former: “Hey,” he said, “leave the steep crags’ heights,
      and seek not pastures on the shaggy ridges;
But seek the saffron flower of the cythisus through the green meadows                    5
      and the grey willows and pleasant thyme.” She, groaning: “Cease, I beg, deceitfully,” she said,
      “to urge me into safety with your placid wiles.”

Vera licet moneas, maiora pericula tollas,
Tu tamen his dictis non facis esse fidem. 10
Nam quamvis rectis constet sententia verbis,
Suspectam hanc rabidus consiliator habet."

Though you warn true things, and lift away greater dangers,
Yet with these words you do not make it to be believed. 10
For although the opinion may stand in straight words,
A rabid counselor holds this one suspect."

XXVII. [DE CORNICE ET URNA]

CHAPTER 27. [ON THE CORNICE AND THE URN]

Ingentem sitiens cornix adspexerat urnam,
      Quae minimam fundo continuisset aquam.
Hanc enisa diu planis effundere campis,
      Scilicet ut nimiam pelleret inde sitim,
Postquam nulla viam virtus dedit, ammovet omnes                    5
      Indignata nova calliditate dolos.
Nam brevis immersis accrescens sponte lapillis
      Potandi facilem praebuit unda viam.

A great thirsty crow had seen an urn,
      Which had contained only the smallest water at the bottom.
Straining long to pour it out on the level plains,
      Surely that she might drive away there the excessive thirst,
When no strength afterward gave a way, she moves all                    5
      Displeased, with new craftiness, tricks.
For the short water, by pebbles plunged in and increasing of its own accord,
      Provided an easy way of drinking.

Viribus haec docuit quam sit prudentia maior,
Qua coeptum volucri explicuisset opus. 10

By strength he taught these things how much greater prudence is,
By which he had unfolded the work begun for the bird. 10

XXVIII. [DE RUSTICO ET IUVENCO]

28. [ON THE PEASANT AND THE YOUNG OX]

Vincla recusanti dedignantique iuvenco
      Aspera mordaci subdere colla iugo,
Rusticus, obliqua succidens cornua falce,
      Credidit insanum defremuisse pecus,
Cautus et immenso cervicem innectit aratro:                    5
      Namque erat hic cornu promptior atque pede,
Scilicet ut longus prohiberet verbera themo,
      Neve ictus faciles ungula saeva daret.
Sed postquam irato detractans vincula collo
      Inmeritam vacua calce fatigat humum,                    10
Continuo eversam pedibus dispergit harenam,
      Quam ferus in domini ora sequentis agat.
Tunc sic informi squalentes pulvere crines
      Discutiens, imo pectore victus, ait:
Nimirum exemplum naturae deerat iniquae,                    15
      Qua fieri possit cum ratione nocens.

To the bonds refusing and scorning, the yearling bull
      to put its neck beneath the harsh, biting yoke,
The rustics, cutting off his horns with an oblique falx,
      Believed the herd to have bellowed madly,
Cautious, and he fastens his neck to the immense plough:                    5
      For this one was readier with horn and with foot,
Clearly that his long horn might ward off the strokes of the thong,
      Nor might his savage hoof give easy blows.
But after, tearing the bonds from his angry neck
      He with empty hoof unjustly wears out the ground,                    10
Straightway he scatters the upturned sand with his feet,
      Which the savage one drives into the face of the following master.
Then thus, shaking his matted hair with filthy dust
      Dispelling it, conquered in his deepest breast, he says:
Certainly an example of iniquitous nature was lacking,                    15
      By which the guilty might be made reasonable.

XXIX. [DE VIATORE ET FAUNO]

29. [OF THE WAYFARER AND THE FAUN]

Horrida congestis cum staret bruma pruinis,
      Cunctaque durato stringeret arva gelu,
Haesit in adversa nimborum mole viator;
      Perdita nam prohibet semita ferre gradum.
Hunc nemorum custos fertur miseratus in antro                    5
      Exceptum Satirus continuisse suo.
Quem smmul adspiciens ruris miratur alumnus
      Vimque homini tantam protinus esse pavet
Nam gelidos artus vitae ut revocaret in usum,
      Afflatas calido solverat ore manus.                    10
Sed cum depulso coepisset frigore laetus
      Hospitis eximia sedulitate frui,
Namque illi agrestem cupiens ostendere vitam,
      Silvarum referens optima quaeque dabat,
Obtulit et calido plenum cratera Liaeo,                    15
      Laxet ut infusus frigida membra tepor.

When horrid hoarfrost stood heaped with gathered rime,
      And hardened cold bound the fields with icy grip,
A wayfarer stuck fast in the opposing mass of clouds;
      For a lost path forbids the foot to bear a step. The guardian of the groves is said, pitying him, in his cave                    5
      To have taken and held him as a Satyr his own. Whom, simul beholding, the rustic fosterling of the country marvels
      And straightway fears that such force is in a man;
For to call the gelid limbs back to use of life,
      He had loosened the breathed-on hands with a warm mouth.                    10
But when, the chill having been driven off, he began joyfully
      To enjoy the exceptional zeal of his host,
For desiring to show him rustic life,
      Bringing back the choicest things of the woods he gave,
And offered also a bowl full of warm Lyaean wine,                    15
      That, poured in, softening, the tepid warmth might unbind the frozen limbs.

Ille ubi ferventem labris contingere testam
      Horruit, algenti rursus ab ore suflat [sic].
Obstipuit duplici monstro perterritus hospes,
      Et pulsum silvis longius ire iubet:                    20
Nolo, ait, ut nostris umquam succederet antris,
      Tam diversa duo qui simul ora ferat.

When he touched the hot pot with his lips     he shuddered, and again from his mouth he blows on the cold [sic].
The guest stood agape, terrified by the double monster,     and bade the driven one go farther into the woods:                    20
"I will not," he says, "that he ever come upon our caves,     who at once bears two mouths so disparate."

XXX. [DE APRO ET QUOQUO [sic]]

30. ON THE BOAR AND QUOQUO [sic]

Vastantem segetes et pinguia culta ruentem
      Liquerat abscisa rusticus aure suem,
Ut memor accepti referens monumenta doloris
      Ulterius teneris parceret ille satis.
Rursus in excepti deprehensus crimine campi,                    5
      Perdidit indultae perfidus auris onus.
Nec mora, praedictae segeti caput intulit horrens,
      Poena sed indignum quod geminata facit.

Lay waste to the crops and rush through the rich tilled lands
      The peasant had left his sow with her ear cut off,
As, mindful, recounting the memorials of the hurt received,
      He would spare her further to his tender ones enough. Again, seized in the crime of the field into which she had strayed,                    5
      The treacherous ear destroyed the pledge of the pardon.
Nor delay: the bristling creature thrust its head into the aforesaid crop,
      A punishment, though unworthy, which makes that penalty doubled.

Tunc domini captum mensis dedit ille superbis,
      In varias epulas plurima frusta secans.                    10
Sed cum consumpti dominus cor quaereret apri,
      Impatiens fertur quod rapuisse cocus,
Rusticus hoc iustam verbo compescuit iram,
      Affirmans stultum non habuisse suem.
Nam cur membrorum demens in damna redisset,                    15
      Atque uno totiens posset ab hoste capi?
Haec illos descripta monent, qui saepius ausi
      Numquam a peccatis abstinuere manus.

Then to the proud masters that month he gave the captured boar,
      Breaking very many morsels for varied feasts.                    10
But when the master, after the meal, sought the boar's heart,
      It is reported that the cook, impatient, had snatched it,
The rustic quelled this anger with a rightful word,
      Asserting that the fool had no hog.
For why would a madman return again to the loss of his limbs,                    15
      And how could he so often be taken by one enemy?
These things, set down, warn those who more often dared
      Never to restrain their hands from sins.

XXXI. [DE MURE ET TAURO]

CHAPTER 31. [ON THE MOUSE AND THE BULL]

Ingentem fertur mus quondam parvus oberrans
      Ausus ab exiguo laedere dente bovem.
Verum ubi mordaci confecit vulnera rostro,
      Tutus in amfractus conditur inde suos.
Ille licet vasta torvum cervice minetur,                    5
      Non tamen iratus, quem petat, esse videt.

A little mouse is said once to have borne off a great ox wandering
      Daring with a tiny tooth to injure the bull.
But when it with its biting snout had made wounds,
      Safe in the crevices it is then hidden among its own.
He, though with a vast neck frowning fierce,                    5
      Yet does not see that the one he seeks to attack is angry.

Tunc indignantem iusto sermone fatigans,
      Distulit hostiles calliditate minas:
Non quia magna tibi tribuerunt membra parentes
      Viribus effectum constituere tuis.                    10
Disce tamen brevibus quae sit fiducia monstris,
      Et faciat quicquid parvula turba cupit.

Then, tiring the indignant one with righteous speech,
      He put off hostile threats by cunning:
Not because your parents granted you great limbs
      Do they deem you accomplished by your own strengths.                    10
Learn nevertheless what confidence is in small creatures,
      And let whatever the little throng desires be done.

XXXII. [DE PIGRO TURINTHIUM FRUSTRA ORANTE]

32. [ON THE LAZY TURINTHIUS PRAYING IN VAIN]

Haerentem luteo sub gurgite rusticus axem
      Liquerat et nexos ad iuga tarda boves,
Frustraque depositis confidens numina votis
      Ferre suis rebus, cum resideret, opem.
Cui rector summis Tyrinthius infit ab astris,                    5
      Nam vocat hunc supplex in sua vota deum:
Perge laborantes stimulis agitare iuvencos,
      Et manibus pigras disce iuvare rotas.
Tunc quoque congressum maioraque viribus ausum
      Fas superos animis conciliare tuis.                    10
Disce tamen pigris non flecti numina votis
      Praesentesque adhibe, cum facis ipse, deos.

The countryman had left the axle stuck beneath the muddy whirl,
      and the slow oxen bound to the yokes behind him,
and trusting vainly in the gods, his vows laid aside,
      to bring aid to his things when they stood still.
To him the ruler from the highest stars, the Tyrinthian, thus speaks,                    5
      for he calls this man a suppliant in his own vows:
"Go on, urge the laboring young oxen with your goads,
      and learn to help the sluggish wheels with your hands." Then also dare to meet and by greater strength achieve
      that it is lawful to conciliate the gods above by your spirit.                    10
Learn, however, that the numina are not turned by lazy vows;
      call the present gods to aid only when you yourself put forth the deed.

XXXIII. [DE ANSERE OVA AUREA PARIENTE]

CHAPTER 33. [ON THE GOOSE BEARING GOLDEN EGGS]

Anser erat cuidam pretioso germine feta,
      Ovaque quae nidis aurea saepe daret.
Fixerat hanc volucri legem Natura superbae,
      Ne liceat pariter munera ferre duo.
Sed dominus, cupidum sperans vanescere votum,                    5
      Non tulit exosas in sua lucra moras,
Grande ratus pretium volucris de morte referre,
      Quae tam continuo munere dives erat.

There was to a certain man a goose, pregnant with a precious germ,
     and which often gave golden eggs to the nests.
Nature had fixed this law for the proud bird,
     that it be not allowed for two gifts to be borne together.
But the master, hoping his covetous wish would vanish,                    5
     did not endure delays in his greedy profit,
thinking great that the price of the bird would be returned from its death,
     which so continuously was rich by its gift.

Postquam nuda minax egit per viscera ferrum,
      Et vacuam solitis fetibus esse videt,                    10
Ingemuit tantae deceptus crimine fraudis;
      Nam poenam meritis rettulit inde suis.
Sic qui cuncta deos uno male tempore poscunt,
      Iustius his etiam vota diurna negant.

After the naked threatening blade drove through his entrails,
      And sees them empty of their accustomed broods,                    10
He groaned, deceived by so great a crime of fraud;
      For thence he brought back punishment to match his merits.
Thus he who at one unlucky time demands all things of the gods,
      More justly even denies these daily vows.

XXXIV. [DE CYCADA ET FORMICA]

CHAPTER 34. [OF THE CICADA AND THE ANT]

Quisquis torpentem passus transisse iuventam,
      Nec timuit vitae providus ante mala,
Collectus senio, postquam gravis adfuit aetas,
      Heu frustra alterius saepe rogabit opem.
Solibus ereptos hiemi formica labores                    5
      Distulit, et brevibus condidit ante cavis.
Verum ubi candentes suscepit terra pruinas
      Arvaque sub rigido delituere gelu,
Pigra nimis tantos non aequans corpore nimbos,
      In propriis laribus humida grana legit.                    10
Decolor hanc precibus supplex alimenta rogabat,
      Quae quondam querulo ruperat arva sono:
Se quoque, maturas cum tunderet area messes,
      Cantibus aestivos explicuisse dies.

Whoever let his youth pass sluggishly,
      Nor providently feared the evils of life beforehand,
Gathered in old age, after a heavy time of life had come,
      Alas, will often in vain beg another’s aid. The ant, her labors snatched from the suns by winter,                    5
      Deferred them, and hid them beforehand in short hollows.
But when the earth received the shining frosts
      And the fields lay concealed beneath the rigid cold,
Too sluggish of body to match such storms,
      She gathers the damp grains in her own homes.                    10
Wan, a suppliant, she begged food with prayers,
      She who once had filled the fields with plaintive song:
She herself also, when the threshing-floor beat out the ripe harvests,
      Spent the summer days in singing.

Parvula tunc ridens sic est affata cicadam;                    15
      Nam vitam pariter continuare solent:
Mi quoniam summo substantia parta labore est,
      Frigoribus mediis ocia longa traho.
At tibi saltandi nunc ultima tempora restant,
      Cantibus est quoniam vita peracta prior.                    20

Then the little one, laughing, thus addressed the cicada;                    15
      For they are wont to continue life together:
Alas, since my sustenance is won by the utmost toil,
      In the midst of colds I endure long idleness.
But for you the last times of dancing now remain,
      For your life formerly was spent in songs.                    20

XXXV. [DE SIMIA GEMELLIS]

35. [ON THE MONKEY WITH TWINS]

Fama est quod geminum profundens simia partum,
      Dividat in varias pignora nata vices;
Namque unum caro genetrix educit amore,
      Alterius odiis exaturata [sic] tumet.
Coeperit ut fetam gravior terrere tumultus,                    5
      Dissimili natos conditione rapit:
Dilectum manibus vel pectore gestat amico,
      Contemptum dorso suscipiente levat.
Sed cum lassatis nequeat consistere plantis,
      Oppositum fugiens sponte remisit onus.                    10
Alter ab hirsuto circumdans brachia collo
      Haeret, et invita cum genetrice fugit.

There is a tale that an ape, bringing forth a twin birth,
      Divides the newborns into different fortunes;
For the one the mother with fleshly love brings up,
      The other swells, inflamed by hatred. When a weightier tumult begins to frighten the pregnant one,                    5
      She snatches up those born of dissimilar condition:
The favored she bears in her hands or on her breast,
      The scorned she lifts by taking upon her back. But when, with her feet exhausted, she cannot stand firm,
      Fleeing the one set against her, she of her own accord lets go the burden.                    10
The other, throwing his shaggy arms about her neck,
      Clings, and unwillingly flees away with the mother.

Mox quoque dilecti succedit in oscula fratris,
      Servatus vetulis unicus heres avis.
Sic multos neglecta iuvant, atque, ordine verso,                    15
      Spes humiles rursus in meliora refert.

Soon too the beloved succeeds to the brother’s kisses,
      the sole heir, a bird preserved for the old women.
Thus neglected things help many, and, the order reversed,                    15
      Hope again restores the humble to better things.

XXXVI. [DE VITULO ET BOVE]

36. [ON THE CALF AND THE OX]

Pulcher et intacta vitulus cervice resultans
      Scindentem adsidue viderat arva bovem.
Non pudet, heus, inquit, longaevo vincula collo
      Ferre nec haec positis ocia nosse iugis.
Cum mihi subiectas pateat discursus in herbas                    5
      Et nemorum liceat rursus opaca sequi?

The fair and unhurt calf, springing up with its neck intact,
      Had often seen the ox continually cleaving the fields.
"Is it not shame," he cries, "to bear the yoke on an aged neck
      And not to know these leisures with the yokes set aside?
When to me the lowly course to the bowed grasses lies open                    5
      And is it permitted again to follow the shady pathways of the groves?"

At senior, nullam verbis compulsus in iram,
      Vertebat solidam vomere fessus humum,
Donec deposito per prata liceret aratro
      Molliter herboso procubuisse thoro.                    10
Mox vitulum sacris innexum respicit aris
      Admotum cultro comminus ire popae.
Hanc tibi tristis, ait, dedit indulgentia mortem,
      Expertem nostri quae facit esse iugi.
Proderit ergo graves quamvis perferre labores,                    15
      Otia quam tenerum mox peritura pati.

At senior, nullam verbis compulsus in iram,
      He turned the solid earth with the plough, weary,
Donec deposito per prata liceret aratro
      That, the plough laid aside, through the meadows it might be permitted
      Molliter herboso procubuisse thoro.                    10
Mox vitulum sacris innexum respicit aris
      He beholds the calf bound to the sacred altars
Admotum cultro comminus ire popae.
He sees the knife brought near, the sacrificer to fall on it at close hand. Hanc tibi tristis, ait, dedit indulgentia mortem,
      'This sad indulgence has given you death,' he says,
      Expertem nostri quae facit esse iugi.
'Which makes you free from our yoke.' Proderit ergo graves quamvis perferre labores,                    15
      Than to endure a tender leisure soon about to perish.

Est hominum sors ista, magis felicior ut mors
Sit cita, cum miseris vita diurna negat.

Such is the lot of men, the more fortunate that death
Be swift, when daily life denies it to the wretched.

XXXVII. [DE LEONE ET CANE]

37. [ON THE LION AND THE DOG]

Pinguior exhausto canis occurrisse leoni
      Fertur, et insertis verba dedisse iocis.
Nonne vides duplici tendantur ut ilia tergo
      Luxurietque toris nobile pectus, ait?
Proximus humanis ducor post ocia mensis,                    5
      Communem capiens largius ore cibum.

Fatter, the dog is said to have met the exhausted lion
     and, inserting words, to have given them as jests.
Do you not see how those things are stretched to a double back
     and how his noble breast will luxuriate upon the cushions, he says?
Next to human tables am I led after idle hours,                    5
     taking the common food more largely with my mouth.

Sed quod crassa malum circumdat guttura ferrum?
      Ne custodita fas sit abire domo.
At tu magna diu moribundus lustra pererras,
      Donec se silvis obvia praeda ferat.                    10
Perge igitur nostris tua subdere colla catenis,
      Dum liceat faciles promeruisse dapes.

But why does thick iron gird the wicked throat?
      That it may not be lawful to depart from the guarded house.
At tu magna diu moribundus lustra pererras,
      Until a prey that meets you shall carry you into the woods.                    10
Perge igitur nostris tua subdere colla catenis,
      While it is permitted to have won easy feasts.

Protinus ille gravem gemuit collectus in iram
      Atque ferox animi, nobile murmur agit.
Vade, ait, et meritis nodum cervicibus infer,                    15
      Compensentque tuam vincula dura famem.
At mea cum vacuis libertas redditur antris,
      Quamvis ieiunus quelibet arva peto.

He straightway groaned a heavy groan, gathered into wrath
     And fierce of spirit, utters a noble murmur.
"Go," he says, "and upon your necks inflict a knot for your merits,                    15
     And let harsh chains make up for your hunger.
But when to me freedom is restored with the caves empty,
     Though hungry I shall seek any fields."

Has illis epulas potius laudare memento,
Qui libertatem post posuere gulae." 20

Remember rather to praise those feasts for those
Who afterwards set liberty after gluttony." 20

XXXVIII. [DE PISCE ET FOCIS [sic]]

CHAPTER 38. [ON THE FISH AND THE HEARTHS [sic]]

Dulcibus e stagnis fluvio torrente coactus
      Aequoreas praeceps piscis obibat aquas.
Illic squamigerum despectans improbus agmen
      Eximium sese nobilitate refert.
Non tulit expulsum patrio sub iurgite phocas                    5
      Verbaque cum salibus asperiora dedit:
Vana laboratis aufer mendatia dictis,
      Quaeque refutari te quoque teste queant.

Forced by the river's torrent from sweet pools
      The fish plunged headlong into the sea-waters.
There, scorning the scaly host, the arrogant one
      Proclaims himself outstanding in nobility.
He would not bear the seals, driven out under paternal reproach,                    5
      And with his brine he uttered words more harsh:
"Take away the vain lies from your labored speech,
      And those things which can be refuted even with you as witness."

Nam quis erat potior, populo spectante probabo,
Si pariter captos humida lina trahant. 10
Tunc me nobilior magno mercabitur emptor,
Te simul aere brevi debile vulgus emit.

For who was the preferred (one), I will prove, the people watching,
If equally they drag the captured with their wet nets. 10
Then a buyer richer will trade for me at a great price,
While the weak rabble at the same time buys you for brief bronze.

XXXIX. [DE MILITE VETERANO]

39. [ON THE VETERAN SOLDIER]

Voverat attritus quondam per proelia miles
      Omnia suppositis ignibus arma dare,
Vel quae victori moriens sibi turba dedisset
      Vel quicquid profugo posset ab hoste capi.
Interea votis sors affuit, et memor arma                    5
      Coeperat accenso singula ferre rogo.
Tunc lituus, rauco deflectens murmure culpam,
      Immeritum flammis se docet esse prius.

Once a soldier, worn by battles, had vowed
     To give all his arms to the fires laid beneath,
Or whatever the crowd would have given to the victor dying for himself
     Or whatever from the fugitive the enemy might take. Meanwhile fate attended his vows, and mindful of his arms                    5
     He had begun to carry each thing to the kindled pyre. Then the lituus, turning aside blame with a hoarse murmur,
     Proclaims itself undeserving to be first for the flames.

Nulla tuos, inquid, petierunt tela lacertos,
      Viribus affirmes quae tamen acta meis;                    10
Sed tantum ventis et cantibus arma coegi,
      Hoc quoque submisso (testor et astra) sono.
Ille resultantem flammis crepitantibus addens:
      Nunc te maior, ait, poena dolorque rapit;
Nam licet ipse nihil possis temptare nec ausus,                    15
      Saevior hoc, alios quod facis esse malos.

No weapons sought your arms, he said,
      Which nevertheless you may affirm were done by my forces;                    10
But I compelled arms only by winds and by songs,
      This also with a subdued sound (I swear by the stars).
He, adding the crackling that answers the flames:
      "Now a greater punishment and pain seize you," he says;
For though he himself can neither attempt nor have dared anything,
      This is more savage, because you make others to be evil.

XL. [DE PARDO ET VULPE]

CHAPTER 40. [OF THE LEOPARD AND THE FOX]

Distinctus maculis et pulchro pectore, pardus
      Inter consimiles ibat inire feras;
Sed quia nulla graves variarent terga leones,
      Protinus his miserum credidit esse genus.
Cetera sordenti damnans animalia vultu                    5
      Solus in exemplum nobilitatis erat.
Hunc arguta novo gaudentem vulpis amictu
      Corripit, et vanas approbat esse notas:
Vade, ait, et pictae nimium confide iuventae,
      Dum mihi consilium pulchrius esse queat,                    10
Miremurque magis quos munera mentis adornant,
      Quam qui corporeis enituere bonis.

Distinct with spots and with a handsome breast, the leopard
      Among his fellows went to join the wild beasts;
But because no lions varied their heavy hides,
      Straightaway he thought his race to be miserable beside them.
Condemning the other animals with a sordid countenance                    5
      He alone was held up as an example of nobility.
This one the shrewd fox, rejoicing in his new garment,
      Seizes him, and declares his markings to be mere vanity:
"Go," she says, "and put too much trust in painted youth,
      While a counsels of mine may be more fair,"                    10
"Let us admire more those whom the gifts of mind adorn,
      Than those who strive by bodily goods."

XLI. [DE OLLA CRUDA A FLUVIO RAPTA]

41. [ON THE RAW POT SNATCHED BY THE RIVER]

Impulsus ventis et pressa nube coactus
      Ruperat hibernis se gravis imber aquis.
Cumque per effusas stagnaret turbine terras,
      Expositum campis fictile pressit opus;
Mobile namque lutum tepidus prius instruit aer.                    5
      Discat ut admoto rectius igne coqui.
Tunc nimbus fragilis perquirat [sic] nomina testae.

Driven by the winds and forced by a burdened cloud
      a heavy rain broke forth into the wintry waters.
And when with its outpoured whirlwind it flooded the lands,
      it pressed down the exposed earthenware work in the fields;
For warm air first readies the movable clay.                    5
      Let it learn how, when fire is applied, to be more properly baked.
Then the brittle cloud searches out the names of the pot/shard [sic].

      Immemor illa sui: Amphora dicor, ait,
Nunc me docta manus, rapiente volumina gyro
      Molliter obliquum iussit habere latus.                    10
Hactenus hac, inquit, liceat constare figura;
      Nam te subiectam diluet imber, ait.
Et simul accepto violentius amne fatiscens
      Pronior in tenues victa cucurrit aquas.
Infelix, quae magna sibi cognomina sumens                    15
      Ausa faretratis nubibus ista loqui
Haec poterunt miseros post hac exempla monere.

      Unmindful of herself: "I am called Amphora," she says,
"Nunc me docta manus, rapiente volumina gyro
      Has ordered a learned hand, seizing my rounded bulk, to have a gently oblique side."                    10
Hactenus hac, inquit, liceat constare figura;
      For, she says, a shower will wash you when you are set beneath it.
Et simul accepto violentius amne fatiscens
      Gaping, more violently rent by the seized stream
Pronior in tenues victa cucurrit aquas.
Unhappy she, who, taking great surnames for herself,                    15
      Dared to speak those words to the quiver-bearing clouds—
These things may henceforth warn the wretched by example.

Subdita nobilibus ut sua fata gemant.

Placed beneath the nobles, that they may lament their own fates.

XLII. [DE LUPO ET HAEDO]

42. [ON THE WOLF AND THE KID]

Forte lupum melior cursu deluserat haedus,
      Proxima vicinis dum petit arva casis;
Inde fugam recto tendens in moenia cursu
      Inter lanigeros asstitit [sic] ille greges.
Impiger hunc raptor mediamque secutus in urbem,                    5
      Temptat compositis sollicitare dolis:
Nonne vides, inquit, cunctis ut victima templis,
      Inmitem regemens morte cruentet humum?
Quod nisi securo valeas te reddere campo,
      Heu mihi!

By chance a kid, swifter in course, had outstripped the wolf,
      While he made for the fields near the neighboring huts;
Then, making flight straight, he hastened toward the walls,
      There he stood among the woolly flocks.
The eager raptor followed him and chased him into the midst of the town,                    5
      And tries to worry him with contrived deceits:
"Do you not see," he says, "how, as a victim to all the temples,
      The pitiless ruler will crimson the ground with death?
Unless you can make your way back to the secure plain,
      Alas for me!"

vittata tu quoque fronte cades.                    10
Ille refert: modo quam metuis, precor, exime curam,
      Et tecum viles, improbe, tolle minas;
Nam sat erit sacrum divis fudisse cruorem,
      Quam rabido fauces exsaturare lupo.
Sic quotiens duplici subeuntur tristia casu,                    15
      Expedit insignem promeruisse necem.