Tag: Aesop

Aesop Fable II – The Eagle, the Jackdaw, and the Shepherd

~ Erik ~ 3 Comments

 

“An Eagle once flew down from a lofty rock and snatched a lamb. A Jackdaw saw this and jealously wished to imitate him. Sending himself down with a great whistle he landed upon a ram. He locked his talons into the ram’s wool, and unable to lift the ram, he beat his wings until a shepherd, seeing what was happening, ran up, grabbed the Jackdaw, and cut off his wings. When evening came, the shepherd carried them to his children. When they asked what sort of bird it was, he responded, ‘As I know clearly, he was a Jackdaw; but as he conceived it, he was an Eagle.’

Thus goes the struggle against those who exceed us: in addition to accomplishing nothing, one adds ridicule to misfortune.”

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     ἀετὸς καταπτὰς ἀπό τινος ὑψηλῆς πέτρας ἄρνα ἥρπασε· κολοιὸς δὲ τοῦτον θεασάμενος διὰ ζῆλον [τοῦτον] μιμήσασθαι ἤθελε. καὶ δὴ καθεὶς ἑαυτὸν μετὰ πολλοῦ ῥοίζου ἐπὶ κριὸν ἠνέχθη. ἐμπαρέντων δὲ αὐτοῦ τῶν ὀνύχων τοῖς

μαλλοῖς ἐξαρθῆναι μὴ δυνάμενος ἐπτερύσσετο, ἕως ὁ ποιμὴν τὸ γεγονὸς αἰσθόμενος προσδραμὼν συνέλαβεν αὐτὸν καὶ περικόψας αὐτοῦ τὰ ὀξύπτερα, ὡς ἑσπέρα κατέλαβε, τοῖς αὐτοῦ παισὶν ἐκόμισε. τῶν δὲ πυνθανομένων, τί εἴη τὸ ὄρνεον, ἔφη· „ὡς μὲν ἐγὼ σαφῶς οἶδα, κολοιός, ὡς δὲ αὐτὸς βούλεται, ἀετός.”

     οὕτως ἡ πρὸς τοὺς ὑπερέχοντας ἅμιλλα πρὸς τῷ μηδὲν ἀνύειν καὶ ἐπὶ συμφοραῖς προσκτᾶται γέλωτα.

Aesop Fable I – The Eagle and the Fox

~ Erik ~ Leave a comment

“The Eagle and the Fox once became friends and decided to live near each other, and they made this close acquaintance the confirmation of their friendship. The Eagle, mounting upon a huge tree, gave birth to its young. The Fox, arriving at the underlying brush, gave birth. One day, when the Fox was away in search of food, the Eagle was in need of nourishment, so it flew down to the brush, took the Fox’s offspring, and shared them as a meal among its own children. The Fox returned and, as she recognized what had been done, was not pained more by the loss of her children than by eagerness for vengeance. For, being a land animal, she was unable to pursue a winged one. On which account she stood far away and cursed her enemy, which is the only thing left to those who are lacking strength and power. But it so happened that the Eagle was not able to long ward off the punishment for its crime against friendship. For, while some people were sacrificing a goat in the field, it flew down and snatched the burning liver from the altar. Upon arriving at the nest, a great wind arose from the old fair breeze, and set a bright fire to the nest. On that account, the Eagle’s young were burned (their wings were not yet fully-grown) and fell to the ground. The Fox then ran up and devoured them in sight of the Eagle.

This tale makes it clear that those who break the bonds of friendship, even though they may seem to escape chastisement due to the impotence of their victims, will not then elude divine punishment.”

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ἀετὸς καὶ ἀλώπηξ φιλίαν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ποιησάμενοι πλησίον ἑαυτῶν οἰκεῖν διέγνωσαν, βεβαίωσιν φιλίας τὴν συνήθειαν καὶ ἐν ταὐτῷ ἅμα εἶναι ἡγούμενοι. καὶ δὴ ὁ μὲν ἀναβὰς ἐπὶ μήκιστον δένδρον ἐνεοττοποίησεν, ἡ δὲ εἰσελθοῦσα κάτωθεν εἰς τὸν ὑποκείμενον θάμνον ἔτεκεν. μιᾷ οὖν τῶν ἡμερῶν ἐξελθούσης τῆς ἀλώπεκος ἐπὶ νομὴν ὁ ἀετὸς ἀπορῶν τροφῆς καταπτὰς εἰς τὸν θάμνον καὶ τὰ γεννήματα ἁρπάσας μετὰ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ νεοττῶν ἐθοινήσατο. ἡ δὲ ἀλώπηξ ἐπανελθοῦσα ὡς ἔγνω τὸ πραχθέν, οὐ τοσοῦτον ἐπὶ τῷ θανάτῳ τῶν νεοττῶν ἐλυπήθη, ὅσον ἐπὶ τῆς

ἀμύνης· χερσαία γὰρ οὖσα πετεινὸν διώκειν οὐκ ἠδύνατο. διόπερ πόρρωθεν στᾶσα, ὃ τοῖς ἀδυνάτοις καὶ ἀσθενέσι ὑπάρχει ἔργον, τὸν ἐχθρὸν κατηρᾶτο. συνέβη οὖν ἀντὶ τῆς πολλῆς ἀγάπης μεγίστην ἔχθραν μεταξὺ ἐσχηκέναι. θυόντων δέ τινων αἶγα ἐπ’ ἀγρῷ ὁ ἀετὸς καταπτὰς μέρος τι τῆς αἰγὸς μετὰ καὶ ἐμπύρων ἀνθράκων ἐπὶ τὴν καλιὰν ἀνήγαγεν. σφοδρὸς οὖν ἄνεμος ἐμπνεύσας, ἐκ λεπτοῦ καὶ παλαιοῦ

χόρτου οὖσα ἡ καλιά, λαμπρὰν φλόγα ἀνήγαγεν. καταφλεχθέντες δὲ οἱ νεοττοί—καὶ γὰρ ἦσαν ἔτι πτηνοὶ ἀτελεῖς—ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν κατέπεσον. ἡ δὲ ἀλώπηξ προσδραμοῦσα ἐν ὄψει τοῦ ἀετοῦ πάντας αὐτοὺς κατέφαγεν.

     ὁ λόγος δηλοῖ, ὅτι οἱ φιλίαν παρασπονδοῦντες, κἂν τὴν ἐκ τῶν ἠδικημένων ἐκφύγωσι κόλασιν δι’ ἀσθένειαν, ἀλλ’ οὖν γε τὴν ἐκ θεοῦ τιμωρίαν οὐ διακρούσονται.

Aesop, Fabula 302: Mouse Meets Frog; Frog Drowns Mouse; Bird Eats Both

~ sententiaeantiquae ~ 2 Comments

“There was a time when all the animals spoke the same language. A mouse who was on friendly terms with a frog, invited him to dinner and led him into a storehouse of his wealth where he kept his bread, cheese, honey, dried figs and all of his precious things. And he said “Eat whatever you wish, Frog.” Then the Frog responded: “When you come visit me, you too will have your fill of fine things. But I don’t want you to be nervous, so I will fasten your foot to my foot.” After the Frog bound his foot to the mouse’s and dragging him in this way, he pulled the tied-up mouse into the pond. While he drowned, he said “I am being mortified by you, but I will be avenged by someone still alive!” A bird who saw the mouse afloat flew down and seized him. The Frog went aloft with him too and thus, the bird slaughtered them both.

A wicked plot between friends is thus a danger to them both”

ΜΥΣ ΚΑΙ ΒΑΤΡΑΧΟΣ
ὅτε ἦν ὁμόφωνα τὰ ζῷα, μῦς βατράχῳ φιλιωθεὶς ἐκάλεσεν αὐτὸν εἰς δεῖπνον καὶ ἀπήγαγεν αὐτὸν εἰς ταμιεῖον πλουσίου, ὅπου ἦν ἄρτος, τυρός, μέλι, ἰσχάδες καὶ ὅσα
ἀγαθά, καί φησιν „ἔσθιε, βάτραχε, ἐξ ὧν βούλει.” ὁ δὲ βάτραχος ἔλεγε• „ἐλθὼν οὖν καὶ σὺ πρὸς ἐμὲ ἐμπλήσθητι τῶν ἀγαθῶν μου. ἀλλ’ ἵνα μὴ ὄκνος σοι γένηται, προσαρτήσω τὸν πόδα σου τῷ ποδί μου.” δήσας οὖν ὁ βάτραχος τὸν πόδα τοῦ μυὸς τῷ ἑαυτοῦ ποδὶ ἥλατο εἰς τὴν λίμνην ἕλκων καὶ τὸν μῦν δέσμιον. ὁ δὲ πνιγόμενος ἔλεγεν• „ἐγὼ μὲν ὑπό σου νεκρωθήσομαι, ἐκδικήσομαι δὲ ὑπὸ ζῶντος.” λούππης δὲ θεασάμενος τὸν μῦν πλέοντα καταπτὰς ἥρπα-σεν. ἐφέλκετο οὖν σὺν αὐτῷ καὶ ὁ βάτραχος καὶ οὕτως ἀμφοτέρους διεσπάραξεν.
ὅτι ἡ τῶν φίλων πονηρὰ συμβουλὴ καὶ ἑαυτοῖς κίνδυνος γίνεται.

Note 1: ὁμόφωνα τὰ ζῷα, “common animal language”: It is unclear whether, in these halcyon days before the fall from linguistic harmony, a Frog would squeak or a Mouse would croak when in the other’s company.

Note 2: ἐμπλήσθητι τῶν ἀγαθῶν :”you will have your fill of good things”. If the Mouse knew his Pindar (῎Αριστον μὲν ὕδωρ, 1.1), he would suspect that the Frog will do what in fact does, which is to fill his lungs with water. This illustrates that good things are in fact relative. A Mouse and Frog will hold different things dear.

Before You Read a Poem, Know that Poets Are Liars (Plutarch)

~ sententiaeantiquae ~ Leave a comment

From Plutarch’s Quomodo Adolescens Poetas Audire Debeat (16a-c)

“First of all, it is best to introduce the youth to poems when they have already learned as a watchword the saying that “poets tell many lies,” some willingly, and others unwillingly. They lie willingly with an eye toward pleasure and attractiveness—things which most people pursue: they feel that the truth is rather more severe than fiction. This is because that truth occurs in reality and does not change even if it ends in displeasure. Fiction, since it is formed by speech, easily changes its direction and turns to pleasure from something that might cause pain.

Hence, neither meter, nor style, nor magnitude of speech, nor fit of metaphor, nor unity and composition have as much seduction and charm as the well-woven plot of a fantastic tale. So, just as in painting color is more moving than a line drawing because it is more life-like and illusory, so too will fiction mixed in with persuasive poetry be more striking and cause more pleasure than a poem well-built in its meter and diction but devoid of myth and fantasy.

This is why Socrates, when he was inspired by some dreams to poetry—since he had been a champion for truth his entire life—was not a believable or natural creator of fiction and instead worked the tales of Aesop in to epic verse because he believed that it was not possible for poetry to exist apart from some fiction.”

Πρῶτον μὲν οὖν εἰσάγειν εἰς τὰ ποιήματα δεῖ τὸν νέον μηδὲν οὕτω μεμελετημένον ἔχοντα καὶ πρόχειρον ὡς τὸ “πολλὰ ψεύδονται ἀοιδοὶ” τὰ μὲν ἑκόντες τὰ δ’ ἄκοντες. ἑκόντες μέν, ὅτι πρὸς ἡδονὴν ἀκοῆς καὶ χάριν, ἣν οἱ πλεῖστοι διώκουσιν, αὐστηροτέραν ἡγοῦνται τὴν ἀλήθειαν τοῦ ψεύδους. ἡ μὲν γὰρ ἔργῳ γιγνομένη, κἂν ἀτερπὲς ἔχῃ τὸ τέλος, οὐκ ἐξίσταται· τὸ δὲ πλαττόμενον λόγῳ ῥᾷστα περιχωρεῖ καὶ τρέπεται πρὸς τὸ ἥδιον ἐκτοῦ λυποῦντος. οὔτε γὰρ μέτρον οὔτε τρόπος οὔτε λέξεως ὄγκος οὔτ’ εὐκαιρία μεταφορᾶς οὔθ’ ἁρμονία καὶ σύνθεσις ἔχει τοσοῦτον αἱμυλίας καὶ χάριτος ὅσον εὖ πεπλεγμένη διάθεσις μυθολογίας· ἀλλ’ ὥσπερ ἐν γραφαῖς κινητικώτερόν ἐστι χρῶμα γραμμῆς διὰ τὸ ἀνδρείκελον καὶ ἀπατηλόν, οὕτως ἐν ποιήμασι μεμιγμένον πιθανότητι ψεῦδος ἐκπλήττει καὶ ἀγαπᾶται μᾶλλον τῆς ἀμύθου καὶ ἀπλάστου περὶ μέτρον καὶ λέξιν κατασκευῆς. ὅθεν ὁ Σωκράτης ἔκ τινων ἐνυπνίων ποιητικῆς ἁψάμενος αὐτὸς μέν, ἅτε δὴ γεγονὼς ἀληθείας ἀγωνιστὴς τὸν ἅπαντα βίον, οὐ πιθανὸς ἦν οὐδ’ εὐφυὴς ψευδῶν δημιουργός, τοὺς δ’ Αἰσώπου μύθους ἔπεσιν ἐνήρμοζεν ὡς ποίησιν οὐκ οὖσαν ᾗ ψεῦδος μὴ πρόσεστι.

Once, All the Animals Spoke the Same Language: Aesop’s Frog and Mouse Tales

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We’ve been working on a text, translation and commentary of the Homeric Batrakhomuomakhia (“Battle of Frog and Mice”). Some of the themes, part of the plot, and even some specific instances of diction are shared with the Aesopic fable of the mouse and the frog. Below are two versions:

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