HOME | Osius: Previous Page - Next Page

 

Simius et Vulpes

 

Parallels: For parallel versions, see Perry 533.

 

O mea da nobis Vulpecula, Simius inquit,

Particulam caudae, cui grave pendet onus.

Fac vestire sinas tali velamine nates,

Hoc, ait, accepto munere gratus ero.

Illa refert: tantam si caudam nacta fuissem,

Esset ut hanc plaustro pone necesse vehi:

Non uno tamen inde pilo vestitior ires,

Natibus incedas nudus ut usque tuis.

Grandis opum quamvis non copia desit avaris,

Inde tamen miseris ferre gravantur opem.

 

Here is the poem in a more prose-like word order for easy reading:

 

Simius inquit:

"O mea Vulpecula,

da nobis particulam caudae,

cui grave onus pendet.

Fac sinas vestire nates tali velamine.

Hoc munere accepto, gratus ero," ait.

Illa refert:

"Si nacta fuissem tantam caudam,

ut necesse esset hanc pone vehi plaustro,

inde tamen non uno pilo ires vestitior;

incedas nudus natibus tuis ut usque."

Quamvis grandis copia opum non desit avaris,

inde tamen gravantur ferre miseris opem.

 

Here is the poem with meter marks:

 

O mea ~ da no~bis Vul~pecula, ~ Simius ~ inquit,

Particu~lam cau~dae, = cui grave ~ pendet o~nus.

Fac ves~tire si~nas ta~li vel~amine ~ nates,

Hoc, ait, ~ accep~to = munere ~ gratus e~ro.

Illa re~fert: tan~tam si ~ caudam ~ nacta fu~issem,

Esset ut ~ hanc plaus~tro = pone ne~cesse ve~hi:

Non u~no tamen ~ inde pi~lo ves~titior ~ ires,

Natibus ~ ince~das = nudus ut ~ usque tu~is.

Grandis o~pum quam~vis non ~ copia ~ desit a~varis,

Inde ta~men mise~ris = ferre gra~vantur o~pem.

 

Translation:

 

The Monkey said: "O my dear Fox, give us a little bit of your tail, since it weighs so much. Please let me cover up my butt with such a covering. Having received this gift, I will be grateful," he said. The Fox replied: "If I were to acquire so much tail that I would have to carry it behind me with a wagon, nevertheless you wouldn't go about with so much as a single hair's more clothing: you've got to go around with a naked butt just like always." Even though greedy people have no lack of a great abundance of things, nevertheless they are hampered from giving help to the needy.

 

[This translation is meant as a help in understanding the story, not as a "crib" for the Latin. I have not hesitated to change the syntax to make it flow more smoothly in English, altering the verb tense consistently to narrative past tense, etc.]

 

Illustration:

 

Here is an illustration from the 1575 edition; click on the image for a larger view. Once again it looks like the artist got his fables mixed up. The illustration here is actually about the story of how the fox and the wolf went to the monkey for judgment; it's not really an appropriate illustration for this fable at all.